Looking for a Paddle alternative? Our top pick is SamCart — SamCart matches Paddle on value while adding high-converting one-page and embedded checkouts. Below, 12 checkout tools compared on price, transaction fees, and who they actually suit, plus a calculator to see real costs at your scale.
People usually leave Paddle over: currency conversion spread raises effective rate; geared to software, less so simple downloads; approval/onboarding can be slower than rivals.
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Conversion-focused checkout pages with 1-click upsells and zero platform fees.
Why it fits: SamCart matches Paddle on value while adding high-converting one-page and embedded checkouts.
Including Paddle itself, so you can see exactly what you'd gain or give up.
| Tool | Score | From | Free | Txn fee | Best for | Visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Free Lowest | ✓ | 5% + 50¢ per sale (merchant of record) | SaaS companies selling globally | Visit | |
| | $59 | — | 0% platform fee (only Stripe/PayPal processing) | Course and digital-product sellers optimizing conversion | Visit | |
| | Free Lowest | ✓ | 5% (Free); 2% (Plus); 0% (Pro) | Creators selling downloads or simple courses | Visit | |
| | Free Lowest | ✓ | 5% + 50¢ per sale (merchant of record) | SaaS and software sellers wanting tax handled | Visit | |
| | Free Lowest | ✓ | ~5.9% + 95¢ per sale (merchant of record) | Software and SaaS companies selling worldwide | Visit | |
| | $25 | — | 0% platform fee (only Stripe/PayPal processing) | Instagram/TikTok creators selling from a bio link | Visit | |
| | Free Lowest | ✓ | 2.7% + $0.30 card processing | Creators selling gated Discord/Telegram communities | Visit | |
| | $22 | — | 0% | Creators selling downloads and simple courses | Visit | |
| | $42 | — | 5% (Mover); 0% on Shaker and up | Solo creators and teams of one | Visit | |
| | $32.5 | — | 0% (flat monthly plans, no revenue share) | Sellers of ebooks, files and license-key software | Visit | |
| | $495 | — | 0% platform fee (only Stripe/PayPal processing) | Creators wanting to own their cart outright | Visit | |
| | $99 | — | 0% (flat monthly plans, no revenue share) | Subscription and SaaS-style digital sellers | Visit | |
| | Free Lowest | ✓ | 10% + $0.50 per direct sale (plus processing) | Indie creators selling ebooks, templates, and lightweight courses | Visit |
Score is our composite of independent user ratings, value, and feature breadth — how we score. Prices are entry-tier estimates; verify current pricing on each site.
These plans are flat-rate, but sales fees aren't — drag your monthly sales to see the real cost, cheapest first.
Conversion-focused checkout pages with 1-click upsells and zero platform fees.
Sell courses, downloads and memberships free — pay only a small fee per sale.
Merchant-of-record checkout that handles global tax and VAT for digital products.
Enterprise merchant of record for selling software and SaaS globally.
Link-in-bio storefront for creators to sell digital products and bookings.
All-in-one platform to sell digital products, memberships, and gated communities
Launch a storefront for digital products, courses and subscriptions in minutes.
Simple all-in-one for solo creators: courses, downloads, email, and community.
Simple flat-rate checkout for digital downloads with no revenue cut.
Pay-once lifetime checkout with upsells, affiliates and zero platform fees.
Subscription-and-affiliate checkout platform with no revenue share.
Sell digital products and courses with no monthly fee — pay per sale.
Our current top pick in this category plus any deal worth taking. One email, no spam.
SamCart is our top Paddle alternative for most people — conversion-focused checkout pages with 1-click upsells and zero platform fees. The best choice depends on your budget and goals; see the quick-pick list above.
Yes — Payhip has a genuinely free plan, making it the cheapest Paddle alternative to start with.
Common reasons: currency conversion spread raises effective rate; geared to software, less so simple downloads; approval/onboarding can be slower than rivals. If those aren't dealbreakers for you, Paddle may still be the right tool — we list its strengths too.