Payment providers compared

[iamlamprey]

Just throwing my 2c in - I've just moved from Payhip to a more dedicated stack (Github Pages + Cloudflare for frontend, Polar as MoR / processor).

I've had a positive experience so far, very easy to setup and the API lets me run sales by just pushing an update to a config.json file - the Github actions & Cloudflare workers take it from there. They use Stripe for payment processing so it's pretty straightforward.

Payhip was a great alternative to Gumroad, but over time I found their load speeds were getting slower and slower. I'm not sure what the reason is, but I had page loads of up to 20 seconds (simple home pages, it wasn't a content issue). This included checkout and was likely inflating bounce rates like crazy. They also have limited metrics / analytics, and my entire site was basically HTML injected so I didn't need the page editor / designer tools.

Now everything is hosted on Cloudflare and I get sub 1s page loads, the Polar checkout is just an iframe.

When it comes to Trustpilot reviews - be aware that a lot of people try and use Polar, Payhip etc to sell lazy, low-effort products like e-books, .pdfs etc. They then promptly get banned from the platforms and then leavy a crybaby negative review saying they got scammed.

This was a very recent move, so I haven't completed a payout yet through Polar, but I've been in contact with their support (had to verify my ID and the Stripe ID checker wasn't working on my old ass Australian ID card) - they replied within 48 hours both times and the communication was crystal clear.

@dannytaurus said in Payment providers compared:

• Whether Polar charge their 50¢ on a free ($0) download. None of them says. If you give away a lot of free products, ask first.

I've had a few hundred free product downloads over the last week or so - no fees from what I can tell. There's not even a payment form for free products or 100% discount codes: free is free.

The one sort of "downside" I guess is there's only checkout embeds, no cart / add-to-cart (you'd have to roll your own). And no Paypal from what I can tell, I'm not sure how big of a deal that is - Amazon doesn't use Paypal.

If I do come across any negative experience I'll update this post, but so far Polar has been great all around. I've just requested my first payout (only $50) and their docs say they can take up to 2 weeks which isn't a big deal really. Larger payouts might take longer.

[dannytaurus]

@iamlamprey Excellent info - thanks for chiming in!

I'll update the comparison with the facts you mentioned.

I'm turning the whole thing into a webpage, which is easier to view and update than this forum post.

[AlienXY]

Thanks for putting this together, it's the most useful comparison I've seen.

Full disclosure first: I make one of the options in the category you left out, self-hosted stores. It's called Alien XY (alienxy.com). So treat this as one view, not a neutral one.

To your "web app or plugins?" question, there's a middle path: run a ready-made store on your own server with your own Stripe account. Then the only fees are Stripe's, so close to your "Stripe on its own" row (about 4.3% on your mixed basket), with no revenue share on top. Alien XY costs $199 or $499 one-time, or $39/month if you want it hosted for you. It comes with licence keys and activation, file delivery, coupons and affiliates already built.

The catch, and it's a big one for you: it isn't a merchant of record. You'd be the seller, so VAT and sales tax stay your job, same as plain Stripe. Since you've said MoR is a must, it probably doesn't fit your case. I'm mentioning it for people who are already registered for VAT, or who sell mostly in places where that's manageable, and would rather not hand over 7 to 15% for good.

Happy to answer questions here.

[David Healey]

@AlienXY I'm very sus of popup AI generated sites. It might be totally legit but I'd need to be convinced.

[soundsync]

@dannytaurus Thanks for putting this comparison together. I'm Aaron, the developer behind SoundSync. Your post highlighted some genuine gaps in our public documentation, so I've updated the site to make these details much easier to find and compare.

I've also attached a detailed 10-page reference covering the SoundSync entries in your comparison, newer features, and links to the relevant public pages:

Download the SoundSync information reference PDF

Pricing and what's included

SoundSync charges one 10% fee on SoundSync-managed sales, with ordinary payment processing included. There is no additional marketplace fee and no fixed per-sale SoundSync charge. For example, a $49 sale has a $4.90 SoundSync fee, leaving $44.10 for the developer before any agreed affiliate/collaborator shares. Tax is handled separately from product earnings.

