1. Polar
percentageOpen-source monetization for developers
4% + $0.40 per transaction (lowest MoR fees on the market). Open-source monetization for developers.
Ease 5/5Fees 5/5Conv 2/5MoR
Best if:indie dev, open source, developers, digital products
Bootstrapped SaaS Payment Tools (1970)
Bootstrapped SaaS founders pick payment tools by total cost of ownership: fees, time to integrate, and the tax mess they remove from your plate.
10 tools matched
Why it matters
Without a VC runway, every billing decision is a margin decision. MoR platforms and self-serve billing tools both work — the right pick depends on revenue stage.
2. Lemon Squeezy
percentagePayments, subscriptions and MoR for indie SaaS
5% + $0.50 per transaction. Acquired by Stripe 2024.. Payments, subscriptions and MoR for indie SaaS.
Ease 5/5Fees 4/5Conv 2/5MoR
Best if:saas, indie dev, digital products, license keys
3. Recharge
freemiumSubscription management for ecommerce
Standard: free + 1.25% + $0.19/transaction. Pro: $499/mo + 0% transaction.. Subscription management for ecommerce.
Ease 3/5Fees 4/5Conv 3/5
Best if:ecommerce, shopify, physical products, subscriptions
4. Paddle
percentageComplete payments infrastructure for SaaS
5% + $0.50 per Checkout transaction, all-inclusive (tax compliance, billing, fraud protection included). Custom pricing for $2M+ ARR or sub-$10 products.. Complete payments infrastructure for SaaS.
Ease 3/5Fees 3/5Conv 2/5MoR
Best if:saas, b2b, global, scaling
5. Stripe Billing
percentageSubscription billing with full developer control
Pay-as-you-go: 0.7% of billing volume. Or from €500/month (pay monthly, up to €80k volume/mo, 1-year contract, 0.67% beyond). Plus standard Stripe payment processing (1.5%+€0.25 EU cards).. Subscription billing with full developer control.
Ease 2/5Fees 4/5Conv 2/5
Best if:saas, b2b, developers, enterprise
6. Lago
open sourceOpen-source metering and usage-based billing
Self-hosted: free. Cloud: from $100/month. Open-source metering and usage-based billing.
Ease 2/5Fees 5/5Conv 1/5
Best if:saas, ai apps, usage based, open source
7. FastSpring
percentageGlobal payments and MoR for software companies
5.9% + $0.95 per transaction (or custom rate). Global payments and MoR for software companies.
Ease 3/5Fees 2/5Conv 2/5MoR
Best if:saas, software, global, b2b
8. Kill Bill
open sourceOpen-source subscription billing and payments
Open source: free (self-hosted). Cloud: from $250/month.. Open-source subscription billing and payments.
Ease 1/5Fees 5/5Conv 1/5
Best if:open source, self hosted, enterprise, usage based
9. Orb
customUsage-based billing for AI and SaaS
Custom pricing (contact sales). Usage-based billing for AI and SaaS.
Ease 2/5Fees 3/5Conv 1/5
Best if:ai apps, usage based, saas, credits
10. Amberflo
customReal-time metering and usage-based billing
From $500/month. Real-time metering and usage-based billing.
Ease 2/5Fees 2/5Conv 1/5
Best if:saas, usage based, ai apps, metered
Quick comparison
| Tool | Pricing | MoR | A/B | Ease | Fees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polar | 4% + $0.40 per transaction (lowest MoR fees on the market) | Yes | — | 5/5 | 5/5 |
| Lemon Squeezy | 5% + $0.50 per transaction. Acquired by Stripe 2024. | Yes | — | 5/5 | 4/5 |
| Recharge | Standard: free + 1.25% + $0.19/transaction. Pro: $499/mo + 0% transaction. | — | — | 3/5 | 4/5 |
| Paddle | 5% + $0.50 per Checkout transaction, all-inclusive (tax compliance, billing, fraud protection included). Custom pricing for $2M+ ARR or sub-$10 products. | Yes | — | 3/5 | 3/5 |
| Stripe Billing | Pay-as-you-go: 0.7% of billing volume. Or from €500/month (pay monthly, up to €80k volume/mo, 1-year contract, 0.67% beyond). Plus standard Stripe payment processing (1.5%+€0.25 EU cards). | — | — | 2/5 | 4/5 |
| Lago | Self-hosted: free. Cloud: from $100/month | — | — | 2/5 | 5/5 |
| FastSpring | 5.9% + $0.95 per transaction (or custom rate) | Yes | — | 3/5 | 2/5 |
| Kill Bill | Open source: free (self-hosted). Cloud: from $250/month. | — | — | 1/5 | 5/5 |
| Orb | Custom pricing (contact sales) | — | — | 2/5 | 3/5 |
| Amberflo | From $500/month | — | — | 2/5 | 2/5 |
Our pick
Polar — the best balance of ease, conversion, and fees. Open-source monetization for developers.
Stack recommendation
For most of this audience we recommend Polar — Developer-first merchant of record.
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