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Lemon Squeezy

Merchant of record owned by Stripe for selling software, subscriptions and digital products, with sales tax and VAT handled for you.

Global payments
Website Official pricing
Price
5% + 50¢ per transaction; some international payments cost extra
Free plan
No
Setup
A little code
Up and running
Checkout links work in an afternoon; add 2 to 3 business days for store approval.

What Lemon Squeezy is for

Lemon Squeezy is a merchant of record owned by Stripe: it sells your software in its own name, so it charges and files sales tax and VAT around the world for you. You get a ready-made checkout, subscriptions and license keys without building a billing system, and it pays out what's left twice a month.

How it plugs into your product

  1. 1Create a store; it starts in test mode so you can set up products and try the checkout.
  2. 2Request activation: answer a short questionnaire and verify your identity with a government ID. Approval usually takes 2 to 3 business days.
  3. 3Link the checkout from your site and use webhooks or license keys to unlock the product.
  4. 4Connect a payout method: a bank account if your country is on the bank payout list, otherwise PayPal.

Does it fit your idea?

It fits if

  • A solo founder selling a small SaaS, plugin or template to customers worldwide who wants to launch this week.
  • Desktop apps or tools sold with license keys, which come built in.
  • Low volume where a ready checkout matters more than a few points of fee.

Look elsewhere if

  • Your country isn't on the bank payout list and you don't want every payout going through PayPal.
  • You sell services of any kind: consulting, design, development or marketing.
  • You sell lots of $5 items: 5% + 50¢ takes 15% of each sale before any international or PayPal surcharge.

What people only find out after building

Read this before you build on it. Each item links to the official page that says so.

  • The 5% + 50¢ is only the base. Sales outside the US add 1.5%, PayPal payments add 1.5% and subscription payments add 0.5%, so a renewal from Europe costs 7% + 50¢.

    Official source: docs.lemonsqueezy.com

  • Bank payouts only go to countries on the supported list; everywhere else you're paid through PayPal, which costs 3% per payout outside the US (capped at $30). If neither option covers your country, you can't use it.

    Official source: docs.lemonsqueezy.com

  • Stores selling services are usually not approved, and selling a banned product can get the store put in review or suspended without notice.

    Official source: docs.lemonsqueezy.com

  • Stripe is now steering the company toward Stripe Managed Payments, and Lemon Squeezy says its goal is an easy way for users to migrate there. Expect a possible move later.

    Official source: lemonsqueezy.com

Price

5% + 50¢ per transaction; some international payments cost extra

No monthly fee; you pay per transaction.

Fee per sale
5% + 50¢ (+1.5% outside the US)
Handles taxes (merchant of record)
Yes, files and remits taxes
Subscriptions
Yes, +0.5% per subscription payment

Checked on Oct 28, 2026 · official pricing

What it costs in practice

Estimate for a SaaS with 200 subscribers at $20/month, all outside the US: 200 × (7% of $20 + 50¢) = about $380/month. Two PayPal payouts hit the $30 cap, another $60. You keep roughly $3,550 of $4,000.

Estimate from the official price. Check it before you decide.

At a glance

  • Open source: no

“Not stated” means the official site doesn’t say.

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