Freemius review (2026): is the free plan enough?
Merchant of record, licensing and payments for software sellers
Black Friday: is there a Freemius sale?
Freemius report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 12, 2026
Best for selling plugins, themes and software with licensing built in
Freemius is a merchant-of-record and licensing service for software sellers, with no monthly fee and 3.8% + 50¢ a transaction. The catch is what sits on top: gateway fees, a further 2.3% on WordPress products and templates, and growth pricing for big sellers kept off the page.
Who Freemius is for
- 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
Who Freemius is not for
- 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
Why Freemius gets a 2.4
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- CValue for money3.8% + 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.
- BFree plan and trialNo 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.
- BFeaturesMerchant 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.
- CEase of useNo store rating on record. Licensing means integrating its SDK into your product, so a developer has to do the work.
- CPlatforms and integrationsWeb only. Payment and payout routes run through Stripe, PayPal, Wise and Payoneer, and nothing else is listed.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Freemius's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/freemius#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/freemius.svg" alt="Freemius: 2.4 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Freemius stands among tools for selling digital products
Freemius's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 9 of the 28 other tools for selling digital products we grade, and level with 8.
It stands best on features (B, above 15 of 28) and worst on platforms and integrations (C, above 0).
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 29 tools for selling digital products we grade, cut by the letter each got. Freemius’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 3 of 28, level with 20
- BFree plan and trialAbove 12 of 28, level with 7
- BFeaturesAbove 15 of 28, level with 13
- CEase of useAbove 1 of 28, level with 25
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 28, level with 3
Keep Freemius, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace Freemius you would be making selling as the merchant of record, so sales tax and VAT are handled everywhere. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 11 of the 28 other tools for selling digital products grade higher.
What you could make
- Digital downloads: an app builder makes this well.
What you could not
- Selling as the merchant of record, so sales tax and VAT are handled everywhere.
- Checkout, card payments and sales tax handled for you.
- Every click and sale traced back to the right partner.
- It plugs into other products, Stripe, PayPal and Wise among them, and has an API.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Freemius’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Freemius?
Freemius is a selling platform for software makers: SaaS, desktop apps, Chrome extensions and WordPress plugins and themes. As merchant of record it handles payments, global tax, fraud and disputes, and it adds software licensing, a customer portal, an affiliate platform and cart recovery.
Worth knowing
- 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.
Key features
- 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.
Freemius pricing
As of Nov 12, 2026, Freemius has a free plan.
- Starts at
- Not published
- Free plan
- No setup or monthly fees: 3.8% + 50¢ per transaction plus gateway fees, with a further 2.3% for WordPress and templates.
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| 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. |
Read from freemius.com on Nov 12, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Freemius before you buy.
Works with
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- Freemius vs Paddle
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- Freemius vs Lemon Squeezy
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- Freemius vs Easy Digital Downloads
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- Freemius vs Polar
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Common questions
Does Freemius have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Freemius is listed for Web.
Does Freemius have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Freemius is listed for Web.
Is Freemius open source?
Freemius is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 12, 2026.
Does Freemius have an API?
Yes. Freemius offers a public API, according to its own site.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 12, 2026.