Payment for Stripe vs Firstep POS
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Card reader support
- Tap to Pay on iPhone
- Product and subscription sales
- Customer management
- Branded receipts
- Team access
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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
Firstep POS
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SELL ANYTHING, ANYWHERE WITH FIRSTEP POS Firstep POS makes credit card transactions easy—whether storefront or mobile. This streamlined app enables merchants to accept mobile payments and process transactions right from an iOS device. PAYMENT APPLICATION FOR SMARTPHONES AND TABLETS The Firstep POS app turns your iOS device into a mobile point of sale, allowing you to process card-based payments, as well as record cash-based sales. Set sales tax rates and tipping right in the app, and leverage bar codes and images to create specific inventory groups to expedite sales. EMV-READY Firstep POS is one of the first EMV-enabled and -capable mPOS solutions to be released in the U.S., offering chip card transaction support* and EMV payment acceptance for merchants aiming to avoid liability when responsibility for card payment fraud shifts from consumers to merchants on October 1, 2015. LOW-COST ALTERNATIVE Mobile card acceptance has never been more affordable. (Supports 10 active devices per account.) Add an optional portable credit card reader, and your iOS device instantly becomes a highly functional mobile point of sale for a fraction of the cost of a traditional wireless terminal. CHOICE In most cases, you can use your existing payment processing provider. If you don’t accept cards today, or want to shop around, choose from hundreds of Firstep POS partners to find the one that best fits your needs. ENCRYPTION AND SECURITY Firstep POS is the leading provider of end-to-end wireless transaction technology and offers the most proven and secure platform for wireless information transfer available. Firstep POS exceeds industry standard encryption and security requirements. CUSTOMER SUPPORT Firstep POS provides 24/7 technical support for resellers and merchants. We're here to give you the support you need to be successful. GETTING STARTED Before you can begin mobile payment processing with Firstep POS, you’ll need to set up a merchant account (if you don’t already have one), so that your bank can fund your transactions. Once you have a merchant account, it’s easy to get started. Here’s what you’ll need: 1. iOS device with Internet access 2. Merchant account (new or existing) 3. Firstep POS app 4. EMV chip card reader (optional) * Contact Firstep POS for information on supported payment processing platforms for EMV capability and peripheral compatibility. EMV® is a registered trademark of EMVCo.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Payment for Stripe at daily against Firstep POS's every 6 weeks. Firstep POS's advantage is iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Payment for Stripe ships an update daily, Firstep POS every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Payment for Stripe | Firstep POS |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (8.9K ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 66.5% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 8.9K — better | — |
| Update frequency | Daily — better | Every 6 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 72 MB | 44 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | PocketVendor Inc | Apriva Systems, LLC |
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
Firstep POS
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Payment for Stripe
No in-app purchases
Firstep POS
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Payment for Stripe free?
Is Firstep POS free?
Do Payment for Stripe or Firstep POS have ads?
Which is updated more often, Payment for Stripe or Firstep POS?
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