Paddle vs Stripe

Enterprise MoR meets the developer's best friend for payments, until you realize you're paying for every single api call. Here's our take.

Paddle

Nice Pick

Enterprise MoR. Good for SaaS, complex for small projects.

Pros

• Handles everything
• Enterprise-ready
• B2B features

Cons

• High minimums
• Complex
• Less DX focus

Stripe

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

The Verdict

These tools serve different purposes. Paddle is a payments while Stripe is a hosting & deployment. We picked Paddle based on overall popularity, but your choice depends on what you're building.

The Bottom Line

Paddle wins

Based on overall popularity. Paddle is more widely used, but Stripe excels in its own space.