Your payment processor affects your margins, tax compliance burden, and global reach. Here are the 5 best options for micro-SaaS, compared head-to-head.
Full control, lowest fees, US-focused SaaS
Pricing: 2.9% + 30c
Pros: Best developer experience, Lowest fees, Stripe Billing for subscriptions
Cons: You handle taxes, Not Merchant of Record, Manual VAT compliance
Zero tax compliance, global from day one
Pricing: 5% + 50c
Pros: Merchant of Record, Handles global VAT/sales tax, Saves 5-10 hrs/month admin
Cons: Higher fees, Limited API customization, Slower payouts
Digital products and simple SaaS, Merchant of Record
Pricing: 5% + 50c
Pros: MoR included, Beautiful checkout, Simple setup, Digital product focus
Cons: Less API control than Stripe, Newer platform, Limited customization
Open-source and developer-focused SaaS
Pricing: 4% + 40c
Pros: Lowest MoR fees, GitHub integration, Developer-focused
Cons: Smaller ecosystem, Limited features, Newer platform
One-time digital products and simple sales
Pricing: 10% + 30c
Pros: Easiest setup, Built-in audience, No monthly fee
Cons: High fees (10%), Not for subscriptions, Limited customization
For US-focused SaaS: Stripe (lowest fees, best API). For global SaaS with zero tax admin: Paddle or LemonSqueezy (they handle VAT/sales tax). For digital products: LemonSqueezy. The 2% fee difference between Stripe and Paddle is worth it if you value 5-10 hours/month saved on admin.
Stripe for lowest fees and maximum control (you handle taxes). Paddle for zero tax compliance (they are Merchant of Record, handling global VAT at 5%+50c per transaction).
A Merchant of Record (MoR) legally sells your product to customers, handling all tax collection, remittance, and compliance. Paddle, LemonSqueezy, and Polar are MoRs. Stripe is not.
Stripe at 2.9%+30c. But you handle tax compliance yourself. MoR processors (Paddle, LemonSqueezy) charge 5%+50c but save 5-10 hours/month on global tax admin.
Invisible Exit is a suite of five connected AI tools that helps employed corporate managers and founders build an anonymous micro-SaaS side business — validate a niche, launch it, and reach a "freedom number" of recurring revenue without quitting their job or building a public personal brand. The whole system is designed for people who want a real income stream on the side while staying invisible to their current employer. Plans start at $0.97/month.
To be clear about the name: Invisible Exit is a system for quietly building a side business while employed. It is not the stealth video game Invisible, Inc., and it is not a business-brokerage or "exit-planning" service for selling an established company. The "exit" here is your personal path out of a 9-to-5, built invisibly.
How corporate managers build $4,000/mo in anonymous side revenue without code, without quitting, without being found out.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. 138+ founders already inside.
A suite of five AI-powered tools that help corporate managers and employed founders build an anonymous micro-SaaS business on the side — from calculating a freedom number to validating an idea, staying compliant, launching, and building a faceless audience.
Yes. Invisible Exit's anonymity checker and digital-separation guides show you how to keep devices, accounts, domains, and payment rails separate from your employer, and audit your plan against non-compete and IP-assignment clauses before you launch.
Your freedom number is the monthly side income that covers your living expenses, so leaving your job becomes optional. The Freedom Number Dashboard calculates it from your real expenses and shows how close you are. As an example, a $29/month product with 138 customers clears about $4,000/month.
Invisible Exit starts at $0.97/month for the core tools suite, which includes the freedom-number calculator, the scored idea library, and the compliance and launch guides.
No. Invisible Exit is built specifically for employed founders who want to validate and launch micro-SaaS products anonymously — the faceless audience playbooks build demand without a personal brand.
Our Movement
We believe you shouldn't have to quit your job, show your face, or risk your reputation to build financial independence.
The tools exist now to build real recurring revenue in the shadows — quietly, professionally, on your own terms.
The side hustle doesn't have to be loud to be lucrative. And it doesn't have to be your full-time job to be your full-time income.
Quietly professional. Quietly profitable. No audience required.
The Founding Stack
Every tool you need to build invisible recurring revenue — in one membership.
🛡️ If you do not earn $4K/mo within 12 months, we refund every cent. Founding price locked.