Stack guides / Payments

Payment providers compared

No monthly fees here, just a cut of each sale. The big choice: a payment processor (lowest fees, you handle sales tax and VAT) or a merchant of record (higher fees, they handle tax for you).

8 options. Free tiers, catches and prices checked by hand on 2026-10-27; each one links to its sources.

Where we’d start: Stripe. Low fees, every payment method, and the best docs; AI tools know it well.

StripeServiceOur pick

An online payment processor for cards, wallets and subscriptions.

Best for: Most SaaS and online stores that want full control and the widest feature set. Skip it if: You sell digital products worldwide and don’t want to register and file taxes yourself.

Built into Lovable (built-in payments on Pro, or your own key on Free) and Bolt; official remote MCP mcp.stripe.com via OAuth or agent API keys (plain secret keys stop working there from Dec 2026).

Standard pay-as-you-go pricing

  • US: 2.9% + 30¢ per successful domestic card charge
  • +1.5% for international cards
  • +1% when currency conversion is needed
  • No setup or monthly fees

Not a merchant of record by default: sales tax/VAT is your job unless you add Stripe Tax or Managed Payments (+3.5% per sale, digital products, Checkout/Payment Links only).

2.9% + 30¢ per US card charge, no monthly fee

Checked 2026-10-27: support.stripe.com, stripe.com, support.stripe.com

Dodo PaymentsService

A merchant-of-record payments platform for selling SaaS and digital products worldwide.

Best for: Merchant of record (handles global VAT/GST/sales tax) at a lower base rate than Paddle or Lemon Squeezy. Skip it if: Many customers pay by PayPal or buy-now-pay-later, which add 3% each.

Official MCP server (remote with OAuth, or npm/Docker) plus agent skills; not in Lovable’s catalog.

Pay per sale (no monthly fee)

  • 4% + 40¢ per US card/wallet transaction
  • +1.5% international, +0.5% on subscriptions and usage billing
  • +3% for PayPal or Klarna/Afterpay
  • $30 per dispute, $1 per refund

The pricing page conflicts on payouts: free in the table, but the FAQ says $5 per payout under $1,000.

4% + 40¢ per transaction, no monthly fee

Checked 2026-10-27: dodopayments.com, docs.dodopayments.com

Lemon SqueezyService

A merchant-of-record checkout for selling software, subscriptions and digital downloads.

Best for: Merchant of record (handles sales tax/VAT) for solo makers selling digital products and subscriptions. Skip it if: You want a long-term home: the team’s stated goal is helping users migrate to Stripe Managed Payments.

No official MCP server found (community ones only); not in Lovable’s catalog.

Pay per sale (no monthly fee)

  • 5% + 50¢ per transaction
  • +1.5% outside the US, +1.5% for PayPal, +0.5% on subscriptions
  • +5% on revenue recovered by abandoned-cart emails
  • Payouts free to US banks, 1% to non-US banks

Surcharges stack, and since January 2026 the team is steering users toward Stripe Managed Payments (Stripe owns Lemon Squeezy).

5% + 50¢ per sale, no monthly fee

Checked 2026-10-27: lemonsqueezy.com, docs.lemonsqueezy.com, lemonsqueezy.com

PaddleService

A merchant-of-record payments and billing platform for software companies.

Best for: Merchant of record (collects and files sales tax/VAT) for SaaS and digital products sold globally. Skip it if: Most of your sales are under $10.

One of the two providers behind Lovable’s built-in payments (Pro plan and up); official MCP server github.com/PaddleHQ/paddle-mcp-server.

Pay per sale (no monthly fee)

  • 5% + 50¢ per checkout transaction
  • Tax filing, fraud protection, chargebacks and buyer support included
  • No lock-in period

The fixed 50¢ hurts cheap products: under $10 Paddle says to ask for bespoke pricing (Lovable’s docs cite a flat 10%).

5% + 50¢ per transaction, no monthly fee

Checked 2026-10-27: paddle.com, docs.lovable.dev, github.com

PayPalService

An online wallet and checkout for accepting PayPal, Venmo and card payments.

Best for: Adding a PayPal or Venmo button that many buyers already trust. Skip it if: Most of your sales are small or you want the lowest card fees.

Official remote MCP (mcp.paypal.com; sandbox at mcp.sandbox.paypal.com) and Agent Toolkit; not in Lovable’s catalog.

Standard (no monthly fee)

  • PayPal Checkout and Venmo: 3.49% + $0.49 (US)
  • Standard card processing: 2.99% + $0.49
  • +1.5% on international commercial transactions
  • Currency conversion: 3-4%

Not a merchant of record, and the $0.49 fixed fee makes small payments expensive.

3.49% + $0.49 per PayPal checkout, no monthly fee

Checked 2026-10-27: paypal.com, developer.paypal.com

PolarApache-2.0

An open-source merchant-of-record billing platform for selling software and subscriptions.

Best for: Merchant of record (handles sales tax/VAT) for developers selling SaaS and digital products. Skip it if: You sell more than about $1,400/month and stay on Starter; Polar’s own math says Pro is cheaper above that.

In Lovable’s connector catalog (Polar.sh); official hosted MCP (mcp.polar.sh, OAuth, read-only option, separate sandbox server).

Starter

  • 5% + 50¢ per transaction
  • +1.5% for non-US cards
  • Payouts at Stripe’s cost: $2 per month with payouts + 0.25% + 25¢ per payout
  • $15 per dispute, charged win or lose

Organizations created since May 27, 2026 pay 5% + 50¢; older 'Early Member’ orgs keep 4% + 40¢ (+0.5% on subscriptions) until they upgrade.

Pro $20/mo: 3.8% + 40¢ per transaction

Checked 2026-10-27: polar.sh, polar.sh, lovable.dev

RazorpayService

An Indian payment gateway for UPI, cards, netbanking and wallets.

Best for: Collecting payments from customers in India (not a merchant of record). Skip it if: You don’t sell to Indian customers or want tax handled for you.

Official MCP server github.com/razorpay/razorpay-mcp-server; not in Lovable’s catalog.

Standard plan

  • 2% platform fee on domestic cards, UPI, netbanking and wallets (+18% GST on the fee, about 2.36%)
  • Corporate cards 2.15%
  • International cards up to 3%
  • No setup or annual maintenance fee

UPI has zero MDR by regulation, but Razorpay still charges its 2% platform fee on UPI payments.

2% per transaction + GST, no monthly fee

Checked 2026-10-27: razorpay.com, razorpay.com, github.com

Stripe ConnectService

Stripe’s toolkit for marketplaces and platforms that take payments and pay out to sellers.

Best for: Marketplaces and platforms that collect payments and pay sellers. Skip it if: You only sell your own product; plain Stripe is simpler.

Stripe MCP can act on connected accounts with an agent API key and the Stripe-Account header (OAuth isn’t supported for that).

Stripe handles pricing (no Connect fees for the platform)

  • If Stripe handles pricing: no account or payout fees for the platform; sellers pay Stripe’s processing fees
  • If you set pricing: $2 per monthly active account (one that receives a payout)
  • Plus 0.25% + 25¢ per payout sent
  • Instant Payouts: 1% of payout volume

Normal card fees still apply, and Stripe’s merchant-of-record option (Managed Payments) doesn’t support Connect, so marketplace tax handling stays with you.

$2 per active seller/month + 0.25% + 25¢ per payout (when you set pricing)

Checked 2026-10-27: stripe.com, docs.stripe.com, docs.stripe.com

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