How many businesses use Stripe in 2025?

Stripe is currently used by 1.35 million live websites worldwide as of May 2025, according to the latest BuiltWith data. This figure represents active checkout implementations rather than dormant code snippets or test accounts, making it the most accurate measure of real business adoption. Additionally, nearly 4.9 million websites have integrated Stripe historically, demonstrating the platform’s extensive reach across the global digital economy.

The payment processor processed $1.4 trillion in total payment volume during 2024, representing 38% year-over-year growth and equivalent to approximately 1.3% of global GDP.

Numbers at a glance

• 1.35 million live websites using Stripe globally (May 2025)
• 4.9 million total websites that have used Stripe historically
• 709,545 live Stripe websites in the United States
• $1.4 trillion in payment volume processed in 2024
• 38% year-over-year growth in payment volume (2024)
• 1.3% of global GDP flows through Stripe-powered businesses
• Half of Fortune 100 companies use Stripe

Why Stripe adoption numbers matter

Understanding Stripe’s business adoption provides crucial insights for merchants, investors, and industry analysts evaluating the payments landscape.

Trust signals for merchants and shoppers

Stripe’s widespread adoption serves as a powerful trust indicator. When businesses see that half of the Fortune 100 companies, 80% of the Forbes Cloud 100, and 78% of the Forbes AI 50 rely on Stripe, it validates the platform’s enterprise-grade capabilities. For consumers, recognizing Stripe’s checkout interface across millions of websites builds familiarity and confidence in completing transactions.

Investor and analyst relevance

Stripe’s user base directly correlates with its revenue potential and market position. With 1.3% of global GDP flowing through Stripe-powered businesses, the platform’s adoption metrics serve as a proxy for digital commerce health and fintech innovation trends.

Defining “business use” – methodology

Accurately counting Stripe users requires understanding different measurement approaches and their limitations.

Live websites vs. historical websites

Live websites (1.35 million) represent domains currently displaying active Stripe checkout implementations. These sites have functioning payment flows and represent genuine business adoption. Historical websites (4.9 million total) include domains that previously used Stripe but may have switched providers, gone offline, or removed payment functionality.

Stripe Atlas incorporations

Stripe Atlas, the company’s business incorporation service, has helped establish thousands of new companies. However, Atlas incorporations don’t automatically translate to payment processing customers, as some businesses may use alternative processors or remain pre-revenue.

Data sources and reconciling discrepancies

BuiltWith provides the most comprehensive website technology tracking, scanning millions of domains monthly to detect Stripe implementations. Their May 2025 data shows 1.35 million live sites.

Stripe’s annual letters offer official business metrics but focus on payment volume and enterprise customers rather than total website counts. The 2024 annual letter reported processing $1.4 trillion in payments, representing 38% year-over-year growth.

Third-party estimates from industry trackers often cite figures between 1.2-1.4 million active sites, generally aligning with BuiltWith’s methodology.

Discrepancies typically arise from different definitions of “active use” and varying crawl frequencies across data providers.

The latest count of businesses using Stripe

Based on the most current available data, here’s the comprehensive breakdown of Stripe’s business adoption.

Current live website tally

1.35 million websites globally use Stripe for payment processing as of May 2025, according to BuiltWith’s latest scan. This represents significant growth from previous years, though exact historical comparisons require consistent methodology.

The United States dominates adoption with 709,545 live websites (52.5% of global total), followed by the United Kingdom with 86,247 sites and France with 64,364 sites.

Total historical websites

4.9 million domains have integrated Stripe at some point, including current users and sites that previously used the platform. This broader metric demonstrates Stripe’s extensive market penetration and the platform’s role in powering digital commerce growth over the past decade.

Enterprise-scale customers

Stripe’s 2024 annual letter revealed significant enterprise adoption, including:

Examples of global brands

• NVIDIA – Uses Stripe for business payments
• PepsiCo – Integrated Stripe for digital commerce
• NewsCorp – Powers subscription and payment systems
• Comcast – Uses Stripe for various payment flows
• Hertz – Achieved 4% increase in authorization rates after switching to Stripe
• Forbes – Saw 23% boost in subscription revenue with Stripe

Growth trends year-by-year

Stripe’s adoption has accelerated significantly, with the platform achieving consistent growth in both website adoption and payment volume.

Payment volume growth

According to Stripe’s official data:

• 2024: $1.4 trillion (38% growth)
• 2023: ~$1.0 trillion (first time surpassing $1 trillion)

Regional breakdown

North America leads global adoption with 748,542 live sites (55.4% of total), driven primarily by US market dominance. Europe accounts for 378,248 sites (28.0%), while other regions represent the remaining portion.

The top countries by live Stripe websites are:

1. United States: 709,545 sites
2. United Kingdom: 86,247 sites
3. France: 64,364 sites
4. Germany: 52,869 sites
5. Australia: 38,012 sites

Industries leading adoption

AI companies show particularly strong adoption, with 78% of the Forbes AI 50 building on Stripe’s platform. The company notes that AI startups are reaching $5 million in annualized recurring revenue 13 months faster than comparable software companies from previous eras.

Subscription businesses also show strong adoption, with Stripe Billing now used by more than 300,000 companies managing nearly 200 million active subscriptions.

Factors driving widespread adoption

Several key advantages explain Stripe’s rapid business adoption across diverse industries.

Developer-first APIs

Stripe’s comprehensive API documentation and developer tools significantly reduce integration complexity. The platform offers extensive code examples and maintains detailed documentation, enabling faster implementation compared to traditional payment processors.

Global coverage and currency support

Stripe processes payments in 135+ currencies and supports businesses in 46 countries, making it attractive for companies with international ambitions. Local payment methods expand addressable markets for Stripe-powered businesses.

