In short:
Stripe processes card payments and invoices, while GigShield.ai commits payment to agreed milestones before work starts. Compare it with GigShield.ai vs PayPal and GigShield.ai vs Upwork, read about escrow vs upfront payment, or see what to do when a client won't pay a freelancer.
| Feature | GigShield.ai | Stripe |
|---|---|---|
| Primary purpose | Escrow-backed project payment protection | Payment processing for businesses that take payments |
| Funds committed before work | Yes, through a funded Project Shield | Payment is taken when the client pays, not held against project milestones |
| Milestone workflow | Built in | Not a project milestone feature |
| 72-hour milestone review | Built in, with automatic approval if no issue is raised | No equivalent milestone review workflow |
| Pricing | 1% platform fee on the business side, added when funding, and 1% on the professional side, deducted at withdrawal. Each side can waive its own 1% to 0% independently through the Verified Partner programme. Payment-method processing costs are separate and shown before paying. | US published pricing: 2.9% + 30 cents per successful domestic card payment, plus 1.5% for international cards, plus 1% when currency conversion is needed. A $15 fee applies to each dispute received. Stripe Invoicing costs 0.4% per paid invoice on the Starter plan, on top of payment fees. |
| AI dispute assistance | Shield AI considers the agreement and submitted evidence | Not a standard feature of the card dispute process |
| Human escalation | Yes, after two rejected Shield AI proposals | Card disputes follow the card network process |
| Best fit | Freelance work where funds should be committed before work starts | Taking card payments and invoicing as a business |
Features, eligibility, and policies can change. Check each service's current terms for your country and payment type.
What it costs
Stripe's US published pricing is 2.9% + 30 cents per successful domestic card payment, plus 1.5% for international cards, plus 1% when currency conversion is needed. Each dispute received carries a $15 fee, and Stripe Invoicing adds 0.4% per paid invoice on the Starter plan, on top of payment fees.
On an international $1,000 card payment, the freelancer pays about $44.30 in Stripe fees, calculated as 2.9% + 1.5% + $0.30, before any currency conversion. Add 1% if conversion is needed.
The key difference is that a card payment is not escrow. The client can still open a dispute after the work is delivered, and a $15 dispute fee applies. With GigShield.ai, funds are committed before work starts.
On the same $1,000 project, GigShield.ai charges $20 total in platform fees, or $0 if both sides are Verified Partners, plus payment-method processing. For more context, read how escrow payments work and payment protection for freelancers.
Competitor fees as published on their own websites, checked 9 November 2026. They can change; check the provider's site.
Card processing or project protection?
If the main need is taking card payments and sending invoices as a business, a payment processor may fit. If the main risk is starting work before funds are committed, unclear milestone acceptance, or a project-specific disagreement, an escrow workflow is designed around that problem.