Stripe vs. Airwallex: Compare fees, features, and benefits

Key takeaways

• Both Stripe and Airwallex provide global payment processing. Stripe is well-known for its payment processing solutions, while Airwallex is well-known for its end-to-end financial solutions for growing businesses.

• When assessing the two, look at their global reach, local payment method coverage, multi-currency settlement options, and end-to-end offering.

• Compared to Stripe, Airwallex offers greater local payment method coverage, a multi-currency wallet to settle global funds without incurring FX fees, customer support at lower costs, and a wider breadth of financial solutions, including FX, transfers, and spend management solutions.

If you run an eCommerce business, you'll need an online payment gateway to accept credit and debit card payments from customers. Both Stripe and Airwallex offer payment gateways that plug into your eCommerce store, but which solution is right for your business?

Beyond payment processing costs, you’ll also want to compare the features on offer to assess total value and cost. Look for multi-currency settlement options, access to diverse local payment methods (LPMs), robust customer service support, and additional solutions, like foreign exchange (FX), transfer, and spend management solutions.

Read on to find out how our platform, Airwallex, compares against Stripe on price, features, and benefits. 

What is Stripe?

Stripe is a well-known payment-technology company that provides businesses with a platform to accept payments from customers.

Stripe offers an online payment gateway for eCommerce businesses to accept online payments via credit and debit cards, digital wallets, bank transfers, and buy now, pay later (BNPL) services. Stripe is widely known to be developer-friendly due to its well-documented APIs and range of developer tools that simplify the process of building and managing payment systems.

What is Airwallex?

Airwallex is a financial solutions platform for growing businesses. Like Stripe, Airwallex also offers online payment acceptance via major card schemes and local payment methods, spanning digital wallets to BNPL. It’s easy to get started with no-code, low-code, and fully-customisable integration options.

In addition to payment processing, Airwallex provides FX management, which saves on conversion fees with same-currency settlement into its multi-currency wallet, as well as efficient transfer solutions and spend management tools to control and monitor business expenses. Airwallex also offers dedicated local support to help businesses expand more efficiently.

Compare Stripe and Airwallex features

One of the key differences with Airwallex is its like-for-like settlement in 14+ major currencies, allowing you to receive payments in the same currency your customers pay in, without forced conversions or hidden FX fees. Funds settle directly into your Airwallex multi-currency wallet, with no need to open separate foreign currency bank accounts, unlike with Stripe. On top of that, Airwallex offers 160+ local payment methods compared to Stripe’s 100+. These include digital wallets, such as Google Pay and Apple Pay, buy now, pay later (BNPL) options like Klarna and Afterpay, and digital bank transfers like Trustly in Europe and iDEAL in the Netherlands. Airwallex also offers 20+ local payment methods in Asia not offered on Stripe, including DOKU Wallet in Indonesia, Toss Pay in South Korea, and ShoppeePay in Malaysia.

See the full list of Airwallex’s 160+ local payment methods.

Compare Stripe and Airwallex fees

Overall, Airwallex offers lower pricing on domestic, European Economic Area (EEA), and international card payments. 

Stripe fees, explained

Stripe charges a fee for each successful credit and debit card transaction.

Stripe fees vary depending on whether the card used to pay is domestic, non-domestic but within the EEA (European Economic Area), or international (outside the EEA). 

In addition to transaction fees, Stripe charges FX fees, including:

• A minimum 1% foreign currency settlement fee to settle like-for-like (e.g. EUR to EUR) into a separate corresponding currency bank account. You’ll need to set up these foreign bank accounts yourself.

• A 2% FX conversion fee if you wish to convert foreign currencies to your domestic currency (e.g. EUR to GBP). To avoid this fee, you can set up a EUR account to settle EUR payments.

Stripe offers account management support in the Growth tier for £1,400 p/m for dedicated escalation; in the Premium tier for £4,000 p/m for faster escalation; and the Enterprise tier for £10,000 p/m for a dedicated technical account manager.

Airwallex fees, explained

Like Stripe, Airwallex charges a per transaction fee for successful credit and debit card payments, and fees vary depending on whether your customers pay with a UK card, EEA card, or international card. Airwallex’s payment processing fees are typically lower.

Airwallex also charges a 1% foreign currency settlement fee and 2% FX conversion fee. But in many cases, businesses will be able to bypass the FX conversion fee through like-for-like settlement, without the hassle of setting up foreign currency bank accounts.

• There’s a 1% foreign currency settlement fee to settle foreign currency payments like-for-like into Airwallex’s multi-currency wallet.

• Avoid the 2% FX conversion fee when you settle funds like-for-like in 14+ major currencies directly into Airwallex’s multi-currency wallet (e.g. EUR to EUR, AUD to AUD).

