Aplauso uses a transparent fee structure. Here's exactly what it costs to use the platform, and who pays what.

Overview: How Fees Work

There are two types of fees in the Aplauso ecosystem:

  1. Platform subscription fee - paid by the venue for access to Aplauso
  2. Payment processing fee - paid per transaction for Stripe payment processing

Platform Subscription (Venue)

Venues pay a monthly or annual subscription for access to the Aplauso platform. The subscription tier determines:

  • Number of active employees supported
  • Analytics features (basic vs. Insights)
  • Support level (community vs. priority)
  • Integration features (API access, PMS/POS connections)

For current pricing and tier details, visit aplauso.io/pricing or contact sales@aplauso.io.

Enterprise: Multi-property and large venue groups (500+ tipped employees) receive custom pricing. Contact sales for a quote.

Payment Processing Fee (Per Transaction)

Every tip payment processed through Stripe incurs a processing fee. This is a combination of:

  • Stripe's standard processing fee - typically 2.9% + 30¢ per card transaction (may vary by country)
  • Aplauso platform fee - a small percentage added on top

The combined fee is deducted from the tip amount before it reaches the employee's wallet.

Example: A guest tips $20. After a combined 3.4% + 30¢ fee:

  • Fee: $0.98
  • Employee receives: $19.02

The exact fee percentage depends on your Aplauso subscription tier. Higher tiers receive reduced processing rates.

Who Pays the Processing Fee?

By default, the processing fee is deducted from the tip - meaning employees receive a slightly reduced amount. This is the industry-standard approach for digital tipping platforms.

Alternatively, venues can configure fee pass-through to guests: the tip amount shown to the guest is adjusted upward so that the employee receives the full selected amount. This is configurable in Settings → Payments → Fee Structure.

Apple Pay and Google Pay

Tips paid via Apple Pay and Google Pay use the same processing rate as standard card payments (Stripe treats them as card-equivalent). There is no additional surcharge for wallet payments.

Instant Payouts

Instant Payout (available on eligible Stripe accounts) carries an additional fee charged by Stripe directly - approximately 1–1.5% of the withdrawal amount. This is a Stripe fee, not an Aplauso fee, and is deducted from the withdrawal amount.

Standard payouts (1–2 business days) have no additional withdrawal fee.

Chargeback and Dispute Fees

If a guest disputes a tip payment with their card issuer, Stripe may assess a dispute fee (typically $15–$35) regardless of the outcome. These fees are unfortunately standard across all payment processors.

Aplauso works with you to provide documentation for disputes. See How to report a missing tip for the dispute process.

International Tips and FX

For international venues or guests paying with foreign-issued cards:

  • Stripe handles currency conversion automatically
  • Stripe may add a 1–2% international processing surcharge
  • Tips are settled in the currency of the employee's Stripe account (typically USD or EUR)

No Hidden Fees

Aplauso does not charge:

  • Setup fees
  • Monthly minimums based on transaction volume
  • Per-employee account fees
  • Reporting or API access fees (within your subscription tier)

Next Steps