Payment Platform Data v2.3.0 Updated 2025-12-30

Paddle

The complete payments, tax, and subscriptions solution

90 16.7k/week No known vulns N/A (server-side)
86 /100
Strong pick Good confidence (88%)

Quick Verdict

Best For

  • Global SaaS companies selling to consumers
  • Businesses wanting zero tax burden
  • Teams without finance/legal resources
  • B2C software with international customers

Consider Alternatives If

  • Marketplace platforms needing Connect-style features
  • Businesses wanting full payment control
  • Enterprise B2B with custom invoicing needs

Top Alternatives

Stripe 96LemonSqueezy 78

Pricing & Coverage

Payment processing details for Paddle

Transaction Fees

5% + $0.50

Includes all payment processing + tax handling

Merchant of Record

MoR Included

They handle tax compliance, invoicing, and act as the seller of record.

Payout Speed

7-14 business days

Tax Compliance

Accepted Payment Methods

cardpaypalapple paygoogle paywire

Geographic Coverage

49 countries accept payments 22 countries for payouts
View all supported countries
USCAGBDEFRESITNLBEATCHIEPTSENODKFIAUNZJPSGHKPLCZROBGHRSISKHULTLVEEMTCYLUGRBRMXARCLCOINZAAESAILTWKR

Also supports payouts

Subscription & Billing Features

Recurring billingUsage-based billing (limited)TrialsDunning managementProrationLicense keysCustomer portal

Fraud Protection

  • ML fraud detection
  • 3D Secure
  • Risk scoring
  • Chargeback handling
Data from: Official Paddle Documentation

Score Breakdown

6 dimensions evaluated with transparent methodology

Performance
82 −18

Reliable performance with global coverage

  • 99.9% uptime guarantee
  • Global payment method support
  • Fast checkout experience
Why not 100%:
  • −6 Occasional webhook delays
  • −6 Checkout overlay can be slow
  • −6 Limited real-time reporting
Developer Experience
82 −18

Clean APIs with improving documentation

  • Modern REST API (Billing v2)
  • Official Node.js SDK
  • Sandbox environment for testing
Why not 100%:
  • −6 Less comprehensive than Stripe docs
  • −6 Fewer code samples available
  • −6 CLI tools still maturing
Ecosystem
75 −25

Growing ecosystem focused on SaaS

  • Native integrations with major tools
  • ProfitWell analytics built-in
  • Customer portal included
Why not 100%:
  • −8 Smaller than Stripe ecosystem
  • −8 Fewer third-party integrations
  • −8 Limited marketplace
Maintainability
85 −15

Stable platform with dedicated SaaS focus

  • Long API deprecation cycles
  • Automatic tax law updates
  • Version 2 API is mature
Why not 100%:
  • −7 Platform changes occasionally break workflows
  • −7 Documentation can lag behind features
Cost Efficiency
70 −30

Higher fees but includes tax compliance

  • 5% + 50¢ includes all tax handling
  • No separate tax service needed
  • ProfitWell included free
Why not 100%:
  • −10 Higher percentage than Stripe
  • −10 Low-volume businesses pay more
  • −10 Enterprise pricing not transparent
Compliance
95 −5

MoR model removes compliance burden entirely

  • Paddle is the seller of record
  • Handles VAT/GST in 200+ countries
  • Tax invoices generated automatically
Why not 100%:
  • −2 Less control over invoices
  • −2 Brand appears as Paddle in statements

Compare Alternatives

How Paddle stacks up against similar technologies

TechnologyOverallPerfDXEcosystem
Current Paddle86828275
Stripe More control, larger ecosystem96———Compare →
LemonSqueezy Simpler, better for creators78———Compare →
Full comparison with Stripe

Sources & Methodology

How we calculate these scores — transparent and reproducible

Deterministic Scoring

Same inputs always produce the same outputs. We use versioned lookup tables, not LLM opinions. Every score is explainable and reproducible.

Learn how it works →
primary

GitHub

Repository activity, stars, contributors, issue resolution time

primary

NPM Registry

Weekly downloads, package dependencies, version history

secondary

OSV Database

Known vulnerabilities, security advisories, CVE tracking

contextual

Community Signals

Stack Overflow activity, Discord engagement, developer surveys

Data version: 2.3.0 Last updated: 2025-12-30 Confidence: 88%

Frequently Asked

Why doesn't Paddle score 100%?

No technology is perfect for every use case. Our scoring reflects real-world trade-offs. Paddle's main gaps are in cost efficiency, where higher percentage than stripe.

What does confidence percentage mean?

Confidence (88%) indicates how much data we have to support the score. Higher confidence means more data points from multiple sources (GitHub activity, NPM downloads, security audits, community surveys).

How often are scores updated?

Scores are recalculated weekly using automated data pipelines. Major version updates trigger immediate recalculation. Last update: 2025-12-30.