Payments · facts read November 6, 2026
Paddle
Merchant of record for software: it sells to your customer and handles tax filing. Sells worldwide as merchant of record, so sales tax and VAT filing are handled for you.
- Free plan
- No monthly fee: 5% + 50¢ per checkout transaction.
- Paid from
- Not stated on the pricing page
- Monthly cost at 1,000 users
- $0/month No monthly fee; tax handled as merchant of record. Plus 5% + 50¢ per transaction.
- Free plan allows commercial use
- Not stated
- Open source
- No
- Self-hostable
- No
Source: Paddle pricing, read November 6, 2026. Prices change; check the vendor's page before you commit.
Best for
- Selling software internationally from day one
- Founders who don't want tax registrations
Watch out for
- Higher fee than a plain processor (5% + 50¢).
- Less control over checkout and invoices than Stripe.
How Cuely scores Paddle
The published scores, from −3 to +3, that decide when Cuely picks it. Method
- +3sells internationally and wants tax handled. As merchant of record, Paddle collects and files sales tax and VAT.
- +1sells to businesses (organizations, roles, SSO). Subscriptions and invoices for software sales.
- −1keep costs as low as possible. 5% + 50¢ is higher than a plain processor.
- −3native iOS or Android app. Digital subscriptions inside iOS apps must use in-app purchase (Apple Guideline 3.1.1).
- −3users pay each other and you take a cut. A merchant of record for your own sales; it doesn't pay out to other sellers.
Paddle alternatives
Recipes with Paddle
- AI app that answers questions over your customers' documents · an alternative
- B2B SaaS with auth, billing and email · an alternative
- Consumer web app with accounts and an optional paid plan · an alternative