Choosing Your Approach

Stripe offers several ways to collect payments. Here's how to choose the right one for your use case.

Quick Comparison

Approach	Best For	Customization	Implementation
Payment Element	Most use cases	High	Medium
Card Element	Card-only payments	Highest	Medium
Express Checkout	Quick payments	Low	Easy
Checkout (Hosted)	Fastest launch	Low	Easiest

Payment Element (Recommended)

The Payment Element is Stripe's modern, all-in-one solution. It automatically shows the best payment methods for your customer.

<VueStripePaymentElement />

Pros:

• Supports 40+ payment methods automatically
• Adapts to customer's location and device
• Handles complex flows (authentication, redirects)
• Constantly updated by Stripe

Cons:

• Less control over individual fields
• Requires clientSecret (backend integration)

Best for: Most e-commerce, SaaS, and marketplace applications.

Learn more about Payment Element →

Card Element

The Card Element gives you more control over the card input experience.

<!-- Single unified input -->
<VueStripeCardElement />

<!-- Or split into separate fields -->
<VueStripeCardNumberElement />
<VueStripeCardExpiryElement />
<VueStripeCardCvcElement />

Pros:

• Maximum layout control
• Split fields for custom designs
• Lightweight (card-only)

Cons:

• Only supports card payments
• You handle other payment methods separately
• More work to add new payment types

Best for: Card-only checkouts, custom payment forms, POS-style interfaces.

Learn more about Card Element →

Express Checkout Element

Shows Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Link buttons for one-tap payments.

<VueStripeExpressCheckoutElement @click="onExpressClick" />

Pros:

• One-tap payments
• High conversion for returning customers
• Works alongside other elements

Cons:

• Not all customers have wallets set up
• Limited to supported payment methods
• Requires HTTPS (even in development)

Best for: Adding wallet payments to any checkout flow.

Learn more about Express Checkout →

Stripe Checkout (Hosted Page)

Redirect customers to Stripe's hosted payment page. No payment UI to build.

<script setup>
import { useStripeCheckout } from '@vue-stripe/vue-stripe'

const { redirectToUrl, loading, error } = useStripeCheckout()

const handleBuy = async () => {
  // Create a Checkout Session on your server (@stripe/stripe-js v8.x)
  const response = await fetch('/api/create-checkout-session', {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
    body: JSON.stringify({ priceId: 'price_xxx' })
  })
  const { url } = await response.json()

  // Redirect to the hosted Checkout page
  redirectToUrl(url)
  // Or: await redirectToCheckout({ url })
}
</script>

<template>
  <button :disabled="loading" @click="handleBuy">Buy Now</button>
  <p v-if="error">{{ error }}</p>
</template>

Pros:

• Zero payment UI to build
• PCI compliance handled by Stripe
• Built-in features (coupons, shipping, tax)
• Mobile-optimized

Cons:

• Customers leave your site
• Limited customization
• Less control over the experience

Best for: Quick launches, simple products, subscription sign-ups.

Decision Flowchart

Do you need custom UI?
│
├─ No → Use Stripe Checkout (Hosted)
│
└─ Yes → Do you need multiple payment methods?
          │
          ├─ Yes → Use Payment Element
          │        (optionally add Express Checkout)
          │
          └─ No (cards only) → Use Card Element
                               (optionally add Express Checkout)

Combining Approaches

You can mix approaches in the same checkout:

<template>
  <VueStripeProvider :publishable-key="key">
    <VueStripeElements :client-secret="secret">
      <!-- Quick payment options at top -->
      <VueStripeExpressCheckoutElement @confirm="onExpressConfirm" />

      <div class="divider">Or pay with card</div>

      <!-- Full payment form below -->
      <VueStripePaymentElement />
      <button @click="handleSubmit">Pay</button>
    </VueStripeElements>
  </VueStripeProvider>
</template>

Migration Path

Starting simple and need to upgrade later?

From	To	Effort
Checkout → Payment Element	Medium	Requires backend changes
Card Element → Payment Element	Low	Mostly frontend changes
Payment Element → Custom	Low	Already have the foundation

Next Steps

Choose your approach and dive deeper:

• Payment Element Guide - The recommended approach
• Card Element Guide - For card-only payments
• Express Checkout Guide - Add wallet payments