Paddle vs Polar
SEPT 2026 auditA comparison of Paddle and Polar 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 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…
- 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.
- 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.
Paddle 0
Polar 0
At a glance.
| Criterion | Paddle | Polar |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | ||
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| 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. | 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 checkout transaction, the same worldwide, with no migration fees, monthly fees or hidden extras. | 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 | 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. | 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
- Paddle
- No
- Polar
- Yes
Sources (2) →Sources ↓
- Paddle Pricing ↗
“No migration fees, monthly fees, or hidden extras5% + 50¢per Checkout transaction”
Read 2026-09-15 · official pricing
- Fees — Polar Documentation ↗
“StarterFree5% + 50¢Standard Support”
Read 2026-09-15 · official docs
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.
- 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 ↓
- Paddle Pricing ↗
“5% + 50¢per Checkout transactionGet startedCustom pricingTailored pricing for rapi”
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
- Paddle
- 5% + 50 cents per checkout transaction, the same worldwide, with no migration fees, monthly fees or hidden extras.
- 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 ↓
- Paddle Pricing ↗
“No migration fees, monthly fees, or hidden extras5% + 50¢per Checkout transaction”
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
- 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.
- 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 ↓
- 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
- 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: Paddle or Polar?
Paddle: No
Polar: Yes
Should I choose Paddle or Polar?
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 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.