# Understanding supported Stripe account types for Circle paywalls

https://help.circle.so/p/payments/paywall-setup/understanding-supported-stripe-account-types-for-circle-paywalls

Category: [Payments](https://help.circle.so/p/payments) › [Paywall setup](https://help.circle.so/p/payments/paywall-setup)

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_Last updated: November 10, 2025_

Circle integrates directly with **Stripe** to handle payments securely for paywalls. Each community connects its own Stripe account, giving admins full ownership of their payment data and customer information.

## Standard Stripe account

Circle paywalls use a **Standard Stripe Connect account**. This setup means that the community owner/admin is the Stripe account holder, not Circle.

With a Standard account:

- You manage payouts, refunds, and customer data directly in your Stripe dashboard.

- You retain ownership of your funds and financial information.

- You can use your Stripe account for other parts of your business outside of Circle.

- You have complete transparency over how payments are collected and distributed.

## Unsupported Stripe accounts

Currently, **Stripe Express** and **Stripe Custom** accounts can’t be connected to Circle.

These account types are typically used by platforms that manage payments on behalf of users, where the platform holds the main Stripe account and connected accounts operate underneath it.

## Supported countries

Stripe is the only payment processor Circle directly integrates with today.

Because Stripe operates in specific countries, only those listed on [**Stripe’s supported countries page**](https://stripe.com/global) can connect a Stripe account to Circle paywalls.

If your country isn’t supported for Standard accounts, you won’t be able to connect Stripe directly to your community.

In these cases, there are a few solutions you could implement to start accepting payments from your community:

- **Using a third-party payment provider integrated through Zapier:** This setup allows you to automate access to your community or specific spaces after payment. Here’s how it works:

- **Using Stripe Atlas to setup a U.S. company:** Stripe Atlas helps you establish a U.S.-based company, open a U.S. bank account, and create a Stripe account under that business. This approach can be a good long-term solution for creators who want to use Stripe but are located in regions where Standard accounts aren’t currently supported. Here’s how it generally works: