SwiftBill vs Stripe Invoicing:
Free invoices vs 0.4% per paid invoice
Stripe Invoicing charges 0.4% of every invoice amount paid through their system — before Stripe's payment processing fees even kick in. SwiftBill is free, takes no cut of your invoices, and works with any payment method your client prefers.
$0
SwiftBill — free forever
No percentage fee, any payment method
0.4%
Stripe Invoicing per paid invoice
Plus Stripe payment processing fees
What Stripe fees actually cost on real invoices
Card processing estimates based on Stripe US rates (2.9% + 30¢). Invoicing fee is 0.4% of paid amount.
Why freelancers choose SwiftBill
- $0 — no percentage of your invoice, ever
- No Stripe account required to get started
- Clients can pay by bank transfer, PayPal, Wise — anything you prefer
- Built for freelancers — not for SaaS subscription billing
When Stripe Invoicing makes sense
- →You already use Stripe for recurring subscription billing
- →All your clients pay by card and you want payment in one dashboard
- →You're a developer comfortable with Stripe's API and dashboard
- →You need automated dunning and retry logic for failed payments
Frequently asked questions
How much does Stripe Invoicing actually cost?
Stripe Invoicing charges 0.4% of each paid invoice amount (capped at $2 per invoice on some plans). On top of that, Stripe's payment processing fees apply when clients pay by card: 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction in the US. For a $2,000 invoice paid by card, you're looking at ~$66 in fees before you even account for the 0.4% invoicing fee.
Why would a freelancer use Stripe Invoicing at all?
Stripe Invoicing makes sense if you're already using Stripe for payment processing and want everything in one dashboard — especially for recurring billing or subscription clients. For one-off project invoices where you want to accept bank transfer or any payment method, it's overkill and costly.
Can I still get paid via Stripe if I use SwiftBill?
Yes. SwiftBill invoices have a payment instructions field where you add whatever payment details you want — including your Stripe payment link or PayPal.me. Clients pay through Stripe and you get a professional SwiftBill PDF. You keep control of which payment processor you use without paying Stripe's 0.4% invoicing fee.
Does SwiftBill require any technical setup?
None. No API keys, no webhook configuration, no developer setup. Sign up, enter your details, create an invoice. The whole thing takes 60 seconds. Stripe Invoicing requires an active Stripe account and some familiarity with the Stripe dashboard.
Is SwiftBill actually free or does it charge a percentage?
Genuinely free — no percentage of invoice amounts, no per-invoice fee, no card required. The free plan gives you 5 invoices/month. Pro ($9/month flat fee) gives you unlimited invoices. Neither plan takes a cut of what you bill your clients.
Keep 100% of what you invoice
No percentage fee. No per-invoice charge. Professional PDF invoices, free forever.