When choosing a payment gateway for your online business, it’s vital to consider where your customer base is located, the payment methods they use, and how you want your checkout process.
Both Stripe and Mollie offer comprehensive payment processing solutions that help all kinds of businesses manage payments. However, while Stripe is accessible to businesses all over the world, Mollie only serves Europe.
Read on to learn how these two platforms measure up against each other.
Table of Contents
- Stripe or Mollie: Which Is Best for Your Business?
- Stripe vs Mollie: Detailed Comparison
- Stripe and Mollie: Payment Gateway Feature Overview
- Pricing
- Customer Reviews
- Coverage
- Chargebacks and Refunds
- Security and Compliance
- Fraud Protection
- Ease of Use
- Integrations
- Customer Support
- API Support
- Stripe or Mollie: Which is Best for Recurring Payments?
- To Sum Up
Stripe or Mollie: Which Is Right for Your Business?
Luckily, there are a few quick ways to decide between Stripe and Mollie.
First, your choice may be limited by your location.
If you’re based in Europe, you can pick either payment gateway. But, if you’re based in the US or outside Europe, you can’t use Mollie to accept payments. Currently, Mollie only offers services to European countries in two main currencies (EUR and GBP).
You’ll also need to think about integrations.
If you’d like to integrate your existing tech stack with your payment processor, you’ll have to choose the gateway that offers the right integrations for you. While Mollie and Stripe both offer some of the same integrations, each platform also has integrations that don’t cross over.
For example, you can use Chargebee and Xero with both Stripe and Mollie, but if you want to integrate JERA, it’s simpler to do it with Mollie.
Next, consider your customization needs.
If you’d like a completely personalized checkout experience, Stripe can provide this for you. But you’ll need a developer on your team.
However, if you’re okay with a pre-built template with basic custom branding, Mollie is ideal.
Lastly, think about your budget. Stripe may come with lots of extra tools, but it’s more expensive than Mollie.
Stripe or vs. Mollie: Detailed Comparison
Stripe and Mollie have the same essential functionality — they’re both payment gateways that let your business accept payments online.
While Stripe has been tried and tested globally, Mollie is a competitively-priced upcoming alternative that serves the European market.
Stripe vs Mollie: Side-by-Side Overview
Before moving on to the pros and cons, check out this table that summarizes the information above for a quick look at Stripe and Mollie.
| Stripe | Mollie | |
| Ideal for | Businesses of all sizes from start-ups to large enterprisesRetailers, subscription businesses, online marketplaces, etc.Companies with a global customer baseCompanies that need to customize the checkout process | European companiesRetailers, subscription businesses International customersSmall to medium businesses (SMEs) |
| Fees | Free to set upPay-As-You-Go model2.9% – 3.9% + $0.30 per transactionChargeback fee of $15Enterprise packages available | Free to set upPay-As-You-Go model2.9% – 3.9% + $0.30 per transactionChargeback fee of €10Enterprise packages available |
| Accepted payment methods | Credit card (including American Express)Debit cardDigital wallets (e.g., Apple Pay and Google Pay)Bank debitsBank transfersBank redirectsBuy now, pay later (e.g., Klarna, Clearpay, etc.)Vouchers (e.g., OXXO, Boleto, etc.) | Credit card (including American Express)Debit cardDigital wallets (e.g., Apple Pay and Google Pay)PayPalBuy now, pay later (e.g., Klarna, In3, etc.)Bank transfersVouchers |
| Special features | Wide global coverageCustom reportingSales and tax automationStripe Terminal for in-person paymentsStripe Radar for fraud detectionStripe Atlas to help build a company | Detailed dashboard to micromanage transactionsUsable on multiple devicesCan send payment requests |
Stripe Pros and Cons
Stripe Pros:
- Works in 47 countries
- Supports 35 international payment methods and over 135 currencies
- Accepts mobile payments
- Quick, simple onboarding
- Intuitive, easy-to-use interface
- Highly-customizable checkout with detailed resources for developers
- Large library of apps and extensions to integrate, including Chargebee, Xero, Squarespace, Mailchimp, and more
- Daily, weekly, monthly, or manual payout
- All accounts come with Stripe Radar for fraud detection
- An extremely stable platform with frequent updates and bug fixes
Stripe Cons:
- If you want to customize your checkout, you’ll need a developer on your team
- The chargeback fees are quite high
- It’s not easy to reconcile payments with accounting platforms
- If you need custom technical support, you pay extra
Mollie Pros and Cons
Mollie Pros:
- Supports 24 payment options
- Extensive coverage in Europe, actively present in over 32 countries
- Accepts mobile payments
- Low cost compared to other payment providers
- Straightforward setup
- Simple and easy-to-use interface
- Large integration ecosystem connects with all the essential business tools, including Shopify, Chargebee, Xero.
