TL;DR: Polar is an open-source billing platform that handles global tax compliance, automates product delivery, and integrates with 5 lines of code. Start selling in minutes, not months.

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What is Polar?

Polar is an open-source billing infrastructure platform designed specifically for developers, designers, and digital creators who want to monetize their products without the complexity of traditional payment systems.

Beyond Payment Processing

Unlike Stripe that only handles transactions, we provide complete billing infrastructure with tax compliance, product management, and automated access & delivery.

Merchant of Record

We handle all international tax compliance, so you can sell globally without worrying about VAT, GST, or sales tax regulations.

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Problems We Solve

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Core Features

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Flexible Product Management

One-time Purchases

Sell digital products, courses, templates, or software licenses with instant delivery

Subscriptions

Recurring billing with automatic renewals and dunning management

Flexible Pricing

Fixed price, pay-what-you-want, or free products with optional minimums

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Powerful Checkout Experience

Checkout Links

No-code solution for quick product sales. Create and share instantly.

Embedded Checkout

Integrate seamlessly into your website with customizable branding.

Checkout API

Programmatically create dynamic checkout sessions for custom flows.

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Automated Benefits (Entitlements)

Set it and forget it: Configure once, and customers get instant access to their benefits automatically. No manual work required.

License Keys

Generate and deliver software licenses automatically with custom formats

File Downloads

Secure delivery of digital assets up to 10GB with download tracking

GitHub Access

Auto-invite customers to private repositories and manage permissions

Discord Access

Automatic role assignment and server invites for community access

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Global Merchant of Record

  • Worldwide tax compliance - We handle VAT, GST, and sales tax in all jurisdictions
  • EU VAT handling - Proper B2B reverse charge and B2C tax collection
  • Automatic tax calculation - Real-time tax rates for every transaction
Important: We handle tax compliance in all major markets including US, EU, UK, and more. We continuously expand coverage based on customer needs.

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Quick Start Guide

1

Create Your Account

Sign up for Polar using GitHub, Google, or email. Create an organization to manage your products and customers.
2

Create Your First Product

Set up a digital product in minutes:
  • Choose between one-time purchase or subscription
  • Set your pricing (fixed, pay-what-you-want, or free)
  • Configure automated benefits for instant delivery
Learn more about Products →
3

Choose Your Integration

Pick the approach that fits your needs:
Perfect for getting started quickly:
  • Create Checkout Links from your dashboard
  • Share via email, social media, or embed in websites
  • Start accepting payments immediately
4

Set Up Webhooks

Stay synchronized with customer events:
  • Configure webhook endpoints in your dashboard
  • React to purchases, subscription changes, and customer events
  • Keep your database in sync automatically
Read the Webhooks guide →

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Integration Options

Next.js

React-based full-stack framework with App Router support

SvelteKit

Svelte-based full-stack framework with TypeScript support

Laravel

PHP web application framework with Eloquent ORM integration

Express

Minimal and flexible Node.js web application framework

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Native SDKs

JS/TS

For web and Node.js applications

Python

For Django, Flask, FastAPI frameworks

Go

For Go web services and applications

PHP

For WordPress, Laravel, and PHP apps

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Why Choose Polar?

Ship Faster

Focus on your product, not billing infrastructure. Get to market weeks faster.

Global Reach

Sell worldwide without worrying about tax compliance or regional restrictions.

Automated Delivery

License keys and downloads handled automatically. No manual work required.

Lower Costs

20% cheaper than competitors with transparent, pay-as-you-earn pricing.

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Transparent Pricing

4% + 40¢

Per successful transactionSimple, transparent pricing with no surprises

$0

Monthly fees or setup costsPay only when you earn, no fixed costs
Additional fees may apply: Some transactions may incur additional fees (international cards, subscriptions). Payout fees are charged by payment providers. See our detailed fees page for complete information.

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Open Source & Community

Polar is built in the open with full transparency and a growing community of contributors.

Open Source Codebase

Apache 2.0 license with 36+ contributors and growing

Public Development

Feature requests, roadmap, and issues - all developed in public

Transparent Pricing

No hidden fees or surprise charges. What you see is what you pay.

Community Support

Join our Discord for help, feedback, and feature discussions
While self-hosting is technically possible, we recommend using our hosted service to get the full Merchant of Record benefits including global tax compliance.

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Ready to Start?

Create Account

Free signup, no credit card requiredGet started in under 2 minutes

Read the Guides

Framework-specific tutorialsStep-by-step integration guides

Explore the API

Complete API documentationInteractive examples and SDKs

Join Our Community

Get help from our teamActive community and support