Paddle Fee Calculator

TL;DR

Paddle is the merchant of record built for software and SaaS. You pay 5% + $0.50 per transaction, and Paddle takes liability for sales tax, VAT, chargebacks, and compliance in 200+ countries. WP Smart Pay ships the two official Paddle plugins for WordPress.

What Is Paddle, and Who Is It For?

Paddle's merchant-of-record model is purpose-built for software and digital product sellers who want to expand globally without building a tax compliance operation. The higher base rate (5% vs Stripe's 2.9%) is frequently offset by eliminating accountant fees, VAT reporting, and chargeback management overhead.

Best for

SaaS and digital-product sellers who want zero tax overhead.

Used by

SaaS companies Digital product sellers Course creators Software vendors

Highlights

Handles VAT in 200+ countries
Chargeback protection
Subscriptions & invoicing

Paddle at a Glance

Pricing model: Merchant of record
Domestic fee: 5% + $0.50
International card fee: 5% + $0.50
Currency conversion: Included
Monthly cost: Free — no monthly fee
Tax handling: Included (MoR)
Chargebacks: Included
Payout schedule: Weekly to 60+ countries · Wise + ACH + SEPA payouts supported
Availability: Sells to customers in 200+ countries · accepts sellers from most countries (a few sanctioned exceptions)
Currencies: 30+ checkout currencies · 100+ payout currencies

Paddle Fee Calculator: What Does a Sale Actually Cost?

This Paddle fee calculator shows where a sale ends up — drag the slider or type your own amount to see it in real time. Prices are list rates; large merchants can negotiate.

Live scenario

US card · USD payout

You charge

You receive

$94.50

$1 Drag or type your amount $1,000+

You keep · 94.5% Paddle fee · 5.5%

Fee breakdown

Card processing 5% × $100: −$5.00
Fixed fee per transaction: −$0.50
Total fee: −$5.50
You receive: +$94.50

International card

+0.0%

5% + $0.50

$100 → $94.50

Card issued outside your country, payout in your local currency.

Currency conversion

+0%

$100 → $94.50

Stacked on international when you charge and pay out in different currencies.

Refund · chargeback

Worst case

−$18.20

$100 lost + $15 fee

Lost dispute: you forfeit the $100, the $3.20 processing fee, and a $15 dispute fee.

The fine print headline rates don't show

Sales tax / VAT — included in the MoR rate.
Chargebacks — covered by the processor.
Refunds — the processing fee is not returned to the merchant.
Marketplaces — Stripe Connect adds 0.25% + $2 per active connected account, monthly.

See full pricing on Paddle.com

Where it's not available

Countries Without Paddle Support

Paddle accepts merchants in only 177 countries. If your business is registered in one of the 21 countries below, you cannot open a Paddle account today.

See supported countries

21 of 21 countries shown

Afghanistan

Sanctions
Belarus

Suspended Mar 2022
Central African Republic

Sanctions
Congo (DRC)

Sanctions
Cuba

OFAC sanctions
Haiti

Restricted by Paddle
Iran

OFAC sanctions
Iraq

Sanctions
Libya

Sanctions
Mali

Restricted by Paddle
Myanmar (Burma)

Sanctions
Nicaragua

Sanctions
North Korea

OFAC sanctions
Russia

Suspended Mar 2022
Somalia

Sanctions
South Sudan

Sanctions
Sudan

Sanctions
Syria

OFAC sanctions
Venezuela

Sanctions
Yemen

Sanctions
Zimbabwe

Sanctions

Countries with a red tag are explicitly restricted (sanctions, suspended access, or high-risk). The rest simply aren't on Paddle's supported list yet — availability changes over time, so always confirm on the official site.

What Can Your Customers Pay With?

Paddle supports 12+ methods out of the box. Each one needs to be enabled in the dashboard.

Cards

4

Visa
Mastercard
American Express
Discover

Digital wallets

3

Apple Pay
Google Pay
PayPal

Bank debit

1

SEPA Direct Debit

Local methods

4

iDEAL
Bancontact
Alipay
WeChat Pay

What we like

Merchant of record — handles VAT, sales tax, and chargebacks globally
Single price everywhere (5% + $0.50, same domestic and international)
Automatic VAT invoice generation and emailing
Chargeback protection included at no extra cost
Subscription management, trials, and dunning built in
Paddle Checkout offers higher conversion than hosted alternatives

Where it falls short

Slightly higher base fee than Stripe (5% vs 2.9%)
Paddle takes on the merchant relationship — less brand control
Customization of checkout is limited vs raw Stripe
Not ideal for physical goods (focused on software/digital)

Paddle on WordPress & WooCommerce

Plugins to add Paddle to WooCommerce or Easy Digital Downloads. WP Smart Pay picks come first — they're the ones we build and maintain.

Third-party install counts and ratings reflect the WordPress.org directory at the time of writing — always check the latest data before installing.

