1. RevenueCat
free until thresholdIn-app subscriptions made easy
Free up to $2.5k MTR, then 1% of revenue — ships in a weekend.
Ease 5/5Fees 3/5Conv 2/5
Best if:ios, android, react native, flutter
Best Payment Tools for Indie Hackers (1970)
Solo founders need three things: speed to first dollar, no monthly minimums, and a checkout that doesn't require a CFO to configure.
24 tools matched
Why it matters
Indie hackers ship faster when billing is one weekend, not one sprint. Tools with high ease scores and pay-as-you-grow pricing win here.
2. Lemon Squeezy
percentagePayments, subscriptions and MoR for indie SaaS
5% + $0.50 per transaction. Acquired by Stripe 2024. — ships in a weekend.
Ease 5/5Fees 4/5Conv 2/5MoR
Best if:saas, indie dev, digital products, license keys
3. Polar
percentageOpen-source monetization for developers
4% + $0.40 per transaction (lowest MoR fees on the market) — ships in a weekend.
Ease 5/5Fees 5/5Conv 2/5MoR
Best if:indie dev, open source, developers, digital products
4. Gumroad
percentageSell anything digital, instantly
10% + $0.50 per transaction (direct). 30% via Gumroad marketplace. MoR since January 2025 — handles all global tax. — ships in a weekend.
Ease 5/5Fees 2/5Conv 3/5MoR
Best if:ebooks, templates, courses, indie creators
5. Payhip
freemiumSell digital products and memberships
Free: 5% fee. Plus $29/mo: 2%. Pro $99/mo: 0% — ships in a weekend.
Ease 5/5Fees 4/5Conv 2/5
Best if:ebooks, templates, courses, memberships
6. Beehiiv
flat monthlyNewsletter platform with paid subscriptions and ad network
Free Launch plan. Scale $43/mo. Max $96/mo. Enterprise: custom. 0% platform fee on paid subscriptions. — ships in a weekend.
Ease 5/5Fees 4/5Conv 4/5
Best if:newsletters, creators, paid subscriptions, ad monetization
7. Substack
percentagePublish and monetize newsletters
10% of paid subscription revenue. Stripe handles payments. — ships in a weekend.
Ease 5/5Fees 2/5Conv 3/5
Best if:newsletters, writers, podcasts, new creators
8. Skool
flat monthlySimple community and course platform
$99/month flat. 2.9% + $0.30 transaction fee. — ships in a weekend.
Ease 5/5Fees 3/5Conv 3/5
Best if:communities, courses, memberships, coaching
9. Podia
freemiumAll-in-one platform for courses, memberships, and digital products
No free plan (removed 2024). 30-day free trial. Mover $39/mo ($33/mo annual, 5% fee). Shaker $89/mo ($75/mo annual, 0% fee). — ships in a weekend.
Ease 5/5Fees 3/5Conv 3/5
Best if:courses, memberships, digital products, creators
10. Memberful
percentageMembership subscriptions for independent creators
Free (10% + Stripe fees). Pro $49/mo (4.9%). Premium $199/mo (0% transaction fee). — ships in a weekend.
Ease 5/5Fees 3/5Conv 3/5
Best if:memberships, newsletters, creators, podcasts
11. Patreon
percentageMembership platform for creators
Lite: 8% of earnings. Pro: 12%. Premium: 15%. Stripe fees on top. — ships in a weekend.
Ease 5/5Fees 2/5Conv 4/5
Best if:creators, memberships, podcasts, artists
12. Adapty
free until thresholdMobile subscriptions with paywall optimization
Free up to $10k MTR, then 1% of revenue — ships in a weekend.
Ease 4/5Fees 5/5Conv 5/5
Best if:ios, android, react native, flutter
13. Nami ML
free until thresholdNo-code paywall builder and A/B testing for mobile
Free plan available, paid from $149/month — ships in a weekend.
Ease 4/5Fees 3/5Conv 5/5
Best if:ios, android
14. Qonversion
free until thresholdMobile subscription analytics and infrastructure
Free up to $10k MTR, then 0.6% on Starter — ships in a weekend.
Ease 4/5Fees 5/5Conv 2/5
Best if:ios, android, react native, flutter
15. Apphud
free until thresholdiOS subscriptions with win-back automation
Free plan available, Pro from $39/month — ships in a weekend.
Ease 4/5Fees 4/5Conv 3/5
Best if:ios
16. Whop
percentageSell communities, courses, and software access
3% platform + Stripe fees (~5.7–7.2% all-in) — ships in a weekend.
Ease 4/5Fees 4/5Conv 3/5
Best if:communities, courses, memberships, discord access
17. Kit
flat monthlyCreator email marketing with paid subscriptions
Free up to 10,000 subscribers. Creator from $25/month. — ships in a weekend.
Ease 4/5Fees 3/5Conv 3/5
Best if:creators, newsletters, courses, digital products
18. Circle
flat monthlyCommunity platform with courses and memberships
Professional $89/mo. Business $199/mo (lower transaction fees, branded apps add-on). Circle Plus: custom pricing for large-scale businesses. 0% transaction fee on Professional and above. — ships in a weekend.
Ease 4/5Fees 3/5Conv 3/5
Best if:communities, courses, memberships, creators
19. Kajabi
flat monthlyAll-in-one platform for online courses and memberships
Basic $143/mo, Growth $199/mo, Pro $399/mo (annual billing). Kajabi Payments: 2.7-2.9% + $0.30. 0-2% fee on 3rd-party payment providers depending on plan. — ships in a weekend.
