Lemon Squeezy vs Paddle (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Lemon Squeezy grades higher than Paddle: 2.8 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
Lemon Squeezy grades higher on the free plan and features. They get the same grade on value for money, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Lemon Squeezy
Merchant of record checkout for software, subscriptions and downloads
Free plan · from $10/mo
Which one is for you
Pick Lemon Squeezy if
- Fits if you sell software licenses or subscriptions to buyers worldwide
- Works for makers who want sales tax and VAT filed for them, with no monthly bill
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a platform with a clear road ahead, as Stripe plans to move users to Managed Payments
- Pricey if most buyers are abroad or pay by PayPal, as each adds 1.5%, and subscriptions add 0.5%
- Watch out: recovered carts add 5%, affiliate referrals 3%, and payouts to non-US banks 1% each
- Not for you if your products cost under $10, as Lemon Squeezy asks you to contact sales
- Tight if your email list grows: free to 500, then $10 a month at 1,000, $24 at 3,000 and $60 at 10,000
Pick Paddle if
- Fits if you run a SaaS or software product and want tax and billing handled by someone else
- Works for companies selling subscriptions across borders
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you sell cheap items, as 5% + 50¢ bites and products under $10 are quoted custom
- Skip it if you sell courses or downloads as a creator, since it is aimed at software
- Watch out: buyers may see Paddle's name on their statements instead of yours
- Watch out: there is no storefront or page builder, so you build the checkout flow yourself
How we grade them
| 2.8GPALemon SqueezyGood | 2.4GPAPaddleFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CNo monthly fee. Each order costs 5% + 50¢, which covers card fees and sales tax, so $1,000 of sales costs $50 plus 50¢ an order. Buyers abroad add 1.5%, PayPal 1.5% and subscriptions 0.5%. That's above this category's dearer quarter, short of its dearest tenth. | C5% + 50¢ a transaction with no monthly fee. That is above the 3.8% + 50¢ Freemius and 2.9% + $1 Digistore24 list, though it bundles tax and billing support. |
| Free plan and trial | ASelling is free to start with every ecommerce feature, and you only pay as orders come in. Email marketing is free up to 500 subscribers too, then $10 a month at 1,000. | BNo monthly, migration or setup fee, a developer sandbox, and ProfitWell Metrics are free. You pay only when you sell, so there is nothing to trial. |
| Features | BMerchant of record, subscriptions with usage billing, license keys, signed download links, a store on your own domain, affiliates, upsells, cart recovery and email marketing. It covers the whole job. | CMerchant of record, subscription billing, a localised checkout, Retain and metrics. It is built for SaaS and apps, not as a storefront for creators, so a creator would need another tool. |
| Ease of use | CNo App Store rating on record. It's a web dashboard where you set up products, checkouts and a store before your first sale, with nothing in the listing to say it's quicker than that. | CNo store rating on record. It has a sandbox and developer tools, which means setup is a developer's job. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, with Zapier, ConvertKit, Mailchimp, WordPress and Laravel, checkout overlays for any site and a public API. No phone or desktop app is listed. | BWeb only, with an API and developer tools, plus a RevenueCat connection for app subscriptions. |
| Best for | selling software and subscriptions worldwide | SaaS and software billing through 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: Lemon Squeezy and Paddle. How we grade
Where they differ
- Lemon Squeezy also covers email campaigns, affiliate tracking and digital downloads.
- Paddle also covers invoicing and reports.
In commonFree planWebPublic APIOnline storeMerchant of record
At a glance
| Lemon Squeezy | Paddle | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $10 per month for email marketing to 1,000 subscribers | Not published |
| Free plan | Selling is free to start with every ecommerce feature included; Lemon Squeezy keeps 5% + 50¢ of each order. Email marketing is free up to 500 subscribers. | No monthly, migration or setup fee; Paddle keeps 5% + 50¢ per transaction. ProfitWell Metrics subscription analytics are free. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Link, LLC (formerly Lemon Squeezy LLC) | Paddle.com Market Ltd. |
| Price read from | lemonsqueezy.com | paddle.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Lemon Squeezy
- Stripe's 2026 update admits slower support and fewer updates while the team builds Stripe Managed Payments, and plans a migration path for users.
- Each order costs 5% + 50¢, plus 1.5% for buyers outside the US, 1.5% for PayPal and 0.5% for subscription payments.
- Recovered abandoned carts add 5% and affiliate referrals add 3% to the fee; payouts to non-US banks cost 1% each.
- Products priced under $10 and high-volume sellers are asked to contact sales for custom pricing.
Paddle
- The fee is 5% + 50¢ per transaction; products under $10 in value are quoted custom pricing on request.
- It is positioned for SaaS, apps and software, not as a storefront for creators.
- As merchant of record Paddle appears on buyers' statements, so buyers may see its name rather than yours.
Key features
Lemon Squeezy
- Merchant of record
- Lemon Squeezy is the seller on each order: it calculates, collects, files and pays sales tax and VAT, and takes on the tax liability.
- Subscriptions and usage billing
- Weekly, monthly or yearly plans with upgrades, downgrades, free trials, PayPal subscriptions, usage-based billing and a customer portal.
- License keys and secure files
- License keys are issued after each sale and can be deactivated or reissued; download links are signed and throttled.
- Checkout anywhere
- Hosted checkout links, an overlay checkout for any website, or a store on a custom domain, taking cards, PayPal and payments in many currencies.
- Email marketing
- Broadcasts, signup forms, segments that update from purchase behavior and email reports, free up to 500 subscribers.
- Affiliates and recovery
- A built-in affiliate program, discount codes, bundles and upsells, plus abandoned cart emails and failed payment recovery.
Paddle
- Merchant of record
- Paddle collects the correct tax rate, tracks filing deadlines and submits sales tax and VAT returns on the seller's behalf.
- Subscription billing
- Handles recurring payments and subscription management for software and digital products.
- Localized checkout
- A checkout that adapts to the buyer's location, plus invoices that can be sent internationally without local tax handling by the seller.
- Retain
- Recovers failed payments and reduces cancellations by acting on subscriptions over their lifecycle.
- ProfitWell Metrics
- Real-time subscription analytics, described on the pricing page as free.
- Developer sandbox
- A billing sandbox and developer documentation are available for testing an integration before launch.
Plans
Lemon Squeezy
Ecommerce$0
No monthly charge. The seller pays 5% + 50¢ of each order, covering card fees and tax, plus 1.5% abroad, 1.5% on PayPal and 0.5% on subscriptions.
Email marketing$10
per month for up to 1,000 subscribers, billed monthly
Free up to 500 subscribers. The price rises with the list: $24 a month at 3,000 subscribers and $60 a month at 10,000.
Paddle
Paddle Billing$0
No monthly fee. Paddle keeps 5% + 50¢ of each transaction, covering payments, tax, subscriptions and payment-related buyer support.
Ways to pay less
Lemon Squeezy
- Annual discount
Two months free on yearly email marketing
Lemon Squeezy prices yearly email marketing at ten times the monthly rate: $100 a year instead of $10 a month at 1,000 subscribers.
Paddle
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Lemon Squeezy or Paddle?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Lemon Squeezy starts at $10 per month for email marketing to 1,000 subscribers, and Paddle publishes no starting price.
Which has a free plan, Lemon Squeezy or Paddle?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Lemon Squeezy and Paddle 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.