When you’re using WordPress for collecting payments or selling products, there are a few ways you can integrate with Stripe easily. In this article, I’ll go over a few of the most ideal solutions. However, I do need to warn you, I am a bit biased and will be strongly recommending WP Simple Pay.
Why Stripe?
I’ve used a lot of payment processors over the years:
- PayPal
- Square
- SmartCart
- 2Checkout
- Shopify
- etc…
However, when Stripe became available, it became my go-to. It was the easiest payment processor I’d used up to that time.
It was built for developers. Making it the most obvious solution.
While others such as PayPal and Square, were created for the end-user, making it restricted and more complicated to integrate with WordPress.
While that has changed a bit as of today (time of this writing), these services are a bit more user-friendly and easier to integrate with WordPress thanks to some great plugins.
That said, I still really like and prefer Stripe. The user dashboard is continually improving. They have been reiterating the way they handle things like subscriptions and products making it more user-friendly to manage. Plus they offer some really nice features.
Additionally, because Stripe was built for developers, you can count on plugin developers always making Stripe an option for use with their plugins.
How to Integrate Stripe with WordPress
If you’re a developer, you can custom-build your own integrations with your WordPress sites. However, I’m not going to focus on that in this article.
I’m going to show you how to easily integrate Stripe with WordPress using some reliable plugins and standalone solutions.
Some of these options are extremely simple and easy to use, while others offer more features and as a result can be more complicated to use.
Let’s get started!
WP Simple Pay
As mentioned in the introduction, I’m going to be biased about this solution. After all, its the Stripe integration plugin we use for our sales pages here on WP Mantis. And we’ve been using it since the beginning.
Additional Reading: Selling Subscriptions on WordPress Website … The Simple Way.
I will be upfront about this solution. We have notices some limitations, not so much from the plugin, but from what we’d like the plugin to allow us to do. The plugin does exactly what it promises, and it does it flawlessly.
WP Simple Pay offers a no code solution to adding a Stripe integration with WordPress for single product purchases and subscription purchases.
Who Should Use It?
This is not the right solution for everyone. But if you fit into any or all of the criteria below, you should really consider WP Simple Pay.
- Easy Stripe integration with the plugin, account verification method.
- Don’t want or need a complex multi step shopping cart.
- Want to manage product setup and creation from the WordPress admin.
- Build your own payment forms, collect as much or as little info as you want/need.
- Build your own payment confirmation pages.
- Want to keep transactions on site, which increases conversion.
- Want simple form placement with shortcodes.
Below is a list of other nice to have features you’ll get with WP Simple Pay:
- Allow mobile payments with Google and Apple pay.
- Allow for non-card payments.
- In-plugin “Test Mode” capabilities to test your forms before sending your buyers
Product Demo
WP Simple Pay offers a demo site where they cover most, if not all, of the basics on how to use the plugin.
I’ve put together a couple examples to show you how this product works, both with one-off purchase and subscription.
This quick video shows you what the popup form looks like from the frontend.
This video will show you how easy it is to create or edit your forms from the backend.
How To Get WP Simple Pay?
You can get a Pro license of WP Simple Pay for as low as $99 for a year of support and updates.
They do offer a 30-day money-back guarantee so you’re not risking anything to give it a try.
They do also offer a free limited version of the plugin that you can download on wordpress.org.
If you really want to give it a good test run, utilizing all the features, you should order a pro license and take advantage of the refund if it doesn’t work out.
Gravity Forms
Yes, Gravity Forms is a drag and drop form builder plugin (with an awesome UI update currently in bata … BTW). But as you saw in the demo videos above, you have to have a form for your customers to complete the purchase.
And because Gravity Forms integrates so easily with Stripe, you can use it to handle all of your website purchases.
This images shows you the three key aspects of integrating Stripe with Gravity Forms.
- Test & Live Mode
Whenever I am building a new payment form with Gforms, I put things in test mode. That way I can ensure thins work before making my form available for my customers.
- Account Verification Connection
It is as easy as logging into your Stripe account to integrate Strip with Gravity Forms. You click a button, enter your Stripe username and password, and accept any terms. Done!
- One Site Processing or Off Site Processing
This feature is cool because it gives you the options to choose. Do you want to collect customer credit card data on your website, or do you want to redirect them to a Stripe checkout page (off site) to complete their purchase?
The nice thing about using Gravity Forms is the possibilities. You can almost build any kind of payment form for any product, service, or subscription. You could even use it to sell your physical products.
Who Should Use It?
This solution will require some creativity and patients or the willing to work with someone like our team that can build out your forms for you.
That said, if any of points below for you or what you’re looking for, you might want to give Gravity Forms a try.