Airwallex also offers a dedicated account manager with its Accelerate plan at £999 p/m, which is a lower cost than Stripe’s offering.

Compare online payment gateways between Stripe and Airwallex

Both Stripe and Airwallex have strong API integrations, security features (including encryption, fraud detection, and compliance with financial regulations), and customer support. Both also handle multi-currency transactions and suit small and large businesses. However, there are some key benefits with partnering with one over the other.

The benefits of Stripe’s online payment gateway include:

• Payment acceptance in 135+ currencies via major card schemes and 100+ local payment methods. Includes access to domestic BNPL as a payment method.

• Like-for-like settlement for several currencies when you set up a corresponding currency bank account (e.g. settle EUR payments into a separate EUR account).

• Focused on payment processing, with strong integration with eCommerce platforms.

• Additional features, including billing, invoicing, point of sale, and embedded finance.

The benefits of Airwallex's online payment gateway include:

• Payment acceptance in 180+ countries and regions via major card schemes and 160+ payment methods. Includes access to domestic and international BNPL.

• Like-for-like settlement in 14+ currencies directly into Airwallex Wallet, with no currency conversions needed. Save on FX fees when paying out from the same multi-currency balances, and convert funds only when needed.

• Hold multi-currency funds indefinitely to hedge against currency fluctuations.

• Manage all global financial operations beyond just payment acceptance. Transfer, convert, hold, and manage global spend on one platform. Get access to interbank FX rates, branded corporate cards, expense management, and more.

• Additional features, including billing, invoicing, corporate cards, and embedded finance.

Go global, faster with Airwallex

Both Stripe and Airwallex are strong payment providers, with Stripe being well-known across the industry for its comprehensive payment processing and developer-friendly APIs. Airwallex goes further with its global payment coverage and wider breadth of financial solutions that can jumpstart your global operations faster and at lower costs.

Here’s why you might consider Airwallex over Stripe:

• Airwallex offers greater global coverage of local payment methods. Our platform offers 160+ local payment methods, compared to Stripe’s 100+. That includes 20+ local payment methods in Asia not available through Stripe.

• Collect and settle foreign currency payments like-for-like into Airwallex Wallet, with no need to convert currencies. This feature is available for 14+ major currencies. With Stripe, businesses first need to set up foreign currency bank accounts to get the same benefit.

• Airwallex lets you collect international payments with BNPL options like Klarna and Afterpay. With Stripe, businesses can only collect domestic payments using these options.

• Airwallex offers more affordable local support for businesses of all sizes. In comparison, Stripe charges thousands per year for a dedicated account manager.

All of these features can help your business onboard faster, launch into new markets quickly, and grow your business with confidence. Our value proposition is simple but powerful: Airwallex can simplify cross-border payments and consolidate financial operations, with ongoing personal support.

FAQs

Is Stipe or Airwallex better for international businesses?

Both Stripe and Airwallex are great for international businesses, but they have different strengths. Airwallex excels in multi-currency management and financial tools, making it ideal for businesses with significant international operations, while Stripe is more well-known and widely available in more countries.

 How do the pricing models of Stripe and Airwallex compare?

Stripe generally charges a percentage of the transaction amount plus a fixed fee, which is straightforward and suitable for a wide range of businesses. Airwallex offers slightly lower payment processing costs and multi-currency accounts, which can be more cost-effective for businesses with substantial international transactions.

What are the key differences in the feature sets of Stripe and Airwallex?

Stripe has strong capabilities in eCommerce integrations and subscriptions, with a stronger brand presence globally. Airwallex is a rapidly-growing fintech, and differs from Stripe through its multi-currency accounts, virtual cards, and financial management tools. Depending on your specific needs, one platform may be more suitable than the other. For example, if you primarily need payment processing, Stripe might suit you. If your business requires advanced financial management and international payment solutions, Airwallex may be the better choice.

What is like-for-like settlement?

Like-for-like settlement is a process that ensures that the currency a business receives in their account is the same as the currency in which the payment was made. This means that if a customer pays a business in, for example, US dollars (USD), the funds will be settled directly into their account in USD, without currency conversion. This approach helps businesses avoid unnecessary foreign exchange fees and ensures that they receive the exact amount they are owed, making international transactions more transparent and efficient. Airwallex offers like-for-like settlement in 14+ currencies directly into its multi-currency wallet.

Disclaimer: We wrote this article in Q2 2025. The information was based on our own online research and we were not able to manually test each tool or provider. The information is provided for educational purposes only and a reader should consider the specific requirements of their business when evaluating providers. This research is reviewed every six months. If you would like to request an update, feel free to contact us at [email protected].

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