Payment gateway fee calculator: Stripe vs Adyen vs Braintree vs Paddle, with international and FX fees

How it is calculated

V_m = V × share_m          (domestic cards, international cards, ACH, SEPA)
N   = V ÷ average ticket
N_m = N × share_m

blended provider:        r = pct, f = fixed fee per transaction
interchange-plus card:   r = interchange(segment, domestic or international) + scheme fee + markup
                         f = processing fee
ACH and SEPA with a cap: per transaction = min(average ticket × r, cap) + f

FX = V × fx_share × provider conversion rate

disputes = N × chargeback rate × dispute fee   (the provider's fee, or yours when it publishes none)

T_p = Σ_m (V_m × r_pm + N_m × f_pm) + V × s × x_p + N × c × d_p + M_p + A_p + tax
effective rate = T_p ÷ V
tax = your own monthly tax cost, added to every provider that is not a merchant of record

ranking: ascending T_p; a provider with no price for a method you use is excluded
saving = (most expensive − cheapest) ÷ most expensive
crossover: T = a × V + M is a straight line in volume, so two providers swap places at
V* = (M_j − M_i) ÷ (a_i − a_j), reported when it lies between $1,000 and $500,000,000

Assumptions

• V is monthly volume, s the share of volume converted between currencies, x_p the provider's conversion rate, c the chargeback rate, d_p the dispute fee, M_p the monthly platform fee and A_p the selected add-ons.
• Prices are public USD list prices for US merchants, read from the provider pages on the date shown. Negotiated rates, volume tiers, payout fees and refund fees are not modelled.
• A per-transaction cap (ACH, SEPA) is applied at the average ticket, so the result is exact only when most tickets are close to the average.
• Interchange-plus pricing needs the interchange your cards really attract. The interchange figures here are blended estimates for the card segment you pick, not published rates, so those rows are marked unverified.
• Disputes are charged on all transactions at the chargeback rate you enter. Add-ons are priced on total volume and transactions; real eligibility depends on the product.
• A fee a provider does not publish (for example Adyen's conversion rate) is counted as $0 and flagged, so that total can understate the real cost.
• A merchant of record (Paddle) includes tax collection and remittance in its fee. Enter your own monthly tax cost to add it to the other providers for a like-for-like view.
• Your international card share can be varied on its own with the what-if field; domestic cards absorb the difference so the mix still adds up to 100.

The data behind it

Three ways to reduce this number

1. Move large tickets to ACH or bank transfer: a capped percentage or a flat fee beats a card percentage on a $4,000 invoice.
2. Settle in local currency or open local acquiring to avoid conversion and cross-border fees.
3. Ask for interchange-plus pricing once your volume and a stable card mix give you leverage.

Use it from code

The same engine is available as a REST endpoint and as an MCP tool named calc_payment_gateway_fx_fee_comparator. Your scenario as an API call:

curl -X POST 'https://api.x12i.com/v1/calc/payment-gateway-fx-fee-comparator' \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{
  "input": {
    "monthly_volume_usd": 500000,
    "avg_ticket_usd": 100,
    "mix_card_domestic_pct": 70,
    "mix_card_international_pct": 30,
    "mix_ach_pct": 0,
    "mix_sepa_pct": 0,
    "card_segment": "consumer",
    "fx_share_pct": 15,
    "chargeback_rate_pct": 0.5,
    "dispute_fee_usd": 15,
    "providers": [
      "stripe",
      "adyen",
      "braintree",
      "paddle"
    ],
    "add_ons": [],
    "business_model": "one_time",
    "self_managed_tax_cost_usd_month": 0
  },
  "options": {
    "explain": false
  }
}'

Copy as API call Schema: GET /v1/calc/payment-gateway-fx-fee-comparator/schema

Frequently asked questions