Could Finix Replace Stripe as Your Preferred Payment Platform?

Most agencies default to Stripe for online payments—both for collecting client retainers and for powering client ecommerce projects. Stripe’s ubiquity and simplicity make it the obvious choice. But a newer player, Finix, is quietly building a case for agencies to reconsider how they handle payments. With transparent interchange-plus pricing, potentially lower transaction costs, and a dedicated WooCommerce plugin, Finix offers a compelling alternative.

It’s easy to overlook how much processing fees chip away at revenue. Stripe’s 2.9% + $0.30 model is predictable but costly. Finix’s interchange-plus pricing structure is designed to reduce these costs. Instead of a flat percentage markup, Finix passes through the card network interchange fee and adds a fixed $0.15 per transaction.

For large invoices, this can mean significant savings since interchange fees can be 1.3%. Savings could be even more if you’re using ACH. Finix has a flat $0.50 per ACH payment, compared to Stripe’s 0.8%.

The downside? To get these discounted rates, Finix charges a $99/mo subscription.

There are other trade-offs to consider. Stripe is still the easier option to set up, with features like subscription billing and other marketplace tools available right out of the box. Finix, while powerful, may require more configuration and technical knowledge to unlock its full potential. It also lacks the brand recognition that often gives Stripe an edge when clients ask, “Is this payment processor reliable?”

Am I ready to swap Stripe for Finix? No, but I’m going to be watching them. The potential savings are hard to ignore. And they might just be the right fit for a client with high processing volume.

WordPress AI Team Lays Foundation for Next-Generation Tools

• The WordPress AI team has released its first roadmap, outlining plans to integrate AI in ways that empower developers rather than end-users.
• The roadmap introduces the concept of “AI building blocks,” aiming to create reusable components and infrastructure that can support a range of AI-driven tools across the WordPress ecosystem.
• Current building blocks include:
  • PHP AI Client SDK: a standardized way for WordPress developers to interact with AI models directly in PHP, enabling consistent integration across plugins and themes.
  • Abilities API: a framework for AI-powered capabilities, allowing developers to register, share, and reuse specific AI-driven features.
  • MCP Adapter: a bridge between WordPress and various AI model providers, ensuring flexible model selection and seamless connectivity.
  • AI Experiments Plugin: a Github monorepo working as a testing ground for new AI features, giving developers and users a way to experiment and provide feedback before tools become mainstream.
• Future plans include:
  • Site Administration: assisting administrators with configuration, troubleshooting, and automation of site management tasks.
  • Real-Time and Asynchronous Collaboration: powering collaborative editing, content suggestions, and task coordination both in real-time and asynchronously.
  • Media Library: enhancing image tagging, categorization, and content suggestions to streamline media organization and discovery.
• The AI team plans to distribute their work in both Canonical and Feature plugins, collaborating with other WordPress teams.
• Community feedback will playing a major role in shaping the roadmap. Developers are encouraged to contribute ideas and test early experiments.

Worth a Look

• Should we publish AI generated articles? SEO expert and frequent WordCamp speaker David Zimmerman offers additional perspective on the Ahrefs study we published last week.
• Equalize Digital worked with WooCommerce developers and other agencies to bring over 140 accessibility improvements to WooCommerce core ahead of the European Accessibility Act.
• Elementor has created Angie, the first agentic AI plugin for WordPress. Early access is now available.
• How to create a referral program that works – great insights from Abby Wood on The Admin Bar blog.
• AI didn’t kill web design, templates did it first, claims UX Strategist Noah Davis.
• How to build a personal AI factory using agents, an interesting read from John Rush.