Whop vs Lemon Squeezy: fees, holds and features compared (2026)

Fees, reserves, high-risk acceptance, Shopify support and payouts, side by side. Every figure comes from each company's own pages, checked 2026-10-21.

Payment processor

Whop

Card rate

2.7% + 30¢

No monthly fee listed

Merchant of record

Lemon Squeezy

Card rate

5% + 50¢

No monthly fee listed

Quick take

Lemon Squeezy is a merchant of record: it sells on your behalf and handles sales tax, which suits software and digital goods more than physical products.
On a $50 card order, Whop's published rate costs $1.65 and Lemon Squeezy's costs $3.00, $1.35 more.
Lemon Squeezy doesn't accept high-risk businesses under its published policies.

Side by side

Pricing
	Whop	Lemon Squeezy
Type	Payment processor	Merchant of record
Pricing model	flat rate	flat rate (merchant of record)
Card rate	2.7% + 30¢	5% + 50¢
International	+1.5% international cards, +1% currency conversion	+1.5% for transactions outside the US
Monthly fee	Not published	None
Setup fee	Not published	Not published
Chargeback fee	$15	Not published

Risk
	Whop	Lemon Squeezy
High-risk businesses	Case by case	No
Dropshipping	Not published	No
Reserves	May hold a reserve when an account is new, when disputes trend toward card-network thresholds, or when delivery comes long after payment (example: 10% for 90 days).	Net sales are held 13 days before they become available for payout

Payouts and coverage
	Whop	Lemon Squeezy
Payout speed	Next-day ACH ($2.50) or instant (4% + $2.50)	Twice monthly (1st and 15th)
Merchant countries	Payouts to 200+ countries	Merchants who can receive payouts to a bank in a listed country or to PayPal (200+ countries and regions)
Currencies	Not published	Prices shown in 130 currencies; all transactions processed in USD

Integrations and features
	Whop	Lemon Squeezy
Shopify	Replaces checkout	Not published
WooCommerce	Not published	Not published
Subscriptions	Yes	Yes
One-click upsells	Yes	Not published
Apple Pay	Yes	Yes
Multiple MIDs	Not published	No
Token portability	Not published	Not published

Which one fits

Pick Whop if

Funnel and subscription brands that want storefront, checkout and payments from one company at a flat published rate.

+Published flat rate of 2.7% + 30¢ with no monthly platform fee listed
+Storefront, checkout, subscriptions and payouts in one product
+API and CLI that AI coding agents can use to build and edit stores
−Ecommerce storefronts launched in October 2026 and docs still called physical goods a work in progress on October 20, 2026
−Reserves possible on new accounts and late-shipping stores
−International cards cost 1.5% extra

Whop profile

Pick Lemon Squeezy if

A solo founder or small team selling software, courses or downloads who wants tax handled and can accept higher fees.

+Simple published pricing with no monthly fee.
+Handles global sales tax as merchant of record.
+Twice-monthly payouts with a $50 minimum.
−Add-on fees stack: +1.5% international, +1.5% PayPal and +0.5% on subscription payments.
−Physical goods, nutraceuticals and CBD are prohibited.
−Its January 2026 update acknowledged slower support and fewer product updates while it builds toward Stripe Managed Payments.
−No published process for exporting stored cards to another provider.

Lemon Squeezy profile

Questions

Is Whop cheaper than Lemon Squeezy?: On published rates, a $50 order costs $1.65 on Whop (2.7% + 30¢) and $3.00 on Lemon Squeezy (5% + 50¢). Check international card surcharges and chargeback fees too.
Does Lemon Squeezy work with Shopify?: Not published. Sold through hosted checkout, checkout overlays and the API. Digital products only.
Does Lemon Squeezy accept high-risk or dropshipping stores?: High-risk: no. Dropshipping: no. Physical goods of any kind are prohibited; the general rule is digital goods that can be fulfilled through Lemon Squeezy. Pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals, CBD, gambling and adult content are also prohibited.
Does Lemon Squeezy hold reserves?: Net sales are held 13 days before they become available for payout

Sources

Whop sources · checked 2026-10-21

Lemon Squeezy sources · checked 2026-10-21

Quick take

Lemon Squeezy is a merchant of record: it sells on your behalf and handles sales tax, which suits software and digital goods more than physical products.

