# Stripe vs Polar

Canonical: https://inetgeek.com/compare/stripe-vs-polar/

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

## At a glance

| Criterion | Stripe | Polar |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Pricing model | Pay-as-you-go per successful charge, with no setup fee, no monthly fee and rates set per country. Volume discounts, multi-product discounts and interchange-plus pricing are offered on a custom package. | 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 | 1.5% + 20p for standard UK cards and 2.5% + 20p for EU cards, on the UK pricing page. Rates are per-country: the same URL family prints 2% for cards issued in India on stripe.com/in/pricing. | 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 on entry paid plan | Technical support through the official Stripe Developer Discord server, listed among the features available out of the box on the pricing page. | 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. |
| Merchant of record | Not supported | Supported |

## Where they differ

### Free tier

- Stripe: No ([source](https://stripe.com/gb/pricing))
- Polar: Yes ([source](https://polar.sh/docs/merchant-of-record/fees))

### Pricing model

- Stripe: Pay-as-you-go per successful charge, with no setup fee, no monthly fee and rates set per country. Volume discounts, multi-product discounts and interchange-plus pricing are offered on a custom package. ([source](https://stripe.com/gb/pricing))
- 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. ([source](https://polar.sh/docs/merchant-of-record/fees))

### Per-transaction fee

- Stripe: 1.5% + 20p for standard UK cards and 2.5% + 20p for EU cards, on the UK pricing page. Rates are per-country: the same URL family prints 2% for cards issued in India on stripe.com/in/pricing. ([source](https://stripe.com/gb/pricing))
- 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. ([source](https://polar.sh/docs/merchant-of-record/fees))

### Support on entry paid plan

- Stripe: Technical support through the official Stripe Developer Discord server, listed among the features available out of the box on the pricing page. ([source](https://stripe.com/gb/pricing))
- 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. ([source](https://polar.sh/docs/merchant-of-record/fees))

### Merchant of record

- Stripe: Not supported ([source](https://stripe.com/gb/pricing))
- Polar: Supported ([source](https://polar.sh/docs/merchant-of-record/fees))

## Which should you choose?

Pick Stripe if Selling where you already handle your own tax registrations. At 1.5% + 20p on a standard UK card, Stripe is roughly three and a half points cheaper than every merchant of record here, and that gap is the whole reason to take on the VAT work yourself.

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.

Consider something else: Stripe — You sell internationally and do not want to register for sales tax in each jurisdiction. Stripe moves the money and leaves the liability with you — and its rate is set per country, so the number you budget from is not the number a buyer elsewhere generates.

Consider something else: 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.

## Documented by only one

- Entry paid plan: Polar: $20/month for Pro, which is not an access fee — the free Starter plan is fully functional. It buys the transaction rate down from 5% + 50 cents to 3.8% + 40 cents, and prioritised support.
- Countries served: Stripe: 195 countries for cardholders, listed as available out of the box. That is where a buyer can pay, not where a business can incorporate — Stripe accounts are available in far fewer.

## Questions this comparison answers

**Free tier: Stripe or Polar?**

Stripe: No
Polar: Yes

**Should I choose Stripe or Polar?**

Pick Stripe if Selling where you already handle your own tax registrations. At 1.5% + 20p on a standard UK card, Stripe is roughly three and a half points cheaper than every merchant of record here, and that gap is the whole reason to take on the VAT work yourself.
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.