Is LemonSqueezy better for indie hackers than StackBE?

It depends on what you're selling. LemonSqueezy is excellent for digital products, templates, and simple SaaS. StackBE is better for SaaS applications needing customer authentication, feature-based entitlements, and usage tracking. If your product has user accounts and feature tiers, StackBE is likely a better fit.

How do the fees compare over time?

LemonSqueezy charges 5% + $0.50 per transaction, while StackBE has a flat monthly fee plus Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30. At $5,000 MRR, LemonSqueezy costs ~$300/month in fees. With StackBE, Stripe fees are ~$160/month plus your StackBE subscription. The gap widens as you grow.

Can LemonSqueezy handle SaaS subscriptions?

Yes, LemonSqueezy supports recurring subscriptions. However, it doesn't include authentication or entitlements—you need to build customer login and feature access separately. For simple SaaS without complex access control, it works fine. For tiered features, you'll write more code.

Does LemonSqueezy work for B2B SaaS?

LemonSqueezy is primarily designed for B2C digital products and creator businesses. It can work for B2B, but lacks features like team/organization management, per-seat pricing, and enterprise invoicing. StackBE supports customer organizations for B2B use cases.

What about license key validation with StackBE?

StackBE uses entitlements rather than license keys. For web-based SaaS, entitlements are more flexible—you check feature access via API. For desktop software needing offline validation, you might combine StackBE for subscription management with a separate license key system.

StackBE vs LemonSqueezy: Best Billing for Indie Developers

Feature	LemonSqueezy	StackBE
Subscription Management
One-Time Payments		Via Stripe
Tax Compliance	Included	Via Stripe Tax
Authentication		Magic links
Entitlements	License keys	Full entitlements
Affiliate Program
Transaction Fees	5% + $0.50	Stripe fees only
Customer Ownership	MoR owns	You own
Digital Delivery
Usage Tracking

What is LemonSqueezy?

LemonSqueezy is a Merchant of Record (MoR) platform designed for digital products and SaaS. Like Paddle, they handle payments, taxes, and compliance as the legal seller.

LemonSqueezy is known for:

Simple, modern checkout experience

Built-in affiliate program

License key generation

Digital product delivery

Tax compliance included

Developer-friendly APIs

It's particularly popular with indie hackers selling digital products, courses, and small SaaS tools.

What is StackBE?

StackBE is a subscription backend that processes payments through your own Stripe account. You remain the merchant and maintain direct customer relationships.

StackBE provides:

Magic link authentication

Subscription management

Entitlements tied to plans

Customer portal

Usage tracking

Analytics dashboard

Key Differences

Pricing Model

LemonSqueezy: 5% + $0.50 per transaction. Same MoR pricing as Paddle. For a $29 subscription, they take $1.95 (6.7%) per transaction.

StackBE: Flat monthly fee plus Stripe's standard 2.9% + $0.30 (going to your Stripe account). For a $29 subscription, Stripe takes $1.14 (3.9%).

The difference grows with volume. At $10,000 MRR, LemonSqueezy takes ~$550/month vs Stripe's ~$320.

Merchant of Record

LemonSqueezy: They're the legal seller. Receipts show LemonSqueezy. They handle tax compliance, chargebacks, and payouts.

StackBE: You're the seller. Receipts show your business. You handle compliance (Stripe Tax helps) but own the customer relationship.

This is the fundamental difference. See our Paddle comparison for more on MoR tradeoffs.

Authentication

LemonSqueezy: No customer authentication. You need a separate auth solution and must sync customer identities between systems.

StackBE: Magic link authentication included. Customers log in through StackBE, and their identity is linked to their subscription automatically.

Entitlements

LemonSqueezy: License keys for software validation. Good for desktop apps or one-time purchases. For SaaS feature access, you build your own logic.

StackBE: Entitlements tied directly to subscription plans. Define features per plan, check access via API. When subscriptions change, entitlements update automatically.

Ideal Use Cases

LemonSqueezy excels at:

One-time digital product sales (templates, courses, ebooks)

Desktop software with license keys

Simple SaaS with minimal feature gating

Creators who want affiliate marketing built-in

StackBE excels at:

SaaS applications with feature tiers

Apps needing customer authentication

Usage-based or entitlement-gated features

Teams wanting direct Stripe relationships

Affiliate Programs

LemonSqueezy: Built-in affiliate program with customizable commissions. Easy to set up and manage.

StackBE: Affiliate system included with commission tracking and payouts.

Analytics

LemonSqueezy: Dashboard with sales, revenue, and customer metrics. Good for product creators.

StackBE: SaaS-focused analytics including MRR, churn, trial conversion, and subscription lifecycle metrics.

When to Choose LemonSqueezy

LemonSqueezy is a good fit when:

You're selling digital products (not just SaaS subscriptions)

Tax compliance is a major concern

You want simple, fast setup with minimal code

License key validation is important

You're okay with MoR tradeoffs

When to Choose StackBE

StackBE is a better fit when:

You're building a SaaS with feature tiers and access control

You want auth + billing unified

Lower effective fees matter

You want to own your Stripe account and customer data

You need entitlements, not just license keys

The Indie Developer Question

Both platforms target indie developers, but with different philosophies:

LemonSqueezy: "We'll handle everything payment-related. Focus on your product."

StackBE: "We'll give you a complete SaaS backend. Keep control of your business."

If you're selling a Notion template or a one-time download, LemonSqueezy's simplicity is compelling. If you're building a SaaS product with user accounts, subscription tiers, and feature access, StackBE's unified approach makes more sense.

For more context on choosing billing platforms, see our comparison of Stripe Billing alternatives.

StackBE vs LemonSqueezy

What is LemonSqueezy?

What is StackBE?

Key Differences

Pricing Model

Merchant of Record

Authentication

Entitlements

Ideal Use Cases

Affiliate Programs

Analytics

When to Choose LemonSqueezy

When to Choose StackBE

The Indie Developer Question

Ready to simplify your SaaS billing?

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Comparisons

StackBE vs Stripe Billing

StackBE vs Paddle

StackBE vs Chargebee