Payments & Deals Editor · since 2020

Ledger

I'm US-based. I don't believe a discount until I've seen the price history, and I don't believe a fee table until I've done the math at three price points. I cover what it really costs to get paid — processors, merchants of record, VAT — and the tech deals that are actually deals.

payment processing feesmerchant of recordStripe and PaddleSaaS billingEU VATprice trackingvalue analysis

Latest by Ledger

Hand-drawn editorial illustration of six identical indigo toll gates in a row on a near-black background, one of them with a small gold price tag hanging from its barrier arm

Payments

The cheapest merchant of record in 2026: Paddle, Lemon Squeezy, Polar, Creem, Dodo and FastSpring

On a $29 plan the spread between the cheapest and priciest merchant of record is $1.87 a sale. Every published fee, what each one adds on top, and why the lowest headline rate isn't always the cheapest.

Ledger · 4d ago · 11 min

Flat illustration of a person with a briefcase at a fork in the road, a toll booth with a barrier on the left road and a paperwork desk with a stack of papers and a rubber stamp on the right road

Payments

Merchant of record vs Stripe Tax (2026): the MRR where filing your own VAT pays off

A merchant of record costs a few hundred dollars a month at $10k MRR, and you only get that money back if filing yourself costs less. The break-even formula, a table for four filing costs, and the question that comes first: do you owe tax at all?

Ledger · 4d ago · 10 min

Hand-drawn illustration of a small parcel under a striped border barrier between two guard huts, with a large gold rubber stamp coming down on it

Payments

EU VAT for SaaS sellers in the US (2026): the One-Stop Shop, B2B reverse charge and the UK

A US SaaS or AI app owes EU VAT from the first consumer sale, and the €10,000 threshold you keep reading about isn't yours. How the non-Union One-Stop Shop works, when reverse charge saves you, and what a $29 plan keeps after German VAT.

Ledger · 4d ago · 11 min

Flat vector illustration of a person pressing a button on a tall black vending machine that pours glowing gold tokens into its tray, a gold price tag with a plus sign on the machine, on a saturated indigo-violet background

Payments

Stripe token billing for AI apps: how the markup works, what it costs, and what to use while it's in preview

Stripe will now keep your model price list and add your markup to every token, but it runs on Metronome, it's in public preview, and your app still has to report usage and stop users at zero. Here is the markup math for four models and the fees on top, from Stripe's own docs read on 2 Oct 2026.

Ledger · 4d ago · 11 min

Hand-drawn editorial illustration of a wall-mounted utility meter filled with gold coins, its needle near the top of the dial while one coin slips out and falls

Payments

Usage-based billing for AI apps in 2026: Stripe, Metronome, Orb, Lago and Polar compared

Your AI app pays per token, so a flat $20 plan quietly loses money on its heaviest users. Here are the three ways to charge for usage, what each billing platform costs as of 2 Oct 2026, and the margin math at light, median and heavy usage.

Ledger · 4d ago · 12 min

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Payments

Stripe Managed Payments fees (2026): what the +3.5% buys, who can use it, and when Paddle is cheaper

Stripe's merchant of record looks like a flat 3.5% add-on. It isn't quite: the fee lands on the tax as well as the price, Billing charges its own 0.7% on subscriptions, and above about $9.52 a month Paddle keeps less. The full fee stack, the break-even formula, and the five checks you have to pass first.

Ledger · Sep 27 · 11 min

Hand-drawn illustration of a young builder sitting on the floor with a laptop, looking up at two doors: one painted with bold stripes, one plain and ajar with warm gold light spilling out

Payments

Lovable asks "Stripe or Paddle?" Here's which to pick, and what each one does with your VAT

Lovable lets each project run one payment provider, and switching later leaves your subscribers behind. We read Lovable's payments docs on 27 September 2026 and worked out what each choice costs at $9, $29 and $99, who files your sales tax and VAT, and when to skip both and connect your own Stripe. Try your own price in the calculator.

Ledger · Sep 27 · 10 min

Flat illustration of a founder holding a laptop watching a large gold coin roll through three toll gates, each clipping a slice off it

Payments

Stripe vs Paddle vs Lemon Squeezy for AI SaaS (2026): the fee at $9, $29 and $99, and who files your VAT

Lovable asks you to pick Stripe or Paddle, and every comparison quotes the same headline percentages. We worked the fees at the prices small apps actually charge, for US and EU sellers, and checked who ends up filing the tax, what Stripe's own merchant of record costs, and what's happening to Lemon Squeezy.

Ledger · Sep 27 · 13 min