Creem vs Lemon Squeezy
side by side.
How Creem and Lemon Squeezy compare on model, pricing, tax coverage and who each one is really for.
Creem competes on price; Lemon Squeezy competes on being a more complete, established platform. Both are Merchants of Record for indie software and both refuse services.
Pick Creem if
- ✓Fee is your deciding factor: 3.9% + 40¢ is among the lowest here
- ✓You ship indie SaaS or AI tools and want minimal overhead
- ✓You'd rather trade some polish for cheaper transactions
Pick Lemon Squeezy if
- ✓You want a more finished platform with affiliates and email
- ✓You sell a mix of software, downloads and courses
- ✓You prefer a provider with a longer track record
How they actually differ
Grounded in each provider's documented model, pricing and tax coverage. Verify the details for your exact offer before signing.
Cheapest fee versus most complete
Creem's whole pitch is price. At 3.9% plus 40¢ it sits at the low end of this entire category; Lemon Squeezy costs 5% plus 50¢. Both are true MoRs covering EU VAT, UK VAT and US sales tax, so what you're really weighing is Creem's cheaper rate against Lemon Squeezy's more established platform, affiliate system and email tooling.
Pick Creem if you're squeezing fees on a bootstrapped product. Pick Lemon Squeezy if you want the surrounding tooling and a more proven platform, and the extra point of fee doesn't scare you.
Creem
Merchant of Record / contractual reseller for indie SaaS, software, AI tools and digital products.
- Best for
- Indie SaaS, Software, AI tools, Courses, Digital goods
- Avoid if
- Marketplaces, Physical goods, Adult/NSFW, Deepfake or face-swap tools
- Pricing
- 3.9% + $0.40 per successful transaction
Lemon Squeezy
Merchant of Record for indie SaaS, digital downloads and software. Notably refuses services and human-delivered offers.
- Best for
- Indie SaaS, Digital downloads, Templates, Ebooks
- Avoid if
- Any human-delivered service, Coaching, Consulting
- Pricing
- 5% + 50¢ per transaction
Product eligibility
| Product | Creem | Lemon Squeezy |
|---|---|---|
| SaaS | Accepted | Accepted |
| Downloadable software | Accepted | Accepted |
| Online courses | Accepted | Likely accepted |
| 1:1 coaching | Unclear | Refused |
| Consulting | Unclear | Refused |
| Communities | Unclear | Unclear |
| Digital downloads | Accepted | Accepted |
| Templates | Accepted | Accepted |
| AI tools | Accepted | Accepted |
Tax coverage
Creem
- EU VAT
- Yes
- UK VAT
- Yes
- US sales tax
- Yes
- Canada GST/HST
- Verify
- Australia GST
- Verify
Lemon Squeezy
- EU VAT
- Yes
- UK VAT
- Yes
- US sales tax
- Yes
- Canada GST/HST
- Yes
- Australia GST
- Yes