Payment Platform Fee Comparison 2026: Creem vs Paddle vs Stripe MoR
Merchant of Record fee face-off — same product, same volume, seven platforms. The gap between the cheapest and the most expensive is $420/month.
Scenario we used:
- Product price: $100
- Sales volume: 50 / month ($5,000 revenue)
- Product type: Subscription (recurring)
- Selling from: United States → Worldwide
- Payments: Credit / Debit card
- Payouts: Bank transfer (USD)
All platforms below are Merchant of Record (MoR) — they handle tax, compliance, and payouts so you don't have to set up Stripe Tax and local entities yourself.
Snapshot
| Platform | Net / month | |
|---|---|---|
| Best | Creem | $4,735.00 |
| Worst | Gumroad | $4,315.00 |
| Max difference | Best vs worst | $420.00 |
At $5k MRR, switching from Gumroad to Creem is an extra $5,040/year in your pocket — before you scale.
Full Ranking (Cheapest → Most Expensive)
1. Creem — Best
| Fee | 5.30% |
| Total fees | $265.00 |
| Net revenue | $4,735.00 |
| vs Stripe | −$69.75 cheaper |
| Affiliate | Built-in |
| Website | creem.io |
Creem wins this scenario: lowest fee among the MoR list, built-in affiliate system, and still cheaper than Stripe MoR by nearly $70/month at this volume.
2. Paddle
| Fee | 5.50% |
| Total fees | $275.00 |
| Net revenue | $4,725.00 |
| vs Stripe | −$59.75 cheaper |
| Affiliate | Affonso |
| Website | paddle.com |
Very close second. Mature MoR with strong compliance coverage. Slightly higher fee than Creem in this run.
3. Dodo Payments
| Fee | 6.40% |
| Total fees | $320.00 |
| Net revenue | $4,680.00 |
| vs Stripe | −$14.75 cheaper |
| Affiliate | Affonso |
| Website | dodopayments.com |
Solid mid-pack MoR. Still cheaper than Stripe MoR at this volume, but roughly $55/month more expensive than Creem.
4. Polar
| Fee | 6.69% |
| Total fees | $334.75 |
| Net revenue | $4,665.25 |
| vs Stripe | $0.00 |
| Affiliate | Affonso |
| Website | polar.sh |
Developer-friendly MoR popular with open-source and indie SaaS. Fees sit in the middle of the pack for this subscription scenario.
5. Lemon Squeezy
| Fee | 7.50% |
| Total fees | $375.00 |
| Net revenue | $4,625.00 |
| vs Stripe | +$40.25 more expensive |
| Affiliate | Built-in |
| Website | lemonsqueezy.com |
Well-known digital product MoR with a built-in affiliate system. Costs more than Creem, Paddle, Dodo, and Polar on this $5k subscription scenario.
6. Stripe MoR
| Fee | 10.20% |
| Total fees | $509.75 |
| Net revenue | $4,490.25 |
| vs Stripe | +$175.00 more expensive |
| Affiliate | Affonso |
| Website | stripe.com |
Stripe's MoR option is more expensive than most dedicated MoRs in this comparison. You keep Stripe's brand and tooling, but the fee stack eats more of each sale.
7. Gumroad — Most Expensive
| Fee | 13.70% |
| Total fees | $685.00 |
| Net revenue | $4,315.00 |
| vs Stripe | +$350.25 more expensive |
| Affiliate | Built-in |
| Website | gumroad.com |
Highest fees in this MoR set. Fine for creators who want a simple marketplace vibe — expensive if you're optimizing for net revenue on subscriptions.
Comparison Table
| Rank | Platform | Fee % | Fees | Net | vs Stripe | Affiliate | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Creem | 5.30% | $265.00 | $4,735.00 | −$69.75 | Built-in | creem.io |
| 2 | Paddle | 5.50% | $275.00 | $4,725.00 | −$59.75 | Affonso | paddle.com |
| 3 | Dodo Payments | 6.40% | $320.00 | $4,680.00 | −$14.75 | Affonso | dodopayments.com |
| 4 | Polar | 6.69% | $334.75 | $4,665.25 | $0.00 | Affonso | polar.sh |
| 5 | Lemon Squeezy | 7.50% | $375.00 | $4,625.00 | +$40.25 | Built-in | lemonsqueezy.com |
| 6 | Stripe MoR | 10.20% | $509.75 | $4,490.25 | +$175.00 | Affonso | stripe.com |
| 7 | Gumroad | 13.70% | $685.00 | $4,315.00 | +$350.25 | Built-in | gumroad.com |
Takeaways
- Fees are not flat. At the same $5k subscription volume, MoR platforms can differ by hundreds of dollars every month.
- Creem leads this run at 5.30% — about $10/month ahead of Paddle and ~$420 ahead of Gumroad.
- Built-in affiliates matter if you run partner or creator payouts — Creem, Lemon Squeezy, and Gumroad include them.
- Always re-run for your numbers. Price point, one-time vs subscription, and region change the ranking. Use this as a starting map, not permanent gospel.
Bottom Line
If you're selling a subscription SaaS and want MoR tax handling without overpaying:
Then compare against Paddle if you need enterprise-grade compliance history, or Polar if you're deep in the open-source / indie stack.