Freemius vs Lemon Squeezy
Freemius
freemius.com
Lemon Squeezy
lemonsqueezy.comSide by side
| Figure | Freemius | Lemon Squeezy |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 6 |
| Spec score · Merchant of Record Software | 7.6 (#13) | 8.7 (#4) |
| Checkout | Its hosted or embedded checkout supports subscriptions, trials, licensing, cart recovery, and multiple currencies. | Merchants can use hosted checkout pages, checkout overlays, embeddable forms or custom API-built checkout flows. |
| Company history | Freemius says its founder launched a micro-SaaS in 2010, which led to building the platform. | The company’s about page says Lemon Squeezy was founded in 2019 and reports more than 15,000 merchants and 25,000 products. |
| Founded | 2010 | 2019 |
| Integrations | The pricing page names Zapier, Segment, Customer.io, HubSpot, and Mailchimp integrations. | Official integrations listed are ConvertKit, Mailchimp and Zapier; external tutorials cover Framer and ParityDeals. |
| Security | Freemius says credit card information does not reach or get stored on its servers and that it follows PCI DSS 4.0. | Terms state that Lemon Squeezy uses encryption, incident-management and backup processes and is responsible for cardholder-data security under PCI-DSS. |
| What it does | Freemius is a merchant-of-record platform that handles software payments, subscriptions, taxes, licensing, fraud, and disputes. | Lemon Squeezy is a merchant-of-record platform for selling digital products, software, subscriptions and licenses. |
Plans
Lemon Squeezy
- EcommerceFree
- Email marketingFree
- ecommerce$550, paid once
- Ecommerce$550, paid once
- email marketingPrice not published
- Email marketingPrice not published
In their own words
Freemius
Freemius is a merchant-of-record platform that handles software payments, subscriptions, taxes, licensing, fraud, and disputes. Its hosted or embedded checkout supports subscriptions, trials, licensing, cart recovery, and multiple currencies. Sellers can set trials of 7, 14, or 30 days, choose what features remain after expiry, and apply licensing rules that enable or disable features according to a customer’s plan. Customers can use a self-service portal to manage subscriptions, billing details, downloads, invoices, and licenses. Supported products include SaaS, desktop apps, Chrome extensions, Electron apps, and WordPress products. Named integrations include Zapier, Segment, Customer.io, HubSpot, and Mailchimp. Freemius says it calculates, collects, reports, and remits sales tax and VAT, and follows PCI DSS 4.0; it also says card details do not reach or remain on its servers. The company traces the platform to a micro-SaaS launched by its founder in 2010. Transaction pricing is 3.8% + 50¢ per transaction plus gateway fees; no setup or monthly fees are listed.
Lemon Squeezy
Lemon Squeezy is an all-in-one platform for SaaS businesses selling digital downloads, subscriptions, and software licenses. It says it acts as merchant of record for digital sales taxes and compliance. Merchants can embed no-code checkout forms on an existing site or share checkout links; its no-code and API solutions support 20+ payment methods and global bank payouts. Subscription billing can run weekly, monthly, or yearly, with management for upgrades, downgrades, cancellations, and free trials. The platform can issue software license keys and provides signed, throttled download links. Lemon Squeezy says its fraud protections use machine learning and real-time analytics to identify suspicious transactions. Its REST API documentation states a limit of 300 calls per minute, and documented integrations include ConvertKit, Mailchimp, and Zapier. Ecommerce has no monthly charge and costs 5% + $0.50 per transaction when sales are generated, with sales tax collection and remittance included. Email marketing is free for up to 500 subscribers. Lemon Squeezy was founded in 2019.