Online payments

Paiements en ligne pour fondateurs globaux

Le fit dépend de l’entité, du produit, de la fiscalité, des remboursements, chargebacks et éligibilité.

Use cases

When this part of the founder stack matters

  • Accept card payments for a SaaS or digital product
  • Choose between Stripe, PayPal, Paddle, Adyen, and open-source commerce tools
  • Decide whether merchant-of-record support is worth the tradeoff
  • Prepare website, terms, refund, privacy, and product proof before applying
Decision table

How to compare the options

Processor fitStripe or Adyen when the business can own merchant obligations and processor onboarding
MoR fitPaddle when software sales need merchant-of-record handling and the product is supported
Open-source fitWooCommerce, Medusa, Saleor, Kill Bill, or Lago when the team wants more commerce or billing control
Main riskApplying before the website, entity, bank account, product, policies, and chargeback story are ready
Operating notes

What founders should decide before buying tools

Founder rule

Do not form an entity just because someone says it unlocks a payment processor. Build the full payment readiness file first.

Processor versus MoR

A processor gives more control. A merchant of record can reduce tax and merchant complexity for supported products but changes payout and platform dependence.

Affiliate readiness

Payment tools can be monetized later, but recommendations must stay tied to eligibility, risk, and product fit.

Tools to compare

Open-source and paid options for this workflow

Regulated provider

Stripe

Card payments, subscriptions, invoices, marketplaces, and global online payment workflows.

Stage
Online launch
Pricing model
Transaction pricing
Watch out
Entity country, owner profile, business model, website quality, and restricted activity rules matter.
Official link
Regulated provider

Paddle

Software and SaaS businesses that want merchant-of-record handling for supported products.

Stage
Software seller
Pricing model
Merchant-of-record pricing
Watch out
MoR fit depends on product type, support model, payout needs, and platform rules.
Official link
Regulated provider

PayPal

Common checkout and invoice flows where customers expect PayPal.

Stage
Broad consumer checkout
Pricing model
Transaction pricing
Watch out
Fees, reserves, account reviews, and country support should be checked before relying on it.
Official link
Regulated provider

Adyen

Larger commerce and platform teams that need broad payment method coverage.

Stage
Scaling commerce
Pricing model
Payment processing pricing
Watch out
Usually better for more mature payment operations than very early demos.
Official link
Open source

WooCommerce

WordPress-based ecommerce where the founder wants plugin flexibility.

Stage
Ecommerce prototype
Pricing model
Open-source plugin plus paid extensions
Watch out
Hosting, updates, security, checkout, tax, and extension compatibility remain operational work.
Official link
Open source

Medusa

Composable commerce projects that need more backend control.

Stage
Technical ecommerce founder
Pricing model
Open-source commerce stack
Watch out
Requires engineering ownership and payment provider integration decisions.
Official link
Open source

Saleor

API-first commerce where the team wants a modern storefront and backend foundation.

Stage
Commerce platform build
Pricing model
Open-source and cloud options
Watch out
More powerful than a simple checkout; scope the engineering budget first.
Official link
Open source

Kill Bill

Custom billing and subscription workflows where hosted SaaS billing is too rigid.

Stage
Billing-heavy product
Pricing model
Open-source billing platform
Watch out
Best for technical teams that can maintain billing infrastructure and integrations.
Official link
Open source

Lago

Usage-based billing, metering, and invoice workflows for SaaS products.

Stage
Usage-based SaaS
Pricing model
Open-source and cloud billing
Watch out
Billing logic still needs accounting, tax, payment, and customer support review.
Official link

Official links are provided for research. Some links may become affiliate or referral links later.

Read next

Related founder stack decisions

Commencez par le blocage principal du stack

Comparez outils, tarifs et chemins avant de payer des fournisseurs ou de créer une société.

Information éducative uniquement. Ce n’est pas un conseil juridique, fiscal, comptable, bancaire, d’investissement ou de paiement.

FAQ

Questions fréquentes de recherche vocale

Comment choisir société, compte bancaire, processeur de paiement et cloud comme fondateur global ?

Commencez par pays, clients, entité, risque de paiement, éligibilité bancaire, charge cloud et comptabilité.

Puis-je comparer les outils avant de payer des fournisseurs ?

Oui. Utilisez le répertoire puis démarrez une revue payante si vous voulez une décision écrite.