Best payment processor for SaaS - Stripe vs Lemon Squeezy vs Paddle?

Stripe is the default for a reason. Best API, best documentation, best ecosystem of plugins and integrations. The learning curve is real but worth it. Use Stripe Billing for subscriptions and Stripe Tax for tax handling. Downside: you handle the merchant of record responsibilities yourself (tax reporting, refunds, disputes).

One more thing: whatever you choose, implement it early. I made the mistake of building for 3 months before adding payments and it delayed my launch by another month. Get money flowing on day one, even if it is ugly.

I use Lemon Squeezy and love it for indie products. They act as the merchant of record which means they handle all the tax compliance globally. One less thing to worry about. The API is simpler than Stripe and the dashboard is cleaner. Downside: less customization and the fees are slightly higher.

Paddle if you are selling to enterprise or need invoicing. They are a merchant of record like Lemon Squeezy but more established. Better for B2B because they handle VAT invoicing properly. For a solo founder starting out, I would go Lemon Squeezy for simplicity. Switch to Stripe when you need more control.