How to Integrate Stripe and PayPal on Your Website
Offering secure, familiar payment options is a conversion fundamental. Websites that don't support card payments or PayPal lose sales to competitors who do. In 2026, Stripe and PayPal remain the two most trusted payment solutions for European online businesses.
Stripe vs PayPal: Key Differences
| Stripe | PayPal | |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction fees (EU) | 1.5% + €0.25 | 3.49% + fixed fee |
| User account required | No (card payment direct) | Required for PayPal checkout |
| Developer experience | Excellent | Good |
| Checkout customisation | Full control | Limited (PayPal button) |
| Subscription/recurring | Native, excellent | Available |
| Dispute resolution | Fair | Buyer-friendly (riskier for sellers) |
| Brand trust | High (invisible) | High (visible) |
Short version: Stripe is generally better for developers and businesses wanting full control. PayPal is better for reaching buyers who prefer PayPal and don't want to enter card details on a new site.
Best practice: offer both. Stripe for card payments, PayPal as an alternative — this maximises payment coverage.
Integrating Stripe on WordPress + WooCommerce
WooCommerce has an official Stripe plugin:
- In WooCommerce → Settings → Payments → Stripe → Enable
- Add your Stripe API keys (found in your Stripe dashboard under Developers → API Keys)
- Enable the payment methods you want: Cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, iDEAL, SEPA, etc.
- Test with Stripe's test card (4242 4242 4242 4242) before going live
WooCommerce Stripe supports subscriptions (with WooCommerce Subscriptions), saved payment methods, and Strong Customer Authentication (SCA/3DS) — mandatory in Europe.
Integrating PayPal on WordPress + WooCommerce
WooCommerce includes PayPal Standard by default, but the WooCommerce PayPal Payments plugin (official) is the modern replacement:
- Install WooCommerce PayPal Payments from the plugin directory
- Connect your PayPal Business account via the setup wizard
- Enable PayPal, PayPal Credit, and Pay Later options as appropriate
Integrating Payments on Non-WordPress Sites
Stripe
For any website, Stripe's hosted checkout (Stripe Checkout) is the fastest integration path:
<a href="https://checkout.stripe.com/pay/[your-session-id]">Pay now</a>
Or embed Stripe Elements for a fully custom payment form within your site.
PayPal
Use the PayPal JavaScript SDK:
<script src="https://www.paypal.com/sdk/js?client-id=YOUR_CLIENT_ID"></script>
<div id="paypal-button-container"></div>
<script>paypal.Buttons().render('#paypal-button-container');</script>
Security and PCI Compliance
Both Stripe and PayPal are PCI DSS compliant — they handle the security requirements of card processing. As long as you use their hosted forms or SDKs (never storing card numbers in your database), you maintain compliance.
Ensure your site has:
- Valid SSL certificate (HTTPS mandatory)
- Updated plugins and WordPress version
- Limited admin access
Our Mindzy team integrates Stripe, PayPal, and other payment solutions as part of every e-commerce project. Contact us for your project.
Further reading: