polar

2 articles · newest first

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

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.

Aliteq Team · Oct 3 · 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.

Aliteq Team · Oct 2 · 12 min