What Smart Disputes is
Smart Disputes is Stripe's built-in dispute automation. When an eligible dispute arrives, Stripe assembles an evidence packet from the data it already holds: the payment, card checks, the customer's details and Stripe network signals. If you do nothing, Stripe submits that packet just before the deadline.
It needs no setup, which is its biggest strength. Its limit is in the same place: it can only use what Stripe can see. Stripe doesn't see whether your customer logged in to your product, downloaded the course or kept using the software after filing a "fraudulent" claim. For digital businesses, that is often the strongest evidence there is.
Not every dispute is eligible. Stripe decides eligibility from the reason code, payment method, evidence available and cost. (Stripe docs)
How the fee works
As of 2 October 2026, Stripe's pricing page lists the Smart Disputes fee as 30% of the disputed amount for each dispute you win. There is no Smart Disputes fee on disputes you lose. (stripe.com/pricing)
That fee comes on top of Stripe's normal dispute fees, which apply however you respond. In the US that is a $15 fee for every dispute, plus a $15 counter fee when you submit evidence. The counter fee is refunded if you win. In the EEA both fees are €20.
So on a won $1,000 dispute handled by Smart Disputes, you pay Stripe $300 plus the $15 dispute fee, and you keep $685.
What it costs at different volumes
The table assumes you win half of your disputes and that every dispute would be eligible for Smart Disputes. Flatfight's plan is chosen from the number of disputes per month. Stripe's own dispute fees are the same either way, so they are left out.
| Disputes per month | Average amount | Smart Disputes fee per year | Flatfight per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $100 | $180 | $588 (Starter) |
| 4 | $500 | $3,600 | $588 (Starter) |
| 10 | $1,000 | $18,000 | $588 (Starter) |
| 30 | $800 | $43,200 | $1,188 (Growth) |
The break-even point is low. Flatfight Starter costs $49 a month, and 30% of $163 is about $49. If Smart Disputes would win you more than about $163 a month, a flat fee costs less. Below that, Smart Disputes is cheaper, and we'd tell you to keep it.
When Smart Disputes is the right choice
Keep Smart Disputes if:
- you get a dispute every month or two, on low ticket sizes, so 30% of your wins is less than a flat subscription;
- you have no product usage data, support history or policies to add, so a third-party tool would have little more to work with than Stripe does;
- you want zero setup and are happy for Stripe to decide what to submit.
Consider a flat-fee tool if your disputes are large (annual SaaS plans, courses, coaching, agency retainers), if you have logs that show the customer used what they paid for, or if you want to review what goes to the bank before it goes.
Turning off auto-submission
If you use another tool to respond, turn off Smart Disputes auto-submission. Otherwise Stripe can submit its own packet first, and Stripe usually accepts evidence only once per dispute.
- In the Stripe Dashboard, open Settings → Disputes (direct link).
- Turn off automatic submission of Smart Disputes evidence.
- Check an open dispute: it should no longer say Stripe will submit on your behalf.
One more detail matters if you build your own integration. Stripe can submit evidence you have only staged (saved without submitting) when the deadline arrives. Flatfight never stages evidence. It sends everything in one submission, only after you approve it.
Try the calculator
Paste a read-only key into the free calculator and see what Smart Disputes has cost you over the last 12 months. The key is used once, in memory, and never stored.