Stripe and a merchant account are both payment processing services, but they work in different ways. A merchant account allows you to accept payments through your own website or mobile app, while Stripe is an online payment processor that allows you to accept credit card payments on other sites.

Merchant accounts are not free; they typically charge a monthly fee as well as transaction fees for each transaction processed through their system. Stripe offers free accounts for small businesses that only process up to $10,000 per month in transactions, but larger businesses will have to pay for their services. https://yourmerchantservicesrep.com/stripe-vs-merchant-account/