Ease 4/5Fees 1/5Conv 4/5
Best if:courses, memberships, coaching, creators
20. MemberPress
flat annualWordPress membership and subscription plugin
Basic $179/year. Plus $299/year. Pro $399/year. — ships in a weekend.
Ease 4/5Fees 4/5Conv 3/5
Best if:wordpress, memberships, courses, content paywalls
21. Easy Digital Downloads
flat annualSell digital products on WordPress
Personal $99/year. Extended $199/year. Professional $299/year. — ships in a weekend.
Ease 4/5Fees 4/5Conv 2/5
Best if:wordpress, digital products, ebooks, software
22. Leaky Paywall
flat monthlyWordPress paywall for independent publishers
From $99/month — ships in a weekend.
Ease 4/5Fees 3/5Conv 2/5
Best if:wordpress, local news, independent publishers
23. Teachable
freemiumSell online courses and coaching
Free (1 product, $1+10% fee). Basic $39/mo. Pro $119/mo. Pro+ $199/mo. — ships in a weekend.
Ease 4/5Fees 3/5Conv 3/5
Best if:courses, coaching, creators, memberships
24. Mighty Networks
flat monthlyCommunity platform with courses and memberships
Courses $33/mo (3% transaction). Business $99/mo (2%). Path-to-Pro $360/mo (0%). — ships in a weekend.
Ease 4/5Fees 3/5Conv 3/5
Best if:communities, courses, memberships, creators
Quick comparison
| Tool | Pricing | MoR | A/B | Ease | Fees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RevenueCat | Free up to $2.5k MTR, then 1% of revenue | — | — | 5/5 | 3/5 |
| Lemon Squeezy | 5% + $0.50 per transaction. Acquired by Stripe 2024. | Yes | — | 5/5 | 4/5 |
| Polar | 4% + $0.40 per transaction (lowest MoR fees on the market) | Yes | — | 5/5 | 5/5 |
| Gumroad | 10% + $0.50 per transaction (direct). 30% via Gumroad marketplace. MoR since January 2025 — handles all global tax. | Yes | — | 5/5 | 2/5 |
| Payhip | Free: 5% fee. Plus $29/mo: 2%. Pro $99/mo: 0% | — | — | 5/5 | 4/5 |
| Beehiiv | Free Launch plan. Scale $43/mo. Max $96/mo. Enterprise: custom. 0% platform fee on paid subscriptions. | — | Yes | 5/5 | 4/5 |
| Substack | 10% of paid subscription revenue. Stripe handles payments. | — | — | 5/5 | 2/5 |
| Skool | $99/month flat. 2.9% + $0.30 transaction fee. | — | — | 5/5 | 3/5 |
| Podia | No free plan (removed 2024). 30-day free trial. Mover $39/mo ($33/mo annual, 5% fee). Shaker $89/mo ($75/mo annual, 0% fee). | — | — | 5/5 | 3/5 |
| Memberful | Free (10% + Stripe fees). Pro $49/mo (4.9%). Premium $199/mo (0% transaction fee). | — | — | 5/5 | 3/5 |
| Patreon | Lite: 8% of earnings. Pro: 12%. Premium: 15%. Stripe fees on top. | — | — | 5/5 | 2/5 |
| Adapty | Free up to $10k MTR, then 1% of revenue | — | Yes | 4/5 | 5/5 |
| Nami ML | Free plan available, paid from $149/month | — | Yes | 4/5 | 3/5 |
| Qonversion | Free up to $10k MTR, then 0.6% on Starter | — | — | 4/5 | 5/5 |
| Apphud | Free plan available, Pro from $39/month | — | — | 4/5 | 4/5 |
| Whop | 3% platform + Stripe fees (~5.7–7.2% all-in) | — | — | 4/5 | 4/5 |
| Kit | Free up to 10,000 subscribers. Creator from $25/month. | — | — | 4/5 | 3/5 |
| Circle | Professional $89/mo. Business $199/mo (lower transaction fees, branded apps add-on). Circle Plus: custom pricing for large-scale businesses. 0% transaction fee on Professional and above. | — | — | 4/5 | 3/5 |
| Kajabi | Basic $143/mo, Growth $199/mo, Pro $399/mo (annual billing). Kajabi Payments: 2.7-2.9% + $0.30. 0-2% fee on 3rd-party payment providers depending on plan. | — | — | 4/5 | 1/5 |
| MemberPress | Basic $179/year. Plus $299/year. Pro $399/year. | — | — | 4/5 | 4/5 |
| Easy Digital Downloads | Personal $99/year. Extended $199/year. Professional $299/year. | — | — | 4/5 | 4/5 |
| Leaky Paywall | From $99/month | — | — | 4/5 | 3/5 |
| Teachable | Free (1 product, $1+10% fee). Basic $39/mo. Pro $119/mo. Pro+ $199/mo. | — | — | 4/5 | 3/5 |
| Mighty Networks | Courses $33/mo (3% transaction). Business $99/mo (2%). Path-to-Pro $360/mo (0%). | — | — | 4/5 | 3/5 |
Our pick
RevenueCat — the fastest setup and best documentation. In-app subscriptions made easy.
Stack recommendation
For most of this audience we recommend Lemon Squeezy — Fastest path to charging for a SaaS.
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