A buyer-first breakdown of leading MoR providers by use case, scale, and business model.
Choosing a Merchant of Record (MoR) has become a strategic decision for software, SaaS, and other digital businesses operating globally. As tax rules expand, payment preferences fragment, and subscription models grow more complex, the MoR you choose increasingly shapes not just compliance, but revenue performance, customer retention, and overall customer experience.
This guide looks at leading MoR providers through an applicable use-case lens. Each option excels in different scenarios depending on company size, business model, and operational complexity. Our goal is to help you identify which type of MoR best fits your needs in 2026 — and why.
Rather than comparing providers feature by feature, we evaluate MoR platforms based on buyer context: scale, sales motion, compliance exposure, and lifecycle complexity. This reflects how MoR decisions are actually made by finance, legal, operations, and product leaders.
Best MoR provider for enterprise & B2B SaaS (+ high-volume B2C SaaS): Cleverbridge
Cleverbridge is structurally best suited for enterprise and B2B SaaS companies with global customers, complex billing requirements, and a strong focus on retention and long-term revenue performance. The platform also suits high-volume B2C clients.
Flexible, percentage-based pricing dependent on transaction volume, payment mix, currencies, and customer locations.
G2: ★★★★☆ (4.3/5) · Trustpilot: ★★★★☆ (4.2)
Across G2 and Trustpilot, Cleverbridge customers consistently point to reliable global checkout performance, strong tax and compliance handling, and responsive support. Reviews frequently highlight the value of having both a robust platform and a knowledgeable services team — especially for B2B SaaS companies managing complex billing, renewals, and international expansion.
Tasked with global business hurdles like complex billing and localization needs?
Talk to the Cleverbridge team to see how an enterprise-grade MoR supports long-term growth.
Paddle is commonly chosen by startups and smaller B2C SaaS companies looking for fast setup and simplified global selling.
Pay-as-yo-go model (5% + $0.50 per transaction) with custom pricing also available.
G2: ★★★★☆ (4.6/5) · Trustpilot: ★★★★☆ (4.1)
Paddle is generally reviewed positively for ease of setup, developer-friendly tooling, and straightforward global payments. Across both platforms, customers often mention smooth onboarding and responsive support, with some noting trade-offs around flexibility as billing or compliance needs become more complex.
FastSpring is often used by companies selling digital products directly to consumers, including some gaming businesses.
Flat-rate pricing based on transaction type and volume of business.
G2: ★★★★☆ (4.5/5) · Trustpilot: ★★★☆☆ (2.8)
Reviews for FastSpring commonly reference its ability to support global digital commerce with relatively simple setup. G2 feedback tends to focus on functionality for subscriptions and digital goods, while Trustpilot sentiment is more mixed, often reflecting end-customer experiences with checkout and support.
2Checkout (now Verifone) emphasizes automated compliance and payments for SMBs that want a "set it and forget it" approach.
Four pricing tiers: pay-as-you-go (two tiers), tailored pricing, and custom pricing (enterprise level).
G2: ★★★★☆ (3.9/5) · Trustpilot: ★★☆☆☆ (1.9)
On G2, 2Checkout earns steady marks for global payment reach and compliance coverage. Trustpilot reviews are more mixed, with some customers citing challenges around support or refunds.
PayPro Global specializes in supporting globally distributed SMBs selling digital products, particularly in categories with elevated chargeback exposure.
Flat-rate pricing with quoting (based on monthly online sales volume).
G2: ★★★★★ (4.9/5) · Trustpilot: ★★☆☆☆ (2.6)
PayPro Global shows a notable contrast between platforms: strong satisfaction scores on G2, particularly around handling complex or regulated digital goods, alongside more varied Trustpilot feedback that often reflects end-customer experiences. This divergence underscores the importance of fit, especially for SMBs operating in risk-sensitive digital categories where dispute management and customer communication play a larger role.
