Is Paddle more expensive than Stripe?

Per transaction, yes: as of October 2026, Paddle's pay-as-you-go rate is 5% + 50¢ and Stripe's US card rate is 2.9% + 30¢. Paddle's fee includes merchant of record services such as tax filing and chargeback handling that Stripe either charges for separately or leaves to you.

Does Stripe handle VAT and sales tax like Paddle?

Standard Stripe does not take on the liability. Stripe Tax can calculate tax and help with filing, but your business stays the seller. Stripe Managed Payments, available to eligible digital product sellers, makes Stripe the merchant of record.

How often does Paddle pay out?

Monthly. Paddle converts a balance above your threshold into a payout on the 1st and sends it between the 2nd and 15th. The default minimum is $100.

Can I sell consulting or physical goods on Paddle?

No. Paddle's help center lists physical goods and human services not tied to a software offering as prohibited.

Can I show Paddle revenue on RevenueBug?

Not currently. RevenueBug does not have a Paddle integration. You can publish a profile from Stripe, Lemon Squeezy, Polar, RevenueCat, Dodo Payments, Whop, or Blink.

Which is better for a SaaS selling to EU customers?

If you do not want to register and file VAT yourself, a merchant of record such as Paddle, or Stripe Managed Payments if you are eligible, removes that work. If you already handle VAT or sell mostly domestically, standard Stripe is usually cheaper.

Stripe vs Paddle | RevenueBug

The short answer

Stripe vs Paddle comes down to whether you want to be the seller of record. Stripe is a payment processor: your business sells to the customer, pays 2.9% + 30¢ per domestic US card charge as of October 2026, and adds Stripe Billing and Stripe Tax as needed. Paddle is a merchant of record for software, SaaS, apps, and games: it charges 5% + 50¢ per checkout transaction and includes payments, subscriptions, global tax compliance, fraud protection, and chargeback handling. Stripe usually costs less per transaction and supports more business types; Paddle removes most sales tax and VAT work for software sellers. Stripe also now offers its own merchant of record option, Managed Payments, for eligible digital products.

How they compare

CriteriaStripePaddle

Pricing (as of October 2026)2.9% + 30¢ per successful domestic US card charge; +1.5% international cards, +1% currency conversion5% + 50¢ per checkout transaction on pay-as-you-go; custom pricing for high volume, and bespoke pricing for products under $10

Merchant of record and taxYour business is the seller. Stripe Tax is 0.5% per transaction where you are registered; Managed Payments adds 3.5% for eligible digital productsPaddle is the merchant of record and handles sales tax and VAT from calculation through filing, which it says covers more than 100 jurisdictions

SubscriptionsStripe Billing at 0.7% of Billing volume on pay-as-you-goIncluded: multi-product subscriptions, proration, seats, customer portal, and dunning

PayoutsStandard payouts free; instant payouts 1.5% (50¢ minimum)Monthly: created on the 1st and sent between the 2nd and 15th; $100 default minimum; no payout fee in most countries, $15 SWIFT fee in some

Disputes and fraud$15 per US dispute received; Radar fraud tools availableFraud protection and chargeback handling included in the pay-as-you-go fee

CheckoutHosted Checkout, Payment Links, or embedded ElementsOverlay checkout or inline checkout embedded in your app

What you can sellBroad range of physical and digital businesses, platforms, and marketplaces, subject to Stripe's termsSoftware companies, including B2B SaaS, consumer software, and games; physical goods, standalone human services, and marketplaces are prohibited

Fees and features change. Confirm current pricing on each provider's site, and estimate your own costs with the payment processor fee calculator.

When Stripe fits

Stripe fits teams that want lower base fees, flexible APIs, and the ability to run marketplaces, physical goods, or services alongside software. It also fits companies that already handle tax registrations or are willing to use Stripe Tax and file themselves. Founders who want Stripe's ecosystem but not the tax work can check whether they qualify for Managed Payments.

When Paddle fits

Paddle fits software businesses selling internationally that want a single provider to be the seller, collect and file sales tax and VAT, handle chargebacks, and run subscriptions and dunning. It costs more per transaction than Stripe's base processing rate, but that fee bundles services you would otherwise buy or do yourself. Payouts are monthly, which matters if cash flow is tight.

Publishing revenue from either platform

RevenueBug supports Stripe but does not support Paddle. A Stripe connection uses a restricted API key and imports balance transactions for the whole connected account, so unrelated products in that account are included, and Stripe does not supply a native MRR figure. If you sell through Paddle today, RevenueBug cannot verify that revenue; the supported providers are Stripe, Lemon Squeezy, Polar, RevenueCat, Dodo Payments, Whop, and Blink. RevenueBug's headline figure is trailing 30-day revenue calculated before provider fees, so a provider's fee level changes what you keep, not the revenue shown on your profile.

Stripe vs Paddle