On a $50 card order, Whop's published rate costs $1.65 and Lemon Squeezy's costs $3.00, $1.35 more.

Lemon Squeezy doesn't accept high-risk businesses under its published policies.

Side by side

Pricing
	Whop	Lemon Squeezy
Type	Payment processor	Merchant of record
Pricing model	flat rate	flat rate (merchant of record)
Card rate	2.7% + 30¢	5% + 50¢
International	+1.5% international cards, +1% currency conversion	+1.5% for transactions outside the US
Monthly fee	Not published	None
Setup fee	Not published	Not published
Chargeback fee	$15	Not published

Risk
	Whop	Lemon Squeezy
High-risk businesses	Case by case	No
Dropshipping	Not published	No
Reserves	May hold a reserve when an account is new, when disputes trend toward card-network thresholds, or when delivery comes long after payment (example: 10% for 90 days).	Net sales are held 13 days before they become available for payout

Payouts and coverage
	Whop	Lemon Squeezy
Payout speed	Next-day ACH ($2.50) or instant (4% + $2.50)	Twice monthly (1st and 15th)
Merchant countries	Payouts to 200+ countries	Merchants who can receive payouts to a bank in a listed country or to PayPal (200+ countries and regions)
Currencies	Not published	Prices shown in 130 currencies; all transactions processed in USD

Integrations and features
	Whop	Lemon Squeezy
Shopify	Replaces checkout	Not published
WooCommerce	Not published	Not published
Subscriptions	Yes	Yes
One-click upsells	Yes	Not published
Apple Pay	Yes	Yes
Multiple MIDs	Not published	No
Token portability	Not published	Not published

Which one fits

Pick Whop if

Funnel and subscription brands that want storefront, checkout and payments from one company at a flat published rate.

+Published flat rate of 2.7% + 30¢ with no monthly platform fee listed
+Storefront, checkout, subscriptions and payouts in one product
+API and CLI that AI coding agents can use to build and edit stores
−Ecommerce storefronts launched in October 2026 and docs still called physical goods a work in progress on October 20, 2026
−Reserves possible on new accounts and late-shipping stores
−International cards cost 1.5% extra

Whop profile

Pick Lemon Squeezy if

A solo founder or small team selling software, courses or downloads who wants tax handled and can accept higher fees.

+Simple published pricing with no monthly fee.
+Handles global sales tax as merchant of record.
+Twice-monthly payouts with a $50 minimum.
−Add-on fees stack: +1.5% international, +1.5% PayPal and +0.5% on subscription payments.
−Physical goods, nutraceuticals and CBD are prohibited.
−Its January 2026 update acknowledged slower support and fewer product updates while it builds toward Stripe Managed Payments.
−No published process for exporting stored cards to another provider.

Lemon Squeezy profile

Questions

Is Whop cheaper than Lemon Squeezy?

On published rates, a $50 order costs $1.65 on Whop (2.7% + 30¢) and $3.00 on Lemon Squeezy (5% + 50¢). Check international card surcharges and chargeback fees too.

Does Lemon Squeezy work with Shopify?

Not published. Sold through hosted checkout, checkout overlays and the API. Digital products only.

Does Lemon Squeezy accept high-risk or dropshipping stores?

High-risk: no. Dropshipping: no. Physical goods of any kind are prohibited; the general rule is digital goods that can be fulfilled through Lemon Squeezy. Pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals, CBD, gambling and adult content are also prohibited.

Does Lemon Squeezy hold reserves?

Net sales are held 13 days before they become available for payout