How much does Stripe charge per transaction?

Stripe charges 2.9% + 30¢ per successful card charge in the US. Cards issued outside the US cost 1.5% more, and currency conversion adds 1% when it applies. Subscriptions add Stripe Billing at 0.7% of billing volume, and Stripe Tax adds 0.5% per transaction.

Is Paddle cheaper than Stripe?

No. Paddle charges 5% + 50¢ per transaction, against 2.9% + 30¢ on Stripe. Paddle includes the tax work: it is the merchant of record, so it collects and files VAT and sales tax in every country. For many small teams that is worth the difference.

What are Lemon Squeezy’s fees?

Lemon Squeezy charges 5% + 50¢ per transaction. It adds 1.5% for buyers outside the US, 1.5% for PayPal payments and 0.5% for subscription payments. Payouts to US bank accounts are free.

What are Polar’s fees?

On Polar’s free Starter plan, each transaction costs 5% + 50¢, plus 1.5% for cards issued outside the US. Paid plans lower the rate: Pro is 3.8% + 40¢ for $20 a month. Polar does not charge a separate subscription fee on these plans.

What is a merchant of record?

A merchant of record is the company that legally sells your product to the buyer. It is responsible for charging and paying sales tax and VAT, refunds and chargebacks. Paddle, Lemon Squeezy and Polar are merchants of record. Stripe is a payment processor, so you remain the seller.

Do I need to collect VAT if I use Stripe?

Yes, if you sell digital products to consumers in the EU or UK. A seller based outside the EU owes EU VAT from the first sale to an EU consumer, and a seller outside the UK owes UK VAT from the first UK sale. EU-based sellers get a €10,000 threshold for cross-border sales. Stripe Tax can calculate and collect the VAT, but you still register and file.

Which payment provider is best for a SaaS startup?

If you sell worldwide and have no one to handle tax, start with a merchant of record such as Paddle, Lemon Squeezy or Polar. If most customers are domestic or you sell to businesses that self-account for VAT, Stripe costs less. Run your own numbers above to see the yearly difference.

Are these fees up to date?

We checked every rate against the providers’ own pricing pages on the date shown above the calculator. Providers change pricing and offer custom rates at high volume, so confirm on their pricing page before you switch.

Free calculator

What your payment provider really takes

Enter your price and monthly sales. See the fees Stripe, Paddle, Lemon Squeezy and Polar charge per sale, per month and per year, with international buyers and subscription surcharges counted.

Updated October 19, 2026

Your sales

Price per sale

What the buyer pays, in USD.

Sales per month

Orders or subscription renewals.

Buyers outside the US

Cards issued outside the US cost more on most providers.

Recurring subscriptionAdds Stripe Billing (0.7%) and Lemon Squeezy’s subscription fee (0.5%).

Collect tax with Stripe TaxAdds 0.5% to Stripe. Merchants of record include tax.

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Fees checked October 19, 2026. Card fees in USD, no currency conversion.

Cheapest for you

You handle tax

Stripe

$1.52 per sale (5.2%). You keep $27.48 of every sale.

Fees per year

Stripe$3,643
CheapestYou handle tax
Fee per sale
$1.52
Effective rate
5.2%
You keep
$27.48
Per month
$304
Paddle$4,680
Merchant of record
Fee per sale
$1.95
Effective rate
6.7%
You keep
$27.05
Per month
$390
Polar$5,098
Merchant of record
Fee per sale
$2.12
Effective rate
7.3%
You keep
$26.88
Per month
$425
Lemon Squeezy$5,446
Merchant of record
Fee per sale
$2.27
Effective rate
7.8%
You keep
$26.73
Per month
$454

Stripe is cheapest, $1,037 a year less than Paddle, the cheapest merchant of record. With Stripe you register, collect and file VAT and sales tax yourself.

Quick answer

Is Stripe cheaper than Paddle, Lemon Squeezy or Polar?

Yes, on fees alone. Stripe charges 2.9% + 30¢ per US card sale, so a $29 sale costs $1.14. Paddle, Lemon Squeezy and Polar each charge 5% + 50¢, or $1.95, before their surcharges. The difference pays for a merchant of record: they sell to your buyers, then collect and file VAT and sales tax for you. With Stripe that work is yours.