Ecosystem products

Beyond basic payment processing, Stripe’s expanded product suite drives adoption:

• Stripe Billing – Used by 300,000+ companies for subscription management
• Stripe Connect – Marketplace and platform payments
• Stripe Treasury – Banking-as-a-service capabilities
• Stripe Radar – Machine learning fraud prevention
• Stripe Terminal – In-person payment acceptance

This comprehensive offering allows businesses to consolidate multiple financial services with a single provider.

How Stripe compares to alternative payment processors

Understanding Stripe’s position relative to competitors provides context for its adoption numbers.

Market share snapshot

Based on BuiltWith data for live website implementations:

Processor	Live Websites	Key Strengths
PayPal Express Checkout	1.30 million	Consumer recognition, marketplace integration
Stripe	1.35 million	Developer tools, global expansion
Google Pay	1.90 million	Mobile integration, Google ecosystem
Klarna	860,316	Buy-now-pay-later focus

While these numbers reflect website implementations rather than transaction volume, they demonstrate Stripe’s competitive position in the payments ecosystem.

Fees, onboarding speed, and available products

Stripe charges 2.9% + 30¢ for online transactions with no setup fees and same-day onboarding for most businesses. The platform’s advantage lies in its unified API approach, allowing businesses to access multiple payment methods and financial services through a single integration.

Choosing Stripe: checklist for your business

Before adopting Stripe, evaluate these key factors to ensure platform alignment with your needs.

Technical fit

• Development resources – Do you have technical staff to implement and maintain API integrations?
• Platform compatibility – Does Stripe support your e-commerce platform, mobile app framework, or custom system?
• Payment methods – Are your customers’ preferred payment options supported in your markets?

Regulatory and compliance review

• Geographic restrictions – Is Stripe available in your business location and target markets?
• Industry compliance – Do you operate in regulated sectors requiring specific certifications?
• Data handling – Are you comfortable with Stripe’s data processing and storage practices?

Cost projections based on volume

Calculate total costs including:

• Transaction fees (2.9% + 30¢ standard)
• Currency conversion (1% for international transactions)
• Premium features (Radar fraud protection, advanced reporting)
• Integration development time and ongoing maintenance

Frequently asked questions

Is Stripe only for startups?

No. While Stripe gained initial traction among startups due to its developer-friendly approach, half of the Fortune 100 now uses Stripe. The platform serves businesses ranging from solo entrepreneurs to multinational corporations processing billions annually.

Does Stripe disclose customer numbers publicly?

Stripe doesn’t publish exact customer counts in earnings reports like public companies. However, their annual letters provide payment volume metrics, and third-party trackers like BuiltWith offer website implementation data.

What qualifies as an “active” Stripe website?

BuiltWith defines active sites as domains with functioning Stripe checkout implementations returning HTTP 200 status codes. This excludes test environments, dormant integrations, and sites that have removed Stripe but retain legacy code.

How often do adoption stats change?

BuiltWith updates Stripe usage data monthly through automated web crawling. Significant changes typically occur gradually, with normal business churn and new adoption creating regular fluctuations.

Is Stripe bigger than PayPal in 2025?

No, PayPal still leads in overall market share with approximately 43.4% compared to Stripe’s 20.8% in payment processing software. However, Stripe dominates among developer-focused businesses and has higher adoption rates in specific segments like AI startups and SaaS companies.

What industries rely on Stripe the most?

AI companies show the strongest adoption with 78% of Forbes AI 50 companies using Stripe. Subscription businesses are also heavy users, with 300,000+ companies using Stripe Billing. SaaS platforms, e-commerce sites, and marketplaces represent other major user segments.

How fast is Stripe’s customer base growing?

Stripe processed $1.4 trillion in 2024, representing 38% year-over-year growth in payment volume. The platform continues adding approximately 1,000 new businesses daily, with particularly strong growth in AI startups and international markets.

How reliable are BuiltWith Stripe counts?

BuiltWith provides the most comprehensive publicly available data on Stripe adoption, scanning millions of domains monthly. While no tracking service achieves 100% coverage, BuiltWith’s methodology of detecting active checkout implementations provides reliable estimates that align with other industry trackers and Stripe’s own growth indicators.

Key takeaways

• Stripe powers 1.35 million live websites globally as of May 2025, representing active payment implementations across diverse industries and business sizes
• $1.4 trillion in payment volume processed in 2024 demonstrates Stripe’s massive scale, equivalent to 1.3% of global GDP flowing through the platform
• Enterprise adoption is substantial, with half of Fortune 100 companies, 80% of Forbes Cloud 100, and 78% of Forbes AI 50 companies using Stripe
• US market dominance is clear with 709,545 live websites (52.5% of global total), followed by strong adoption in the UK, France, and Germany
• AI and subscription businesses lead adoption, with Stripe Billing serving 300,000+ companies managing 200 million active subscriptions
• Developer-friendly approach drives growth, offering comprehensive APIs, extensive documentation, and same-day onboarding that appeals to technical teams

For businesses evaluating payment processors, Stripe’s extensive adoption provides confidence in platform stability and long-term viability, though the final choice should depend on specific technical requirements, geographic needs, and cost considerations.

Sources and references

• BuiltWith Stripe Usage Statistics — Live website tracking data, updated May 2025
• Stripe 2024 Annual Update — Official payment volume and business metrics
• Stripe Annual Letter 2024 — Comprehensive business performance data
• Capital One Shopping Stripe Statistics — Market share analysis and competitive benchmarking data, updated June 2025
• CoinLaw Stripe Statistics 2025 — Payment processing market research and adoption trends