Model how international cards, order value, refunds, and chargebacks can change the fee gap between Stripe and merchant-of-record providers.
A SaaS product can look profitable on domestic card assumptions and then lose margin when more customers pay from other countries. International card share is one of the fastest ways for the cheapest-looking processor to become less obvious.
Do not compare only the base percentage. Use monthly revenue, monthly orders, international card share, refunds, and chargebacks to estimate the blended fee drag on take-home revenue.
Stripe can be a strong choice when you want direct checkout control, have finance operations covered, and understand the extra tax, invoice, fraud, and dispute work that sits outside card processing.
Paddle, Lemon Squeezy, and Polar may be worth modeling when global sales, VAT or sales tax handling, buyer support, and subscription operations are more painful than the headline fee difference.
Start with 60% international cards, then adjust the calculator to your actual customer mix.
Open the calculatorUse product revenue before provider fees so the comparison focuses on the cost of processing, fixed fees, refunds, and disputes.
No. It is only one variable. Tax handling, checkout conversion, failed payments, support workload, and migration cost can matter as much as the fee math.
No. Provider pricing and custom terms can change. Use this calculator for planning, then confirm current pricing directly with each provider.