Comparison

Payment for Stripe vs UpStart

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Payment for Stripe

Accept various payment methods including card readers and contactless payments directly on your iPhone. Manage products, subscriptions, customers, and send branded receipts. Ideal for businesses needing to process in-person transactions efficiently.

Highlights
  • Card reader support
  • Tap to Pay on iPhone
  • Product and subscription sales
  • Customer management
  • Branded receipts
  • Team access
Features
Read full description

Since 2015, Payment for Stripe has processed more than all other Stripe-based mobile payment apps combined. Trusted by 230K+ businesses in 170+ countries. $950M+ processed. Stripe Verified Partner. Accept Stripe payments in seconds — with Tap to Pay on iPhone, Stripe Terminal card readers or manual entry. No monthly fees, no subscriptions required. Just connect your new or existing Stripe account and start charging. ▶ TAP TO PAY ON iPHONE Accept contactless payments directly on your iPhone — no extra hardware needed. Perfect for businesses on the go. ▶ CARD READERS Works with every Stripe Terminal card reader: Stripe M2, BBPOS WisePOS E, BBPOS WisePad 3, and the Stripe Reader S700/S710. Connect via Bluetooth and start accepting chip, tap, and swipe payments. ▶ PRODUCTS & SUBSCRIPTIONS Sell one-time products or set up recurring subscriptions for your customers. Existing Stripe products sync automatically. Add tips, sales tax, and service fees at checkout. ▶ CUSTOMERS & RECEIPTS Save customer information, charge returning customers in seconds, and automatically send branded receipts with your colors and logo. ▶ BUILT FOR YOUR BUSINESS Ideal for salons, nonprofits, food vendors, health services, and any business that takes regular in-person payments. Quick Start setup adapts to your business type. Works with most ecommerce storefronts including Squarespace, Shopify, BigCommerce, BigCartel, Weebly, and WooCommerce. ▶ ENTERPRISE & TEAMS Add team members with charge-only access. Keep your Stripe credentials private while your staff, volunteers, or employees process payments. ▶ SIMPLE PRICING Only a very small 1.2% app fee per charge. No monthly fees, minimums, or limits. Use the app as much or as little as you need. ▶ PRIVATE & SECURE Payment does not store or share any of your financial or account data. For more information, visit https://payment.co

About

UpStart

Discover high-end small to medium businesses across various sectors and industries. Browse brands, view their details, and connect with premium businesses. Create a profile, endorse your favorite brands, and explore curated selections.

Highlights
  • Browse businesses by sector and industry
  • Search for specific brands
  • View brand contact and social media details
  • Create user profiles
  • Endorse and save favorite brands
  • View brand statistics
Read full description

UpStart is an app directory exclusively on iOS, showcasing small to medium high-end businesses in over 256 sectors across 20 industries. Discover those elite brands in 3 ways:  * General Search: Just looking? Browse through our 256 sectors in 20 industries * Extensive Search: Know the sector and city you're looking in? Find brands in a specific industry, sector and city * Brand Search: Know the exact Brand you're looking for? Find their contact and social media details here User Features: * Create your own UpStarter profile with your details and display picture * Endorse (like) brands and have them show up on your home page * Scroll through brand images showcasing their product/service * View other users that have endorsed a brand * Report a brand * Access a brand's contact and social media details Brand Features: * Upload details of your brand for review * Register and subscribe to be visible on UpStart * View interactions in brand statistics Our Brands Goal is to empower, categorise and subsequently expand their exposure. Our Users Goal is to display quality brands for them to interact with. Our UpStart Goal is to establish a community that connects empowering users to premium brands. So what are you waiting for? Download the app now and become an UpStarter! * Disclaimer: UpStart uses the standard Apple Terms of Use (EULA). The link to our Terms of Use is as follows, https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Payment for Stripe4 screens
UpStart4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Payment for Stripe at 4.8 against UpStart's 3.5. Payment for Stripe also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 4) and ratings volume (9K vs 49). UpStart's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, ads, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. UpStart sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $16.49 per month. Payment for Stripe asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Payment for Stripe holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Payment for Stripe has 9K ratings behind it against 49, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of Payment for Stripe's written reviews are positive against 50% of UpStart's.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Payment for Stripe versus UpStart: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPayment for StripeUpStart
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (9K ratings) — better3.5 (49 ratings)
Positive reviews66.5% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings9K — better49
Update frequencyDaily—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS18.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size81 MB9 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperPocketVendor IncEesa Patel

Customer experience

Payment for Stripe

All ratings8,957 ratings
Positive95.1%
Neutral1.6%
Negative3.2%
Written reviews254 reviews
Positive66.5%
Neutral5.1%
Negative28.3%

UpStart

All ratings49 ratings
Positive61.2%
Neutral6.1%
Negative32.7%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

Bugs and requests

Payment for Stripe

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Bluetooth reader connection issues
  • Inconsistent transaction processing
  • Inability to edit customer/product details
  • Unexpected account suspensions/terminations

Requested features

4 requests
  • Email/text receipts for customers
  • Inventory management and product listings
  • Support for additional payment methods (e.g. Interac)
  • Improved Bluetooth reader connectivity

UpStart

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Payment for Stripe

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

UpStart

Subscriptions4
  • 1 Sector$16.491 Month
  • 2 Sectors1 Month trial$32.991 Month
  • 3 Sectors1 Month trial$48.991 Month
Show 1 more
  • 4 Sectors1 Month trial$65.991 Month

Questions

Is Payment for Stripe free?
Payment for Stripe is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is UpStart free?
UpStart is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Payment for Stripe or UpStart?
Payment for Stripe is rated higher. Payment for Stripe averages 4.8 out of 5 from 9K ratings, while UpStart averages 3.5 from 49 ratings.
Do Payment for Stripe or UpStart have ads?
Neither Payment for Stripe nor UpStart shows ads.

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