Migrating from PayPal to Whop
PayPal Checkout costs 3.49% + $0.49 per commercial transaction, plus 1.5% cross-border and 3–4% on currency conversion. Whop charges 2.7% + $0.30, +1.5% international, +1% conversion. For a digital business taking card payments through PayPal, the rate gap is large and there is nothing to port: PayPal does not export card data, so every subscriber re-subscribes wherever you go.
Verdict: Move
What moves
- Product catalogue — recreated in Whop.
- Customer list — export from PayPal for your own records.
- Nothing else. PayPal holds the card relationship; there is no card export.
What breaks
- Recurring PayPal subscriptions; subscribers must re-enter payment details on Whop.
- Buyers who want to pay with PayPal: Whop's published checkout methods are cards, wallets, bank transfers and local methods, not PayPal as a buyer option. Keep a PayPal button if a material share of buyers insists on it.
- PayPal-specific dispute handling; Whop's process and $15 fee apply instead.
What you lose
PayPal as a buyer-facing payment method, PayPal's buyer familiarity in some markets, and micropayments pricing (4.99% + $0.09) for very small items.
What you gain
A lower rate on every card sale, a lower conversion fee, hosted checkout and delivery, subscriptions with retries, affiliates, payouts to 200+ countries.
What it costs, by monthly volume
Published domestic rates, computed at the stated average order size. PayPal: PayPal Checkout 3.49% + $0.49; card fields 2.99% + fixed; +1.5% cross-border; 3–4% currency conversion; disputes $15 / chargebacks $20; micropayments 4.99% + $0.09; in-person 2.29% + $0.09; instant transfer 1.5%. Whop: 2.7% + $0.30 base; the second Whop row adds the optional 2% managed tax service as if every sale were taxed, which is the upper bound.
$10,000 a month · $75 average order · ≈133 orders
| Platform | Rate | Fees / month | Effective rate | You keep |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whop — base domestic cards | 2.7% + $0.30 | $309 | 3.09% | $9,691 |
| Whop — with managed tax if you enable the 2% service | 4.7% + $0.30 | $509 | 5.09% | $9,491 |
| PayPal published rate | 3.49% + $0.49 | $413 | 4.13% | $9,587 |
$50,000 a month · $75 average order · ≈667 orders
| Platform | Rate | Fees / month | Effective rate | You keep |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whop — base domestic cards | 2.7% + $0.30 | $1,551 | 3.1% | $48,449 |
| Whop — with managed tax if you enable the 2% service | 4.7% + $0.30 | $2,551 | 5.1% | $47,449 |
| PayPal published rate | 3.49% + $0.49 | $2,073 | 4.15% | $47,927 |
$100,000 a month · $75 average order · ≈1,333 orders
| Platform | Rate | Fees / month | Effective rate | You keep |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whop — base domestic cards | 2.7% + $0.30 | $3,099 | 3.1% | $96,901 |
| Whop — with managed tax if you enable the 2% service | 4.7% + $0.30 | $5,099 | 5.1% | $94,901 |
| PayPal published rate | 3.49% + $0.49 | $4,142 | 4.14% | $95,858 |
$250,000 a month · $99 average order · ≈2,525 orders
| Platform | Rate | Fees / month | Effective rate | You keep |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whop — base domestic cards | 2.7% + $0.30 | $7,507 | 3% | $242,493 |
| Whop — with managed tax if you enable the 2% service | 4.7% + $0.30 | $12,506 | 5% | $237,494 |
| PayPal published rate | 3.49% + $0.49 | $9,961 | 3.98% | $240,039 |
$1,000,000 a month · $99 average order · ≈10,101 orders
| Platform | Rate | Fees / month | Effective rate | You keep |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whop — base domestic cards | 2.7% + $0.30 | $30,030 | 3% | $969,970 |
| Whop — with managed tax if you enable the 2% service | 4.7% + $0.30 | $50,030 | 5% | $949,970 |
| PayPal published rate | 3.49% + $0.49 | $39,849 | 3.98% | $960,151 |
$5,000,000 a month · $149 average order · ≈33,557 orders
| Platform | Rate | Fees / month | Effective rate | You keep |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whop — base domestic cards | 2.7% + $0.30 | $145,067 | 2.9% | $4,854,933 |
| Whop — with managed tax if you enable the 2% service | 4.7% + $0.30 | $245,067 | 4.9% | $4,754,933 |
| PayPal published rate | 3.49% + $0.49 | $190,943 | 3.82% | $4,809,057 |
When to move, when to stay
Move for card-based sales. Keep PayPal alongside only if your buyers demand it as a wallet.
How to run the migration
- Open a Whop account and complete business verification before anything else; payout holds on a new account are the most common migration complaint.
- Recreate products at identical prices. Decide on tax: self-managed, Whop calculates/collects, or Whop collects and remits.
- Ask Whop's sales team about volume pricing and, if you are on Stripe, about card-data import.
- Announce a switch date; offer a bridging discount or extended access so subscribers re-consent willingly.
- Run both processors for one billing cycle. Close new sign-ups on PayPal, then cancel remaining subscriptions there as they renew on Whop.
- Keep the PayPal account open for refunds and disputes for at least 120 days.
The generic sequence, with timing, is on the migration checklist.
Get a volume quote from Whop
Whop's network team quotes custom rates for larger businesses. Tell them your monthly volume and current platform.
Talk to Whop about migratingWhop Network · 2.7% + $0.30 · custom rates at volumePartner link · free to start · no monthly fee
Frequently asked questions
Is Whop cheaper than PayPal?
On published rates, Whop's 2.7% + $0.30 base is below PayPal's PayPal Checkout 3.49% + $0.49. The tables above show the gap at each volume.
Can I transfer subscriptions from PayPal to Whop?
No processor allows subscription transfer; customers re-subscribe. Plan a bridging offer and a dual-running period.
Does Whop replace everything PayPal does?
No. PayPal as a buyer-facing payment method, PayPal's buyer familiarity in some markets, and micropayments pricing (4.99% + $0.09) for very small items.
Written by Karel Moreau, editor of Migrate Payments. Fees and policies re-checked against the providers' published pricing pages on 20 September 2026. Spotted a change? karel.moreau@migratepayments.com.