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The Best Payment Gateways for SaaS and Digital Products in 2026
Curated by Musharof Chowdhury · Last reviewed · How we pick
Choosing how to take payments comes down to one question: do you want to handle sales tax and VAT yourself? A payment processor like Stripe gives you the most control and the lowest fees, but tax compliance is your job. A merchant of record like Paddle or Lemon Squeezy sells on your behalf and handles global taxes, for a higher fee.
Solo founders selling worldwide usually start with a merchant of record. Teams with finance support, or those selling mainly in one country, usually prefer a processor.
Our shortlist
Stripe
Best for developers who want full controlThe best APIs and documentation in payments, covering subscriptions, invoicing and checkout; you handle tax compliance, with help from Stripe Tax.
Paddle
Best for SaaS companies selling globallyA merchant of record built for software, handling global sales tax, invoicing and subscription billing for you.
Lemon Squeezy
Best for indie makers and small teamsA simple merchant of record for software and digital products, with license keys and an affiliate program built in; now owned by Stripe.
Polar
Best for developers selling software and subscriptionsAn open-source merchant of record aimed at developers, with checkout, subscriptions and license keys.
Gumroad
Best for selling a first digital productThe quickest way to start selling ebooks, courses and templates, with no monthly fee and a hosted storefront.
PayPal
Best for buyers who prefer PayPalWorth offering alongside card payments because many customers trust it and already have an account.
FastSpring
Best for established software companiesA long-standing merchant of record for software and games, with mature subscription and localisation features.
Mollie
Best for businesses in EuropeSupports popular local European payment methods such as iDEAL and Bancontact with transparent pricing.
Razorpay
Best for businesses in IndiaThe leading gateway for Indian businesses, with UPI, cards, net banking and subscription support.
Frequently asked questions
What is a merchant of record?
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A merchant of record is the company that legally sells your product to the customer. It collects payment, calculates and remits sales tax and VAT, and handles refunds and chargebacks. Paddle, Lemon Squeezy, Polar and FastSpring work this way, so you do not have to register for taxes in every country you sell to.
Stripe or Paddle: which is better for SaaS?
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Stripe is better if you want the lowest fees and full control and can manage tax compliance. Paddle is better if you sell globally and want sales tax, VAT and invoicing handled for you in exchange for a higher fee.
What is the easiest way to sell digital products?
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Gumroad is the fastest way to start, with a hosted storefront and no monthly fee. Lemon Squeezy is a good next step when you need license keys, subscriptions or an affiliate program.
How much do payment gateways charge?
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Payment processors typically charge a percentage plus a fixed amount per transaction, with extra fees for international cards and currency conversion. Merchants of record charge a higher percentage because they include tax handling. Fees vary by country, so compare each provider's current pricing page.
Browse every payment provider
All 34 listings in this category, submitted by the community.
Millions of businesses of all sizes – from startups to Fortune 500s – use Stripe's software and APIs to accept payments, send payouts, and manage thei...
Paddle offers SaaS companies a completely different way to sell. Instead of assembling and maintaining a complex stack of payments-related apps and se...
One simple platform, Replace dozens of tools, save money, and manage your entire ecommerce business from anywhere with one simple platform....
With Gumroad, anyone can earn their first dollar online. Just start with what you know, see what sticks, and get paid. It’s that easy....
Paypal is an eCommerce payments platform designed to help people and companies to send and receive payments without providing financial information. I...
Elevate Pay offers US-based USD accounts for remote employees and freelancers in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Egypt, and the Philippines. Receive earnings fr...
Mollie, a pioneer in the payments industry and one of Europe’s fastest-growing payment service providers (PSP). Founded in 2004, we believe that every...
FastSpring is the leading merchant of record for global SaaS and software companies—powering over a billion dollars in worldwide transactions every ye...
Braintree is a payment gateway that is part of the PayPal network. It is designed to make the payment process easier. It offers commerce tools to buil...
Verifone is omnipresent in omnichannel - no matter where you are in the world, no matter where you are with your customer journey. We revolutionize co...
2Checkout is a popular global payment gateway that allows businesses to accept online payments from buyers around the globe. It has many features and ...
KKiaPay help merchant organizations and e-merchants to receive payments by mobile money, bank cards in a simple and secure way. Whether you have a web...
We at Simpler Invoice hope to help as many contractors, sole traders and freelancers as possible to improve their invoicing game. Being self-employed...
ProcessBankStatement is a secure and fast tool that eliminates manual data entry. Simply upload any PDF bank statement and get a downloadable CSV in s...
PayDrop Licenses generates and emails a unique software license key the moment a licensed product sells, with configurable activation limits, an optio...
Sessurely is booking software with built-in no-show protection for independent service pros — trainers, coaches, photographers, and consultants. It ke...
Our cutting-edge SaaS platform simplifies affiliate marketing for mobile apps, offering seamless tracking of affiliate generated in-app purchases. ...
Authorize.Net is a global payment gateway that provides strong infrastructure and security to ensure smooth, fast and secure transfer of transactional...
ConnectPay is a Lithuanian-licensed Electronic Money Institution offering embedded finance for online businesses. It provides IBAN accounts, cards, an...
Junocal brings scheduling, online booking, payments, memberships and client management into one straightforward platform for independent studios, gyms...
ValueScreener is a value investing stock screener and thesis monitoring tool for people who pick their own stocks. The screener runs 30+ documented di...
Why We Built xPay We built xPay because we saw a huge gap in how Indian businesses handle cross-border payments. While global payment gateways often f...
PaymentForm.io is a no-code payment form and checkout platform for businesses, nonprofits, creators, organizations, and individuals. It makes it easy ...
Invoice Owl is a modern, intuitive invoicing and billing SaaS designed to help freelancers, small businesses, and professionals streamline their finan...
Butterscotch has many features to help streamline your small business! You can create and save reusable templates of your contracts, set up online pay...
BookingMachine is booking, quoting and payments software for local service businesses such as mobile detailers, cleaners, dog groomers and photographe...
RemitIndex is a comparison platform built exclusively for Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and global expats. It lets you compare 50+ remittance providers ...
Blessa is a wish list platform specifically designed for creators. It enables users to curate a virtual shopping list filled with items they genuinely...
Hello Invoice is a modern invoicing platform for freelancers and professionals. Create and send estimates and invoices in seconds, automate billing, a...
tiun lets indie hackers launch digital products with authentication, payments, and a database in one system from day one. We built Stripe for Indie Ha...