Best Payments & Billing (2025)
Ranked picks for payments & billing. No "it depends."
Lemon Squeezy
Merchant of record. They handle tax so you don't have to.
Full Rankings
Lemon Squeezy
Nice PickMerchant of record. They handle tax so you don't have to.
Pros
- +Handles VAT/tax
- +Simple setup
- +Good for digital products
Cons
- -Higher fees
- -Less control
- -Fewer features
Enterprise MoR. Good for SaaS, complex for small projects.
Pros
- +Handles everything
- +Enterprise-ready
- +B2B features
Cons
- -High minimums
- -Complex
- -Less DX focus
PayPal's developer-friendly sidekick. It makes payments easy until you need to talk to a human.
Pros
- +Seamless integration with PayPal and digital wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay
- +Robust APIs and SDKs that simplify complex payment workflows
- +Strong fraud protection and PCI compliance built-in
Cons
- -Customer support can be slow and impersonal, typical of big corporate platforms
- -Pricing isn't the cheapest, especially for high-volume transactions
The OG of online payments: everyone uses it, but nobody loves the fees.
Pros
- +Near-universal acceptance for online transactions
- +Built-in fraud protection and buyer/seller safeguards
- +Easy integration with most e-commerce platforms
Cons
- -Transaction fees can eat into profits, especially for small businesses
- -Account freezes and disputes can be a nightmare to resolve
The small business savior that makes payments a breeze, but watch out for those sneaky fees.
Pros
- +Dead-simple setup with no technical skills required
- +All-in-one ecosystem from POS to payroll
- +Transparent pricing with no long-term contracts
Cons
- -Transaction fees can add up fast for high-volume sales
- -Limited customization options for larger businesses
The developer's best friend for payments, until you realize you're paying for every single API call.
Pros
- +Best DX
- +Great docs
- +Reliable
- +All payment types
- +Incredibly clean and well-documented APIs that just work
- +Handles global compliance and fraud detection so you don't have to
- +Seamless integration for subscriptions and recurring billing
- +Extensive ecosystem with tools like Stripe Connect and Radar
Cons
- -2.9% + 30¢
- -Complex for simple needs
- -Account holds
- -Transaction fees add up fast, especially for high-volume businesses
- -Can get pricey for custom or advanced features beyond the basics
Subscription billing that doesn't make you want to pull your hair out when you need to handle a prorated refund.
Pros
- +Handles complex subscription logic like upgrades, downgrades, and pauses without custom code
- +Built-in dunning management to automatically retry failed payments and reduce churn
- +Strong API with webhooks for real-time subscription events and easy integration
- +Supports multiple currencies and tax compliance (VAT, GST) out of the box
Cons
- -Pricing is steep for small startups, with setup fees and percentage-based transaction cuts
- -Reporting can feel limited compared to pulling raw data into your own analytics
Subscription billing that doesn't make you want to pull your hair out when you need to handle a prorated refund.
Pros
- +Handles complex subscription logic like upgrades, downgrades, and prorations automatically
- +Integrates with over 30 payment gateways and accounting tools out of the box
- +Provides detailed revenue analytics and dunning management to reduce churn
- +Supports global tax compliance (VAT, GST, etc.) without custom code
Cons
- -Pricing tiers can get expensive as you scale, especially with add-ons
- -Customization beyond their UI sometimes requires webhook hacking
The billing API that actually makes you want to charge customers, not dread it.
Pros
- +Handles complex subscription logic (metered billing, trials, prorations) with minimal code
- +Seamless integration with Stripe Payments and other Stripe products
- +Built-in invoicing, dunning management, and revenue recognition automation
- +Developer-friendly API with clear documentation and predictable webhooks
Cons
- -Pricing adds up quickly with transaction fees on top of Stripe Payments fees
- -Lock-in effect: migrating away is painful once you're deep in Stripe's ecosystem
Head-to-head comparisons
Missing a tool?
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