Built for developers who sell software, with tax, fraud and chargebacks handled for you. Polar is a merchant of record and billing platform for developers that takes on tax, fraud, refunds and chargebacks. The Starter plan is free with a 5% + 50¢ fee per transaction. Pro costs $20 a month with 3.8% + 40¢, Growth costs $100 a month with 3.6% + 35¢, and Scale costs $400 a month with 3.4% + 30¢ and single sign-on. International cards add 1.5%, and payouts cost $2 a month while active plus 0.25% + $0.25 per payout. An Early Member plan lists 4% + 40¢ plus 0.5% on subscriptions. Trustpilot shows 1.8 stars from 23 reviews. One r/SaaS commenter called themselves a big fan and said the merchant of record capabilities are good, while other posters ask about review times, payouts outside the US and EU and a 7-day settlement delay for new organisations. It suits developers selling software or subscriptions.
Free tier quotas
Plan
Starter, free
Transaction fee
5% + 50¢
Support
Standard
International cards
+1.5%
Payout fees
$2 per month of active payouts, plus 0.25% + $0.25 per payout
Pro plan
$20 per month, 3.8% + 40¢
Growth plan
$100 per month, 3.6% + 35¢
Scale plan
$400 per month, 3.4% + 30¢
Last sniffed Oct 18, 2026. Always confirm on the official pricing page.
👍 Good boy
+Starter has no monthly fee, and Pro at $20 a month lowers the rate to 3.8% + 40¢.
+Starter, Pro, Growth and Scale have no separate subscription fee.
+The docs example on a $30 product with 25% VAT shows total fees of $2.94 on Starter and $2.14 on Scale, including the 1.5% international surcharge.
+A r/SaaS commenter called themselves a big fan of Polar and said its merchant of record capabilities are good.
+A r/SaaS poster said they signed up as a merchant of record and set up a product sales link instantly.
+Scale includes Slack and prioritized support plus single sign-on.
+The homepage says Polar takes on tax, fraud, refunds and chargebacks.
👎 Watch out
−Trustpilot shows 1.8 stars from 23 reviews.
−Starter's 5% + 50¢ fee costs $0.75 on a $5 sale.
−Payouts cost $2 a month while payouts are active, plus 0.25% + $0.25 per payout.
−International cards add 1.5% on top of the plan rate.
−The Early Member plan adds 0.5% on subscription payments.
−A r/SaaS poster asked about first-review time, payouts outside the US and EU and a 7-day settlement delay for new organisations, which are points worth checking.
−Polar's own /pricing URL returned a 404 when I fetched it, so fees are documented on the docs page.
The catch
Starter is free to hold and charges 5% + 50¢ per transaction. The paid plans swap a monthly fee for a lower rate: Pro at $20 a month, Growth at $100 and Scale at $400. The docs include a breakeven table to help you decide.
International cards add 1.5%, payouts have their own fees, and the Early Member plan adds 0.5% on subscriptions. The homepage also shows a first-year offer at 3.40% + 30¢. I did not confirm who qualifies for it.
Review evidence is mixed and thin. Trustpilot shows 1.8 stars from 23 reviews, while r/SaaS commenters range from fans to people asking about payout and review delays. A poster listed a 7-day settlement delay for new organisations in a question, and I did not confirm it in the docs.
What’s included
✓Merchant of record
✓Tax handling
✓Fraud, refunds and chargebacks handled
✓Subscriptions
✓Payouts through Stripe Connect Express
✓Product sales links
✓Single sign-on on Scale
✓Breakeven table for plan choice
Free tier value
Generosity
B
Estimated value
$20/mo (Pro plan, 3.8% + 40¢)
Feature parity
Starter: 5% + 50¢ per transaction. Pro is $20 a month at 3.8% + 40¢.
Screenshots
HomepageFees page (docs)
Paid plans
Pro, $20 per month
3.8% + 40¢ per transaction, no subscription fee and prioritized support.
Growth, $100 per month
3.6% + 35¢ per transaction, no subscription fee and prioritized support.
Scale, $400 per month
3.4% + 30¢ per transaction, Slack and prioritized support, and single sign-on.
Early Member, free
4% + 40¢ per transaction plus 0.5% on subscription payments.
Common questions
Is Polar free?
Starter has no monthly fee. It charges 5% + 50¢ per transaction.
How much are international cards?
They add 1.5% on top of the plan rate.
What do payouts cost?
$2 per month while payouts are active, plus 0.25% + $0.25 per payout.
When does a paid plan pay off?
The docs list breakeven revenue per plan. Pro breaks even against Starter at about $1,379 a month, per the Polar blog.
Is it well reviewed?
Trustpilot shows 1.8 stars from 23 reviews. Reddit comments range from enthusiastic to cautious.
Change history
Checked October 22, 2026
The fees docs list Starter at 5% + 50¢, Pro at $20, Growth at $100 and Scale at $400 a month.
