Lemon Squeezy made merchant of record simple for software and digital products. Since Stripe bought it, sellers have been asking what comes next. This page sticks to what Lemon Squeezy has published itself, as of October 31, 2026.
What’s happening with Lemon Squeezy
Lemon Squeezy announced on July 26, 2024 that Stripe had acquired it. In a January 28, 2026 update it wrote that its goal is to give users an easy way to migrate to Stripe Managed Payments. The post names no shutdown date. If you sell there, follow its own announcements for timing.
The real choice: merchant of record or your own accounts
A merchant of record sells to your buyers on your behalf, collects and remits tax, and handles disputes, for a percentage. Lemon Squeezy’s pricing page lists 5% + 50¢ per transaction, and its fees page adds 1.5% for international payments, 1.5% for PayPal, 0.5% for subscriptions, 5% on payments recovered by abandoned-cart emails, 3% on affiliate referrals, and payout fees outside the US.
With your own gateway on ShopFast, buyers pay your Stripe, PayPal, Square or crypto wallet, and ShopFast takes no fee on those payments: your provider’s own fees only. You become the seller of record and handle your own sales tax and VAT (tax on digital products). ShopFast Pay, a merchant-of-record option, is available by application.
Side by side
| Lemon Squeezy | ShopFast | |
|---|---|---|
| Model | Merchant of record | Your own gateway (ShopFast Pay as MoR by application) |
| Fee per sale | 5% + 50¢, plus the extras above | None on your own gateway or wallet (pricing) |
| Ways to pay | Cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Alipay, WeChat Pay, Cash App Pay, ACH; subscriptions take cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and PayPal | Cards and wallets through Stripe, PayPal, Square and others; crypto to your own wallet; Cash App; gift cards |
| Crypto | Not on its payment methods page; crypto-related products are prohibited | BTC, LTC, ETH, USDC, USDT to your own wallet |
| License keys | Yes | Key pools per option, durations, replacements, status badges |
| Discord and Telegram | Not found on its pages | Roles and private group access granted on payment, removed when access ends |
Who should stay on a merchant of record
If you sell software to businesses worldwide and don’t want to register for VAT or sales tax anywhere, a merchant of record is worth its fee. Stripe Managed Payments is where Lemon Squeezy is pointing its users.
Who should move to their own accounts
If you sell keys, game-related products or community access, want crypto, or your margin can’t carry a percentage per sale, running your store on your own accounts keeps more of each sale. See selling software online and selling with Stripe.
Questions sellers ask
Is Lemon Squeezy shutting down?
Its January 28, 2026 post talks about giving users an easy way to migrate to Stripe Managed Payments and names no shutdown date. Lemon Squeezy has been owned by Stripe since July 2024.
What fees does Lemon Squeezy charge?
Its pricing page lists 5% + 50¢ per transaction with no monthly fee. Its fees page adds 1.5% for international payments, 1.5% for PayPal, 0.5% for subscriptions, and further fees on recovered carts, affiliate sales and some payouts.
Can I sell license keys on ShopFast like on Lemon Squeezy?
Yes. ShopFast keeps keys in pools per product option, so each duration has its own price and stock, and delivers one unused key the moment payment confirms.
Sources
Facts about other platforms come from their own public pages, checked on . Platforms change: check the page before you decide.