# Take payments

> “Take card payments online”. Ranked by expert consensus and what people use now; affiliate links never change the order.

The main choice is who carries the tax work. Stripe is a payment processor with no monthly fee: you pay per successful transaction, get subscriptions, checkout pages and invoices, and you stay responsible for VAT yourself. Paddle and Lemon Squeezy act as merchant of record, so they sell to your customer and collect sales tax and VAT worldwide for you. Paddle suits SaaS companies, Lemon Squeezy indie makers selling digital products.

Last checked: 2026-10-01

## Ranking

1. **[Stripe](https://suiteintent.com/t/stripe?m=GB)**: Online payments, subscriptions and invoices. · Best for: Recurring billing for a SaaS or membership · Free plan
2. **[Paddle](https://suiteintent.com/t/paddle?m=GB)**: Merchant of record for SaaS payments and tax. · Best for: SaaS founders selling worldwide · Pricing on request
3. **[Lemon Squeezy](https://suiteintent.com/t/lemon-squeezy?m=GB)**: Merchant of record for digital products. · Best for: Indie makers selling worldwide · Pricing on request

## Side by side

| Tool | Price | Ease of use (1-5) | Team size |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Stripe | Free plan | 3 | solo, small team, growing team, large team |
| Paddle | Pricing on request | 3 | small team, growing team, large team |
| Lemon Squeezy | Pricing on request | 5 | solo, small team |

## Why these picks

- Prices last checked: 2026-10-01
- Ranked by expert consensus and what people use now; affiliate links never change the order.

## Head to head

- [Stripe vs Paddle: who handles your SaaS billing](https://suiteintent.com/compare/stripe-vs-paddle)

## Rules that apply

- [EU VAT on digital sales: the €10,000 rule and OSS](https://suiteintent.com/compliance/eu-oss-vat): Selling e-books, courses or downloads to buyers in other EU countries? See when you charge their VAT rate, how the OSS return works and who can file it.

## MCP setups

- [Let Claude create invoices and payment links in Stripe](https://suiteintent.com/mcp/claude-stripe-invoices)

## Questions

### What is a merchant of record, and do I need one?

A merchant of record is the legal seller in each transaction, so it collects and pays sales tax and VAT in every country. Paddle and Lemon Squeezy work this way, which saves you registering for tax wherever your buyers live. You pay a higher cut per sale than with a plain processor. It makes most sense for software and digital products sold to consumers across many countries.

### Does Stripe charge a monthly fee?

No, Stripe has no monthly fee and charges per successful transaction. That covers cards and local payment methods, a hosted checkout page, subscriptions and invoices. Failed subscription payments get retried automatically. Extra products can carry their own fees, so check the pricing page for anything beyond basic payments.

### I sell digital downloads. Is Lemon Squeezy enough on its own?

For most solo sellers, yes. Lemon Squeezy runs the checkout, takes payments and handles sales tax worldwide, and it includes licence keys and an affiliate programme. That covers ebooks, templates, plugins and small software. Larger SaaS teams that need more billing control tend to look at Paddle or Stripe.

### Can I take one-off payments and subscriptions in the same account?

All three support both. Stripe gives you the most flexibility through its API, which developers like, and handles invoices for B2B customers too. Paddle is built around SaaS subscriptions with tax collected for you. Lemon Squeezy covers subscriptions alongside one-off digital sales.

### I sell to customers across the EU. What changes for me?

Digital services sold to EU consumers are taxed at the buyer's VAT rate, which you declare through the EU's OSS scheme if you handle it yourself. With Stripe that registration and filing stays with you or your accountant. Paddle and Lemon Squeezy take on that work as merchant of record. For physical goods or B2B sales the picture differs, so check with your adviser.