The $10 monthly minimum is a minimum, not another subscription charge on top: SoundSync fees already incurred that month, including sales fees and usage charges, count toward it. If those total $7, the shortfall is $3; if they total $10 or more, there is no minimum top-up. Paid products, bundles, and subscriptions must be $9.99 or higher after discounts, before tax.

Transactional emails are included. Marketing email includes 1,000 sends per month, then $1 per started block of 1,000 additional sends. Qualifying free claims and external serial redemptions include 10,000 per month, then $0.005 per additional redemption. These allowances reset monthly without rollover. Normal licensing validation calls are not billed as external redemptions, and a free BOGO gift included in a paid checkout does not incur an external-redemption charge.

Pricing: https://www.soundsync.dev/pricing

Email counting and billing: https://www.soundsync.dev/docs/email-marketing/usage

Fees and redemptions: https://www.soundsync.dev/docs/fees

Payments, Merchant of Record, and the business behind it

PayPal is supported for one-time checkout, alongside Stripe payment options. Recurring subscriptions currently use Stripe. Products and checkout currently use USD only; this is not a claim of local-currency pricing. Any provider currency conversion is separate, and developers bear applicable conversion costs when receiving funds in another currency.

SoundSync Solutions is the Merchant of Record for SoundSync-managed checkout, including developer storefront and marketplace sales processed through that checkout. SoundSync handles the applicable sales-tax/VAT responsibilities for those sales. The tax page lists current country coverage and explains the scope; developer income taxes remain the developer's responsibility. An external reseller collecting its own payment is different: SoundSync does not absorb that reseller's processing fees or become its Merchant of Record merely by fulfilling a serial or entitlement.

SoundSync Solutions is based in Michigan, USA. The business address is 2632 Crossing Circle #1010, Traverse City, Michigan 49684, and support is support@soundsyncsolutions.biz. The site now has substantive Terms and Privacy information, rather than just headings, plus retention and account-closure details.

Payments: https://www.soundsync.dev/payments

Merchant of Record: https://www.soundsync.dev/trust/merchant-of-record

Tax scope and countries: https://www.soundsync.dev/trust/tax-compliance

Business information: https://www.soundsync.dev/about

Terms: https://www.soundsync.dev/legal/terms

Privacy: https://www.soundsync.dev/legal/privacy

Where funds are held, and when payouts happen

Funds collected through Stripe and PayPal are transferred manually to a dedicated business account used only for developer, affiliate, and collaborator payouts, not business expenses. Developer payouts are made through Stripe Connect. This is a dedicated payout account, not a claim of escrow or deposit insurance.

Payouts are scheduled twice monthly, on the 1st and 15th, after at least a 14-day hold. Eligible funds go into the next scheduled payout after that hold completes. There is no SoundSync payout minimum or routine reserve. The scheduled date means payment initiation, not a guaranteed bank-arrival date; unresolved disputes, account restrictions, or payout-destination issues can affect an individual balance.

Payout policy: https://www.soundsync.dev/trust/payouts

Refunds and disputes

Customers request refunds from the product developer within 14 days of the initial purchase. Authorized developers can refund the full order or selected whole products; arbitrary cash amounts and fractional refunds of one product are not supported. For subscriptions, the standard refund policy covers the initial payment, not renewals, with mandatory consumer rights still applying.

The customer receives the refunded product's paid amount and associated tax. SoundSync retains its original share, and the developer is responsible for actual additional refund charges and confirmed chargeback/dispute losses. This is separate from ordinary checkout processing already included in the 10% fee. Affiliate/collaborator shares reverse according to the original allocation. Access associated with the refunded purchase is withdrawn; unrelated purchases are not removed.

Refund and dispute policy: https://www.soundsync.dev/trust/refunds-disputes

HISE, JUCE, licensing, and delivery

There are now two HISE integration paths: HISEScript, for easier integration without modifying HISE source, and native HISE C++, which requires patching/rebuilding HISE and offers stronger native enforcement. The JUCE package is also available, with activation, processor-owned licensing, and Store/My Products integration. Package-specific requirements matter: HISEScript documents configurable offline grace following a valid state, while the current JUCE release requires online renewal at startup and does not provide offline audio access.

