PayPal Point of Sale vs Stripe Terminal

PayPal Point of Sale9.1Visit Stripe Terminal8.5Visit

Higher score PayPal Point of Sale #3 in Mobile Payment Processing Software 9.1/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 4 features Visit PayPal

vs

Stripe Terminal #8 in Mobile Payment Processing Software 8.5/10 Paid ✓ 3 of 4 features Try Stripe Terminal

• PayPal Point of Sale fits best

  Businesses already using PayPal

• Stripe Terminal fits best

  Developers building custom mobile payment flows

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Side by side

Feature	PayPal Point of Sale 9.1/10 Visit ↗	Stripe Terminal 8.5/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.1	8.5
Ranking	#3 in Mobile Payment Processing Software	#8 in Mobile Payment Processing Software
Best for	Businesses already using PayPal	Developers building custom mobile payment flows
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Paid
Starting price	Free plan	Not checked yet
Free plan	✓ (best)	—
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Mobile	Cloud, Mobile
Platforms	Web, iOS, Android	Web, iOS, Android
Support	Phone, Tickets, Docs	Docs
Integrations	3 integrations	6 integrations
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features PayPal Point of Sale 2/4 · Stripe Terminal 3/4
Reader required	—	—
Tap to Pay	✓	✓
Offline payments	—	✓ (best)
Recurring payments	✓	✓
Specs
Payout timing	Instant	Instant
Payment methods	credit cards, debit cards, gift cards, contactless cards, digital wallets, PayPal, Venmo QR codes	credit cards, debit cards, contactless cards, digital wallets
Our review
Pros	No monthly or startup fee for POS software Accepts cards, wallets, PayPal, Venmo QR codes, and gift cards Includes inventory, reporting, loyalty, and key integrations	Tap to Pay works on compatible iPhone and Android devices Offline collection, reader management, and encryption support custom deployments APIs and SDKs unify online and in-person payment data
Cons	Transaction fees apply when a sale is made Offline payments are not supported Tap to Pay requires a supported iPhone or Android device	No free plan; transaction fees and hardware costs apply Implementation is technical and requires API or SDK integration Tap to Pay and offline payments have eligibility and device limitations
Our verdict	PayPal Point of Sale is mobile point-of-sale software for small businesses and larger organizations accepting in-person payments. It supports iPhone and Android devices, with web access also available. Businesses can take credit, debit,… Read the review →	Stripe Terminal provides in-person payment infrastructure for businesses and platforms building custom point-of-sale experiences. It supports certified mobile and smart card readers, Tap to Pay on compatible iPhone and Android devices,… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• PayPal Point of Sale — where it wins

  • No monthly or startup fee for POS software
  • Accepts cards, wallets, PayPal, Venmo QR codes, and gift cards
  • Includes inventory, reporting, loyalty, and key integrations

  Where it doesn't

  • Transaction fees apply when a sale is made
  • Offline payments are not supported
  • Tap to Pay requires a supported iPhone or Android device

• Stripe Terminal — where it wins

  • Tap to Pay works on compatible iPhone and Android devices
  • Offline collection, reader management, and encryption support custom deployments
  • APIs and SDKs unify online and in-person payment data

  Where it doesn't

  • No free plan; transaction fees and hardware costs apply
  • Implementation is technical and requires API or SDK integration
  • Tap to Pay and offline payments have eligibility and device limitations

• PayPal Point of Sale9.1/10 · Free plan

  A no-monthly-fee POS for in-person payments, inventory, reporting, and PayPal users.

  Visit PayPalFull verdict →
• Stripe Terminal8.5/10 · Paid

  A powerful, paid toolkit for developers building custom mobile payment flows.

  Try Stripe TerminalFull verdict →