FastSpring review
by FastSpring (Bright Market, LLC)Payments and billing
Merchant of record for software, SaaS and digital goods: payments, subscriptions, sales tax and VAT remittance at a quoted, volume-based rate.
- Free trial
- Self-serve
- Custom quote
- Prices hidden
What you're paying for
- Compliance included (main value)
- Saves engineering time
FastSpring becomes the seller of record: it collects and remits sales tax and VAT, runs subscriptions and handles fraud and chargebacks for one quoted rate.
As merchant of record, FastSpring processes payments, collects and remits sales tax and VAT, monitors fraud, manages subscriptions and responds to tax audits, so you do not register in each jurisdiction. Checkout shows 36 transaction currencies, and B2B invoicing and quotes are part of the platform. The rate is a revenue share quoted by sales, so the cost cannot be compared from public pages; the trust center lists SOC 2 Type 2 and PCI DSS.
- Tax collected and remitted for youThe pricing and merchant-of-record pages say FastSpring collects and remits sales taxes and VAT and responds to tax audits on your behalf.Evidence: Pricing and merchant-of-record pages (2026-10-15)
- Subscriptions and B2B selling includedCheckout, subscriptions, B2B invoicing and interactive quotes are included in the one rate; the FAQ says it does not add fees per feature.Evidence: Pricing page (2026-10-15)
- Reports for a security reviewThe trust center lists PCI DSS, SOC 2 Type 2 and SOC 3, with full documents behind a request form.Evidence: Trust center (2026-10-15)
- Best for
- Software and SaaS sellers, including B2B, who want a merchant of record and will negotiate a rate with sales.
- Good to know
- No rate is published: the fee is a revenue share quoted by sales, so it cannot be compared before a call.
How FastSpring compares
Against 3 other products we reviewed in Payments and billing: what you pay for with each, the five access facts, the plan limits we recorded and each review's bottom line. The note under the table says how each one was checked.
| Metric | FastSpring | Stripe | Braintree | Paddle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What you're paying for | Compliance includedFastSpring becomes the seller of record: it collects and remits sales tax and VAT, runs subscriptions and handles fraud and chargebacks for one quoted rate. | Saves engineering timeCard payments, subscriptions and tax calculation as separate per-transaction lines, with the lowest total of the three in our scenario: $500 on $10,000. | Worth the priceCards, PayPal and Venmo through one gateway, with the lowest card fees in our scenario: $368 on $10,000 a month, subscriptions included. | Compliance includedPaddle becomes the seller of record: it files and remits sales tax and VAT and answers buyer billing questions, all inside 5% + 50¢. |
| Overall score | 5.3 | 8.1Best | 7.5 | 6.9 |
| Free option | Free trial | –Not measured | –Not measured | –Not measured |
| Card to start | –Not measured | –Not measured | –Not measured | –Not measured |
| Getting access | Self-serve | Self-serve | Approval wait | Approval wait |
| Starter priceCheapest paid plan | Quote/transaction | 2.9% + 30¢/US card charge | 2.89% + 29¢/card transaction | 5% + 50¢/transaction |
| Pricing model | Custom quote | Usage-based | Usage-based | Usage-based |
| Pricing page | Prices hidden | Public prices | Public prices | Public prices |
| Model | Merchant of record | Payment processor; you are the seller | Payment processor; you are the seller | Merchant of record |
| Base fee | Quoted revenue share; no published rate | 2.9% + 30¢ per US card | 2.89% + 29¢ per US card | 5% + 50¢ per transaction |
| $10,000/mo scenario | Not computable; priced by sales | $500 (5.0%), computed | $368 (3.7%), computed | $600 (6.0%), computed |
| Sales tax and VAT filing | FastSpring collects and remits | Yours; Tax Complete from $90/mo, or Managed Payments +3.5% | Yours; no tax product offered | Paddle files and remits |
| Dispute fee | $20 per chargeback or prevention alert | $15, plus $15 to counter (refunded if won) | $15, not refunded if won | $20, not refunded if won |
