What are the best alternatives to Polar?

The top alternatives to Polar include Lemon Squeezy, Paddle, Dodo Payments. All are payments tools that support merchant of record workflows.

Is there a free alternative to Polar?

Yes. RevenueCat is available for free. In-app subscription management SDK for iOS Android and web with analytics

Is Lemon Squeezy better than Polar?

Lemon Squeezy and Polar serve similar purposes as payments tools. Lemon Squeezy: Merchant of record handling global tax billing and compliance for digital products Polar: Developer-first monetization with license keys GitHub funding and auto-entitlements The best choice depends on your workflow and requirements.

How many alternatives to Polar are there?

We track 12 alternatives to Polar across categories including Payments, Directory Builder, Idea Validation.

Best Polar Alternatives (2026)

Polar is a paid payments tool (merchant of record). Developer-first monetization with license keys GitHub funding and auto-entitlements. We found 12 alternatives worth considering.

Quick verdict

Most similar: Lemon Squeezy
Best free option: RevenueCat

Why look for Polar alternatives?

Cost — Polar requires a paid plan (4% + $0.40/txn), and free or cheaper options exist.
Workflow fit — every team is different; the best tool depends on your stack and preferences.

Top 12 Alternatives to Polar

Lemon Squeezypaid

Merchant of record handling global tax billing and compliance for digital products

Both Merchant of Record payments toolsShared: payments, merchant of record

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Paddlepaid

Merchant of record for SaaS with subscription management and global tax compliance

Both Merchant of Record payments toolsShared: payments, merchant of record

Compare side-by-side Visit site

Dodo Paymentspaid

Low-cost merchant of record for indie hackers with license key management

Both Merchant of Record payments toolsShared: payments, merchant of record

Compare side-by-side Visit site

Stripepaid

Industry-standard payment API with subscriptions invoicing and Connect marketplace

Both in PaymentsShared: payments

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RevenueCatfree

In-app subscription management SDK for iOS Android and web with analytics

Both in PaymentsShared: payments

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Gumroadunknown

Simple storefront for selling digital products memberships and courses

Both in PaymentsShared: payments

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Brilliant Directoriespaid

All-in-one hosted directory platform with 30K+ sites ($2.9M revenue)

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Directifypaid

Purpose-built no-code directory builder with Google Sheets/Airtable import

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Porypaid

No-code portal and directory builder backed by Airtable

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Whalesyncpaid

Two-way sync between Airtable and Webflow for programmatic SEO directories

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Niches Hunterpaid

iOS App Store niche viability scorer tracking 40K+ apps

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Railwaypaid

Container-based PaaS with one-click databases private networking and usage pricing

Compare side-by-side Visit site

Alternatives by type

Frequently asked questions

What are the best alternatives to Polar?: The top alternatives to Polar include Lemon Squeezy, Paddle, Dodo Payments. All are payments tools that support merchant of record workflows.
Is there a free alternative to Polar?: Yes. RevenueCat is available for free. In-app subscription management SDK for iOS Android and web with analytics
Is Lemon Squeezy better than Polar?: Lemon Squeezy and Polar serve similar purposes as payments tools. Lemon Squeezy: Merchant of record handling global tax billing and compliance for digital products Polar: Developer-first monetization with license keys GitHub funding and auto-entitlements The best choice depends on your workflow and requirements.
How many alternatives to Polar are there?: We track 12 alternatives to Polar across categories including Payments, Directory Builder, Idea Validation.

Related alternatives pages

Alternatives to RevenueCat Alternatives to Stripe Alternatives to Lemon Squeezy Alternatives to Paddle Alternatives to Gumroad Alternatives to Dodo Payments

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Best Polar Alternatives (2026)

Why look for Polar alternatives?

Top 12 Alternatives to Polar

Alternatives by type

Payment Processor alternatives

Subscription Management alternatives

Digital Sales alternatives

SaaS alternatives

Sync Tool alternatives

Web-Based alternatives

Full-Stack PaaS alternatives

Frequently asked questions

Related alternatives pages

Not sure which to pick?