Paddle vs Recurly — Pricing, Plans, and Verified Costs (2026)
Paddle starts at Free. Recurly starts at $249/mo. Paddle is $249/mo cheaper on the entry tier than Recurly.
How pricing works
These two tools don't price the same way, so the headline numbers below aren't directly comparable until you plug in your own volume.
- Paddle (Per Usage) — Paddle bills purely on usage — 5% + $0.50 per transaction. There is no fixed per-seat fee, so the monthly cost depends entirely on how much you consume.
- Recurly (Unknown model) — Recurly bills on a fixed plan from $249/mo, so the listed price is what you pay regardless of volume.
Per-minute, per-credit and per-token rates exclude any downstream model, speech or telephony costs unless the vendor states otherwise.
Merchant of Record (MoR) billing platform for SaaS, valued $1.4B private. Positioned as the alternative to Stripe for SaaS companies that don't want to handle global sales tax/VAT compliance themselves. Distinctive: Paddle becomes the seller of record, absorbing tax complexity. Priced 5% + 50¢ per transaction (higher than Stripe's 2.9% + 30¢), but includes tax handling and dunning. Popular with indie SaaS and European SaaS selling globally.
Subscription billing platform positioned as the alternative to Chargebee for teams that want dunning + retention analytics as the core value prop, not just billing infrastructure. Distinctive for its focus on reducing involuntary churn (failed payment recovery) which historically claims 3-8% of MRR. Core $249/mo + Professional $1K+/mo + Elite custom. Popular with subscription businesses where churn recovery ROI is measurable and material.
All plans compared
| Tier role | Plan | Paddle monthly | Paddle annual | Recurly monthly | Recurly annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free / starter | — / Starter | — | — | Free | Free |
| Entry paid | Standard / — | $550 | — | — | — |
| Enterprise | Enterprise / — | Custom | Custom | — | — |
Tier names differ across vendors. Rows are aligned by tier role, not name. Full tier structures on each tool's page.
What each is best for
Paddle is worth it if… SaaS companies selling internationally who want a Merchant-of-Record handling global tax, VAT, and compliance — particularly if you don't want to build tax logic yourself. No monthly subscription; percentage per transaction with tiered discounts for volume.
Recurly is worth it if… mid-market consumer subscription businesses (streaming, media, publishing) that need recurring billing + dunning + revenue recognition at scale — particularly for teams that outgrew Stripe Billing. Core covers small SaaS; Professional adds revenue recognition and multi-entity; Elite for enterprise scale.
Bottom line: Similar positioning, closer to a preference call than a strategic one.
Choose Paddle over Recurly if…
Choose Paddle if…
- You want to pay only for actual usage (per usage, a free entry tier).
- You match the profile Paddle is built for: SaaS companies selling internationally who want a Merchant-of-Record handling global tax, VAT, and compliance — particularly if you don't want to build tax logic yourself.
- You need a general-purpose finance & accounting option rather than a vertical-specific one.
Choose Recurly if…
- You're comfortable with Recurly's from $249/mo entry point.
- You match the profile Recurly is built for: mid-market consumer subscription businesses (streaming, media, publishing) that need recurring billing + dunning + revenue recognition at scale — particularly for teams that outgrew Stripe Billing.
- You need a general-purpose finance & accounting option rather than a vertical-specific one.
At a glance
| Paddle | Recurly | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Entry price | Free | $249/mo |
| Enterprise available | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing model | Per Usage | — |
| Last verified | September 14, 2026 | September 13, 2026 |
| Full pricing | View full pricing | View full pricing |
Pricing last verified September 14, 2026. Tracked daily.