Studio uses different payment processors for different purposes. Here's how the money flows for both sides of the platform.
For Businesses Accepting Donations / Invoices
Stripe Connect — the only processor currently supported for business-side payments (donations and invoices). Every donation and invoice flows through your connected Stripe account directly to your bank.
- Supports credit/debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Discover, Diners, JCB)
- Supports ACH bank transfers (US)
- Supports Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Link
- Supports BACS, SEPA, iDEAL, and other regional methods in eligible countries
- PCI compliance handled by Stripe — you never touch card data
See Connecting Your Stripe Account to set it up.
Paying for Your Studio Subscription
You pay for your Studio plan (Starter / Pro / Business) with a credit or debit card. Enter your card once at signup, and Studio charges it automatically on each renewal.
To update your card: Settings → Billing → Update Payment Method. The change takes effect immediately for the next renewal.
Your Studio subscription and your donation account are completely separate. Funds that donors give you never touch Studio — they flow from your donors' cards directly to your Stripe account to your bank.
PayPal / Venmo Support
Not currently supported natively. However:
- You can link a PayPal Giving Fund button on your website and let donors choose.
- PayPal donations wouldn't appear in Studio's donor records, so manually import them via CSV if you want unified reporting.
Native PayPal support is on our roadmap.
Square / Zelle / Crypto
Not supported. If a donor sends funds outside Studio (via Zelle, check, or crypto), you can record the donation manually:
- Go to Donations → + Record Offline Donation.
- Enter donor info, amount, date, and payment method.
- Studio includes it in totals and year-end statements, but no processing fee is applied since no Stripe charge occurred.
Future Processors
We're actively considering:
- GiveWP / Blackbaud direct integration for migration flows
- PayPal Commerce Platform alongside Stripe
- ACH-only accounts via Plaid for organizations that don't want card processing
If a specific processor is critical for your org, let us know.