Paddle vs Polar
Two true Merchants of Record for software, with different operating histories, pricing structures, and developer-product emphasis.
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Provider comparisons
Start with the complete Merchant of Record matrix, then open a focused matchup for the decisions where provider names alone do not tell the story.
8-provider matrix · 4 direct comparisonsOne table · every MoR
Compare the operating surface.
Pricing, product fit, checkout, payment methods, billing, payouts, coverage, and evidence freshness from the same sourced records used across the site. Latest review 2026-07-30.
Read across, then verify down.
Headline pricing is not total cost, and a listed feature is not universal availability. Product eligibility, seller country, buyer country, currency, payment type, and negotiated terms can change the answer.
Scroll horizontally →| Provider | Headline pricing | Best fit | Eligible products | Checkout | Buyer payment methods | Subscriptions | Invoicing | Payouts | Seller and buyer coverage | Evidence freshness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paddle established merchant of record | 5% + $0.50 per checkout transaction; custom pricing is available.Public pay-as-you-go checkout rate. Terms permit chargeback or pre-chargeback fees up to $20 in USD and optional Checkout Recovery costs 10% of recovered value. Other products can use custom terms. |
| SaaS, software, subscriptions, apps, and eligible digital products; product review and prohibited-business rules apply. | Hosted and overlay checkout through Paddle.js. | Cards, wallets, PayPal, and supported local payment methods by market. | Recurring billing, trials, upgrades, discounts, dunning, and customer portal. | B2B invoicing is available, with separate public contract terms for bank-transfer invoices. | Net seller payouts on Paddle's schedule after taxes, refunds, and fees. | Seller: Software businesses are supported in most countries, subject to Paddle's unsupported-country and risk policies.Buyer: Paddle documents sales in more than 200 countries and territories, with sanctioned and unsupported locations blocked. | Reviewed 2026-07-30Next review 2026-10-27View sources → |
| Lemon Squeezy established creator commerce mor | 5% + $0.50 per transaction, with additional fees in documented edge cases and volume pricing by request.Base ecommerce fee applies to the tax-inclusive order total. International cards, subscriptions, PayPal, payouts, and the usual $15 dispute fee can add costs. |
| SaaS, digital downloads, subscriptions, memberships, courses, and other eligible digital products. | Hosted and overlay checkout plus a hosted storefront. | Cards, PayPal, wallets, and supported local methods. | Recurring billing, usage-based and seat options, trials, changes, and dunning. | Automatic buyer receipts and tax documents; verify complex B2B quote requirements. | Bank wire or PayPal payouts, generally processed twice monthly. | Seller: Payouts are available in more than 200 countries according to Lemon Squeezy, subject to onboarding and payout-method rules.Buyer: Global digital sales with multi-currency checkout and country-dependent payment methods. | Reviewed 2026-07-30Next review 2026-10-27View sources → |
| Gumroad established creator commerce mor | Standard direct card sales combine Gumroad's 10% + $0.50 fee with a documented 2.9% + $0.30 processing fee.Illustrative standard card sale through a Gumroad profile or direct link. PayPal, connected Stripe accounts, affiliates, Discover's 30% rate, taxes, and refund treatment differ. |
| Digital downloads, ebooks, courses, tutorials, memberships, and eligible SaaS; physical and prohibited categories are excluded. | Gumroad-hosted product pages, profile storefronts, and direct product links. | Cards and PayPal availability varies by buyer and seller setup. | Memberships and recurring products with a creator-oriented workflow. | Buyer receipts and tax records; not positioned as a complex B2B quoting platform. | Direct deposit or PayPal depending on country and account eligibility. | Seller: Payout method and seller availability vary by country.Buyer: Gumroad sells internationally and applies tax based on its obligations as Merchant of Record. | Reviewed 2026-07-30Next review 2026-08-27View sources → |
| Polar growth merchant of record | Current Starter pricing is 5% + $0.50; eligible Early Member organizations retain grandfathered pricing.Current Starter plan for organizations created on or after May 27, 2026. Payout and cross-border conversion costs are separate from transaction FX; legacy Early Member rates are grandfathered. |
| Eligible software, SaaS, digital products, subscriptions, usage-based products, and developer-oriented benefits. | Hosted and embedded checkout with API-created sessions. | Cards, wallets, and local methods documented by Polar and its payment partners. | Recurring, usage-based, seat-based, trial, and multi-currency pricing features. | Automatic order invoices and EU B2B reverse-charge handling; advanced quoting should be verified for the use case. | Stripe Connect Express payouts with documented payout and cross-border costs. | Seller: Polar supports individual and business payouts in its published country list through Stripe Connect Express.Buyer: Payments are accepted globally except from documented sanctioned countries, subject to payment-method availability. | Reviewed 2026-07-30Next review 2026-10-27View sources → |
