Lemon Squeezy vs Substack
A side-by-side look at Lemon Squeezy and Substack. On our scoring, Lemon Squeezy comes out ahead — but the right pick depends on your priorities.
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| SellingScene score | 4.1/5 | 4.0/5 |
| User rating | 4.3 | 4.2 |
| Reviews | 540 | 1,320 |
| Pricing | ||
| Starting price | Free | Free |
| Pricing model | no monthly fee, per-transaction pricing | no monthly fee, revenue share |
| Transaction fees | 5% + 50¢ per transaction | 10% of subscription revenue (plus processing) |
| Hosting & setup | ||
| Hosting type | Fully hosted (SaaS) | Fully hosted (SaaS) |
| Free trial | Free to start | Free to start |
| Staff accounts | Team seats | Multiple authors |
| Product limit | Unlimited | N/A (subscriptions) |
| Payments & security | ||
| Payment gateways | Merchant of record (cards, PayPal) | Stripe |
| SSL included | Yes | Yes |
| PCI compliant | Yes | Yes |
| Gift cards | No | Yes |
| Catalog & content | ||
| Themes / templates | Hosted checkout & storefront | Publication styling |
| App marketplace | API & integrations | Limited integrations |
| Multi-currency | Yes | No |
| Multi-language | Yes | No |
| POS included | No | No |
| Abandoned cart recovery | Yes | No |
| Built-in blog | No | Yes |
| Tools & flexibility | ||
| Drag-and-drop editor | No | No |
| API access | Yes | No |
| Mobile app | No | Yes |
| Support channels | Email & documentation | Email & help center |
| Actions | Read review | Read review |
Why pick Lemon Squeezy?
Lemon Squeezy acts as your merchant of record, meaning it handles global sales tax, VAT, and compliance so you do not have to. That convenience is worth a lot to indie SaaS founders, even with the per-transaction fee.
Best for: SaaS and digital sellers who want tax handled
Read the full Lemon Squeezy reviewWhy pick Substack?
Substack makes launching a paid newsletter effortless, bundling publishing, email, payments, and a discovery network at no upfront cost. The flat 10% revenue cut is significant once you scale, and you build on their network, not your own.
Best for: Writers monetizing newsletters and subscriptions
Read the full Substack review