By Moshymercy
Fee Comparison: Stripe vs Polar vs Paddle vs Lemon Squeezy vs Gumroad in 2026
A side-by-side breakdown of what each major provider actually charges in 2026, including the fee changes from Polar and BigCommerce that shifted the math this year.
Five providers, five different ways of calculating what they take from every sale. Here's the comparison worth bookmarking, updated for the pricing changes that landed in 2026.
The headline rates
Provider | Base rate | Category |
|---|---|---|
Stripe | 2.9% + $0.30 domestic, +1.5% international | PSP |
Polar | 5% + $0.50 (Starter, post-May 2026); 4% + $0.40 for grandfathered Early Members | MoR |
Paddle | ~5% + $0.50 | MoR |
Lemon Squeezy | ~5% + $0.50, +1.5% international/PayPal, +0.5% subscriptions | MoR |
Gumroad | 10% + $0.50 direct (+~2.9%+$0.30 processing), 30% flat via Discover | MoR |
What the table doesn't show
Stripe's rate looks lowest, but it's the only one on this list that doesn't include tax handling — the real comparison needs to add your own VAT compliance cost on top. Gumroad's 10% headline is famously misleading: card processing sits on top of it, pushing the real effective rate to 13-21% depending on price point, and Discover sales are a completely different animal at a flat 30%.
What changed in 2026
Polar's May 27 pricing update is the single biggest shift on this list — a 25% increase on the base rate for new accounts, with paid tiers (Pro/Growth/Scale) introduced to buy the rate back down at volume. If you're comparing Polar against the others using pre-2026 numbers, you're comparing against a rate that no longer exists for new sellers.
Picking based on your actual business
If you're mostly domestic and comfortable handling your own tax filing, Stripe's lower rate wins. If you sell globally and want tax compliance handled, the MoR options are worth their premium — among them, Paddle and Lemon Squeezy sit closest together, while Polar rewards volume through its paid tiers and Gumroad's real cost depends heavily on whether your sales come through Discover.
Simeon tracks your real net rate across whichever combination you use — see the full breakdown for each provider on its integrations page.