If you use Stripe to get invoices paid, the alternatives depend on which part of the bill or the process you'd like to change: the Invoicing fee charged on top of card fees, the costs listed for failed and disputed SEPA payments, or how payment and chasing are split across tools. Direct debit providers, invoicing from a business bank account and tools that combine payments with credit control each change a different part. Decide which part matters most to you before comparing prices.
In this article
The short version
- Stripe Invoicing adds 0.4% or 0.5% per paid invoice to payment fees.
- Stripe lists €3.50 for a failed SEPA payment and €15 for a dispute.
- GoCardless collects direct debit but doesn't take cards or send reminders.
- Revolut Business invoices need a Merchant account for card payments.
- Card customers move as soon as your invoices carry a new payment link.
What an invoice paid through Stripe costs you
Stripe covers online payments of many kinds, and invoicing is one of its products. When you use it for invoices, two charges stack on each one. There's the payment fee, which in Ireland is 1.5% + €0.25 for a standard European Economic Area card, 2.5% + €0.25 for a UK card and 3.15% + €0.25 for an international card. Then Stripe Invoicing adds 0.4% of each paid invoice on its Starter plan, or 0.5% on Plus.
Over a month, the two charges add up. Say you send 30 invoices of €400 each and every customer pays with a standard EEA card through Invoicing Starter. The card fee on each is €6.25 and the Invoicing fee is €1.60, so each invoice costs €7.85 to collect and the month comes to €235.50, of which €48 is the Invoicing fee.
If some customers pay by SEPA direct debit through Stripe, a few other figures apply. Stripe lists €3.50 for a failed SEPA payment and €15 for a SEPA dispute, and makes SEPA funds available six business days after the payment.
Stripe Invoicing can email customers automatic reminders before, on or after the due date, picked from a set of preset options. Since reminders are covered, the differences between alternatives lie in the costs above and in how your customers pay.
The alternatives by what you want to change
If most of your customers pay you every month or on agreed terms, a SEPA direct debit provider collects each payment on the due date without the customer doing anything. GoCardless is one such provider. It doesn't take card payments or send invoice reminders, and its fees are taken out of your payouts, so if you leave Stripe for it, card customers and chasing would both need another home.
If you'd like invoices to go out from your business bank account, Revolut Business offers invoicing on plans from €10, €35 and €125 a month. Its invoices remind customers seven days before the due date, on the day and three days after. Customers can pay by card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Revolut Pay or bank transfer, but without an active Revolut Merchant account bank transfer is the only way they can pay, and Revolut says payment processing fees apply.
If you want payment and chasing in one place, look at how each combined tool prices the reminders as well as the payments. Adfin takes SEPA direct debit, card, Apple Pay, Google Pay and bank transfer, with links sent by email, SMS or WhatsApp. Its Essential credit control is free under fair use and gives you unlimited reminders on those three channels, statements and an aged debtors view. Enhanced credit control, with Adfin's collection agents and statutory late payment interest on overdue business invoices, costs 0.3% per paid invoice, and only when you use it.
If you invoice from Xero, check what its card option runs on before treating it as an alternative. Xero Ireland takes card, Apple Pay and Google Pay payments on invoices through Stripe, and Sage Ireland names Stripe and PayPal for online invoice payments.
The options compared
| Option | How customers can pay | Reminders | What you pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stripe Invoicing | Cards, SEPA direct debit and other online methods | Emails before, on or after the due date | Payment fees, plus 0.4% (Starter) or 0.5% (Plus) per paid invoice |
| GoCardless | SEPA direct debit, no cards | No invoice reminders | Per-payment fees, taken out of payouts |
| Revolut Business | Card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Revolut Pay or bank transfer with an active Merchant account; bank transfer only without one | 7 days before, on and 3 days after the due date | Plans from €10, €35 or €125 a month, plus payment processing fees |
| Adfin | SEPA direct debit, card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, bank transfer | Essential (free): unlimited reminders by email, SMS and WhatsApp | 20c + 1% per successful payment, with the 1% part capped at €2 on SEPA direct debit and bank transfer (cards not capped); Enhanced credit control 0.3% per paid invoice |
On the Adfin row, a SEPA direct debit or bank transfer of up to €2,000 costs at most €2.20, and 20c + 1% is the standard card price. You won't pay a monthly fee or setup fee for it, and you don't sign a contract.
Before you take invoices off Stripe
Card customers are the easiest group to move, since they pay from whatever link is on the invoice in front of them. Once your invoice template and reminder emails carry the new link, they've moved.
Customers paying by SEPA direct debit through Stripe need a plan. Whether their mandates can come across without a new signature depends on the providers involved, so get a clear answer before you set a date. When customers come across to Adfin from another SEPA direct debit provider, they keep their existing mandates, don't sign again and are told before the next collection.
Once customers have moved, tidy up what's left behind in Stripe. Turn off recurring invoices and scheduled reminders for every customer who has moved, so nobody is invoiced or reminded twice, and remove Stripe as the card option in your accounting software if you've replaced it. Pay a test invoice yourself by each method you offer and confirm it shows as paid in your accounts before real customers use it.
Common questions
How much does Stripe charge for an invoice paid by card in Ireland? For a standard European Economic Area card, Stripe charges 1.5% + €0.25. Stripe Invoicing adds 0.4% of the paid invoice on Starter or 0.5% on Plus.
Can Stripe remind customers about unpaid invoices? Yes, Stripe Invoicing can send automatic reminder emails before, on or after the due date, chosen from preset options.
What does Stripe charge when a SEPA direct debit fails? Stripe lists €3.50 for a failed SEPA payment and €15 for a SEPA dispute on its Irish pricing for local payment methods.
Is there a Stripe alternative that takes both cards and direct debit? Some tools that combine payments with credit control take both SEPA direct debit and cards, and Stripe itself takes both. GoCardless takes direct debit only, without cards.
Can customers pay my invoices by bank transfer instead of card? They can, and some invoicing tools offer it alongside cards. Revolut Business invoices can only be paid by bank transfer unless you have an active Revolut Merchant account.
Do direct debit customers need new mandates if I leave Stripe? It depends on the provider you're moving to, so ask before you set a date. Customers moving to Adfin from another SEPA direct debit provider keep their mandates and aren't asked to sign again.
Sources
- Stripe - Pricing, Ireland (accurate as of November 2026) https://stripe.com/ie/pricing
- Stripe - Invoicing pricing, Ireland (accurate as of November 2026) https://stripe.com/ie/invoicing/pricing
- Stripe - Local payment methods pricing, Ireland (accurate as of November 2026) https://stripe.com/ie/pricing/local-payment-methods
- Stripe - Send customer emails (accurate as of November 2026) https://docs.stripe.com/invoicing/send-email
- Revolut - Business invoices, Ireland (accurate as of November 2026) https://www.revolut.com/en-IE/business/invoices/
- Xero - Accept online payments, Ireland (accurate as of November 2026) https://www.xero.com/ie/accounting-software/accept-payments/
