Pesapal vs Polar
Pesapal or Polar for your paid community?
Both work with Ubunya: members who pay are let in automatically, and lose access when their membership ends. Here's how they differ on fees, payment methods, tax and payouts.
The short answer
Choose Pesapal if
- East African businesses that want card and M-Pesa payments from a local provider.
- You'd rather be the seller yourself and keep tax in your own hands.
- Your members pay with M-Pesa.
- Members are happy to pay again each month or year rather than save a card.
Choose Polar if
- Developers and creators who want tax handled and can use Stripe payouts in their country.
- You want Polar to handle sales tax and VAT as the merchant of record.
- Members should manage their own card and cancel without asking you.
Side by side
| Pesapal | Polar | |
|---|---|---|
| Handles sales tax and VAT (merchant of record) | No, you do | Yes |
| Card fee | Not published. Pesapal charges a per-transaction fee but publishes no rates; ask their sales team. | 5% + 50¢ (free plan). Plus 1.5% for non-US cards. Paid plans lower the rate (e.g. 3.8% + 40¢ for $20/month). Stripe payout fees apply: $2/month, 0.25% + 25¢ per payout, plus currency conversion. |
| Members can pay with | cards (Visa, Mastercard, Amex), M-Pesa, mobile money, mobile banking | cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Link, Amazon Pay, Cash App Pay, WeChat Pay |
| Recurring billing | Recurring payments by Visa or Mastercard only; the payer approves the schedule on Pesapal's page. | Subscriptions by card or wallet. |
| Who can sign up as a seller | Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe | Countries supported by Stripe Connect Express, including Kenya and Nigeria |
| Payouts | Bank account in the country you registered in, within about 3 working days | Bank account via Stripe Connect Express |
| Free test mode | Yes | Yes |
| Connecting it to Ubunya | Paste your consumer key and secret. We register the payment notification URL for you. | Paste an organisation access token, then add our webhook in Polar and paste its secret. |
| Prices on your community | You type the prices in: monthly, yearly or one-time. | Your Polar products, subscription or one-time. |
| Renewals in Ubunya | Each payment buys one month or year; members pay again by M-Pesa, Airtel Money or card when it ends. | Renews automatically. |
| Members' billing page | None: members pay again from your community page. | Polar's customer portal. |
From Pesapal's and Polar's own websites, checked November 2026. Prices change; check theirs before you sign up. Compare all 11 providers.
Questions
Which handles tax, Pesapal or Polar?+
Polar is a merchant of record and handles VAT and sales tax for you; with Pesapal you're the seller and tax is yours to handle.
Can members pay with M-Pesa on Pesapal or Polar?+
Pesapal: yes. Polar: not that we could find on its website.
Can I use Pesapal or Polar with Ubunya?+
Yes, both. Connect your own account under Manage → Payments. Pesapal: Paste your consumer key and secret. We register the payment notification URL for you. Polar: Paste an organisation access token, then add our webhook in Polar and paste its secret.
What happens when a member stops paying?+
Their access stays until the end of what they paid for, plus the grace days you set (three by default). Then the community closes to them. Staff never lose access.
More comparisons
Charge for your community with the account you already have
Connect it under Manage → Payments. Paying members are let in automatically.