# Paddle pricing explained · CheckoutScale > Source: https://checkoutscale.com/reviews/paddle/pricing ## Paddle pricing Pricing, explained [Full review →](/reviews/paddle) By [Marcus Reyes](/authors/marcus-reyes), Editor. Verified against the vendor's pricing page on 2026-09-27. **Disclosure:**We may earn a commission when you buy through links on this page. It never affects our rankings. At a glance Starts at Not listed Best for software, SaaS and digital-product sellers who want tax and compliance handled Founded 2012 Website [Official site](https://www.paddle.com) ### How Paddle's pricing works Paddle has no plan tiers. It is one pay-as-you-go rate, and everything is inside it. 5% + 50c per checkout transaction * Card processing and localized checkout * Subscription billing and failed-payment recovery (Retain) * Sales tax and VAT registered, charged, filed and remitted as Merchant of Record * Fraud and chargeback protection, and buyer billing support * No monthly fee and no migration fee Products priced under $10 need custom pricing; high-volume businesses can arrange a custom rate. ### Is it worth the money? ##### What works * As Merchant of Record, Paddle takes the whole sales-tax, VAT and GST job off your plate: it registers, charges, files and remits across 100-plus jurisdictions, so a global software business does not have to stand up its own tax compliance. * One rate covers a lot of ground. The 5% + 50c includes payments, subscription billing, fraud and chargeback protection, failed-payment recovery through Retain, and buyer billing support, with no monthly fee and no migration fee. * Paddle states there is no lock-in period and that your data is yours to migrate to another provider. That is the reassurance that matters most before you hand your billing to a third party, though it is worth getting in writing. * It is not a bet on a startup. Paddle has run since 2012, reports more than 10,000 customers and says it has processed over 190 million transactions, so the infrastructure is proven at scale. ##### What to watch * It only serves software and digital products. Paddle's own Acceptable Use Policy says it is not a fit for physical goods or human services, and its prohibited list rules out medical and weight-loss advice, business or investment opportunities, gambling and adult content. Most physical-product, supplement and biz-opp sellers cannot open an account at all. * It costs more than a raw processor: 5% + 50c against Stripe's 2.9% + 30c. You are paying for the tax and compliance work, so it only pays off when that work is a real burden, and the fixed 50c hurts on low-ticket products. * Account risk is the loudest long-term complaint. Founders report opaque risk reviews that end in suspension or closure, with payouts held afterward while they still owe customers refunds and active subscriptions. A June 2025 FTC settlement is the backdrop to stricter underwriting since. Keep a cash buffer and a backup provider ready. * Payouts are monthly, not on demand. Your balance settles after month-end and arrives around the 15th, so cash flow is slower than a gateway that pays out on a rolling schedule. ### Frequently asked questions How much does Paddle cost? Paddle is pay-as-you-go at 5% + 50c per checkout transaction, with no monthly fee and no migration fee. Products priced under $10 need custom pricing, and high-volume businesses can arrange a custom rate. Does Paddle have a free trial? There is nothing to trial in the usual sense. Paddle has no monthly fee, so you pay 5% + 50c only when you make a sale. The commitment is passing underwriting, not a subscription. Is the 5% + 50c all I pay? Card processing, sales tax handling, fraud protection and billing support are all inside that rate. The costs to watch are the fixed 50c, which stings on low-ticket sales, and payouts that arrive monthly rather than on demand. ### What we read #### From Paddle * * Localized branded checkout * Sales tax and compliance handled as Merchant of Record #### Other sources 7 discussions and reviews read for this page. Quotes are excerpts; open a link to read the original in context. 1. \[aup\] [Understanding Paddle's Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) ](https://www.paddle.com/help/start/intro-to-paddle/what-am-i-not-allowed-to-sell-on-paddle) Blog, 13 Apr 2026 2. \[aup-prohibited\] [Paddle prohibited categories ](https://www.paddle.com/help/start/intro-to-paddle/what-am-i-not-allowed-to-sell-on-paddle) Blog, 13 Apr 2026 3. \[reddit-warning\] [I want to share my experience with Paddle as a warning to other SaaS founders ](https://www.reddit.com/r/SaaS/comments/1wd86p7/i%5Fwant%5Fto%5Fshare%5Fmy%5Fexperience%5Fwith%5Fpaddle%5Fas%5Fa/) Reddit, 1 Sep 2026 4. \[reddit-earlystage\] [Do not use Paddle if you're an early-stage startup ](https://www.reddit.com/r/SaaS/comments/1r6hi9s/do%5Fnot%5Fuse%5Fpaddle%5Fif%5Fyoure%5Fan%5Fearlystage%5Fstartup/) Reddit, 1 Feb 2026 5. \[ftc\] [Paddle Will Pay $5 Million to Settle FTC Allegations ](https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2025/06/paddle-will-pay-5-million-settle-ftc-allegations-unfair-payment-processing-practices-facilitation) Blog, 16 Jun 2025 6. \[trustpilot\] [Paddle Reviews | Read Customer Service Reviews of paddle.com ](https://www.trustpilot.com/review/paddle.com) Trustpilot, 27 Sep 2026 7. \[pricing\] [All-in-One Pricing, No Hidden Costs | Paddle ](https://www.paddle.com/pricing) Blog, 27 Sep 2026 ### Related reading * [Full Paddle review](/reviews/paddle) * [Paddle alternatives](/alternatives/paddle) --- We rank the platforms that build the pages and host the checkout for teams running paid traffic: order bumps, one-click upsells, split-testing whole checkouts, different checkouts per traffic source, and payment routing for high-risk verticals. 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