Stripe Invoicing, minus the percentage.
PayPolka runs on your own Stripe account — same rails, same standard processing — but swaps the 0.4–0.5% per-invoice fee for a flat $5/month, and wraps it in an estimate-to-paid workflow built for service businesses.
14-day refund for new accounts. Cancel anytime.
PayPolka vs. Stripe Invoicing at a glance
This one's a family comparison: PayPolka's payments run on Stripe, and if you're a developer building a billing stack, Stripe Invoicing is excellent. The question is what you pay for the software layer and whether it speaks your workflow. Stripe charges a percentage of every paid invoice; PayPolka charges a flat subscription and adds the estimate-acceptance and staged-billing loop service businesses actually run. Verified as of June 2026:
| PayPolka | Stripe Invoicing | |
|---|---|---|
| Software price | $5/mo beta (locked for life), $9/mo standard — flat | 0.4% (Starter) or 0.5% (Plus) of every paid invoice |
| At $10k/mo invoiced | $5/mo | $40–50/mo + processing |
| Processing | Your Stripe account, Stripe's standard rates | Your Stripe account, Stripe's standard rates |
| Estimates / quotes | Core workflow — public link, typed-signature acceptance, terms acknowledgment | Quotes on the Plus tier |
| Deposit & progress billing | Deposit, progress, and final invoices tracked against the estimate | Partial payments; staged job billing isn't the model |
| Recurring invoices | Drafts you review and send | Subscriptions & auto-collection (developer-grade) |
| Client portal | Included | Hosted invoice page + customer portal |
| API / integrations | — | Full Stripe API, Tax, multi-currency, global |
| Built for | US service businesses — trades, consultants, studios | Developers and finance teams on the Stripe platform |
Stripe Invoicing details from stripe.com/invoicing/pricing, as of June 2026. Stripe is a trademark of Stripe, Inc.; PayPolka uses Stripe for payment processing but is not endorsed by or affiliated with Stripe, Inc.
When Stripe Invoicing is the better choice
If you have developers, sell internationally, need Stripe Tax and multi-currency, or your invoicing is part of a subscription product — go direct to Stripe; that's what it's built for, and at low volume the percentage is cheaper than any subscription. Choose PayPolka when you're a US service business sending estimates and staged invoices by hand, and you'd rather pay $5 flat than a cut of every job.
How payments work in PayPolka is on invoice payment links; the staged-billing loop is on deposit & progress invoicing.
Where PayPolka is the better fit
Flat $5/month instead of a percentage
Stripe Invoicing charges 0.4% (Starter) or 0.5% (Plus) of every paid invoice on top of normal processing. Invoice $10,000 a month and that's $40–50/month before card fees. PayPolka is a flat $5/month during beta — same Stripe rails, no per-invoice percentage.
Estimates are the front door, not an add-on
Stripe puts quotes on the Plus tier and treats them as a billing artifact. In PayPolka the estimate starts the job: your client accepts it online with a typed signature, and the deposit, progress, and final invoices all bill against it.
Built for service businesses, not developers
Stripe Invoicing shines when a developer wires it into a SaaS billing stack. PayPolka is for the contractor, consultant, or studio that just needs to send the estimate, bill the deposit, and get paid — no Dashboard spelunking, no API.
Still your Stripe account
PayPolka connects to your own Stripe account. Card, ACH, and Cash App Pay payments settle there at Stripe's standard rates, exactly as if you'd built it yourself — plus cash and check tracking, reminders, late fees, and a client portal around it.
Paid by card through Stripe — the same rails, a flat software price.
Stripe Invoicing vs. PayPolka, answered.
How is PayPolka different from Stripe Invoicing if it runs on Stripe?
Stripe Invoicing is Stripe's own invoicing product: powerful, developer-friendly, priced at 0.4–0.5% per paid invoice on top of processing, as of June 2026. PayPolka is an estimating-and-invoicing app that uses your Stripe account as the payment rails: a flat $5/month during beta ($9 standard), no per-invoice percentage, and a workflow built around estimates, deposits, and progress billing rather than API objects.
What does the math look like?
Both pay Stripe's standard processing. On top of that, Stripe Invoicing takes 0.4% (Starter) or 0.5% (Plus) of each paid invoice — $10,000/month invoiced is $40–50/month; $25,000 is $100–125/month. PayPolka is $5/month flat during beta regardless of volume. Below roughly $1,000/month invoiced, Stripe Invoicing's percentage is cheaper; above it, the flat price wins and keeps winning.
What does Stripe Invoicing have that PayPolka doesn't?
Plenty, honestly: full API control, global currencies and tax handling via Stripe Tax, subscription billing integration, auto-reconciliation into the Stripe ledger, and the rest of the Stripe platform. If you have developers and an international customer base, use Stripe directly. PayPolka is US-only and built for hands-on service businesses.
Can I do deposits and progress billing in Stripe Invoicing?
Stripe supports partial payments and quotes (Plus), but staged job billing isn't its model. In PayPolka it's the core loop: the client accepts the estimate online, you bill a deposit, invoice progress draws, and send the final balance — every stage reconciled against the estimate.
Do I need a Stripe account for PayPolka?
Yes, for online payments — card, ACH, and Cash App Pay all run through the Stripe account you connect, and the money settles there directly. You can record cash and check payments without Stripe.
Is there a free trial?
No — $5/month during beta, billed at signup, 14-day refund for new accounts, cancel anytime. The beta rate is locked for life while you stay subscribed.
Same Stripe. Flat price. Whole workflow.
Start for $5/month during beta and lock that rate in for life. Connect the Stripe account you already have and send your first estimate today.
14-day refund for new accounts. Cancel anytime.