Stripe vs Polar
Stripe 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 Stripe if
- Communities with a business in a Stripe country that want full control and are ready to handle their own sales tax.
- You'd rather be the seller yourself and keep tax in your own hands.
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.
Side by side
| Stripe | Polar | |
|---|---|---|
| Handles sales tax and VAT (merchant of record) | No, you do | Yes |
| Card fee | 2.9% + 30¢ (US cards). Plus 1.5% for international cards and 1% if currency conversion is needed. Billing adds 0.7% on subscriptions. Optional Managed Payments (merchant of record) adds 3.5%. | 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, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Link, Klarna, ACH Direct Debit, UPI, Pix, bank payments, stablecoins | cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Link, Amazon Pay, Cash App Pay, WeChat Pay |
| Recurring billing | Subscriptions through Stripe Billing, mainly by card, wallet or bank debit. | Subscriptions by card or wallet. |
| Who can sign up as a seller | About 44 countries self-serve; Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa and Côte d'Ivoire are served through Paystack instead | Countries supported by Stripe Connect Express, including Kenya and Nigeria |
| Payouts | Bank account in the seller's country | Bank account via Stripe Connect Express |
| Free test mode | Yes | Yes |
| Connecting it to Ubunya | Paste a secret or restricted key. We add the webhook for you. | Paste an organisation access token, then add our webhook in Polar and paste its secret. |
| Prices on your community | Your Stripe monthly, yearly and one-time prices. | Your Polar products, subscription or one-time. |
| Renewals in Ubunya | Cards renew automatically every month or year. | Renews automatically. |
| Members' billing page | Stripe's customer portal: card, invoices, cancel. | Polar's customer portal. |
From Stripe'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, Stripe or Polar?+
Polar is a merchant of record and handles VAT and sales tax for you; with Stripe you're the seller and tax is yours to handle.
Can members pay with M-Pesa on Stripe or Polar?+
Stripe: not that we could find on its website. Polar: not that we could find on its website.
Can I use Stripe or Polar with Ubunya?+
Yes, both. Connect your own account under Manage → Payments. Stripe: Paste a secret or restricted key. We add the webhook 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.