Stripe vs Paddle: Which Should You Choose?
Compare Stripe and Paddle on payments, merchant of record, and SaaS billing. Discover which solution best fits your product.
Stripe offers more control and lower fees at scale; Paddle wins on simplicity and compliance. For international SaaS without a tax team, Paddle often fits well.
Stripe
Payment platform; you are merchant of record, full control and flexibility.
Paddle
Merchant of record; Paddle invoices and handles VAT for you.
What are the key differences between Stripe and Paddle?
| Feature | Stripe | Paddle |
|---|---|---|
| MoR | You are MoR, own merchant account | Paddle is MoR, no own account needed |
| VAT / tax | Handle yourself or Stripe Tax | Paddle handles VAT, compliance offloaded |
| Integration | API-first, many SDKs | API, checkouts, less low-level |
| Fee | Lower % + processing | Higher %, includes tax handling |
What is the verdict on Stripe vs Paddle?
Stripe offers more control and lower fees at scale; Paddle wins on simplicity and compliance. For international SaaS without a tax team, Paddle often fits well.
Which option does MG Software recommend?
MG Software recommends Stripe for teams with own compliance; Paddle for fast internationalization and less ops.
Frequently asked questions
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