When to Add Stripe to Your MVP

If nobody has experienced the core value, payments infrastructure is premature optimization.

Add Stripe when you have a clear plan, price, and at least a few users asking how to pay.

Start with the simplest billing model that matches reality. Complex tier matrices can wait.

Handle failed payments, customer portals, and webhook reliability once revenue is real.

A clean payments integration is a product milestone — not a vanity feature for pitch decks.