How to use the fee calculator

Enter your price
Type what one buyer pays in USD: a monthly plan price, an annual plan price, or a one-off product price.
Enter your monthly sales
Count every charge in a month, new sales and subscription renewals together.
Set your international share
Move the slider to the share of buyers whose cards were issued outside the US. Your Stripe or analytics country report has this number.
Compare the providers
Switch on subscriptions or Stripe Tax if they apply, then read the fee per sale, per month and per year for each provider. The cheapest one is marked.

How the fees are calculated

Every provider charges a percentage of the sale plus a fixed fee. On top of that, Stripe, Lemon Squeezy and Polar add 1.5% for cards issued outside the US. We weight that surcharge by the share of buyers you set, so 40% international buyers adds 0.6% on average.

Subscriptions add Stripe Billing (0.7% of billing volume) on Stripe and 0.5% on Lemon Squeezy. Paddle and Polar’s Starter plan charge nothing extra for subscriptions. Stripe Tax adds 0.5% per transaction when you switch it on.

We assume you charge in USD, so no currency conversion fee applies. PayPal payments, disputes, refunds and payout fees are left out because they depend on your buyers, not your price.

Formula

fee per sale = price × (base % + international share × international % + subscription % + tax %) + fixed fee

What a merchant of record does for the extra fee

A merchant of record is the legal seller of your product. Paddle, Lemon Squeezy and Polar take the payment, charge the right VAT or sales tax in each country, file and pay it, and handle refunds and chargebacks. You receive a payout. With Stripe you are the seller: you register for VAT in the EU and UK when you sell to consumers there, track US sales tax nexus state by state, and file the returns. Stripe Tax calculates and collects the tax, but the registration and filing stay with you.

When Stripe is the better choice

Stripe wins on cost when most of your buyers are in your own country, your prices are high, or you already have an accountant who files tax. At $10,000 a month in US sales, Stripe costs about $290 plus 30¢ per sale, against $500 plus 50¢ per sale on a merchant of record. The gap grows with volume, which is why many companies start on a merchant of record and move to Stripe later.

Why low prices cost more

The fixed fee hurts small sales. On a $5 sale, Stripe’s 30¢ is 6% of the price by itself, and a merchant of record’s 50¢ is 10%. If you sell cheap products, raise the price, sell bundles or annual plans, or ask Paddle and Lemon Squeezy for their custom pricing on products under $10.

Payment fee questions

How much does Stripe charge per transaction?: Stripe charges 2.9% + 30¢ per successful card charge in the US. Cards issued outside the US cost 1.5% more, and currency conversion adds 1% when it applies. Subscriptions add Stripe Billing at 0.7% of billing volume, and Stripe Tax adds 0.5% per transaction.
Is Paddle cheaper than Stripe?: No. Paddle charges 5% + 50¢ per transaction, against 2.9% + 30¢ on Stripe. Paddle includes the tax work: it is the merchant of record, so it collects and files VAT and sales tax in every country. For many small teams that is worth the difference.
What are Lemon Squeezy’s fees?: Lemon Squeezy charges 5% + 50¢ per transaction. It adds 1.5% for buyers outside the US, 1.5% for PayPal payments and 0.5% for subscription payments. Payouts to US bank accounts are free.
What are Polar’s fees?: On Polar’s free Starter plan, each transaction costs 5% + 50¢, plus 1.5% for cards issued outside the US. Paid plans lower the rate: Pro is 3.8% + 40¢ for $20 a month. Polar does not charge a separate subscription fee on these plans.
What is a merchant of record?: A merchant of record is the company that legally sells your product to the buyer. It is responsible for charging and paying sales tax and VAT, refunds and chargebacks. Paddle, Lemon Squeezy and Polar are merchants of record. Stripe is a payment processor, so you remain the seller.
Do I need to collect VAT if I use Stripe?: Yes, if you sell digital products to consumers in the EU or UK. A seller based outside the EU owes EU VAT from the first sale to an EU consumer, and a seller outside the UK owes UK VAT from the first UK sale. EU-based sellers get a €10,000 threshold for cross-border sales. Stripe Tax can calculate and collect the VAT, but you still register and file.
Which payment provider is best for a SaaS startup?: If you sell worldwide and have no one to handle tax, start with a merchant of record such as Paddle, Lemon Squeezy or Polar. If most customers are domestic or you sell to businesses that self-account for VAT, Stripe costs less. Run your own numbers above to see the yearly difference.
Are these fees up to date?: We checked every rate against the providers’ own pricing pages on the date shown above the calculator. Providers change pricing and offer custom rates at high volume, so confirm on their pricing page before you switch.