Connect Overview
Learn how to use Connect, our solution for any business that needs to process payments and pay out to multiple parties.
Stripe Connect is a full-stack solution for using Stripe’s capabilities on behalf of others. Connect provides a powerful API and other tools you need to make charges, as well as onboard, verify, and pay sellers, contractors, service providers: whomever your business’s users are.
You can tailor your integration in various ways, including:
- Specifying how money moves from the customer to you, and ultimately to your platform’s sellers or recipients
- Collecting fees for your service
- Assigning payout schedules and payout methods
- Supporting different types of Stripe accounts
You can connect your platform to existing Stripe accounts or create new ones.
With Connect, you can process payments from customers, transfer money to and from connected accounts, and pay out funds to bank accounts and debit cards.
Connect use cases
Connect is a flexible and potent combination of features designed to support a wide range of uses:
- Crowdfunding services, like Kickstarter and Ulule
- E-commerce platforms, like Shopify and Squarespace
- Marketplaces, like OfferUp and Catawiki
- On-demand services, like Lyft and Glovo
- Invoicing solutions, like Xero
- Booking platforms, like OpenTable
- Travel and event providers, like Tito and Musement
- Extensions on Stripe, like Segment and Avalara
You can also use Connect just for the payouts portion of your business via Connect Payouts. With Connect Payouts, you have access to the same funds routing, recipient UIs, verification, and compliance capabilities included in Stripe Connect.
Key Connect components
Connect begins by registering your Stripe account as a platform. Third parties—sellers, contractors, and so forth—then associate their Stripe accounts with your platform account. Or your platform can create Stripe accounts for them.
In designing a Connect integration, the platform decides what Stripe account types to support. There are three types—Standard, Express, and Custom—each with different responsibilities and levels of control.
| Standard | Express | Custom | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Branding control | Partial | Significant | Complete |
| Integration effort | Lowest | Low | Typically higher |
| Ideal for users that are: | Experienced online businesses | Any type | Any type |
Regardless of the type of account in use, once a third party associates their Stripe account with a platform, the platform can use the full power of the Stripe API on their behalf, including:
- Processing charges
- Specifying the flow of funds
- Managing refunds and disputes
Platforms using Express and Custom accounts have additional abilities, such as setting the payout schedule, issuing Instant Payouts, and performing account debits.
Recipes
If you know what type of platform you’d like to build, we’ve written up some sample recipes for specific types of platforms:
- On-demand apps: building an app like Lyft or Handy.
- Store builders: allowing other people to sell on your platform, like Squarespace or BigCommerce.
Even if you’re not striving for one of those exactly, these examples should help you figure out how you’d implement yours.
If you’re building a service on top of Stripe account data—for instance, an analytics service like Baremetrics—read our guide to building an extension.
Availability
Connect is available for platforms and Standard accounts in any country Stripe supports. Platforms in any supported country can create Express accounts for individuals, businesses, and nonprofits in the United States. Contact us if you are interested in support for users outside the U.S.
Custom accounts are supported only for platforms located in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, or the United States.
Next steps
Read on to get started with Connect!