While Stripe dominates headlines, Paddle quietly processes payments for 2,500+ SaaS companies like n8n and Letterboxd. They're not just a payment processor—they're the merchant of record handling global compliance, tax, and billing complexity so founders can build, not battle regulations.

"Paddle doesn't just process payments—it absorbs the legal and tax liability that terrifies SaaS founders, making global expansion a checkbox, not a nightmare."

The Trustpilot score tells a nuanced story. 4.1/5 from 10,198 reviews is solid but not exceptional for a B2B platform. This likely reflects the inherent friction in payment infrastructure—chargebacks, refunds, and currency conversion disputes inevitably create friction. What's more telling is that despite this, Paddle's 2.5M monthly visits show customers keep returning. The platform's stickiness comes from the switching cost: once you've integrated Paddle and they've assumed your tax liability, migrating becomes a compliance nightmare.

• Merchant-of-record model: They legally own transactions, not just process them
• Global compliance engine: Handles VAT, sales tax, and regulatory requirements automatically
• Direct traffic dominance: 66% of visitors come directly, indicating high intent and loyalty
• Competitive keyword gap: Still losing searches to 'Lemon Squeezy' and payment processor alternatives