- Build fully customizable forms
- Easily duplicate forms for reuse
- Add forms to pages and post easily
- Use one plugin for payment forms and regular forms
Gravity Forms also offers templates that you can use to help you get started. They even have one for e-commerce forms selling digital products. You can download and demo it here.
How to Get Gravity Forms?
There is no free version of this plugin. If you want to use it, you will need to purchase a license.
In order to use Gravity Forms for payment processing with Stripe or any other processor, you will need to get the Pro license.
Jetpack Payments
There are pros and cons to this option. I’m not going to go into a bunch of detail in this article because I already did a complete write up on Jetpack Payments, read it here.
What you need to know.
Jetpack payments does include a bit more cost. You will need to have a Jetpack subscription, but WordPress will also charge you a percentage for each transaction.
That additional transaction charge is on top of what a processor like Stripe will be charging you.
Who Should Us It?
This is a really good solution if you’re already using Jetpack and want, what is probably, the easiest solution on this list.
Jetpack offers a ton of features. And signing up just for the payments feature isn’t recommended.
WooCommerce Stripe Extension
The Stripe extension and WooCommerce are both free solutions. However, WooCommerce is so far down my list because it’s a bit bulky and bloated. Can be overkill if you’re just looking for a simple solution for selling one or a few products.
If you have plans to use Stripe for subscriptions, you will also need the WooCommerce s subscription extension, and that one, is NOT free. It will cost you $199 per year.
Who Should Use It?
If you’re currently using WooCommerce then I’d hope it makes since that you should keep using it. And if you just want to offer an additional or different payment option, adding the Stripe extensions will be free and easy.
If you’re NOT currently using WooCommerce, these might be a few good reasons to use it over any of the other options listed above.
- Selling more than 10 products
- Need an advanced Cart option, so user can build a cart before ordering
- Drop-shipping products
- Want more automation and in your process and the setup of your cart
- Selling online and in a retail store
- Want to build funnels for upsells and cross sell offers (easy to do with Woo and Cartflows)
How To Get WooCommerce?
It’s really simple. You can get the plugin directly from within your WP Admin => Plugins => Add New.
Or you can go to their website and create an account and download any of the free extensions and paid extensions as needed.
Here are the links to the extensions I’ve mentioned above:
Restrict Content Pro
I’m only throwing this option in for those of you that might be looking for a great membership plugin that integrates with Stripe.
I want to be clear, Restrict Content Pro is not ideal for selling products.
It would however be a good solution for selling any kind of subscription or membership, whether it’s recurring or one time payments.
How To Get Restrict Content Pro?
This plugin was recently acquired by iThemes and is now part of the iThemes Plugin Suite. Which includes a ton of awesome plugins.
Additional Reading: iThemes New WordPress Membership Plugin
ChargeKeep
Full disclosure, I have never used this solution. I don’t typically recommend solutions I have not used, however, while doing my research for this article, I came across ChargeKeep and setup a 7 day trial.
I was pleasantly surprised. It’s a pretty nice solution.
This is NOT a WordPress plugin and you won’t be managing your orders and customers from the WP Admin. You will have a separate account on ChargeKeep.com.
This image shows how to add your forms to a website, embed iframe code or a button link.
These are the main reasons I liked it, and felt it was worth adding to the list.
- Easy setup…like as easy as WP Simple Pay
- Flexible payment options (i.e. subscriptions, one time payments, trials, coupons)
- Customer portal for managing cards and subscriptions
- Easy to add forms or buttons to your website
- Payment form options (button to pop up, embedded forms, page hosted by Stripe)
Reasons I wouldn’t use it:
- The price…best feature, customer management, only available at $29/mo
- It’s over kill to use for some things that can be easily managed in the Stripe dashboard
- Not having access from the WP Admin
- Form embeds use iframe, which can be unfriendly on mobile
Who Should Use It?
I don’t really feel qualified to answer this question. Mainly because I have not used this solution beyond my own 7 day trial.
But this image shows who they built the platform for and who is using it.
How To Get ChargeKeep?
Head on over to their website and start your 7 day trial.
Remember, if you want to take advantage of the customer portal and management, you will have to pay the big bucks, $29/mo. I don’t think it’s worth it, especially because you can do most of that from within your Stripe dashboard for free.
The Wrap Up
Again, as promised, I am biased. Clearly there are going to be situations where WP Simple Pay isn’t ideal.
However, if you need a simple solution that is easy to use and can get you collecting payments fast, you know where to look.
If you want help learning how to use WP Simple Pay, I have a free course that will take your from setup to processing your first payment with WP Simple Pay in no time.
If you have questions about any of these options or need help implementing them, use the comments or the chat options to the right.
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