Paddle — Scaling SaaS that wants taxes handled
Paddle is the right answer when you're at scale, expanding globally, and you don't want a finance team to manage VAT and sales-tax registrations. You trade rate for compliance peace of mind.
Pricing summary
5% + $0.50 per transaction
Estimated monthly cost
| Stage | Paddle | Total |
|---|---|---|
| $0 (starting) | Free | Free |
| $5k MTR | ~$250 | ~$250 |
| $25k MTR | ~$1,250 | ~$1,250 |
| $100k MTR | ~$5,000 | ~$5,000 |
Estimates exclude payment processing fees and App Store / Google Play platform cuts. MTR = monthly tracked revenue.
Why this stack
- ✓Global tax compliance fully outsourced
- ✓Mature enterprise-ready MoR
- ✓Single payout in your local currency
Tradeoffs
- —Higher take rate than running Stripe yourself
- —Less customizable checkout than Stripe
Who this is for
Stage:Growing — past first revenue · Scaling — established product
Priorities:Taxes handled for you · Simplicity & speed to launch
Best fit for saas web teams that value taxes handled for you and simplicity & speed to launch.
Setup order
- 01
Create your Paddle account
Sign up and complete the seller verification — Paddle acts as merchant of record, so you'll provide business info for tax remittance.
Open docs → - 02
Create your first product and pricing plan
Define product name, recurring interval, currency, and any trial period. Keep your initial pricing simple — you can iterate later.
- 03
Install the SDK or use hosted checkout
Either embed the checkout JS, use a hosted checkout link, or call the API from your backend to create checkout sessions.
- 04
Test in sandbox and go live
Run end-to-end tests with test cards, confirm webhooks land in your backend, then flip the keys to production.
Alternatives to this stack
Same MoR model, friendlier for smaller SaaS.
5% + $0.50 per txn
Lower fees if you can own the ops.
0.5–0.8% + 0.5% tax
Related comparisons
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