The public API reference includes serial claims and claim status, activation, customer-login activation, validation, and deactivation, with authentication and request/response details. File delivery uses authorized customer downloads, and the customer library brings together owned products, downloads, serials, device access, and support.

HISE docs: https://www.soundsync.dev/docs/hise

Native HISE setup: https://www.soundsync.dev/docs/hise/native-setup

JUCE docs: https://www.soundsync.dev/docs/juce-package

Licensing API: https://www.soundsync.dev/docs/api/licensing

File delivery: https://www.soundsync.dev/features/secure-delivery

Customer library: https://www.soundsync.dev/features/customer-library

Storefronts and branding

SoundSync supports hosted storefronts and a full embedded commerce experience, including catalog, product pages, cart, checkout, and customer access. Custom domains can use the main domain, not just a shop/store subdomain. Developers need domain control and DNS access; SoundSync provides guided setup and manages the hosted connection and SSL certificates once verified. Brand Manager covers logos, light/dark branding, colors, imagery, support details, and the supported brand settings reused across the storefront and other surfaces.

Storefronts: https://www.soundsync.dev/features/storefronts

Branding and domains: https://www.soundsync.dev/features/brand-manager-domains

Affiliates, collaborators, teams, and resellers

There are dedicated native affiliate and collaborator programs, not just reseller attribution under another name. Affiliates use agreed product/rate terms and referral links; collaborators use product revenue-sharing agreements. Their earnings and payouts are tracked separately. Team Accounts are a separate permissions system, so a revenue-sharing agreement does not automatically grant dashboard access. Approved resellers also have serial, external-order, fulfillment, and API integration paths, including WooCommerce.

Affiliates: https://www.soundsync.dev/features/affiliates

Collaborators: https://www.soundsync.dev/features/collaborators

Team Accounts: https://www.soundsync.dev/features/team-accounts

Resellers: https://www.soundsync.dev/features/partners

Partner API: https://www.soundsync.dev/docs/api/reseller-partner

Email, growth, subscriptions, and marketplace discovery

Marketing includes campaigns, audience management, scheduling, reports, and growth flows such as cart recovery, onboarding, review requests, follow-ups, and winback. Promotions include scheduled deals and supported codes/offers. Subscription documentation distinguishes recurring access from models where paid invoices earn product ownership.

Marketplace discovery is included in the same commercial model. Launch into an ecosystem backed by nearly 50,000 established audio-software customers.

Email marketing: https://www.soundsync.dev/features/email-marketing

Growth flows: https://www.soundsync.dev/docs/email-marketing/growth-flows

Subscriptions: https://www.soundsync.dev/features/subscription-bundles

Marketplace: https://www.soundsync.dev/features/marketplace

Two clear "no" answers for the comparison

We do not currently offer assisted Gumroad migration or pay-what-you-want pricing. Imports and external fulfillment should not be described as a Gumroad account-migration service.

Migration policy: https://www.soundsync.dev/docs/migrations

Product setup: https://www.soundsync.dev/docs/products

SoundSync is still a newer platform, and I understand that documentation is only part of evaluating one. My aim here is to make the commercial details and integration requirements public and easy to check, rather than leave you guessing. Thanks again for calling out what was missing.

Trust Center: https://www.soundsync.dev/trust

Documentation: https://www.soundsync.dev/docs

[cartemtune]

Holy cow! Thank you for such a comprehensive comparison. I wanted to provide some additional info as well as a little bit of correction based on my own experience. I used to be on gumroad, migrated to payhip, and then subsequently reached out to payhip's support team after danny's post on another separate thread and I thought I'd share:

• Migration from other platforms: Payhip does offer help with moving product listings over from Gumroad. In my case, they used my Gumroad store URL to recreate the listings on Payhip for free. My understanding is that they copied the text and images from the public pages. You still need to upload the actual product files yourself so this isn’t a full account migration with customers & order data. They actually even offered to "fully furnish" my store too (for free), but I decided to do that myself

