Stripe for Art Commissions and Stripe for Artists With Fees, Deposits and Payment Links
Enter the commission price and how the client pays. You see what Stripe keeps, what reaches your bank, and the price to set so you still net the figure on your sheet, from Stripe's published US rates.
Rates read on stripe.com/us/pricing in October 2026.
The last figure is the price to put on the link or invoice so that, after the same fees, you still receive the commission price you typed in.
The short answer
Stripe is a good way to take art commission payments if your work is SFW. A payment link costs 2.9% plus $0.30 on a US card, which is $4.65 on a $150 commission, against $5.73 on a PayPal invoice, and the client pays by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay without an account. To net $150, charge $154.79. Two rules matter: Stripe prohibits sexually explicit art, and it collects money but does not show your tiers or record what the client ordered.
- Fee on $150
- $4.65
- Monthly fee
- $0
- Dispute fee
- $15
- NSFW art
- Banned
Stripe art commission fees
One $150 commission, every way Stripe can charge you
The same piece costs between $1.80 and $8.40 in fees. The fixed $0.30 is what makes small commissions dearer in percentage terms, and an overseas card is what makes large ones dearer in dollars.
| How you are paid | Stripe rate | Fee | You receive | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Payment link, US card | 2.9% + $0.30 | $4.65 | $145.35 | 3.1% |
| Stripe invoice, US card | 2.9% + $0.30, plus 0.4% | $5.25 | $144.75 | 3.5% |
| Stripe invoice, client pays by bank (ACH) | 0.8% (max $5), plus 0.4% | $1.80 | $148.20 | 1.2% |
| Payment link, card issued outside the US | 2.9% + 1.5% + $0.30 | $6.90 | $143.10 | 4.6% |
| Outside the US and paid in another currency | 2.9% + 1.5% + 1% + $0.30 | $8.40 | $141.60 | 5.6% |
| Two payment links: 50% deposit, then the balance | 2.9% + $0.30, twice | $4.95 | $145.05 | 3.3% |
Source: Stripe's standard US pricing, read 12 October 2026, and Stripe Invoicing Starter at 0.4% per paid invoice. Payment Links carry no fee of their own. Standard payouts to your bank are free; Instant Payouts cost 1.5%.
Before you paste a Stripe link
Three things Stripe will not do for a commission artist
It will not process NSFW commissions
Stripe's prohibited list covers "pornography and other mature audience content (including literature, imagery, and other media) designed for the purpose of sexual gratification", AI-generated work included, and says individual creators selling their own content must comply. If part of your queue is explicit, keep that work off your Stripe account entirely rather than risk a closure with your balance held.
It will not remember what the client bought
A payment link records an amount and a product name. When a client disputes, Stripe asks you for evidence, and the evidence that wins is the tier they chose, the revision limit, the sketch they approved and proof of delivery. Keep those in writing from the first message.
It will not bring you a single client
Stripe is a payment rail. Clients still have to find your prices somewhere, which is why most artists pair it with a price sheet, a link in bio or a commission page that lists the tiers.
What to charge
The price to set so Stripe's fee comes out of the client, not you
Divide the amount you want to keep plus $0.30 by 0.971. Build it into the tier price rather than adding a "processing fee" line, which reads badly to fans.
A sketch headshot
$50
- Stripe fee
- $1.75
- You receive
- $48.25
- Share
- 3.5%
- Charge to net
- $51.80
A colored half body
$150
- Stripe fee
- $4.65
- You receive
- $145.35
- Share
- 3.1%
- Charge to net
- $154.79
A rendered full body with background
$400
- Stripe fee
- $11.90
- You receive
- $388.10
- Share
- 3.0%
- Charge to net
- $412.26
A book cover or brand mascot
$1,000
- Stripe fee
- $29.30
- You receive
- $970.70
- Share
- 2.9%
- Charge to net
- $1,030.18
Not sure what the tiers themselves should cost? Our guide to art commission prices by style and size sets the base price, and the art commission sheet maker turns those numbers into a sheet you can post.
Stripe vs PayPal and the commission platforms
What the same $150 commission keeps everywhere else
Raw payment rails are the cheapest way to get paid. Platforms cost more because they add a page, a queue or buyers. Here is the honest trade.
| Where you take payment | Cut | You keep | What you get | What is missing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stripe payment link | 2.9% + $0.30 | $145.35 | Card and wallet checkout, no account for the client | Tiers, brief, order record, buyers |
| Stripe invoice, bank payment | 0.8% + 0.4% | $148.20 | Cheapest rail for business clients | Fans rarely pay by bank |
| Venmo business profile | 1.9% + $0.10 | $147.05 | Cheap, familiar to US fans | US only, weak dispute record |
| PayPal invoice, PayPal Checkout | 3.49% + $0.49 | $144.27 | The button most fans already trust | Seller Protection skips "not as described" |
| VGen or Ko-fi free plan | 5% + Stripe | $137.85 | A commission page and some discovery | Ko-fi Gold is $12 a month to drop the 5% |
| Etsy custom listing | $0.20 + 6.5% + 3% + $0.25 | $135.30 | Marketplace traffic | Offsite Ads can take 15% more |
| Fiverr | 20% | $120.00 | Buyers who already search there | The steepest cut on this list |
PayPal from its US merchant fee schedule effective 1 September 2026. VGen and Ko-fi rows assume payment through Stripe. Etsy row is a US seller with no Offsite Ads sale. Fiverr's buyer also pays a service fee on top of the price.
