Stripe

What it does

Stripe processes credit card and other payment methods for one-time purchases, subscriptions, and marketplace payouts, with a developer-first API and a no-code Payment Links option for simpler use cases. Its subscription billing logic handles proration, failed-payment retries, and dunning emails automatically. It's used by businesses building custom checkout flows or SaaS billing, more than by creators who just want a simple product page, where Gumroad or Lemon Squeezy wrap Stripe-like functionality in less setup.

Who this helps

• Businesses building a custom checkout or subscription billing flow

• Developers who need a payments API rather than an off-the-shelf storefront

• Agencies building client sites that need embedded payment collection

• SaaS businesses needing automated subscription billing and dunning