• Sales taxes: I am aware that Payhip automatically collects and remits sales tax/VAT for the US, Canada, UK and EU as a marketplace facilitator (not MOR). Outside those regions, you’d need to work out your obligations and handle any required collection and remittance yourself. You can configure custom tax rates in your payhip dashboard, but that doesn’t take care of registration or filing for you.
  Is this set up accountant-proofed? Yes, but I’m in Canada so I can't speak for other countries. I’ve checked my own setup with my accountant, everything is a okay.
  I’ve only opened my store to the US, Canada, UK and EU so far, so the payhip automatic tax handling coverage hasn’t been an issue for me yet. But Danny's point about 15% of sales coming from elsewhere definitely makes me curious about what I might be missing xD I would love some extra $$$$ and I'm looking to see if I can just open up a few extra countries with my current set up so I don't have to do a full migration elsewhere

• Marketplace facilitator vs MOR: If you're like me and your head is spinning with all these jargons, I also asked Payhip’s support team about the tradeoffs between their setup and an MoR. Obviously their answer would be biased, but here's what they said: An MOR handling refunds and disputes doesn’t necessarily mean the seller avoids all the costs. You'd still to check each provider’s refund fees, chargeback terms, payout schedule and reserve policy.
  My personal finding on this is that: e.g. Gumroad has a $100 minimum payout balance. This is likely because they are an MoR and need to cover their sellers' refunds and chargebacks when they happen. I also noticed that Paddle also has a minimum payout of $100 and the payouts aren't instant either i.e. only on the 2nd and 15th of every month

• Lemon Squeezy: I agree. I think this company is being phased out. I have been following with them when I was first looking to move away from gumroad and their Twitter/X account is filled with only motivational quotes for YEARS now xD I don't see any notable new features at all since the acquisition. That's definitely not a good sign. I would AVOID!

You’ve got me curious about Polar and Moonbase now. Would be interested to hear how the actual checkout and customer experience compares once you’ve tried them. Please update

[billyharrison02]

So I really appreciate this comparison bec the last thing I want is to spend hours researching so I much rather use a platform that takes care most of that for me

I'm giving both moonbase and payhip a try. Atp, they seem like the most obvious choices. Bec one is affordable with no min payout meaning I get to keep more of what I earn plus I mostly have german and usa clients so vat and sales tax covered is a big plus. The other one takes care of licensing and activation which is hude. I will test how well they perform especially the post purchase experience

[David Healey]

Moonbase just got 2fa along with some other security improvements

[dannytaurus]

@David-Healey Really good to see Moonbase adding new stuff! Looking forward to GBP holding, coming soon hopefully!

I'm interested in SoundSync too, very similar feature set, but much simpler pricing, albeit a newer, less proven company.

[soundsync]

Quick follow-up on the documentation gaps raised earlier: we’ve expanded SoundSync’s public pages so the features, fees, and commercial policies are easier to find.

Product migration is now supported. You can bring a catalog from another platform using public store/product pages or a supported spreadsheet/JSON export. Imports become drafts for review before publishing. Customer accounts and existing recurring payments are separate from catalog migration. Migration details

Security and integrations have expanded too. We support authenticator-based two-factor authentication, recovery codes, and team accounts with role and product-specific access. HISE developers have both HISEScript and native C++ integration paths, alongside the JUCE package. The API documentation now covers substantially more of the platform, including licensing, refunds, subscriptions, and partner integrations.
Account security · Developer documentation

We’ve also expanded the Website Builder and branding tools, including root-domain support and SoundSync-provided SSL, plus native affiliate and collaborator programs alongside reseller integrations.

The commercial details are now explicit: Stripe and PayPal checkout, USD-only pricing, and one 10% SoundSync fee covering ordinary payment processing on SoundSync-managed checkout. Developer, affiliate, and collaborator payouts follow the same schedule: the 1st and 15th, after the minimum 14-day hold.

The updated pages also explain Merchant of Record responsibilities, tax handling, refunds, disputes, and payout eligibility.
Pricing · Trust Center · Payout policy

Thanks again for pointing out what was missing. That feedback helped us make the information much clearer.