Stay if possible
Stripe
Strongest raw margin and least migration effort.
- Best if you switch to Checkout Sessions / Embedded Checkout
- Dashboard-centric flows caused the original pain
If a customer pays €100
Approximate amount left after the provider fee, using the currently researched public pricing assumptions.
Stripe
Fee: €1.75Best raw margin
Mollie
Fee: €2.05Great practical fit
Polar
Fee: €4.40MoR premium
Paddle / Lemon Squeezy
Fee: €5.50More expensive, more bundled handling
What this means
- Stripe keeps the most money if the workflow problem is fixable without migration.
- Mollie is only slightly more expensive but may fit the multi-site operational model better.
- Polar / Paddle / Lemon Squeezy take more because they bundle more compliance/tax responsibility.
Cheapest is not always best. For this setup, the real problem is multi-site automation without dashboard dependence.
Your current Stripe setup is already the embedded model
Stripe checkout-style payment form. This is close to what users see inside an embedded checkout flow.
Official screenshot fallback of Sitizio’s custom support page. Outer page is custom; payment form is Stripe embedded checkout.
Fast visual comparison
Best practical fit
Mollie
Profiles API + Payment Links API make it well suited to many websites.
- Very strong Germany/EU fit
- Cleaner operational model for many brands/sites
Best MoR
Polar
Best if you want API-first automation plus Merchant of Record handling.
- Germany supported
- Higher fee because it bundles more responsibility
Mature but heavier
Paddle
Solid MoR and SaaS tooling, but more review/onboarding friction for many tiny sites.
Okay, not top pick
Lemon Squeezy
Good for simpler digital products, but less ideal as multi-site payment infrastructure.
Visual price check
Mollie pricing
Useful because the pricing is public and easy to reason about for cards + EU methods.
How the webmaster workflow should look
1
Build one payment page
Example: /checkout or /support. This page is your design.
2
Create session server-side
Your backend creates the checkout session or payment link. Never let the browser create it directly.
3
Mount the provider UI
Stripe Embedded Checkout or equivalent renders the payment form inside your page.
4
Confirm with webhooks
The success page is not enough. Payment fulfillment must be driven by verified webhook events.
Best practice for 50–60 sites: build one internal payment service. Agents call your API. Your API talks to Stripe, Mollie, or Polar.
What to choose
Choose Stripe if…
- You want the cheapest raw fee
- You want the least migration work
- You are willing to move to Embedded Checkout / Checkout Sessions
Choose Mollie if…
- You want the best practical multi-site API fit
- You operate mainly in Germany / Europe
- You care more about operations than squeezing the last €0.30
Choose Polar if…
- You want Merchant of Record
- You want API-first automation
- You are okay paying more for tax/compliance handling