Creem vs Lemon Squeezy: fees, payouts, and the stay-the-merchant third option

Creem leads on the headline rate. Lemon Squeezy costs more per sale but bundles a longer feature set and Stripe's backing. The catch on both is the same: what the sticker says is not what you keep, because payout fees and add-ons land after the fact.

Scenario	Creem	Lemon Squeezy	paas.build (3.9% flat)
Headline rate	3.9% + $0.40	5% + $0.50	3.9%, no fixed fee
$9 subscription	$0.75 = 8.3%	$0.95 = 10.6%	$0.35 = 3.9%
$29 subscription	$1.53 = 5.3%	$1.95 = 6.7%	$1.13 = 3.9%
Payout fee	7 USD/EUR or 1%, whichever is higher	US bank free; 1% to non-US banks	None
Add-ons	No intl-card fee	+1.5% intl, +1.5% PayPal, +0.5% subs	None

On Lemon Squeezy, a European builder selling a $29 subscription to US customers can layer +1.5% international on top of the 5% + $0.50 base, plus 1% on the way out to a non-US bank. On Creem, the base is lower and there is no international-card fee, but the payout fee - "7 USD/EUR or 1% of the payout amount, whichever is higher" - hits hardest on small cycles: under roughly $700 a cycle it alone adds a full percentage point. Creem also lists a $25 chargeback fee (stated by the founder in a Q&A - it is not on the pricing page); Lemon Squeezy's dispute handling is bundled into its MoR service. Sources: creem.io/pricing · Creem docs - payouts · lemonsqueezy.com/pricing

Both run a manual store review before you can take live payments, because as the seller of record they carry the compliance risk. Creem's docs describe live review as "typically completed within 24-48 hours… up to 72 hours" after your site passes a checklist (legal pages, visible pricing, matching support email), and builders reported waitlist periods in mid-2026 when demand outpaced onboarding. Lemon Squeezy, post-Stripe-acquisition, has drawn public complaints about slower support and product velocity from indie makers. Either way, if your launch is this week, plan for a review window. Sources: Creem docs - account reviews · Lemon Squeezy docs

This is the part shoppers comparing the two often miss, because it is identical on both. Lemon Squeezy holds funds around 13 days before they become available, then pays out on the 1st and 15th. Creem holds payments 7-12 days for risk assessment, pays out on the 1st and 15th, and requires a $50 minimum balance to withdraw. In both cases the money sits in the provider's account under the provider's risk policy until they release it - because on an MoR it was never your account. Creem's Trustpilot reviews are mixed, with some 2026 complaints specifically about held funds and account issues; Creem disputes those characterizations. The structural point holds regardless of which brand you pick. Sources: Creem docs - payouts · Trustpilot - Creem (public reviews, experiences vary)

This is where both genuinely earn their fee. As Merchants of Record, both calculate, collect and remit VAT, GST and US sales tax for you - Creem states coverage in 50+ countries, Lemon Squeezy across every jurisdiction where it is required. If you are a solo builder who does not want to register for tax anywhere or file returns in multiple countries, that is real, valuable work being done on your behalf. paas.build does not do this: you stay the merchant, which means you keep tax responsibility. That trade - lower cost and account ownership in exchange for handling your own tax - is the whole decision. Sources: docs.creem.io · Lemon Squeezy docs - tax

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