Merchant of record fee calculator
What each provider takes, with the percentage and the per-transaction fee split.
Everything below scales from this.
0.02 means 2% convert to paid.
USD per month.
Most providers add about 1.5% on non-domestic cards.
| Service | Cheapest plan that carries this | Your usage | At 1,000 | At 10,000 | At 100,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| StripeThe default PSP. You stay the merchant, so sales tax and VAT stay yours. | Standard | $214 | $21 | $214 | $2,140 |
| CreemMerchant of record at a flat 3.9%, aimed squarely at indie SaaS. | Standard | $236 | $24 | $236 | $2,360 |
| Dodo PaymentsMerchant of record covering 220+ countries at 4% + 40¢. | Standard | $258 | $26 | $258 | $2,580 |
| PolarMerchant of record built for developers, with paid tiers that cut the rate. | Pro | $270 | $32 | $270 | $2,420 |
| PaddleMerchant of record — Paddle is the seller and files the tax. | Standard | $300 | $30 | $300 | $3,000 |
| Lemon SqueezyMerchant of record for digital products, now owned by Stripe. | Standard | $300 | $30 | $300 | $3,000 |
| GumroadMerchant of record with a storefront attached, at a flat 10%. | Standard | $500 | $50 | $500 | $5,000 |
Stripe — Standard, $214 at 10,000 users
checked against the vendor's own pricing page on 3 Aug 2026 · source
| Charge | How it was worked out | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| Standard base | no monthly fee | $0 |
| Card rate | 2.9% of $4,000 | $116 |
| Per transaction | 200 transactions × $0.3 | $60 |
| International cardsApplies only to non-domestic cards. | 1.5% of $1,200 (30% of revenue) | $18 |
| Stripe TaxOptional add-on. You still file and remit yourself. | 0.5% of $4,000 | $20 |
| Total | at 10,000 users | $214 |
Domestic cards. Add 1.5% for international cards and 1% for currency conversion. Tax handling is a separate 0.5% via Stripe Tax.
Creem — Standard, $236 at 10,000 users
checked against the vendor's own pricing page on 3 Aug 2026 · source
| Charge | How it was worked out | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| Standard base | no monthly fee | $0 |
| Rate on revenue | 3.9% of $4,000 | $156 |
| Per transaction | 200 transactions × $0.4 | $80 |
| Total | at 10,000 users | $236 |
One rate for everything, no monthly fee.
Dodo Payments — Standard, $258 at 10,000 users
checked against the vendor's own pricing page on 3 Aug 2026 · source
| Charge | How it was worked out | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| Standard base | no monthly fee | $0 |
| Rate on revenue | 4% of $4,000 | $160 |
| Per transaction | 200 transactions × $0.4 | $80 |
| International cards | 1.5% of $1,200 (30% of revenue) | $18 |
| Total | at 10,000 users | $258 |
Add 1.5% for international cards. Disputes are $30, refunds $1.
Polar — Pro, $270 at 10,000 users
checked against the vendor's own pricing page on 3 Aug 2026 · source
| Charge | How it was worked out | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| Pro base | flat monthly fee | $20 |
| Rate on revenue | 3.8% of $4,000 | $152 |
| Per transaction | 200 transactions × $0.4 | $80 |
| International cards | 1.5% of $1,200 (30% of revenue) | $18 |
| Total | at 10,000 users | $270 |
Polar puts the break-even against Starter at roughly $1,379/mo in sales.
Paddle — Standard, $300 at 10,000 users
checked against the vendor's own pricing page on 3 Aug 2026 · source
| Charge | How it was worked out | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| Standard base | no monthly fee | $0 |
| Rate on revenue | 5% of $4,000 | $200 |
| Per transaction | 200 transactions × $0.5 | $100 |
| Total | at 10,000 users | $300 |
Products under $10 need custom pricing. Effective rate rises to ~7%+ with add-ons.
Lemon Squeezy — Standard, $300 at 10,000 users
checked against the vendor's own pricing page on 3 Aug 2026 · source
| Charge | How it was worked out | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| Standard base | no monthly fee | $0 |
| Rate on revenue | 5% of $4,000 | $200 |
| Per transaction | 200 transactions × $0.5 | $100 |
| Total | at 10,000 users | $300 |
Acquired by Stripe in 2024. No monthly fee.
Gumroad — Standard, $500 at 10,000 users
checked against the vendor's own pricing page on 3 Aug 2026 · source
| Charge | How it was worked out | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| Standard base | no monthly fee | $0 |
| Rate on revenue | 10% of $4,000 | $400 |
| Per transaction | 200 transactions × $0.5 | $100 |
| Total | at 10,000 users | $500 |
Rises to 30% on sales Gumroad sources through its own discovery.
The comparison that matters is not fee against fee. It is the fee against the cost of registering for VAT in every country you sell into and filing it yourself. If you only sell into the US that second cost is small and Stripe wins easily. If you sell worldwide, it is a real job.
What the percentages do not include
- Disputes. Polar and Dodo both charge for a chargeback regardless of who wins — $15 and $30 respectively. At low volume this is noise; at scale with a refund-prone product it is not.
- Payouts. Money reaching your bank is a separate fee at several providers, and currency conversion on top of that.
- Minimum order value. Paddle asks products under $10 to contact them for custom pricing, because a fixed
50¢on a $3 sale is a very different rate than it looks.
