The Lemon Squeezy Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Lemon Squeezy in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Lemon Squeezy
The Insider’s Guide
Merchant of record checkout for software, subscriptions and downloads
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among tools for selling digital products, read from Lemon Squeezy’s own pages.
Made by Link, LLC (formerly Lemon Squeezy LLC) · checked Oct 18, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Lemon Squeezy’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Lemon Squeezy’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 18, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.8
GPA, above 12 of the 14 other tools for selling digital products we grade
Lemon Squeezy sells digital products, software licenses and subscriptions through hosted checkouts, overlays and a simple store, acting as merchant of record so it collects, files and pays sales tax and VAT. There is no monthly fee for selling; it keeps a cut of each order. Stripe bought it in 2024, and its 2026 update says the team is now building Stripe Managed Payments and plans to help Lemon Squeezy users move there.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Lemon Squeezy, taken from its own pages and our grades.
- 1
Best for selling software and subscriptions worldwide
Lemon Squeezy is a merchant of record for software, licenses and subscriptions: it collects and pays sales tax and VAT, and its 5% + 50¢ an order covers card fees too.
- 2
Paid plans start at $10 a month
As its pricing page puts it: $10 per month for email marketing to 1,000 subscribers.
- 3
There is a 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.
- 4
It runs on Web
Web.
- 5
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.
- 6
Subscriptions and usage billing
Weekly, monthly or yearly plans with upgrades, downgrades, free trials, PayPal subscriptions, usage-based billing and a customer portal.
- 7
License keys and secure files
License keys are issued after each sale and can be deactivated or reissued; download links are signed and throttled.
- 8
A 2.8 GPA, above 12 of 14
That is against the other tools for selling digital products we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
To replace Lemon Squeezy 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.
Lemon Squeezy at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan, from $10 per month for email marketing to 1,000 subscribers
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web
- Made by
- Link, LLC (formerly Lemon Squeezy LLC)
- Category
- Selling Digital Products
- Our grade
- 2.8 GPA, good
The report card
Best for selling software and subscriptions worldwide
Lemon Squeezy is a merchant of record for software, licenses and subscriptions: it collects and pays sales tax and VAT, and its 5% + 50¢ an order covers card fees too. There's no monthly charge, and email marketing is free up to 500 subscribers. The worry is its future, as Stripe's 2026 update admits slower support and plans to move users to Stripe Managed Payments.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | No 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. |
| Free plan and trial | A | Selling 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. |
| Features | B | Merchant 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. |
| Ease of use | C | No 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. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | Web, with Zapier, ConvertKit, Mailchimp, WordPress and Laravel, checkout overlays for any site and a public API. No phone or desktop app is listed. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Lemon Squeezy is for
- Great if you sell software licenses or subscriptions to buyers worldwide
- Handy when you want sales tax and VAT filed for you, not just worked out
- Good for makers who want no monthly bill until orders come in
Who it is not for
- Skip it if you want a platform with a clear road ahead, as Stripe plans to move users elsewhere
- Pricey if most buyers are abroad or pay by PayPal, as each adds 1.5% to the fee
- Not for you if your products cost under $10, as Lemon Squeezy asks you to contact sales
Good to know
Good for
- Software makers selling licenses or subscriptions worldwide
- Sellers who want sales tax and VAT filed for them
- Creators who want no monthly fee until they make sales
Worth knowing
- 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.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$10
A month to start. There is a free plan too
Lemon Squeezy has a free plan. Paid plans start at $10 per month for email marketing to 1,000 subscribers.
That's above this category's dearer quarter, short of its dearest tenth.
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.
The 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.
Read from lemonsqueezy.com on Oct 18, 2026.
Ways to pay less
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.
Stated on lemonsqueezy.com
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
1
Place it runs: Web
Merchant of record checkout for software, subscriptions and downloads. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: public API, email campaigns, affiliate tracking, online store, digital downloads, merchant of record.
Web, with Zapier, ConvertKit, Mailchimp, WordPress and Laravel, checkout overlays for any site and a public API.
- 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.
Where it runs
- Web
What it works with
- Stripe
- PayPal
- Zapier
- ConvertKit
- Mailchimp
- WordPress
- Laravel
Lemon Squeezy is made by Link, LLC (formerly Lemon Squeezy LLC).
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
12/14
Other tools for selling digital products it is graded above
Lemon Squeezy's GPA of 2.8 is higher than 12 of the 14 other tools for selling digital products we grade.
It stands best on free plan and trial (A, above 7 of 14) and worst on ease of use (C, above 1).
Its paid plans start at $10 a month, against a middle price of $24.50 for the category: 2 of the 9 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. 2 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 15 tools for selling digital products we grade, cut by the letter each got. Lemon Squeezy’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 3 of 14
- AFree plan and trialAbove 7 of 14
- BFeaturesAbove 6 of 14
- CEase of useAbove 1 of 14
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 14
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 14 tools for selling digital products. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Lemon Squeezy is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace Lemon Squeezy 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.
