Brandwave

PayPal vs Stripe:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, PayPal had more branded searches than Stripe among payment gateways worldwide. PayPal had about 20.4 million branded searches, while Stripe had 2.9 million. PayPal made up 86.3% of all payment gateway searches we track, and Stripe accounted for 12.4%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about payment gateways, both PayPal and Stripe appeared in all five answers. Stripe was mentioned before PayPal in every answer.

Among payment gateways worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

PayPal, about 7 searches for every 1 for Stripe

PayPal 20.4M searchesStripe 2.9M searches

Who does AI mention more?

Both are mentioned in every answer we collected.

PayPal in 5 of 5Stripe in 5 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Stripe, named ahead of PayPal in every answer

Stripe first in 5PayPal never first

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Top payment gateways in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, both PayPal and Stripe showed up in all five answers. Stripe was listed before PayPal in every answer.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Stripe1st
  2. PayPal2nd
  3. Square3rd
  4. Authorize.net4th
  5. Helcim5th
  6. Adyen6th
  7. Braintree7th
  8. Worldpay–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • PayPal5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Stripe5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Square4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Adyen2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Helcim2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Braintree1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Authorize.net1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Worldpay0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about payment gateways

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 21, 2026.

Is PayPal or Stripe more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for PayPal and Stripe by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all eight payment gateways we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

PayPal and Stripe among payment gateways worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for PayPal, Stripe. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthPayPalStripeAdyenWorldpayBraintreeHelcimAuthorize.netSquare
Oct 202588.4%10.5%0.62%0.26%0.02%0.08%0.06%<0.01%
Nov 202588.6%10.5%0.51%0.26%0.03%0.06%0.06%<0.01%
Dec 202590.2%8.9%0.62%0.22%0.02%0.07%0.05%<0.01%
Jan 202688.5%10.5%0.61%0.26%0.03%0.08%0.06%<0.01%
Feb 202686.1%12.5%0.88%0.26%0.03%0.09%0.06%<0.01%
Mar 202683.9%14.9%0.72%0.3%0.03%0.11%0.07%<0.01%
Apr 202686.2%12.6%0.73%0.26%0.03%0.11%0.06%<0.01%
May 202686.2%12.6%0.73%0.26%0.03%0.09%0.06%<0.01%
Jun 202685.9%12.7%0.88%0.31%0.03%0.09%0.06%<0.01%
Jul 202686.3%12.6%0.61%0.26%0.03%0.11%0.06%<0.01%
Aug 202686.1%12.6%0.73%0.26%0.16%0.11%0.06%<0.01%
Sep 202686.3%12.4%0.74%0.26%0.13%0.11%0.06%<0.01%

How has the PayPal and Stripe comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • PayPal was ahead of Stripe in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, PayPal’s share of searches among payment gateways worldwide moved from 88.4% to 86.3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 24.9M to 20.4M.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Stripe’s share of searches among payment gateways worldwide moved from 10.5% to 12.4%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 3M to 2.9M.

How did search popularity change for payment gateways worldwide in September 2026?

1 change

  1. Estimated monthly branded searches for PayPal worldwide fell 18.1% over 12 measured months, from 24.9M to 20.4M in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

42 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using PayPal’s and Stripe’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

PayPal

1 branded search term

  • paypal

Stripe

41 branded search terms

  • billing stripe
  • charge for stripe
  • check out stripe
  • checkout stripe
  • checkoutstripe
  • direct debit stripe
  • fees for stripe
  • instant payouts stripe
  • payment stripe
  • payments stripe
  • set up stripe
  • stripe
  • stripe ach payments
  • stripe atlas
  • stripe billing
  • stripe business
  • stripe cc processing
  • stripe charge fee
  • stripe charges
  • stripe connect
  • stripe direct debit
  • stripe fees
  • stripe invoicing
  • stripe issuing
  • stripe merchant services
  • stripe pay
  • stripe payment
  • stripe payment app
  • stripe payment company
  • stripe payment gateway
  • stripe payment processing
  • stripe payment services
  • stripe payments
  • stripe payments company
  • stripe payments processing
  • stripe processing fees
  • stripe recurring payments
  • stripe terminal
  • stripe transaction charges
  • stripe transaction fee

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How the Brand Demand Index is measured

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