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Polar fee calculator.

See what Polar.sh takes from a sale on each plan, what the monthly plan fee does to that, and how it compares with Stripe and the other merchants of record.

Free · All four plans · Rates checked September 2026

Your sale

Merchant of record fees are published in US dollars.

Calculate
$

The price before any sales tax or VAT.

Your customers

%

Polar adds 1.5% on these.

Billing

Lemon Squeezy and Dodo Payments add 0.5% on subscriptions. Stripe adds Billing's 0.7%.

Polar plan

Starter 5% + 50¢, Pro 3.8% + 40¢ ($20/mo), Growth 3.6% + 35¢ ($100/mo), Scale 3.4% + 30¢ ($400/mo)

Volume and tax

For monthly totals and plan fees.

%

Fees apply to the total including tax.

Building a SaaS?

Polar Starter leaves you $9,450.00 a month on these numbers. SyntaxKit runs on Stripe, Polar or Creem, and switching between them is one setting.

You keep

$94.50

Polar Starter takes $5.50 (5.5% of the price).

Price
$100.00
Transaction fee (Starter)5% + 50¢
−$5.50
You keep per sale
$94.50
Per monthfees / you keep
$550.00 / $9,450.00

The same sale on every provider.

Lowest total fees first, counting monthly plan fees. A merchant of record collects and pays sales tax and VAT for you.

ProviderSales taxFees per saleYou keepYou keep per month from 100 sales
WhopLowest feesYou handle sales tax and VAT yourself.You file$3.003%$97.00$9,700.00
StripeYou register, collect and file sales tax and VAT yourself.You file$3.203.2%$96.80$9,680.00
Stripe + Stripe TaxStripe calculates tax. You still register and file.You file$3.703.7%$96.30$9,630.00
PayPalPayPal checkout rate. You handle sales tax and VAT yourself.You file$3.984%$96.02$9,602.00
CreemHandled$4.304.3%$95.70$9,570.00
Polar ProHandled$4.204.2%$95.80$9,560.00
Dodo PaymentsHandled$4.404.4%$95.60$9,560.00

Polar is shown on the plan that leaves you the most at your monthly volume. Unless you pick otherwise above, Gumroad is shown on direct sales and PayPal on its checkout rate. Payout, dispute and refund costs are covered further down.

Rates

Polar fees in 2026.

Polar moved from a single rate to four plans. Most comparison posts still quote the old 4% + 40¢, which now only applies to legacy Early Member accounts.
Polar plans and fees
PlanMonthlyTransaction feeNon-US card
StarterFree5% + 50¢+1.5%
Pro$203.8% + 40¢+1.5%
Growth$1003.6% + 35¢+1.5%
Scale$4003.4% + 30¢+1.5%

Rates checked against each provider's own pricing page on . Providers change pricing; confirm on their site before you commit.

Which plan

When a paid plan pays for itself.

Monthly fees at a $29 price, one-time US sales. The cheapest plan at each volume is marked.
Polar monthly fees by plan at $29 per sale
Sales per monthStarterProGrowthScale
25$48.75 ✓$57.55$134.85$432.15
50$97.50$95.10 ✓$169.70$464.30
100$195.00$170.20 ✓$239.40$528.60
500$975.00$771.00 ✓$797.00$1,043.00
1,000$1,950.00$1,522.00$1,494.00 ✓$1,686.00
5,000$9,750.00$7,530.00$7,070.00$6,830.00 ✓

Each step up trades a monthly fee for a lower rate, so it pays off once enough sales pass through. At $29, Pro beats Starter from 45 sales a month. Higher prices reach the break-even sooner, because the percentage saving grows with the price.

Polar or Stripe

Why Polar costs more than Stripe per sale.

Polar is a merchant of record: it sells your product to the customer and handles sales tax and VAT in every country. Stripe is a processor, so the tax registrations and filings stay with you. The payment fee comparison puts both on the same sale, and the Stripe fee calculator covers Stripe's own merchant of record option.

FAQ

Polar fee questions.

How much does Polar.sh charge?

Polar charges per transaction depending on your plan: Starter is free with 5% + 50¢, Pro is $20 a month with 3.8% + 40¢, Growth is $100 a month with 3.6% + 35¢, and Scale is $400 a month with 3.4% + 30¢. Cards issued outside the US add 1.5% on every plan.

Which Polar plan should I pick?

It depends on your volume and price. At $29 a sale, Pro becomes cheaper than Starter from 45 sales a month. Set your price and sales per month in the calculator and switch plans to compare.

Does Polar charge extra for subscriptions?

Not on the current plans. The 0.5% subscription surcharge only applies to legacy Early Member organizations.

Does Polar charge extra for international cards?

Yes, 1.5% on cards issued outside the US, on top of the plan's transaction fee.

What are Polar's payout fees?

Payouts go through Stripe Connect: $2 for each month with an active payout, 0.25% + 25¢ per payout, and a cross-border conversion fee of 0.25% in the EU or 1% elsewhere.

Does Polar refund its fee when I refund an order?

No. Polar keeps the transaction fee on refunded orders because the card networks still charge it. Disputes cost $15 each, whatever the outcome.

Is Polar cheaper than Stripe?

Not per sale: Stripe's US rate is 2.9% + 30¢. But Polar is a merchant of record that handles sales tax and VAT worldwide. Stripe's equivalent, Managed Payments, adds 3.5% to its card fee, which costs more than Polar's Starter plan on any price above about $15.

Billing in SyntaxKit

Pick a payment provider. Keep your code.

SyntaxKit is a Next.js SaaS starter kit with billing already built. Start on Stripe, Polar or Creem and switch later with one setting: your plans, checkout and access rules stay exactly the same.

  • Hosted checkout and customer portal
  • Plans, prices and feature limits in one file
  • Webhooks that stay correct when retried
  • Per-seat plans, and usage billing on Stripe
  • Refunds and disputes end access automatically
  • Invoices and AI usage on the billing page
See SyntaxKit
Live demo

From $199 · one-time payment · lifetime updates

Payment provider

  • Free3 projects$0/mo
  • ProUnlimited projects, AI chat$29/mo
  • Team5 seats, roles and invites$79/mo
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