It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 2.8 is higher than 12 of the 14 other tools for selling digital products we grade. It costs $120 a year.
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.
- Newsletters sent to thousands of people that still reach the inbox.
- Every click and sale traced back to the right partner.
- It plugs into other products, Stripe, PayPal and Zapier among them, and has an API.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Lemon Squeezy’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.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Gumroad, Polar, Payhip, SendOwl and Sellfy
The 5 tools Lemon Squeezy is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.6GPA
Gumroad
Free
Sell downloads, memberships and courses for a cut of each sale.
- Only Gumroad lists iOS and Android apps.
- Lemon Squeezy also covers online store.
- 2.6GPA
Polar
Free plan · from $20/mo
Open-source billing and merchant of record for software sellers.
- Polar is open source, according to its own site.
- Lemon Squeezy also covers email campaigns, affiliate tracking and online store.
- 2.6GPA
Payhip
Free plan · from $29/mo
Store for downloads, courses and memberships, with a free plan.
- Lemon Squeezy also covers email campaigns and merchant of record.
- Payhip also covers online courses.
- 2.4GPA
SendOwl
Free trial · from $32.50/mo
Checkout and delivery for downloads, licenses and subscriptions.
- Lemon Squeezy has a free plan. SendOwl does not, though it has a free trial.
- Lemon Squeezy also covers email campaigns and merchant of record.
- 2.4GPA
Sellfy
Free trial · from $22/mo
Store builder for selling downloads, subscriptions and print-on-demand.
- Lemon Squeezy has a free plan. Sellfy does not, though it has a free trial.
- Lemon Squeezy also covers merchant of record.
- Sellfy also covers print on demand.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
14
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Lemon Squeezy free?
Lemon Squeezy has a free plan. Selling is free to start with every ecommerce feature included; Lemon Squeezy keeps 5% + 50¢ of each order.
How much does Lemon Squeezy cost?
Lemon Squeezy lists 2 plans. Ecommerce: $0.
What platforms does Lemon Squeezy work on?
Lemon Squeezy is available on Web.
Does Lemon Squeezy offer any discounts?
Lemon Squeezy publicly lists the following: Two months free on yearly email marketing.
Does Lemon Squeezy have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 18, 2026. Lemon Squeezy is listed for Web.
Does Lemon Squeezy have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 18, 2026. Lemon Squeezy is listed for Web.
Is Lemon Squeezy open source?
Lemon Squeezy is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 18, 2026.
Does Lemon Squeezy have an API?
Yes. Lemon Squeezy offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does Lemon Squeezy integrate with?
Lemon Squeezy's listing names Stripe, PayPal, Zapier, ConvertKit, Mailchimp, WordPress and Laravel.
Who makes Lemon Squeezy?
Lemon Squeezy is made by Link, LLC (formerly Lemon Squeezy LLC).
What are the alternatives to Lemon Squeezy?
The closest alternatives to Lemon Squeezy in our directory are Gumroad, Polar, Payhip, SendOwl and Sellfy.
How does Lemon Squeezy compare with other tools for selling digital products?
Lemon Squeezy's GPA of 2.8 is higher than 12 of the 14 other tools for selling digital products we grade.
Is Lemon Squeezy good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Lemon Squeezy C for value for money. Its paid plans start at $10 a month, against a middle price of $24.50 for the category: 2 of the 9 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of Lemon Squeezy?
To replace Lemon Squeezy you would be making selling as the merchant of record, so sales tax and VAT are handled everywhere.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Lemon Squeezy’s own pages on Oct 18, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 18, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Lemon Squeezy's own pages on 18 October 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Link, LLC (formerly Lemon Squeezy LLC). Prices change, so check lemonsqueezy.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
2,281
Tools graded, in 73 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
ToolGPA is free to read. It may earn a commission from affiliate links and it works with sponsors, but anything paid for is labelled and no one can pay for a grade. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
2,281
tools graded
73
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Lemon Squeezy, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/lemon-squeezy
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Lemon Squeezy: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 18, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/lemon-squeezy
Know someone choosing between tools for selling digital products?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/lemon-squeezy/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded tools for selling digital products after Lemon Squeezy, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Selling Digital Products Insider's GuideEvery one of the 15 tools for selling digital products we grade, compared
- Whop Insider's GuideStorefront, checkout and payouts for paid communities and products3.4 GPA
- Patreon Insider's GuidePaid memberships, a shop and community for creators and their fans3.0 GPA
- Buy Me a Coffee Insider's GuideCreator page for tips, memberships and a simple shop2.6 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Lemon Squeezy’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. ToolGPA uses affiliate links and may earn a commission from them, and it works with sponsors; anything paid for is labelled, and no one can pay for a grade. Lemon Squeezy is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Link, LLC (formerly Lemon Squeezy LLC). Prices and plans change: check lemonsqueezy.com before you buy.