Paddle vs Lemon Squeezy
SEPT 2026 auditA comparison of Paddle and Lemon Squeezy built from values read directly from each provider's own documentation, with the source recorded against every figure.
The short answer
Choose 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.
Editorial · Palash Bagchi · approved
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
Consider something else if…
- 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.
- 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%.
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.
Paddle 0
Lemon Squeezy 0
At a glance.
| Criterion | Paddle | Lemon Squeezy |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | ||
| 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. |
| Infrastructure | ||
| 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 | ||
| 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. |
| Compliance | ||
| 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.
- Lemon Squeezy
- A cut of each sale and nothing else: no monthly charge for ecommerce features, no trial and no contract.
Sources (2) →Sources ↓
- Paddle Pricing ↗
“5% + 50¢per Checkout transactionGet startedCustom pricingTailored pricing for rapi”
Read 2026-09-15 · official pricing
- Lemon Squeezy Pricing ↗
“It's free to start - no trial, no contract, no risk.”
Read 2026-09-15 · official pricing
Per-transaction fee
- Paddle
- 5% + 50 cents per checkout transaction, the same worldwide, with no migration fees, monthly fees or hidden extras.
- Lemon Squeezy
- 5% + 50 cents per sale, with no monthly charge for ecommerce features.
Sources (2) →Sources ↓
- Paddle Pricing ↗
“No migration fees, monthly fees, or hidden extras5% + 50¢per Checkout transaction”
Read 2026-09-15 · official pricing
- 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
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.
- 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.
Sources (2) →Sources ↓
- Paddle Pricing ↗
“Customer supportOur support team are on hand to assist you and your customers 24/7 with a 93% CSAT score”
Read 2026-09-15 · official pricing
- 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
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.
- 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.
Sources (2) →Sources ↓
- Paddle Pricing ↗
“Tax & compliance Eliminate sales tax headaches with full, automatic global tax compliance”
Read 2026-09-15 · official pricing
- Lemon Squeezy Pricing ↗
“Instantly accept payments globally Fully automated sales tax compliance”
Read 2026-09-15 · official pricing
When these numbers change, hear about it. Sources are re-checked monthly; a repricing goes out as a short note.
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.