Dodo Payments vs FastSpring (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Dodo Payments grades higher than FastSpring: 2.6 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Dodo Payments grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Dodo Payments
Merchant-of-record payments and billing for software sellers
Free
FastSpring
Merchant of record checkout and billing for software and digital goods
Paid
Which one is for you
Pick Dodo Payments if
- Fits if you sell software and want tax and compliance handled for you
- Works for developers who want billing through an API
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if your sales are small, since refunds cost $1 each and disputes $30
- Watch out: payouts under $1,000 carry a $5 fee and USD SWIFT payouts cost $25
- Watch out: the fee rises 1.5% on international payments and 3% on PayPal
- Skip it if you need an enterprise price, as the page lists no figures for that tier
Pick FastSpring if
- Fits if you sell software and want one company to handle tax, payments and billing
- Works for businesses selling to other businesses who need quotes as well as a checkout
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want to see the price first, as no rates are published and fees are agreed with an account executive
- Skip it if you want to try it free, since there is no free plan or trial listed
- Watch out: the volume estimator on the pricing page does not show a rate without contacting sales
- Too light for a hobby seller, as the page is built for companies with sales volume to discuss
How we grade them
| 2.6GPADodo PaymentsGood | 2.0GPAFastSpringFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CNo fixed fee, but 4% + 40 cents a transaction, plus 1.5% international, 3% for PayPal or buy-now-pay-later and 0.5% on subscriptions. That is ordinary for a merchant of record, not cheap. | CNo price is published: fees are a revenue share set with an account executive, and the volume estimator does not show a rate. With nothing to measure against, it sits at the middle. |
| Free plan and trial | BNo setup or monthly fee, so you pay only when you sell. Analytics at $10 a month and usage billing are extras. | FNo free plan and no trial. The pricing page says there is no minimum transaction volume, but you cannot try it before talking to sales. |
| Features | BMerchant of record, subscriptions, storefront and delivery, local payment methods, recovery tools and SDKs with an API. The listing shows no gap in the job. | BMerchant of record with tax handling, subscription billing, interactive quotes, a localised checkout and developer tools. Nothing in the listing shows a gap in the core job. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. It is built for developers who wire up an API and SDKs, so it sits at C. | CNo store rating on record. Setup means a sales conversation, a product catalogue and developer work on the checkout and store, so it is not an afternoon job. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb with SDKs, an API and four listed integrations. No desktop or phone apps. | BWeb only, with developer tools and an integrations page that lists Google Analytics, Mailchimp, Zapier, Drip, Constant Contact and Google Ads. |
| Best for | merchant-of-record billing for software sellers | software companies that want a merchant of record |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Dodo Payments and FastSpring. How we grade
Where they differ
- FastSpring also covers invoicing and online store.
In commonWebPublic APIAffiliate trackingDigital downloadsMerchant of record
At a glance
| Dodo Payments | FastSpring | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Paid |
| Starts at | Free | Not published |
| Free plan | No setup or monthly fee: the Standard plan charges 4% + 40 cents per domestic US card transaction, with extra fees for some payment methods and features. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Dodo Payments | Bright Market, LLC dba FastSpring |
| Price read from | dodopayments.com | Not confirmed |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Dodo Payments
- The base fee is 4% + 40 cents per US card transaction, with extra charges: 1.5% for international payments, 3% for PayPal or buy-now-pay-later and 0.5% for subscriptions.
- Refunds cost $1 each and disputes $30 each; payouts under $1,000 carry a $5 fee, and USD SWIFT payouts cost $25.
- Analytics and reporting cost $10 per month and usage-based billing $1 per million events, according to the page's comparison of what it charges.
- An Enterprise tier exists but the pricing page lists no figures for it.
FastSpring
- No rates are published: fees are a revenue share that varies with volume and is set with an account executive.
- The pricing page states there is no minimum transaction volume and that FastSpring works on a revenue-sharing model.
- A monthly volume estimator on the pricing page does not show a rate without contacting sales.
Key features
Dodo Payments
- Merchant of record
- Dodo handles cross-border tax calculation, filing and reporting, which the page says covers 190+ countries.
- Subscriptions and billing models
- One-time payments, subscriptions with add-ons, usage-based billing priced per million events, and credit-based billing.
- Storefront and delivery
- A no-code storefront, automated license key generation and delivery, and secure digital product delivery after purchase.
- Local payment methods
- Cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, buy-now-pay-later, ACH and SEPA direct debit, and 80+ currencies through adaptive currency.
- Recovery tools
- Abandoned cart recovery, subscription dunning and payment retries, billed at 5% only on revenue that is recovered.
- Developer SDKs and API
- SDKs, an API reference, webhooks, MCP servers and framework adapters, with an affiliate feature for distribution.
FastSpring
- Merchant of record
- FastSpring processes payments, collects and remits sales taxes, monitors fraud and handles compliance for the seller.
- Subscription billing
- Recurring billing tools for managing subscriptions and renewals, with reporting on subscriptions and revenue.
- Interactive quotes
- Quotes for custom SaaS deals with analytics, e-signatures, payments and CRM integrations.
- Localized checkout
- A checkout that can be embedded or branded, supporting localized payment methods and many currencies.
- Developer tools
- APIs, webhooks, a store builder library, code samples and documentation for building a store experience.
Plans
Dodo Payments
Standard Plan$0
No fixed costs. 4% + 40 cents per transaction on US cards and wallets, plus 1.5% on international payments, 3% extra on PayPal or buy-now-pay-later and 0.5% extra on subscriptions.
FastSpring
Pricing could not be confirmed. See fastspring.com.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Dodo Payments or FastSpring?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Dodo Payments is free, and FastSpring has no price we could confirm.
Which has a free plan, Dodo Payments or FastSpring?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Dodo Payments has a free plan. FastSpring does not.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.