| Payouts | Twice a month by default; weekly or monthly; $100 minimum | Daily, weekly or monthly; standard schedule free | Every weekday (US accounts) | Monthly, $100 minimum |
| Charge currencies | 36 | 135+ | 130+, one merchant account per currency | 33 |
| Team access | Ten predefined roles, 2FA, Okta (OIDC) or Google SSO | Granular roles, SAML SSO, audit log | Custom roles, SAML SSO, SCIM, 2FA required | Five roles, 2FA |
| Card export if you leave | Not documented; data returned in a standard form | Documented, to a PCI DSS Level 1 processor | Documented, free, to a PCI-compliant gateway | Not documented; data portability stated |
| Security reports | PCI DSS, SOC 2 Type 2, SOC 3 | PCI Service Provider Level 1, SOC 1 and SOC 2 Type II | PCI DSS Level 1 service provider; no SOC 2 stated | PCI DSS attestation, SOC 2 Type II |
| Bottom line | From its public pages, FastSpring is a full merchant of record with strong B2B tools and security reports, but its rate is quoted by sales, so its cost cannot be compared here before a call. | From its public pages, Stripe has the lowest fees in our scenario and the strongest controls and exit path here. Tax registration and filing stay with you unless you pay for Tax Complete or Managed Payments. | From its public pages, Braintree has the lowest fees in our scenario and strong access controls and exit terms. It leaves tax entirely to you and takes an application before you go live. | From its public pages, Paddle is the most complete merchant of record here for a SaaS business: tax filing, buyer support and security reports in one 5% + 50¢ fee. Plan around monthly payouts and the $20 chargeback fee. |
Evidence: FastSpring: facts checked 2026-10-15 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run; Stripe: facts checked 2026-10-15 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run; Braintree: facts checked 2026-10-15 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run; Paddle: facts checked 2026-10-15 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run. Prices in USD as listed, excluding tax. "–" means not recorded.
Score
- Pricing clarity
- 5.0 / 10, Fair
- no published rate; not on the pricing page: $20 chargeback and chargeback-alert fees, 3.5% to 5.5% currency conversion, $15 SEPA and ACH return fees, $150 yearly risk verification fee below $5,000 a year; figures differ: over 20 or 35+ supported currencies
- Fees on $10,000 a month
- 0.0 / 10, Fair
- no published rate, priced by sales: the pricing page gives no rate; fees are a revenue share quoted by sales from transaction type and volume
- Tax and compliance you inherit
- 10.0 / 10, Excellent
- merchant of record in the base fee, buyer payment support included, PCI DSS stated, own SOC 2 Type II
- Payouts and currencies
- 6.4 / 10, Good
- weekly payouts, payout fee, 36 charge currencies
- Team and control
- 5.0 / 10, Fair
- granular roles, SAML SSO not stated, 2FA, audit log not stated
- Data portability
- 5.5 / 10, Fair
- data portability stated, no card export process published, customers and subscriptions via API
Review
Review from public pages
Written from FastSpring's public pages (pricing, security or privacy, and docs) as read on Oct 15, 2026. We did not sign up, and no hands-on run is published yet.
What the public pages show
We read FastSpring's pricing page, its additional fees page, its seller terms, its trust center and its docs on payouts, currencies, roles, security settings, data exports and refunds on Oct 15, 2026; we did not sign up or request a quote for this review. The pricing page has no rate. Its FAQ says FastSpring works on a revenue-share model set by transaction type and volume, with no subscription fee and no minimum volume, and its quote builder asks for website, volume and regions before a sales call. A free trial sign-up is offered.
The fees outside the rate are on a separate page linked from the seller terms: $20 per chargeback and per chargeback prevention alert, 3.5% or 5.5% on currency conversions, $15 per SEPA or ACH return, and Hyperwallet fees on payouts. The seller terms add a $150 yearly risk verification fee for sellers under $5,000 of yearly volume after their first year, a one-year term that renews automatically and 30 days' notice to end it.
