Yes! You can use SmartDirectoryAI without Stripe, thanks to our new External Checkout Support feature. This lets you connect your Premium Plans to any external checkout provider (PayPal, ThriveCart, SamCart, WooCommerce, etc.).

Step 1: Go to Your Premium Plans

539. Log into your SmartDirectoryAI dashboard.

540. From the top menu, click Plans.

541. Click Add Plan to create a new plan.

Step 2: Add Your External Checkout Links

In the plan settings, you’ll see two new fields:

• Monthly Checkout Link

• Annual Checkout Link

Paste in the URLs from your external checkout provider.

• Example: PayPal subscription link, ThriveCart product page, WooCommerce checkout link, etc.

Step 3: Save and Publish

Click Next, and select your plan options.

Then click Next again, and enter a trial period if you'd like one.

Then click Submit.

Your Premium Plan is now live with external checkout!

When customers upgrade, they’ll be taken directly to the external checkout page you linked.

Step 4: Manually Upgrade Listings After Purchase

Because external checkouts are not connected to SmartDirectoryAI, payments won’t automatically trigger upgrades or workflows.

After someone pays externally, you’ll need to:

1671. Go to Businesses in your dashboard.

1672. Find the customer’s listing.

1673. Change their plan to Premium by using the slider next to the name of their listing.

1674. (Optional) Add their contact manually to the “Listing Upgraded to Premium” workflow if you want them to receive your automation emails/texts.

When Should You Use External Checkout?

• If you don’t have (or don’t want) a Stripe account

• If you already use another checkout system and want to keep all payments there

• If you’re testing different providers for your business

Summary

👉 You do not need Stripe to run a SmartDirectoryAI directory with Premium Plans.
👉 Just use External Checkout Support to connect your existing payment provider.
👉 Remember: upgrades and workflows will need to be applied manually after purchase.