Freemius vs Polar (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Polar grades higher than Freemius: 2.6 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Freemius grades higher on features. Polar grades higher on the free plan and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Freemius
Merchant of record, licensing and payments for software sellers
Polar
Open-source billing and merchant of record for software sellers
Which one is for you
Pick Freemius if
- Fits if you sell a WordPress plugin or other software and want licensing and tax handled
- Works for solo developers who prefer paying only when something sells
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you sell WordPress products, as 2.3% is added to 3.8% + 50¢ and gateway fees come on top
- Watch out: wire payouts may carry intermediate bank fees
- Skip it if you sell high volumes, as those sellers are sent to separate growth pricing not shown
- Not for you if you sell physical goods or run a general store, as it is built for software
Pick Polar if
- Fits if you sell software or SaaS subscriptions and are comfortable with an API and webhooks
- Works for AI products that bill by tokens, credits or other usage
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you're a creator who wants a store page, email and affiliates
- Pricey if you get many disputes, as each costs $15 whatever the outcome, and a high chargeback rate can get you suspended
- Watch out: Stripe payouts cost $2 a month plus 0.25% + $0.25 each, and currency conversion adds 0.25% to 1%
- Tight if you're small: Pro at $20 a month only pays off above about $1,379 in monthly sales
- Pricey if buyers are abroad, as non-US cards add 1.5% to each transaction
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAFreemiusFair | 2.6GPAPolarGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C3.8% + 50¢ a transaction plus gateway fees, and another 2.3% for WordPress and templates. That is not below the 2.9% + $1 Digistore24 lists, so it lands in the middle. | CStarter is free and keeps 5% + 50¢ a transaction, so $1,000 costs $50 plus 50¢ a sale, with no separate card fee listed since Polar is the merchant of record. Pro at $20 only pays off above about $1,379 a month. Non-US cards add 1.5%. |
| Free plan and trial | BNo setup or monthly fee, and you can set up products and licensing without paying until you make a sale. No trial is listed, because the fee only applies to sales. | AStarter costs nothing a month and includes every selling feature, with standard support. You pay 5% + 50¢ a sale instead, and the value grade counts that. |
| Features | BMerchant of record, software licensing by plan and activation, subscriptions with recovery, a customer portal, affiliates and payouts by wire and other routes. The core job is covered. | CSubscriptions, seats, usage meters and credits, plus files, license keys, GitHub repo invites and Discord roles delivered automatically. It does billing for software fully, but nothing in the listing covers a store page, email or affiliates. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Licensing means integrating its SDK into your product, so a developer has to do the work. | CNo App Store rating on record. It's built for developers: the listing leads with an API, a Python SDK and webhooks, so expect some setting up. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only. Payment and payout routes run through Stripe, PayPal, Wise and Payoneer, and nothing else is listed. | BWeb, with Stripe, GitHub, Discord and Slack, an API, a Python SDK and an MCP server for Claude, Cursor and ChatGPT. No phone or desktop app is listed. |
| Best for | selling plugins, themes and software with licensing built in | developers selling software and usage plans |
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: Freemius and Polar. How we grade
Where they differ
- Polar is open source, according to its own site.
- Freemius also covers affiliate tracking and online store.
At a glance
| Freemius | Polar | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | Not published | $20 per month, with a lower fee on each sale |
| Free plan | No setup or monthly fees: 3.8% + 50¢ per transaction plus gateway fees, with a further 2.3% for WordPress and templates. | Starter is free with all selling features and standard support; Polar takes 5% + 50¢ of each transaction, plus 1.5% for non-US cards. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Freemius | Polar Software, Inc. |
| Price read from | freemius.com | polar.sh |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Freemius
- Gateway fees are charged on top of the 3.8% + 50¢ rate.
- WordPress and templates carry an additional 2.3%.
- Wire payouts may incur intermediate bank fees, and high-volume sellers are directed to separate growth pricing.
Polar
- Starter keeps 5% + 50¢ of each transaction, and non-US cards add 1.5%; the paid plans only lower that fee once sales are high enough.
- Each dispute costs $15 whatever the outcome, and Polar may suspend accounts whose chargeback rate gets too high.
- Payouts through Stripe cost $2 a month plus 0.25% + $0.25 per payout, and currency conversion adds 0.25% to 1%.
- Organizations created before May 27, 2026 keep an Early Member rate of 4% + 40¢ until they move to a paid plan.
Key features
Freemius
- Merchant of record
- Freemius becomes the seller on record and manages sales tax and VAT, fraud protection, chargebacks and disputes.
- Software licensing
- Controls access by plan, feature and activation, with multi-site licenses and automatic updates.
- Subscriptions and recovery
- Recurring billing with renewal reminders, trials and failed-renewal recovery, plus cart abandonment emails at no extra fee.
- Customer portal and affiliates
- A self-serve portal for plan changes and payment updates, and an affiliate platform that lets customers earn by promoting your product.
- Payout options
- Earnings can be paid through wire, Wise, Payoneer or PayPal.
Polar
- Merchant of record
- Polar resells your product in over 100 markets and is responsible for payments, sales tax and VAT, fraud, refunds and chargebacks.
- Subscriptions and usage billing
- Subscriptions, seat-based and unit-based pricing, prepaid credits and metered usage from live event meters, combined on one invoice.
- Automated benefits
- Deliver file downloads up to 10GB each, license keys, private GitHub repository invites, Discord roles, feature flags or a shared Slack channel.
- Cost and margin insights
- Attach inference or other costs to usage events to see gross margin per customer beside revenue.
- Checkout options
- Custom checkout fields, discounts, free trials and tax-inclusive pricing, with a Python SDK, webhooks and an API for developers.
- Open source and MCP
- Polar's code is open source, and its MCP server lets Claude, Cursor or ChatGPT query customers and revenue or create products and refunds.
Plans
Freemius
Per transaction$0
No setup or monthly fee. Pay 3.8% + 50¢ per transaction plus gateway fees; WordPress and templates add 2.3%. Wire payouts are free.
Polar
Starter$0
All features to sell, standard support. Polar keeps 5% + 50¢ of each transaction, plus 1.5% for international cards.
Pro$20
per month
Fee drops to 3.8% + 40¢ a transaction, with prioritized support and preview access to new features. Pays off above about $1,379 a month in sales.
Growth$100
per month
Fee drops to 3.6% + 35¢ a transaction, with prioritized support. Pays off above about $5,634 a month in sales.
Scale$400
per month
Fee drops to 3.4% + 30¢ a transaction, with a shared Slack channel, P1 support and single sign-on.
Ways to pay less
Freemius
No public discounts listed.
Polar
- Startups
Scale plan free for a year for AI startups
Polar's Startup Program gives early-stage AI startups the Scale plan free for twelve months, with its 3.4% + 30¢ fee, by application.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Freemius or Polar?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Freemius publishes no starting price, and Polar starts at $20 per month, with a lower fee on each sale.
Which has a free plan, Freemius or Polar?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Freemius and Polar have a free plan.
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.