| FastSpring established merchant of record | Revenue-share pricing is quoted based on transaction type and volume.No universal public transaction formula is documented. Use a merchant quote. |
| SaaS, software, digital goods, games, and eligible services; prohibited-product rules apply. | Hosted and embedded storefront experiences with localized payment options. | Cards, wallets, and localized methods by buyer market. | Recurring billing, lifecycle management, dunning, and commerce tools. | Global invoicing and tax documents within the full-service platform. | Revenue-share fees are withheld before seller distributions. | Seller: FastSpring describes its MoR service as available to eligible software and digital-goods sellers worldwide, subject to underwriting.Buyer: Global ecommerce coverage with localized currencies, payment methods, and country controls. | Reviewed 2026-07-30Next review 2026-10-27View sources → |
| Stripe Managed Payments public preview merchant of record | 3.5% per Managed Payments transaction in addition to Stripe Payments fees.Illustrative US domestic-card total: 3.5% MoR fee plus 2.9% + $0.30 Payments fee. Stripe Billing adds 0.7% on pay-as-you-go subscriptions; disputes, other methods, international cards, and FX can add costs. |
| Eligible digital products, SaaS, software, digital content, and virtual goods; services, physical goods, marketplaces, and many restricted categories are excluded. | Stripe Checkout, hosted or embedded, with Link as buyer-facing Merchant of Record. | Cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Link, and selected local methods documented for Managed Payments. | Stripe Billing subscriptions with Managed Payments restrictions and public-preview changes. | Managed receipts and invoices; several standalone and off-cycle invoice flows are restricted. | Funds settle through the connected Stripe account subject to Stripe payout timing. | Seller: Public-preview eligibility is limited to Stripe's documented supported business locations.Buyer: Global buyer coverage excludes Stripe's documented restricted countries and varies by payment method. | Reviewed 2026-07-30Next review 2026-08-27View sources → |
| Dodo Payments growth merchant of record | Public marketing pricing starts at 4% + $0.40; international cards add 1.5%, subscriptions 0.5%, and disputes $30.Public marketing rate. Dodo's contractual pricing document still describes a different base rate, so sellers must confirm their signed terms. Refund, payout, PayPal, BNPL, and FX fees can also apply. |
| SaaS, software, AI products, digital downloads, courses, memberships, and other approved digital products. | Hosted checkout, payment links, embedded components, and developer APIs. | Cards, wallets, BNPL, and supported local methods vary by market. Dodo currently says PayPal is paused for new transactions. | Recurring billing, trials, plan changes, usage-based billing, and customer self-service. | Tax-aware receipts and billing records are included; confirm B2B invoice workflows for your markets. | Net proceeds are paid to approved seller payout accounts after taxes, fees, refunds, and risk adjustments. | Seller: Eligible digital-product businesses can apply from supported payout countries, subject to underwriting, product, and sanctions policies.Buyer: Dodo documents selling into more than 220 regions with taxes and local availability handled by market. | Reviewed 2026-07-30Next review 2026-10-28View sources → |
| Creem growth merchant of record | 3.9% + $0.40 per transaction on tax-inclusive order value; chargebacks are $25 and payout fees can apply.Public standard platform fee. The percentage applies to tax-inclusive order value. Chargebacks cost $25; bank and USDC payout fees vary by payout route. |
| SaaS, AI tools, software, licenses, digital downloads, memberships, and other approved digital products. | Hosted checkout and developer integrations designed for fast self-serve launches. | Cards and supported wallets or local methods through Creem's payment infrastructure. | Recurring plans, trials, upgrades, cancellations, customer portal, and webhooks. | Tax-compliant transaction documents are provided; confirm complex B2B invoicing requirements. | Net proceeds are paid after a documented risk-hold period and any applicable limits. | Seller: Digital businesses can apply subject to supported-country, product, identity, and risk checks.Buyer: Creem markets global payment and tax coverage, with methods and availability dependent on buyer and seller location. | Reviewed 2026-07-30Next review 2026-09-28View sources → |
This matrix summarizes current public documentation. It is not a quote, contract, legal opinion, or guarantee of approval. Open the provider profile to inspect assumptions and primary sources before deciding.
Focused matchups
When the matrix is not enough.
Each direct comparison starts with the legal seller and explains the differences that change a real decision.
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Paddle vs Stripe Payments
The central payments decision: outsource the legal sale and indirect-tax operations to an MoR, or keep control and remain the merchant with a processor.
Stripe Payments vs PayPal Checkout
A developer-first payment platform versus a wallet-led checkout with broad buyer familiarity; in both cases your business generally remains the seller.
Stripe Payments vs Stripe Managed Payments
Two modes in the Stripe ecosystem with different legal sellers, responsibilities, eligibility, checkout rules, and total fees.