COMPARISONS
Merchant of Record Pricing Comparison for SaaS Founders
Anyway Team
· 8 min read ·
This Merchant of Record pricing comparison shows that published base rates in 2026 range from 3.9% + $0.40 to 10% + $0.50 among the providers reviewed here, while FastSpring and PayPro Global use custom quotes. The right comparison includes billing, currency, payout, refund, and dispute terms rather than the headline fee alone.
For many SaaS founders, the useful question is not "Which percentage is lowest?" It is "What will the complete selling system cost for my products, customers, and order values?"
Merchant of Record pricing comparison table
These public rates were checked on August 20, 2026. Provider terms can change, and fees can vary by payment method, buyer location, billing feature, currency, or contract. Confirm the current schedule before launch.
Merchant of Record: Anyway; Published base price: 3.9% + $0.50 per transaction; Monthly or setup fee on public plan: None listed; Pricing style: Published transaction price
Merchant of Record: Creem; Published base price: 3.9% + $0.40 base example; Monthly or setup fee on public plan: None listed on standard offer; Pricing style: Published base plus conditional fees
Merchant of Record: Dodo Payments; Published base price: 4% + $0.40 per transaction; Monthly or setup fee on public plan: None listed on standard offer; Pricing style: Published transaction price
Merchant of Record: Polar; Published base price: 4% + $0.40 base; Monthly or setup fee on public plan: None listed; Pricing style: Published base plus conditional fees
Merchant of Record: Paddle; Published base price: 5% + $0.50 for checkout; Monthly or setup fee on public plan: None listed for checkout; Pricing style: Published transaction price
Merchant of Record: Lemon Squeezy; Published base price: 5% + $0.50 base; Monthly or setup fee on public plan: None listed; Pricing style: Published base plus applicable service fees
Merchant of Record: Gumroad; Published base price: 10% + $0.50 on direct/profile sales; 30% through Discover; Monthly or setup fee on public plan: None listed; Pricing style: Channel-based transaction price
Merchant of Record: FastSpring; Published base price: Custom; Monthly or setup fee on public plan: Defined in quote; Pricing style: Negotiated revenue share
Merchant of Record: PayPro Global; Published base price: Custom; Monthly or setup fee on public plan: Defined in quote; Pricing style: Negotiated contract
Gumroad became Merchant of Record for sales made through its platform on January 1, 2025. It also supplies product hosting and marketplace discovery, so its offer is not identical to a checkout-only comparison.
Worked Merchant of Record pricing comparison at three SaaS prices
The table below applies only each provider's stated base formula to a single successful transaction. It excludes tax, currency conversion, payment-method adjustments, subscriptions, payouts, disputes, refunds, negotiated pricing, and other conditional charges.
Provider: Anyway: 3.9% + $0.50; $10 order: $0.89; $29 order: $1.63; $99 order: $4.36
Provider: Creem: 3.9% + $0.40 base; $10 order: $0.79; $29 order: $1.53; $99 order: $4.26
Provider: Dodo Payments: 4% + $0.40; $10 order: $0.80; $29 order: $1.56; $99 order: $4.36
Provider: Polar: 4% + $0.40 base; $10 order: $0.80; $29 order: $1.56; $99 order: $4.36
Provider: Paddle: 5% + $0.50; $10 order: $1.00; $29 order: $1.95; $99 order: $5.45
Provider: Lemon Squeezy: 5% + $0.50 base; $10 order: $1.00; $29 order: $1.95; $99 order: $5.45
Provider: Gumroad direct: 10% + $0.50; $10 order: $1.50; $29 order: $3.40; $99 order: $10.40
The formula is simple:
For 1,000 monthly orders at $29, Anyway's published base formula produces an illustrative fee of $1,631:
That is a planning number, not a quote. A useful forecast separates customers by country, currency, payment method, plan type, refund rate, and payout route.
Why Merchant of Record fees exceed card processing alone
A card processor fee pays for payment acceptance. An MoR fee covers a different operating model. For the sales it covers, the provider appears as the seller on the customer transaction and performs work that can include:
payment acceptance and checkout;
indirect tax calculation and collection;
tax registration and remittance within the MoR model;
buyer receipts or invoices;
fraud controls and dispute administration;
refunds and customer transaction support;
merchant settlement and finance records.
The SaaS company still owns its product, customer relationship, support experience, access rules, and financial planning. The MoR owns the transaction duties defined in its terms.
If you are deciding between these models, read Merchant of Record vs payment processor before comparing percentages.
Seven cost lines to include in an MoR comparison
Base transaction fee
This is the percentage plus fixed amount shown most prominently. The fixed amount matters most for low-priced orders, while the percentage carries more weight as order value rises.
Model monthly plans, annual plans, upgrades, and one-time purchases separately. A single blended average can hide the effect of many small credit-pack orders.
Billing feature fees
Some providers include subscriptions in the base offer. Others publish a subscription surcharge or separate charges for certain billing services. Usage-based products may need an external meter or an internal credit ledger even when checkout is handled by an MoR.
Map the full billing flow rather than assuming every provider uses the same definition of "subscription support." The Merchant of Record for subscriptions guide covers the core workflow.