Add Paddle to Your WordPress Site in 5 Steps

Most stores are taking live payments in under an hour. Here's the path most teams follow.

1

Install the Paddle Plugin for Your Platform

WooCommerce stores install Paddle for WooCommerce from WP Smart Pay. EDD stores install Paddle for Easy Digital Downloads. Both are linked at the top of this page.
2

Sign up at paddle.com

Create a Paddle Billing account. Heads up: Paddle reviews each application and typically wants to see ~3 months of prior payment processing history. Existing Stripe/PayPal volume helps approval.
3

Pass KYC / KYB Verification

Submit your business documents (incorporation, beneficial-owner ID, bank details). Approval usually takes 5–10 business days.
4

Connect Paddle to WordPress

In WP Admin → WP Smart Pay → Paddle, paste your Vendor ID, API key, and public key. The plugin auto-creates the webhook endpoint and validates the connection.
5

Map Products and Go Live

Map WooCommerce or EDD products to Paddle catalog entries (or let the plugin sync them automatically). Switch the gateway out of sandbox mode and place a $1 live order to confirm.

Optional Services That Change the Equation

Paddle's base fees only tell part of the story. These paid add-ons cover the workflows most stores end up needing.

Paddle Billing API

The modern Paddle developer API for subscriptions, one-off purchases, invoicing, and webhooks. Replaced Paddle Classic for new accounts in 2023.

Pricing: Included

Paddle Retain

Automated failed-payment recovery — Paddle retries declined cards with smart timing, sends dunning emails, and recovers ~38% of involuntary churn on average.

Pricing: +5% of recovered revenue

Paddle ProfitWell Metrics

Free SaaS metrics dashboard — MRR, ARR, churn, LTV, cohort retention — pulled directly from your Paddle account.

Pricing: Free

Paddle Studio

No-code dashboard for creating products, prices, promo codes, and subscription plans. Useful for non-developer team members managing the catalog.

Pricing: Included

How Paddle Keeps Card Data Safe

PCI status

PCI DSS Service Provider Level 1 · SOC 2 Type II · GDPR

PCI DSS Service Provider Level 1 (audited annually)
SOC 2 Type II compliance
GDPR-compliant data handling (EU data residency available)
3D Secure 2 / SCA enforcement for European cards
Built-in fraud screening on every transaction
Paddle is the seller of record — your business never holds card data

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything else you might want to know about Paddle.

What's the catch with Paddle's 5% rate vs Stripe's 2.9%?

There isn't one for SaaS / digital products — the 5% includes sales tax, VAT, GST collection and remittance, chargeback handling, dispute fees, and currency conversion. Once you add Stripe Tax (+0.5%), accountant fees, and the labour cost of running disputes yourself, Paddle usually ends up cheaper. For physical goods or low-margin retail, Stripe is cheaper.

Is Paddle hard to get approved for?

Paddle wants to see legitimate business intent and a track record. Approval is straightforward for established SaaS / digital sellers but can be slow (5–10 business days). Founders building a brand-new product are often asked to come back after some prior payment processing history exists.

Does Paddle support WooCommerce subscriptions?

Yes — Paddle Billing handles subscriptions natively (trials, proration, dunning, fixed-term and metered plans), and the WP Smart Pay Paddle for WooCommerce plugin syncs subscription state back to Woo's order/customer records.

Can I use Paddle with Easy Digital Downloads?

Yes — install Paddle for Easy Digital Downloads from WP Smart Pay. It replaces EDD's Stripe / PayPal gateways with Paddle, syncs licenses, refunds, and renewals automatically.

What happens if a customer disputes a payment?

Paddle handles the entire dispute. You get notified, can submit evidence through the dashboard, and the chargeback fee is absorbed by Paddle if you lose — unlike Stripe, where each dispute costs $15.

Does Paddle work in my country?

Paddle accepts sellers from most countries — over 200 jurisdictions can receive payouts. The exceptions are sanctioned countries (Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Syria, Russia, Belarus). If you're in an unsupported country for Stripe (like Pakistan, Bangladesh, or many parts of Africa), Paddle is usually the answer.

How fast does Paddle pay out?

Standard payout is weekly via Wise, ACH, or SEPA, with funds typically landing in 2–5 business days. Initial payouts after approval have a short rolling reserve, similar to Stripe.

What's the difference between Paddle Classic and Paddle Billing?

Paddle Classic is the legacy product (still supported for existing accounts). Paddle Billing is the modern API launched in 2023 — all new accounts use it. The WP Smart Pay plugins target Paddle Billing.

Our verdict for WordPress

If you sell digital products or SaaS through WooCommerce or Easy Digital Downloads, Paddle is the single shortest path to a globally-compliant store — install Paddle for WooCommerce or Paddle for EDD from WP Smart Pay and you skip the entire tax / chargeback / VAT mess. The 5% rate is higher than Stripe's 2.9% headline, but it usually undercuts Stripe once you factor in Stripe Tax (+0.5%), accountant fees, and dispute costs.