Safe Activation is integrated with many online stores and payment processors to create an order Transaction and deliver a Serial Number to the customer. That Serial Number controls activation and manages the license of purchased software on a specified number of computers.
For the most comprehensive integration, lowest cost and advanced features, many developers choose PayPal or Stripe as their Payment processor. The purchase process typically starts when the customer clicks a Buy or Subscribe button on the vendor website.
Paypal has been used by developers and integrated with Safe Activation for many years making it the dominate choice for older Safe Activation accounts. Some developers prefer the added flexibility, control and customized integration of Stripe credit card processing.
Which option is best for your project?
Safe Activation supports multiple integrations with Stripe and PayPal. There is not a simple direct comparison of features. For example, the Stripe1 integration supports Discount Codes whereas the Stripe2 integration is much easier to setup, but does not support Discount Codes. PayPal supports both a simple IPN approach driven by a Buy button and a built-in shopping cart integration.
Both support Product and Subscription purchases. A Serial Number can be delivered by email or retrieved from the download page after completing the purchase. Paypal allows a discounted price for the first month of a Subscription, but Stripe does not.
Both support periodic Subscription payments and give the customer or vendor the ability to cancel the Subscription and disable the license. Stripe is more flexible by allowing the customer to indicate their intent to cancel at the end of their subscription period. With Paypal, customers should wait until the end of the subscription period before they cancel.
Both allow the customer to change or update payment information used by a Subscription license. With Paypal, the user makes changes from a Paypal account that is auto-generated for them during purchase. With Stripe, an automated Payment Portal provides a more flexible, customized approach.
If a credit card issue occurs during a monthly subscription renewal, both systems give the customer a few days to resolve the issue. Stripe provides more flexibility and options if a subscription payment fails.
Paypal buttons do not support discount codes by default. With additional setup effort within Safe Activation, discount codes can be created. The setup process for discount or Promo codes in Stripe1 is easier.
Both support payments in many countries, different fraud prevention and conflict resolution or chargeback policies.
Paypal supports Affiliate Buy buttons for notifications and commissions when an Affiliate purchase occurs. Safe Activation shows a screen of monthly Affilicate sales so a Vendor can manually send commission payments. The Stripe2 interface supports Affiliate Buy buttons and notifications and is easier to setup.
Stripe supports fully automated commission payments to a connected Payee Stripe account for Affiliates, Resellers, Suppliers, App developers or others. This can be accomplished with both Stripe and Stripe2 integrations using different approaches. PayPal does not support a comparable feature.
Both allow button prices to be changed. With Paypal, HTML button code must be updated on the vendor website. With Stripe1 integration, the price of a button can be changed and may or may not require a change on the vendor website. With Stripe2 integration, when a price is changed a new Payment Link is created that must be updated on the vendor website.
If you plan to sell multiple products at once on a single credit card transaction using the integrated shopping cart built into Safe Activation, then use Paypal.
If you decide to use Stripe credit card processing, you must choose Stripe1 or Stripe2 integration. Most Developers choose Stripe2 because it is easier to setup and manage. Stripe2 supports an almost unlimited number of Payment Links (purchase options) using the same Safe Activation account. Stripe1 integration is limited to about a dozen Product or Subscription purchase options from the same Safe Activation account.