Where Stripe beats PayPal
Lower fee on every size ($4.65 against $5.73 on $150, $29.30 against $35.39 on $1,000), no account needed to pay, and a dispute process where you submit evidence once. Our PayPal commissions calculator runs the same numbers on PayPal's side.
Where PayPal beats Stripe
Fans who already hold a PayPal balance pay in two taps, and many commission clients simply expect the PayPal button. Offering both costs nothing extra. The full comparison of art commission payment methods adds Venmo, deposits and dispute rules side by side.
Tiers plus checkout in one link
How artists use a gig page with Stripe-style checkout
Publish your tiers
Sketch, colored half body, full render. Each tier states what is included, the revision limit and the delivery time, so the client buys a defined piece.
Share one link
Put the page in your bio, your DMs and your price sheet. The client picks a tier, writes the brief and pays by card in the same flow.
Deliver against the order
The order holds the tier, the brief and the delivery. If a client disputes, the record of what they bought is already written down.
Honest math: plans run Starter $9 a month plus 8% on completed orders, Pro $19 plus 5% and Studio $49 plus 3%, on top of card processing. On a single $150 piece that is more than a bare Stripe link. What you pay for is the page that sells the tiers and the order record, which a payment link cannot give you. See the plans and fees.
Questions artists ask
Stripe for art commissions questions, answered
Each answer leads with the direct reply, taken from Stripe's own pricing and policy pages.
Is Stripe good for art commissions?
Yes, for SFW commissions. Stripe charges 2.9% plus $0.30 on a US card, which is $4.65 on a $150 commission and cheaper than a PayPal invoice at $5.73. Clients pay by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay without making an account. Its limits are content and discovery: Stripe bans sexually explicit art, and it does not show your tiers or bring you clients.
How to use Stripe for art commissions?
Open a Stripe account as an individual, add your bank account, then create a Payment Link for each commission tier, for example "Half body, colored, 2 revisions, $150". Paste the link in your price sheet, DMs or link in bio. For custom quotes, send a Stripe invoice instead. Start drawing when the payment shows as succeeded in your dashboard.
Does Stripe allow NSFW art commissions?
No. Stripe's prohibited businesses list bans "pornography and other mature audience content (including literature, imagery, and other media) designed for the purpose of sexual gratification", including AI-generated content of that kind, and it says individual creators selling their own work must comply too. Taking NSFW commissions through Stripe risks the account being closed and payouts held.
How much does Stripe take from commissions?
Stripe takes 2.9% plus $0.30 per successful US card payment: $1.75 on $50, $4.65 on $150, $11.90 on $400 and $29.30 on $1,000. A card issued outside the US adds 1.5%, converting the currency adds 1%, and a Stripe invoice adds 0.4%. There is no monthly fee, and standard payouts to your bank are free.
Is Stripe or PayPal better for artists?
Stripe is slightly cheaper per commission and easier for clients who just want to pay by card: $4.65 against $5.73 on a $150 piece. PayPal wins on familiarity, since many fans already hold a PayPal balance, and it accepts some content Stripe will not. Many artists offer both and let the client choose, which costs nothing extra.
Do clients need a Stripe account to pay for a commission?
No. A Stripe Payment Link or invoice opens a checkout page where the client pays with a card, Apple Pay or Google Pay, with no sign-up. That is the main reason artists add Stripe next to PayPal: a client who does not want to create a PayPal account can still pay you in under a minute.
Can I take a deposit for an art commission with Stripe?
Yes. Make two Payment Links or two invoices, one for the deposit and one for the balance. Each payment carries its own $0.30, so a $150 commission split 50/50 costs $4.95 instead of $4.65. That 30 cents buys you a rule that you never sketch before money arrives, which is cheap insurance on any piece over a quick headshot.
Can I use Stripe for commissions without a business?
Yes. Stripe lets you sign up as an individual or sole proprietor with your own name and Social Security number, so you do not need an LLC or EIN. It asks what you sell and for a website or profile that shows it. A page listing your commission tiers and prices answers that question clearly and helps avoid an early payout hold.
How long does Stripe take to pay artists?
Your first payout usually arrives 7 to 14 days after your first live payment while Stripe reviews the account. After that, US accounts are paid out on a two-business-day schedule for free. Instant Payouts cost 1.5% of the amount, which is $2.18 on the $145.35 left from a $150 commission.
What happens if a commission client disputes a Stripe payment?
Stripe charges $15 when the dispute arrives and another $15 if you counter it, and refunds the second fee if you win. The disputed amount is pulled from your balance while the card network decides. What wins these cases is evidence: the tier the client bought, the sketch they approved, and proof you delivered the file.
Put your commission tiers and checkout behind one link
Publish Basic, Standard and Premium tiers with scope, revisions and delivery time, take the brief with the order, and keep a record of what every client bought.
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