- Free email and phone support
- Smart fraud monitoring on all accounts to detect suspicious activity
Mollie Cons:
- While onboarding is easy, it can be slow
- Only available to European companies right now
- Refunds can be a little complicated. Users can only refund customers if they have funds in their Mollie account
Stripe and Mollie: Payment Gateway Feature Overview
Both Stripe and Mollie offer comparable features as payment gateways for ecommerce. The choice comes down to coverage, customization needs, and supported payment methods.
Check out the features of each gateway.
Merchant Account
Neither Stripe nor Mollie users need a separate merchant account.
Both function as a payment gateway, transaction process, and merchant account all in one go.
Settlement
If you’re using Stripe, settlement times depend on the payment method a customer uses. Payments can take up to six days for some payment methods like ACH Bank Transfer. In general, most payment methods take two to five days to clear.
While you might not be able to receive a payout for the first 14 days, you can set up daily, weekly, or monthly payouts following this.
In theory, Stripe’s Instant Payouts mean you can pay out funds manually and receive them right away. However, sometimes it can take between two and seven days to come into your account.
For Mollie users, payment processing times depend on the method of payment used. Payments are generally settled within two to five days.
Payout times depend on the payment method. Most methods can be paid out within one business day, but a few take a while to settle.
For example, bank account transfers and credit cards can be paid out the next day, but Paysafecard only pays out once a month.
Checkout
To help you brand your customer experience at the point of sale (POS), Stripe enables you to create a customized hosted checkout page.
There are lots of built-in features like responsive designs, international language support, and automatic tax collection. There are also customizable features such as company branding, personalized domains, discount functionality, etc.
If you want a fully-customizable integrated checkout, your developers can build to your requirements with Stripe’s API.
If you’re using Mollie, the dashboard is available in five languages: English, Dutch, Spanish, French, and German.
Mollie’s default hosted checkout, Mollie Checkout, enables you to customize the page with brand images and has single-click payment for return customers.
The POS screen language matches the customer’s browser language. But, it’s limited to English, Dutch, French, Spanish, Catalan, Portuguese, Italian, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, Danish, Icelandic, Hungarian, Polish, Lithuanian, and Latvian.
To build a more creative, integrated checkout journey, you’ll need Mollie’s API.
Pricing
Stripe and Mollie offer Pay-As-You-Go models and custom enterprise packages. Generally, Stripe is more expensive than Mollie but offers more currency options.
Here’s a breakdown of the fees that each platform charges.
| Stripe | Mollie | |
| Setup costs | No cost | No cost |
| Monthly costs | No monthly costs | No monthly costs |
| Transaction fees | 2.9% + $0.30 per successful charge $5 per check and $8 per wire transfer | 0.5% – 3.99% + €0.20 – €0.59 per successful charge Fees vary depending on payment method used and consumer location |
| International fees | 3.9% + $0.30 per charge | 2.9% + €0.25 for non-European cards per charge (Mastercard, Visa, and American Express) |
| Currency conversion | +1% for currency conversion | Up to 3% for currency conversion |
| Chargebacks | $15 per chargeback | €10 per chargeback |
Customer Reviews
Here’s what Stripe and Mollie’s customers say about the two payment platforms:
Stripe:
Stripe has a 3.3 star rating from Trustpilot.
Customers rave about Stripe’s intuitive dashboard, library of integrations, and helpful analytics features, as well as overall speed and reliability.
As one business owner puts it: “Stripe is my number one choice for payment processing for my business. Their fee is comparable to others in the market and I’ve never had an issue with chargebacks.”
On the flip side, some users complain that fees are high and resolution management is poor.
Mollie:
Mollie has a 4.5 star rating from Trustpilot.
Most customers cite Mollie’s exceptional support, quick response times, and patient customer service agents.
As one customer concisely puts it: “[The customer service agent] was quick to answer and helped me immediately with my issue, and checked if I needed anything else before we said goodbyes.”
Customers also note that Mollie is competitively priced and easy to install, with good reporting features.
Coverage
Stripe:
Stripe is a global platform available in 47 countries worldwide, including the US.
