Pin Payments vs Stripe

Fees, tax handling, payouts and coverage side by side, plus how many verified RevMRR startups use each.

The short version

Neither is a merchant of record, so with either one you register for and remit sales tax and VAT yourself.
On the standard published rate, Pin Payments (1.6% + 30c) is cheaper per transaction than Stripe (2.9% + $0.30).
Pick Pin Payments for: australian and New Zealand small businesses that sell online, invoice through Xero or bill on a subscription, and want a published per-transaction price with no monthly fee or contract..
Pick Stripe for: online-first businesses — SaaS, ecommerce, subscriptions, marketplaces — with access to developer talent, and any company selling internationally that needs multi-currency support and rich analytics..

	Pin Payments

RevMRR Score	A80	B74
Type	Payment Processor	Payment Processor
Standard fee	1.6% + 30c	2.9% + $0.30
Monthly fee	None	None
Merchant of record	No	No
Sales tax / VAT	You handle it	Paid add-on
Subscriptions	Supported	Supported
Payouts	2 business days by default, paid daily	First payout 7-14 days; then a rolling schedule…
Who can sign up	Founded in 2011, based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia	Founded in 2010, based in San Francisco, CA
Payment methods	Cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Local Payment Methods	Cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Local Payment Methods
Best for	Australian and New Zealand small businesses that sell online, invoice through Xero or bill on a subscription, and want a published per-transaction price with no monthly fee or contract.	Online-first businesses — SaaS, ecommerce, subscriptions, marketplaces — with access to developer talent, and any company selling internationally that needs multi-currency support and rich analytics.
Used on RevMRR	Not connectable yet	0 verified startups

Pin Payments

Pin Payments is a straightforward, fairly priced way for an Australian or New Zealand business to take card payments online without applying for a bank merchant facility. Its published domestic rate is simple, contracts are not required, it pays out in two business days and it works well with Xero. We hold the grade at B for four reasons: it is online-only with no card reader, New Zealand merchants can accept only Visa and Mastercard, the merchant terms let the provider impose a reserve, close an account immediately on risk grounds or on 30 days' notice without cause, and send disputes to arbitration, and there is little independent review evidence. It has also changed hands twice since 2020, and its terms now sit inside Fat Zebra's master agreement.

+ Published, simple pricing: 1.6% + 30c for domestic cards in Australia, with no setup fee, monthly fee or lock-in contract
+ No separate merchant facility needed, and accounts are typically approved within one to two business days
+ Funds arrive two business days after a sale on the default schedule
+ Charges in 15 currencies, and settlement in eight currencies, including direct to a Wise multi-currency account
+ Close Xero integration with Pay now buttons and a bank feed for reconciliation
+ Discounted rate for registered not-for-profits and custom pricing above $30,000 a month
– Online only: there is no card reader, so it cannot run a shopfront's counter payments
– New Zealand accounts accept only Visa and Mastercard, at a higher domestic rate of 1.9% + 30c plus GST
– International cards cost 3.4% + 30c, more than double the Australian domestic percentage rate
– The merchant terms allow a discretionary cash reserve, immediate closure on risk grounds or closure without cause on 30 days' notice, and require arbitration
– Very little independent review evidence: Capterra Australia shows five reviews, all from 2024, and we found no Trustpilot profile
– Ownership has changed twice since 2020, and the merchant terms are now Fat Zebra's

Pin Payments pricing ↗

Stripe

Stripe earns its A grade: transparent flat-rate pricing with no fixed fees, an unmatched developer platform, and product breadth that covers everything from subscriptions to marketplace payouts. The honest caveats are the 7-14 day first payout, the possibility of holds while underwriting catches up with instant onboarding, and pricing that stops being a bargain at serious volume until you negotiate custom rates.

+ Best-in-class developer experience: clean APIs, SDKs, and documentation that set the industry standard
+ Transparent flat-rate pricing with no monthly, setup, PCI, or statement fees
+ Global reach with broad payment-method and multi-currency support
+ Deep feature set — subscriptions, invoicing, marketplace tools, virtual terminal — on one platform
+ No contract or early-termination fee on standard pay-as-you-go service
– First payout takes 7-14 days, and new or unusual accounts can face holds and verification friction
– Flat-rate 2.9% + $0.30 gets expensive at volume compared with negotiated interchange-plus pricing
– Complex for non-technical users — much of the value assumes you will build on the API
– Prohibits many high-risk categories and is not available in every country

Stripe pricing ↗