Payments · working at 10,000 users · rates as read 26 Sept 2026
Below roughly $1,379 a month in sales they cost the same thing: Polar's Starter is "Starter Free 5% + 50¢" and Lemon Squeezy is "ecommerce 5% + 50¢" at "exactly $0/mo": so pick on anything else. Above it, take Polar: $20 /mo buys 3.8% + 40¢, $100 /mo buys 3.6% + 35¢ and $400 /mo buys 3.4% + 30¢, and Polar publishes the break-even for each tier itself rather than making you work it out. Take Lemon Squeezy if you would rather have no tier decision at all and no plan to outgrow: every feature is on at $0/mo regardless of size, and it is now owned by Stripe, which is a different answer to "will this company still be here" than a startup can give. If neither the ladder nor the simplicity is the deciding factor, Creem's flat 3.9% + $0.40 is lower than both at every volume below Polar's paid tiers. StackTab takes no referral fee on any of them.
Priced for an app where 2% of users pay $20 a month, on the usage a user of that kind typically implies, on the cheapest plan of each service that can carry it.
| Service | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| PolarMerchant of record built for developers, with paid tiers that cut the rate.verified 25 Sept 2026polar.sh/docs/merchant-of-record/fees | $ | $ | $ |
| Lemon SqueezyMerchant of record for digital products, now owned by Stripe.verified 25 Sept 2026lemonsqueezy.com/pricing | $ | $ | $ |
| CreemMerchant of record at a flat 3.9%, aimed squarely at indie SaaS.drifted, last true 17 Sept 2026creem.io/pricing | $ | $ | $ |
| Dodo PaymentsMerchant of record covering 220+ countries at 4% + 40¢.verified 25 Sept 2026dodopayments.com/pricing | $ | $ | $ |
- Sorted by the total at
- Merchant of record built for developers, with paid tiers that cut the rate.verified 25 Sept 2026polar.sh/docs/merchant-of-record/fees
- 1,000 users
- $
3232 Starter - 10,000 users
- $
270270 Pro - 100,000 users
- $
2,4202,420 Growth
- Merchant of record for digital products, now owned by Stripe.verified 25 Sept 2026lemonsqueezy.com/pricing
- 1,000 users
- $
3030 Standard - 10,000 users
- $
300300 Standard - 100,000 users
- $
3,0003,000 Standard
- Merchant of record at a flat 3.9%, aimed squarely at indie SaaS.drifted, last true 17 Sept 2026creem.io/pricing
- 1,000 users
- $
2424 Standard · drifted - 10,000 users
- $
236236 Standard · drifted - 100,000 users
- $
2,3602,360 Standard · drifted
- Merchant of record covering 220+ countries at 4% + 40¢.verified 25 Sept 2026dodopayments.com/pricing
- 1,000 users
- $
2626 Standard - 10,000 users
- $
258258 Standard - 100,000 users
- $
2,5802,580 Standard
Change any of those assumptions in the calculator.
Both are merchants of record aimed at developers selling software, and both start at 5% + 50¢. On the headline rate there is nothing to choose between them.
The differences are ownership, and what happens to the rate as you grow.
- Lemon Squeezy is owned by Stripe. Acquired in 2024. It still runs and still charges 5% + 50¢. But if you were choosing a merchant of record partly to avoid depending on Stripe, that reasoning does not survive here.
- Polar’s rate falls, Lemon Squeezy’s does not. Polar sells paid tiers that cut the percentage: $20/mo for 3.8% + 40¢, $100/mo for 3.6% + 35¢, $400/mo for 3.4% + 30¢. Polar puts the break-even for the first at roughly $1,379/mo in sales. Lemon Squeezy is a single flat rate at any volume, so above a few thousand a month Polar is simply cheaper.
- Both add for international cards. Polar publishes +1.5% on non-US cards and $15 per dispute regardless of outcome. Read the surcharges, not the headline: for a product sold globally they are a meaningful part of the real rate, which is why the calculator prices them as a separate line.
- The cheaper options in the table. Creem at a flat 3.9% + 40¢ and Dodo at 4% + 40¢ both undercut the 5% starting rate outright. They are younger and have less of a track record, which for something standing between you and your revenue is a real consideration rather than a footnote.
| If | Then |
|---|---|
| Under roughly $1,400/mo in sales | Either, or Creem if you want the lowest published flat rate. |
| Above that and growing | Polar: the paid tiers make it structurally cheaper as you scale. |
| You want the longest track record | Paddle, at a higher rate. |
It is a real consideration. A merchant of record holds your revenue between the customer paying and you being paid, so its solvency and payout reliability matter more than a percentage point. Weigh the saving against how long the company has been doing this.
About $1,379 a month in sales, and that figure is Polar's own: its fees page publishes the break-even for each paid tier: "~$1,379 /mo in sales" for Pro, "~$5,634 /mo" for Growth, "~$19,048 /mo" for Scale. Below the first threshold the two are the same 5% + 50¢ and the monthly fee is a straight loss.
At the headline rate, neither: both are 5% + 50¢ with no monthly fee. The difference is structural: Polar sells tiers that trade a fixed monthly fee for a lower variable rate, and Lemon Squeezy does not sell tiers at all. So Lemon Squeezy is cheaper for anyone under about $1,379/mo in sales, and Polar is cheaper for everyone above it.
Yes: that is what makes both of them a merchant of record rather than a payment processor. Each becomes the legal seller, collects and remits the tax, and carries the liability. That is the service the 5% is buying; a plain processor at 2.9% leaves the filing with you.