Lemon Squeezy (acquired by Stripe in 2024) is positioned for early-stage creators and indie developers.
Pay-as-you-go model (5% + $0.50 per transaction).
G2: ★★★★☆ (4.5/5) · Trustpilot: ★☆☆☆☆ (1.3)
Lemon Squeezy reviews frequently emphasize simplicity, fast setup, and ease of use. Feedback across both G2 and Trustpilot aligns around its strength as a lightweight solution, with clear limitations noted as businesses scale or require more advanced billing workflows. Trustpilot feedback also reflects some end-customer confusion over Lemon Squeezy’s role in the transaction.
Xsolla is a vertical specialist built specifically for gaming and virtual economies (e.g., microtransactions).
Flat 5% transaction fee.
G2: ★★★★☆ (4.5/5) · Trustpilot: ★★★★☆ (4.0)
Xsolla receives consistently positive feedback for its gaming-specific capabilities, including support for virtual goods and global player bases. Reviews on both platforms highlight its deep specialization, with sentiment reinforcing that it’s best suited for gaming and virtual economies rather than general SaaS use cases.
Global-E is known for enabling cross-border ecommerce for companies & merchants selling both physical and digital goods internationally.
Highly customized, based on custom quoting for ecommerce merchants.
G2: ★★★★★ (4.8) · Trustpilot: ★★★★☆ (4.6)
Global-E reviews tend to focus on cross-border commerce strengths, particularly around localized checkout and international selling. Feedback across platforms reflects strong adoption in physical goods and marketplace contexts, with less emphasis on subscription or SaaS-style workflows.
The right MoR depends less on a checklist of features and more on how your business operates today (and where it’s headed next).
MoR providers span a wide range of models, from lightweight platforms designed for speed to enterprise-grade partners built for complexity, compliance, and long-term growth.
The first question most teams should ask is how complex their road to revenue really is. That includes not just desired scale, but product type (low-AOV vs. high-AOV), sales motion (self-serve vs. sales/partner-led), customer mix (B2B vs. B2C), geographic footprint, and how much internal support exists across finance, legal, and operations. An MoR that works well for a PLG startup can quickly become a constraint for a global B2B SaaS company, or unnecessary overhead for a creator or indie developer.
For some businesses, simplicity is the goal: get to market, cover basic tax and payment requirements, and minimize operational lift. For others, the MoR becomes a strategic layer in the stack: owning tax liability, supporting invoicing and renewals, optimizing payment performance, and providing services that directly impact retention and net revenue.
The key is being honest about which camp you’re in today (and what’s likely to change in the next 12–18 months). If you want a deeper, step-by-step framework for evaluating MoR fit, check out our detailed guide that asks — and answers — all the right questions.
The biggest missteps happen when teams underestimate the work required to scale and overestimate how much hands-on support they’ll get from their MoR. Many providers handle the basics, but don’t include the services needed to navigate edge cases as complexity grows.
Common pitfalls include:
These pitfalls matter regardless of which provider you choose, because MoR decisions are hard to unwind once you’ve integrated checkout, tax handling, billing, reporting, and support flows into your stack. The wrong MoR fit can create avoidable roadmap friction: more engineering work, slower launches in new markets, and higher downstream risk across compliance and customer experience.
There is no single “best” merchant of record. The best choice depends on a company's scale, complexity, and long-term growth goals.
Enterprise and B2B SaaS companies typically benefit most from MoRs built for compliance, invoicing, renewals, and hybrid go-to-market motions.
SMBs and PLG teams often prioritize speed and simplicity, while creators, gaming companies, and marketplaces may be better served by lighter-weight or specialized solutions aligned to their unique business model.
Fit matters more than features, and the wrong MoR fit is rarely obvious until it’s already slowing you down.
Need an MoR built for global B2B SaaS complexity?
See how Cleverbridge supports enterprise-grade commerce, compliance, and subscriptions at scale.
Contact us today.