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Lemon Squeezy vs Paddle: Which is right for you? (1970)

TL;DR

  • Choose Lemon Squeezy if keeping fees low matters most.
  • Choose Paddle if you need advanced billing (usage, dunning, entitlements).
  • Both work for: saas.

Lemon Squeezy

5% + $0.50 per transaction. Acquired by Stripe 2024.

Default choice for indie SaaS founders. Tax compliance out of the box, license key management, excellent DX. Acquired by Stripe in 2024.

Paddle

5% + $0.50 per transaction

Merchant of Record for SaaS. Handles global VAT and tax remittance across 190+ countries.

Pricing comparison

Pricing model
percentage
percentage
Detail
5% + $0.50 per transaction. Acquired by Stripe 2024.
5% + $0.50 per transaction

Feature comparison

Lemon Squeezy
Paddle
Merchant of record
Yes
Yes
Paywalls
No
No
A/B testing
No
No
Tax handled
Yes
Yes
No-code
Yes
No
Open source
No
No
Ease of setup
5/5
3/5
Fee competitiveness
4/5
3/5
Conversion tooling
2/5
2/5
Advanced billing
2/5
4/5

Best for

Lemon Squeezy is best for SaaS, indie dev, Digital products, license keys, web, Creators. Paddle is best for SaaS, B2B, global, Teams scaling up, web, Usage-based billing.

FAQ

Is Lemon Squeezy better than Paddle?

Neither is universally better. Lemon Squeezy is the right pick if keeping fees low matters most; Paddle wins if you need advanced billing (usage, dunning, entitlements).

Which is cheaper, Lemon Squeezy or Paddle?

Lemon Squeezy ranks higher on fee competitiveness (4/5). Lemon Squeezy pricing: 5% + $0.50 per transaction. Acquired by Stripe 2024.. Paddle pricing: 5% + $0.50 per transaction.

Can I switch from Lemon Squeezy to Paddle?

Yes — most subscription and billing tools support migration via CSV import or API. Expect to reconfigure webhooks, paywalls, and entitlements. Check both vendors' migration docs before committing.

Does Lemon Squeezy handle sales tax?

Yes. Lemon Squeezy handles global sales tax and VAT for you.

All Lemon Squeezy alternatives →All Paddle alternatives →

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