International payment and currency costs
Check three separate currency questions:
Which currencies can the customer see and pay in?
Which currency is recorded for the order and refund?
Which currency reaches the merchant's payout account?
An international card charge and a currency conversion charge may be separate. When a provider publishes conditional rates, apply them only to the share of orders that will actually trigger them.
Payout costs and thresholds
The checkout coverage map is not the payout coverage map. Confirm the available account types, settlement currencies, schedule, threshold, and provider fees.
Anyway's public documentation lists US ACH, UK bank, Hong Kong bank, Alipay, and China bank payout account types, with a $50 minimum payout. A founder should confirm which route is available after verification and use that route in the cost model.
Refund treatment
Record what happens to the original transaction fee, whether any refund processing charge applies, and how currency movements affect the returned amount. The policy can differ by payment method or contract.
A clear customer-facing policy can also reduce avoidable support requests. Use this SaaS refund policy guide to define the business rules before configuring the payment flow.
Dispute costs
Compare the dispute fee, evidence workflow, response deadline, and outcome treatment. A provider may administer the card-network process as MoR, but the SaaS merchant still needs usable product logs, customer communications, acceptance records, and delivery evidence.
Build those records into the product from the start rather than treating disputes as a finance-only event.
Contract and volume terms
Custom pricing can be attractive when volume and order patterns are predictable. Request a written quote based on the same data sent to every sales-assisted provider:
monthly gross volume;
transaction count and average order value;
buyer-country mix;
subscription share;
currencies and payment methods;
refund and dispute history;
planned growth over the contract term.
This keeps custom proposals comparable.
How the main pricing models fit different sellers
Published transaction pricing
Anyway, Dodo Payments, Paddle, and several other providers publish a percentage-plus-fixed fee. This model gives a founder an immediate planning baseline and scales with successful transactions.
Anyway lists 3.9% + $0.50, no monthly fee, and no setup fee. That combination works well for a developer-led SaaS that wants to launch with a hosted link and keep fixed platform costs low before transaction volume grows.
Published base pricing with conditional charges
Creem, Polar, and Lemon Squeezy publish a base rate while documenting cases that can carry other fees. That can still be easy to model when the founder knows the share of international cards, subscriptions, currency conversions, or other affected activity.
Use the provider's full pricing documentation, not a number copied from a search snippet.
Custom revenue-share pricing
FastSpring and PayPro Global ask prospective merchants to discuss their business and receive a quote. This can fit teams that expect negotiated terms, want a sales-led evaluation, or have order volume that supports a tailored agreement.
Compare the entire commercial offer, including any term length, minimums, service commitments, and included capabilities.
Storefront and discovery pricing
Gumroad combines payments with product pages, digital delivery, audience tools, and a Discover marketplace. Its pricing distinguishes direct/profile sales from customers acquired through Discover.
For a creator, marketplace reach may be part of the value. For an established SaaS with its own acquisition channels and application, a developer-oriented MoR flow may be a closer match.
Build a realistic Merchant of Record pricing comparison
Create a spreadsheet with one row per order group, not one row per provider. Useful columns include:
Input: Plan; Example: Starter monthly
Input: Orders per month; Example: 600
Input: Order value; Example: $19
Input: Customer region; Example: 45% domestic, 55% international
Input: Billing type; Example: Recurring
Input: Payment mix; Example: 85% card, 15% local methods
Input: Refund assumption; Example: Based on your own history
Input: Settlement route; Example: Confirmed payout account
Apply each provider's terms to every group, then sum the result. Run a base case and a high-growth case. This exposes which fee lines matter at the current stage and which become important later.
Do not treat collected sales tax as SaaS revenue or as an MoR platform fee. Keep product price, tax, fees, refunds, and net payout in separate columns. The SaaS payment reconciliation guide explains how those records connect.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest Merchant of Record?
There is no universal cheapest MoR because the final cost depends on order value, buyer location, payment method, billing type, refunds, disputes, currency conversion, and payout route. Among the public base rates reviewed here, Anyway and Creem begin at 3.9% plus a fixed amount.
How much does Anyway charge?
Anyway publishes a price of 3.9% + $0.50 per transaction and lists no monthly or setup fee. Confirm the current pricing and terms on the official site before launch.
Are Merchant of Record fees tax deductible?
Accounting and tax treatment depends on the merchant's jurisdiction and records. Keep provider statements, invoices, order-level fees, refunds, and payout reports, then ask a qualified local accountant how to classify them.
Does the MoR fee include sales tax?
Sales tax, VAT, or GST collected from a buyer is generally separate from the provider fee and product revenue. The MoR calculates and administers indirect tax for covered transactions under its terms. Check the statement format to see each amount separately.
Is custom MoR pricing better than public pricing?
It can be for a company with predictable scale or needs that support negotiation. Published pricing is easier to model immediately. Compare both using the same order data and contract period.
Price the workflow, not one percentage
The useful outcome of an MoR pricing comparison is a forecast tied to your real sales mix. Start with Anyway's published 3.9% + $0.50 formula, add your expected order groups, and test the checkout-to-payout records. Create an Anyway account to evaluate the operating flow.