Merchant of record

Polar as a Stripe alternative

Polar is a merchant of record. On November 9, 2026 the rate line is See Polar. The dispute line is See Polar. Confirm the billed row before you leave Stripe. The provider's own page is the figure a contract will follow.

Type: Merchant of record
Pricing: Merchant of record
Card rate: See Polar
Dispute fee: See Polar
Payouts: See Polar
Where: Software, globally, to the extent Polar can be the seller.
Underwriting: Polar is the seller of record and can decline a product.
What it replaces: A lightweight merchant-of-record stack for a small software team. Check that the product you sell is one Polar will stand behind.

Pricing page · Website

What is Polar?

Polar is a merchant of record aimed at developers and small software teams. Confirm the current cut on Polar's site before you model it. This edition does not quote a Polar fee.

Who should choose Polar?

Polar fits: Developers and small software teams who want a merchant of record aimed at that workflow. A listing here is not an approval, and a published rate is not a quote.

Who should look elsewhere?

What Polar replaces: A lightweight merchant-of-record stack for a small software team. Check that the product you sell is one Polar will stand behind. Look elsewhere when you need something outside that.

Underwriting: Polar is the seller of record and can decline a product.

How does Polar charge?

Polar has 0 public standard fee lines in this dataset on November 9, 2026. The headline on the profile is "See Polar" because no single list price was transcribed.

Use Polar's pricing page for any number this dataset left blank. A blank is not zero.

What does Polar cost at $10,000, $100,000, and $1 million a month?

The arithmetic below uses a $50 average ticket and successful charges only. It is not a quote for international cards or disputes.

Polar does not have a public standard rate in this dataset, so there is no dollar total at $10,000.00, $100,000.00, or $1,000,000.00.

Stripe at those volumes, on 2.9% + $0.30 and a $50 ticket, is $10,000.00 → $350.00 (200 × $0.30 + 2.9% of $10,000.00); $100,000.00 → $3,500.00 (2000 × $0.30 + 2.9% of $100,000.00); $1,000,000.00 → $35,000.00 (20000 × $0.30 + 2.9% of $1,000,000.00).

Where does Polar operate?

Coverage: Software, globally, to the extent Polar can be the seller. That is where Polar operates, not a list of industries it accepts.

Do not treat a processor logo as an industry approval. If the business is on Stripe's prohibited list, switching the logo does not make the card payment lawful. The restricted-business guide is the map of Stripe's own words.

How does Polar differ from Stripe?

Stripe is a payment service provider at 2.9% + $0.30 for US domestic cards, read November 9, 2026, and it can review an account after you have started processing. Polar is a merchant of record with the rate line See Polar and the dispute line See Polar.

Polar stands in the seller's place for the sale. Stripe leaves you as the merchant. The higher percent, when one is published, is the price of that shift, not a discount on Stripe's card rate.

How do you switch from Stripe to Polar?

Stripe's data export page, read November 10, 2026, says Stripe transfers saved cards only to a PCI DSS Level 1 processor and does not export subscriptions or payment history. The switching guide covers what moves, what needs Stripe's approval, and how to keep subscriptions billing. Read it before you cancel the Stripe account.

Export Stripe customers, prices, and dispute history while the dashboard still allows it.
Ask Polar, in writing, whether it can receive a card transfer from Stripe. The switching guide names the providers whose own pages describe one.
Recreate plans and the next billing date. Run five real customers in a test mode, including one annual plan and one past-due plan.
Map webhooks and payout reconciliation before the cutover. Do not bill the same period on both systems.
If Stripe has already closed the account, plan for customers to enter cards again.

What usually goes wrong?

The dispute fee is the small line. The disputed amount and the card-network ratio are the ones that close accounts.

The other failure is comparing a different product, such as a merchant-of-record percent or a gateway monthly fee, to Stripe's card rate as if they were the same line.

Which providers are similar?

These listings share Polar's type. The order is alphabetical, not a rank.

Whop: 2.7% + $0.30.
2Checkout (Verifone): Quoted.
Commas: Quoted.
Dodo Payments: 4% + $0.40, before add-ons.

Also read Stripe's fee breakdown and the pricing dataset.

What does Polar publish as its card rate?

Polar's rate line in this directory is See Polar, read on November 9, 2026. Use that line only for the product it describes.

What is Polar's dispute fee?

Polar's dispute line is See Polar. Stripe's published fee to receive a dispute is $15 on the same date, November 9, 2026.

Is Polar the merchant of record?

Polar is listed as a merchant of record. The buyer is contracting with that seller model, which is why the price is not Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30 card rate.

Where does Polar operate?

Software, globally, to the extent Polar can be the seller. That is the coverage note stored with the November 9, 2026 reading. It is not a list of merchant category codes Polar has approved.

Should you leave Stripe for Polar?

Only when this is the fit: Developers and small software teams who want a merchant of record aimed at that workflow. If the Stripe account is healthy and Stripe's other products are part of why you chose it, staying is often the smaller move. Polar does not become a yes just because it is on this page.

How much is Polar at $10,000 a month?

Polar has no public standard rate in the November 9, 2026 dataset, so this page does not invent a total at $10,000. Stripe on a $50 ticket is $350.00 at 2.9% + $0.30.

Which sources were checked?

Polar has no public fee lines in this dataset. Its pricing page is linked below.

Last verified November 9, 2026.

Which related pages should you read next?

Open the Stripe profile before you treat a single percent as the whole decision.