Mollie:
Mollie only serves the European market, offering functionality to 32 countries across the continent.
Chargebacks and Refunds
Stripe:
At $15, Stripe’s chargeback fees are quite high. To protect your business against these fees, you can sign up for Stripe Chargeback Protection through Stripe Radar. It costs 0.4% per transaction. In terms of refunds, Stripe supports both full and partial customer refunds.
Mollie:
With Mollie, your customers have 180 days to reverse a payment, and you’ll get charged €10. You can refund customers through Mollie, but you need funds in your Mollie account to do this.
Fraud Protection
Stripe:
Stripe Radar is an advanced, machine-learning fraud protection technology included with all Stripe accounts. It scans each digital transaction to highlight any fraudulent activity or transactions that require authentication.
Mollie:
Mollie also incorporates smart fraud monitoring on all payments.
Security and Compliance
Stripe:
Stripe is certified as a PCI Level 1 Service Provider.
All payment details are encrypted with decryption processes securely carried out on a different hosting environment to the website and API.
Mollie:
Mollie is fully compliant with the European Banking Authority’s Guidelines regarding online payment security. It’s also supervised by the Dutch central bank, DNB. Plus, Mollie is PCI-DSS level 1 certified.
Ease of Use
Stripe:
Stripe is geared to every level of business, so its dashboard, integrations, and reporting features are designed for all capabilities.
However, when it comes to customization, you may need a more experienced developer.
Developers that use the API praise Stripe for its intuitive documentation and sandbox to test application customizations.
Mollie:
Customers say that Mollie is both easy to use and install. Plus, it’s simple to set up your full payments infrastructure thanks to straightforward tool integration.
As one business owner says: “It just works. It’s beautifully designed and makes receiving payments easy.”
In fact, Capterra reviewers give Mollie four stars for ‘Ease of Use.’
Integrations
Stripe:
Stripe has hundreds of integrations for all different purposes, from manufacturing to retail to travel.
There are integrations like Xero for accounting or Chargebee for subscriptions. You’ll find Wix, WooCommerce, and Amazon Web Services for your website, HubSpot for marketing, Klarna for payments, plus many more.
Mollie:
Mollie also offers a broad catalog of integrations.
It has many of the same integrations that Stripe does, like Chargebee and Xero. But Mollie also offers a bunch of key integrations that aren’t available with Stripe, such as Magento, Gekko, JERA, and so on.
Customer Support
Stripe:
Not only do users get free 24/7 phone, email, and chat assistance, but they also get access to a free online support center with comprehensive training resources and developer documentation.
For tailored technical support, you’ll need to purchase one of the three price plans. Basic packages afford you 24/7 email, phone, and chat support, ticket routing, and access to a support account specialist.
You can also access the Stripe developer communities in Discord and other forums.
Premium and enterprise accounts offer more detailed support packages that include technical resources, incident monitoring, dedicated support channels, etc.
Mollie:
Mollie provides all users with a free online knowledge hub. It’s easy to use and packed with training resources and developer notes.
All customers also get access to free email, chat, and phone support. Lots of reviews rave about the speed and quality of Mollie’s customer service.
API Support
Stripe:
With the Stripe API, your developers can create a completely personalized checkout process. Stripe provides a wealth of documentation, tools, and keys to help your development team do this. You’ll also have access to lots of help with integrating your applications.
Mollie:
With Mollie’s API, you’ll be able to integrate online payments straight into your website. That way, you’ll be able to accept 19 different payment methods through Mollie without customers leaving your site. You’ll find guides, documentation, and integration packages to help you with this.
Stripe or Mollie: Which is Best for Recurring Payments?
Payment gateways are best at processing payments.
Of course, you need this basic functionality to accept payments. But you’ll also need a tool that manages the complexities of growth.
While Stripe and Mollie both claim to offer recurring billing functionalities, these features are only equipped to manage straightforward recurring payments.
But what if you want to offer flexible payment plans, one-off promotions, and loyalty rewards? What if someone cancels, complains, or fails multiple payment methods for a big account?
Without the right tool to deal with complex recurring billing across various-sized accounts, you’ll have a headache trying to grow your SaaS business.
To Sum Up
Choosing a payment gateway for your online business comes down to your customer base, need for customization, and budget.
If you’re looking for full customization, personalized technical support, and US accessibility, Stripe is probably your best bet. If you’re based in Europe and you’re looking for something with a lower price tag, try Mollie.