Lemon Squeezy vs Polar
SEPT 2026 auditA comparison of Lemon Squeezy and Polar built from values read directly from each provider's own documentation, with the source recorded against every figure.
The short answer
Choose Lemon Squeezy if…
Digital products and small SaaS that want checkout, subscriptions and global tax compliance with nothing to configure and no monthly charge — a flat 5% + 50¢ of each sale and no trial or contract to start.
Editorial · Palash Bagchi · approved
Choose Polar if…
Developers who expect volume and would rather pay a subscription than a percentage. Polar is the only merchant of record here whose monthly fee buys the rate down — $20/month takes 5% + 50¢ to 3.8% + 40¢ — so the maths flips in its favour as revenue grows.
Editorial · Palash Bagchi · approved
Consider something else if…
- Lemon Squeezy: The rate is the cost you are optimising. It is the category's standard number rather than its lowest: Dodo Payments publishes 4% + 40¢, and Polar's paid tier buys the percentage down to 3.8%.
- Polar: You are starting out or your volume is uneven. On the free Starter plan the rate is the same 5% + 50¢ everyone else charges, and the tiers only pay for themselves above the revenue where the percentage saved exceeds the monthly fee.
4 sourced criteria separate them — see where, with sources, below.
Pick the criteria you care about. The chart counts how many of them lean toward each provider — the same read as scanning the bars below, just totalled for the ones you chose.
Lemon Squeezy 0
Polar 0
At a glance.
| Criterion | Lemon Squeezy | Polar |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | ||
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Pricing model | A cut of each sale and nothing else: no monthly charge for ecommerce features, no trial and no contract. | Tiered: the monthly fee buys the transaction percentage down rather than unlocking features. Starter is free at 5% + 50 cents, Pro is $20/month at 3.8% + 40 cents, Growth $100/month lower again. |
| Per-transaction fee | 5% + 50 cents per sale, with no monthly charge for ecommerce features. | 5% + 40 cents on the free Starter plan; 3.8% + 40 cents on Pro at $20/month. A monthly fee that lowers the percentage, which is the opposite shape to the rest of this category. |
| Support | ||
| Support on entry paid plan | No support tier is published on the pricing page: the single 5% + 50 cents rate carries whatever support exists, with none described or differentiated. | Standard Support on the free Starter plan; Prioritized Support from Pro at $20/month. Support is one of the two things the monthly fee buys, the other being the lower transaction rate. |
| Compliance | ||
| Merchant of record | Supported | Supported |
Where they differ.
Free tier
- Lemon Squeezy
- No
- Polar
- Yes
Sources (2) →Sources ↓
- Lemon Squeezy Pricing ↗
“There are no monthly charges for ecommerce features, and we only take a small cut of each sale”
Read 2026-09-15 · official pricing
- Fees — Polar Documentation ↗
“StarterFree5% + 50¢Standard Support”
Read 2026-09-15 · official docs
Pricing model
- Lemon Squeezy
- A cut of each sale and nothing else: no monthly charge for ecommerce features, no trial and no contract.
- Polar
- Tiered: the monthly fee buys the transaction percentage down rather than unlocking features. Starter is free at 5% + 50 cents, Pro is $20/month at 3.8% + 40 cents, Growth $100/month lower again.
Sources (2) →Sources ↓
- Lemon Squeezy Pricing ↗
“It's free to start - no trial, no contract, no risk.”
Read 2026-09-15 · official pricing
- Fees — Polar Documentation ↗
“PlanMonthly feePer transactionSupportIncludedStarterFree5% + 50¢Standard SupportPro$20 /mo3.8% + 40¢Prioritized Support”
Read 2026-09-15 · official docs
Per-transaction fee
- Lemon Squeezy
- 5% + 50 cents per sale, with no monthly charge for ecommerce features.
- Polar
- 5% + 40 cents on the free Starter plan; 3.8% + 40 cents on Pro at $20/month. A monthly fee that lowers the percentage, which is the opposite shape to the rest of this category.
Sources (2) →Sources ↓
- Lemon Squeezy Pricing ↗
“ecommerce 5% + 50¢ * There are no monthly charges for ecommerce features, and we only take a small cut of each sale so that you keep the majority of what you earn.”
Read 2026-09-15 · official pricing
- Fees — Polar Documentation ↗
“PlanMonthly feePer transactionSupportIncludedStarterFree5% + 50¢Standard SupportPro$20 /mo3.8% + 40¢Prioritized Support”
Read 2026-09-15 · official docs
Support on entry paid plan
- Lemon Squeezy
- No support tier is published on the pricing page: the single 5% + 50 cents rate carries whatever support exists, with none described or differentiated.
- Polar
- Standard Support on the free Starter plan; Prioritized Support from Pro at $20/month. Support is one of the two things the monthly fee buys, the other being the lower transaction rate.
Sources (2) →Sources ↓
- Lemon Squeezy Pricing ↗
“There are no monthly charges for ecommerce features, and we only take a small cut of each sale so that you keep the majority of what you earn.”
Read 2026-09-15 · official pricing
- Fees — Polar Documentation ↗
“PlanMonthly feePer transactionSupportIncludedStarterFree5% + 50¢Standard SupportPro$20 /mo3.8% + 40¢Prioritized Support”
Read 2026-09-15 · official docs
When these numbers change, hear about it. Sources are re-checked monthly; a repricing goes out as a short note.
Documented by only one.
These criteria are published by one provider and not the other. An absence here means we have not found a source, not that the feature is missing.
Questions this comparison answers.
Free tier: Lemon Squeezy or Polar?
Lemon Squeezy: No
Polar: Yes
Should I choose Lemon Squeezy or Polar?
Pick Lemon Squeezy if Digital products and small SaaS that want checkout, subscriptions and global tax compliance with nothing to configure and no monthly charge — a flat 5% + 50¢ of each sale and no trial or contract to start.
Pick Polar if Developers who expect volume and would rather pay a subscription than a percentage. Polar is the only merchant of record here whose monthly fee buys the rate down — $20/month takes 5% + 50¢ to 3.8% + 40¢ — so the maths flips in its favour as revenue grows.