Overview
Creem is a merchant of record for software, SaaS and AI products. It processes cards, PayPal, Apple Pay and Google Pay in the buyer's currency, calculates, files and remits VAT, GST and sales tax in 190+ countries, issues invoices, and carries fraud and chargeback liability.
Pricing is a single 3.9% + 40¢ per successful transaction with no monthly fee, and Creem stresses that the rate does not rise for subscriptions, premium cards or international buyers. That makes it cheaper per sale than Paddle or Lemon Squeezy for most mixes, but payout costs matter: bank payouts cost at least 7 EUR/USD each, twice a month.
Built-in tools include credit wallets, usage-based pricing with custom meters, affiliates with per-product commissions, revenue splits between co-founders, short links with conversion tracking, mobile apps, and an MCP server and CLI so a coding agent can set up products and checkouts.
Check the payout fee before comparing headline rates: each bank payout costs at least 1%, and below $700 the 7 EUR/USD minimum makes it a larger share (for a $200 payout, 3.5%).
Pricing and plans
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Pay as you go | 3.9% + 40¢ | No monthly or setup fee; same rate for subscriptions, all card types and countries |
| Custom | Custom | Lower transaction fees, payments concierge, card issuing |
What it does
- Merchant of record
- Tax, invoices, fraud screening and chargeback liability handled by Creem.
- Usage billing and credits
- Prepaid credit packs with auto-refill, per-unit pricing and custom meters.
- Affiliates and revenue splits
- Per-product commission rates and automatic splits to collaborators from the same balance.
- Agent tooling
- MCP server, CLI and API so AI coding agents can create products and webhooks in test mode.
- Stablecoin payouts
- Payouts to a USDC wallet as well as bank accounts.
Strengths and limitations
Strengths
- Lowest flat published MoR rate among the tools here (3.9% + 40¢)
- No surcharge for international cards or subscriptions
- Affiliates and revenue splits included
- Tooling aimed at AI-assisted setup
Limitations
- Payouts only twice a month
- Bank payouts cost 7 EUR/USD or 1%, whichever is higher
- Seller payouts limited to 86 countries
- A young company with a shorter track record than Paddle or FastSpring
Who it suits
Good for
- Indie SaaS and AI tools with international buyers
- Products sold through affiliates or with co-founder splits
- Developers who want agent-driven setup
Look elsewhere if
- Sellers who need frequent payouts
- Very small monthly volumes where the 7 EUR/USD minimum payout fee is a large share
Alternatives to Creem
| Tool | From | Free option | Stages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Autumn Open-source billing layer on Stripe | $375/mo | Free tier | |
| Paystack Payment gateway (Africa) | Usage-based | ||
| Razorpay Payment gateway (India, plus US, Singapore, Malaysia) | Usage-based | ||
| Lemon Squeezy Merchant of record for digital products | Usage-based | ||
| Dodo Payments Merchant of record with usage billing | Usage-based | ||
| Square Payments Payment processor (in-person and online) | Usage-based |
Questions
How much does Creem charge?
3.9% + 40¢ per successful transaction, with no monthly or setup fee and no extra fee for international cards or subscriptions.
Is Creem a merchant of record?
Yes. Creem handles taxes, invoices, fraud and chargebacks on every sale.
When does Creem pay out?
On the 1st and 15th of each month, to a bank account or a USDC wallet.
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