# Paddle vs Lemon Squeezy

Canonical: https://inetgeek.com/compare/paddle-vs-lemon-squeezy/

Every value below is read from Paddle's and Lemon Squeezy's own documentation. See https://inetgeek.com/methodology/ for how.

## At a glance

| Criterion | Paddle | Lemon Squeezy |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Free tier | No | No |
| Pricing model | One rate per checkout transaction, worldwide, with custom pricing offered to high-volume sellers. Sales-tax compliance is included rather than billed separately. | A cut of each sale and nothing else: no monthly charge for ecommerce features, no trial and no contract. |
| Per-transaction fee | 5% + 50 cents per checkout transaction, the same worldwide, with no migration fees, monthly fees or hidden extras. | 5% + 50 cents per sale, with no monthly charge for ecommerce features. |
| Countries served | Not given as a number on the pricing page. Paddle describes end-to-end global tax and compliance without stating a country count, so none is recorded. | Not given as a number. Lemon Squeezy says payments are accepted globally and that it handles tax collection, calculation and payment on your behalf, without stating a country count. |
| Support on entry paid plan | A support team on hand 24/7 for you and for your customers — the second half matters, because as merchant of record Paddle is the party your buyer transacted with. Paddle reports a 93% CSAT score. | No support tier is published on the pricing page: the single 5% + 50 cents rate carries whatever support exists, with none described or differentiated. |
| Merchant of record | Supported | Supported |

## Where they differ

### Pricing model

- Paddle: One rate per checkout transaction, worldwide, with custom pricing offered to high-volume sellers. Sales-tax compliance is included rather than billed separately. ([source](https://www.paddle.com/pricing))
- Lemon Squeezy: A cut of each sale and nothing else: no monthly charge for ecommerce features, no trial and no contract. ([source](https://www.lemonsqueezy.com/pricing))

### Per-transaction fee

- Paddle: 5% + 50 cents per checkout transaction, the same worldwide, with no migration fees, monthly fees or hidden extras. ([source](https://www.paddle.com/pricing))
- Lemon Squeezy: 5% + 50 cents per sale, with no monthly charge for ecommerce features. ([source](https://www.lemonsqueezy.com/pricing))

### Support on entry paid plan

- Paddle: A support team on hand 24/7 for you and for your customers — the second half matters, because as merchant of record Paddle is the party your buyer transacted with. Paddle reports a 93% CSAT score. ([source](https://www.paddle.com/pricing))
- 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. ([source](https://www.lemonsqueezy.com/pricing))

### Countries served

- Paddle: Not given as a number on the pricing page. Paddle describes end-to-end global tax and compliance without stating a country count, so none is recorded. ([source](https://www.paddle.com/pricing))
- Lemon Squeezy: Not given as a number. Lemon Squeezy says payments are accepted globally and that it handles tax collection, calculation and payment on your behalf, without stating a country count. ([source](https://www.lemonsqueezy.com/pricing))

## Which should you choose?

Pick Paddle if SaaS sold worldwide by a team that does not want tax registrations. One rate — 5% + 50¢ per checkout transaction, the same everywhere — with Paddle as the seller of record and the sales-tax liability its problem rather than yours.

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.

Consider something else: Paddle — Your volume makes the percentage the dominant cost. At scale the gap to a plain processor is measured in points of revenue, and Dodo Payments asks 4% + 40¢ for the same merchant-of-record arrangement.

Consider something else: 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%.

## Questions this comparison answers

**Should I choose Paddle or Lemon Squeezy?**

Pick Paddle if SaaS sold worldwide by a team that does not want tax registrations. One rate — 5% + 50¢ per checkout transaction, the same everywhere — with Paddle as the seller of record and the sales-tax liability its problem rather than yours.
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.