Polar Pricing Calculator

How Polar billing works

Polar charges a flat 4% on every transaction — no fixed per-transaction fee, no monthly platform subscription. The 4% is all-in and includes payment processing, so you see a single clean line on your dashboard rather than a split between platform fee and processing fee. For a $49 subscription, you pay $1.96 in fees (4% × $49).

Because there's no fixed component, Polar's effective rate is constant regardless of transaction size. Stripe's $0.30 fixed fee makes it more expensive for small transactions — at $10, Stripe costs $0.59 (5.9% effective) vs Polar's $0.40 (4%). At $100, Stripe costs $3.20 (3.2%) vs Polar's $4.00 (4%). Polar wins on small orders; Stripe wins on large ones.

What makes Polar different

Polar is built specifically for developer tools and digital products. Its standout features include native GitHub integration (checkout directly from a GitHub repo README), license key management, benefit delivery (grant access to Discord servers, repositories, or downloadable assets on purchase), and a checkout embed that works in any Next.js app without a redirect.

Polar also handles subscription management, trials, proration, and basic dunning — the same features you get from Stripe Billing, packaged into a simpler product with a developer-first interface. For open-source projects, Polar's GitHub-native checkout is particularly compelling.

Polar vs Stripe — which should you choose?

Stripe is the safer default for most SaaS businesses. It has the widest ecosystem, the best enterprise support, and integrates with every accounting tool, CRM, and no-code platform. If you need international payment methods (SEPA, iDEAL, PayPal, ACH), Stripe has them.

Polar is worth choosing if: your product is a developer tool, VSCode extension, CLI, or open-source project; you want GitHub-native checkout; you prefer a simpler flat fee over Stripe's percentage + fixed model; or you need built-in license key and benefit delivery without building it yourself. MakerKit supports Polar natively — switching is a config change, not a rewrite.

Frequently asked questions

Is Polar's 4% fee all-in?

Yes — Polar's 4% covers payment processing. You do not pay a separate Stripe fee on top of Polar's fee. The 4% is what you pay total. This makes Polar's effective rate easier to model: multiply your GMV by 0.04 and that's your monthly cost.

Does Polar support enterprise billing?

Polar is primarily designed for self-service billing. Enterprise features like custom contracts, invoicing, and purchase orders are better handled by Stripe or a dedicated CPQ tool. If you expect enterprise deals, Stripe is the safer choice.

Can I switch from Stripe to Polar later?

Yes — MakerKit's billing layer is provider-agnostic. You configure the billing provider in one config file and both Stripe and Polar share the same subscription management interface. Migrating existing subscribers requires moving their subscription data, which is an operational step you'd need to plan, but the code change is minimal.

Does Polar handle taxes?

Polar handles VAT and sales tax collection in supported jurisdictions as a Merchant of Record — meaning Polar is the seller of record and handles tax remittance for you. This is a significant advantage for solo developers who don't want to deal with tax compliance in multiple countries.