Polar 🧾 Service

What you get

Polar is a billing platform for AI and software companies. It meters usage, runs subscriptions and invoicing, and acts as merchant of record, handling payments, sales tax, fraud, refunds and chargebacks. Plans: Starter is free with 5.00% plus 50 cents per transaction; Pro is $20 a month at 3.80% plus 40 cents; Growth is $100 a month at 3.60% plus 35 cents; Scale is $400 a month at 3.40% plus 30 cents.

Who qualifies

Software and AI businesses selling digital products and subscriptions. Polar's Startup Program gives early-stage AI startups the Scale plan free for 12 months. You apply with your startup details, funding raised, investor, expected payment volume and a short pitch; the eligibility criteria are not spelled out on the page.

Good to know

• Paid plans only make sense once your volume is high enough for the lower percentage to cover the monthly fee.
• On the Startup Program page, the Scale transaction fee (3.40% plus 30 cents) is still listed; only the plan fee is free.
• Polar is newer than Paddle and Stripe; check that the features you need are live.

• Polar is open about its fee table, which makes it easy to model costs at different volumes before you commit.

• Polar's docs live at polar.sh/docs and cover the API, webhooks and integrations.

Verdict

A good fit for AI and developer-tool startups with usage-based pricing that want tax handled. The free year of Scale is worth applying for if you qualify.

1. Sign up on polar.sh and create your organisation.
2. Add products, prices or usage meters.
3. If you are an early-stage AI startup, apply to the Startup Program with your details and pitch.
4. Connect payouts and go live.