Payouts start after a 45-day monitoring hold, then follow a 14-day settlement delay, twice a month by default, with weekly and monthly schedules also listed, through a Hyperwallet payouts portal, with a $100 minimum. Two figures differ on the marketing site: over 20 currencies on one page, 35+ on another; the docs list 36.
Strengths
- Tax remitted for you
FastSpring collects and remits sales tax and VAT and responds to tax audits as merchant of record.
vs Stripe: On Stripe, filing needs Tax Complete or Managed Payments; Braintree offers no tax product.
- B2B tools included
Invoicing, purchase orders and interactive quotes are part of the platform, alongside subscriptions and checkout.
- Many checkout currencies
The docs list 36 transaction currencies, converted back to your base currency for payouts.
vs Paddle: Paddle lists 33 payment currencies; Lemon Squeezy charges every order in USD.
- Ten predefined roles
Company-wide and per-store roles from Administrator to Store Reporting, plus 2FA that admins can require and Okta (OIDC) or Google sign-in.
vs Paddle: Paddle documents five roles; Lemon Squeezy has owners and members.
Things to know
- No published rate
The pricing page sets fees in a sales conversation, so our $10,000 scenario cannot be priced from public pages.
Workaround: Request a quote with your volume and regional split and compare it with Paddle’s 5% + 50¢.
- Slow first payout
A 45-day monitoring hold applies before the first payout, then a 14-day settlement delay on each payout cycle.
- One-year term
The seller terms run for a year and renew automatically; either side can end them with 30 days’ notice.
- No SAML SSO or audit log stated
Single sign-on is Okta through OpenID Connect or Google; we found no SAML option or account audit log, only per-user login history.
Pricing reality
FastSpring charges a revenue share withheld from payouts, quoted by sales from transaction type and volume; no rate is published. Outside it: $20 per chargeback or prevention alert, 3.5% (major currencies) or 5.5% on currency conversions, $15 per SEPA or ACH return, a 2.5% fee when your payout currency differs from your store currency, Hyperwallet payout fees, and a $150 yearly fee for sellers under $5,000 of yearly volume.
For our scenario we cannot compute a figure. The refund docs say the transaction fee is kept on full refunds.
Exit path
The seller terms say FastSpring returns your data in a standard form within 30 days of termination. Orders and subscriptions are listed through the API and export to CSV. The pages we read do not describe moving saved cards to another processor.
Compared with
- Pick FastSpring when
- You sell B2B and want invoicing and quotes, 36 checkout currencies and ten predefined roles from your merchant of record.
- Pick Paddle when
- You want a published 5% + 50¢ rate you can model before a call, and no one-year term.
- Pick FastSpring when
- You want a merchant of record to collect and remit sales tax and VAT inside one rate.
- Pick Stripe when
- You want published per-transaction pricing, daily payouts, SAML SSO and a documented card export.
Choose it if
- You sell software or SaaS internationally and want tax remitted for you.
- You sell B2B and want invoicing and quotes in the same platform.
- You are ready to negotiate a rate with sales.
Look elsewhere if
- You want to price your payments from a public rate card.
- You need SAML SSO or payouts soon after launch.
Bottom line
From its public pages, FastSpring is a full merchant of record with strong B2B tools and security reports, but its rate is quoted by sales, so its cost cannot be compared here before a call.
Plan limits at a glance
| Limit | As recorded |
|---|---|
| Model | Merchant of record |
| Base fee | Quoted revenue share; no published rate |
| $10,000/mo scenario | Not computable; priced by sales |
| Sales tax and VAT filing | FastSpring collects and remits |
| Dispute fee | $20 per chargeback or prevention alert |
| Payouts | Twice a month by default; weekly or monthly; $100 minimum |
| Charge currencies | 36 |
| Team access | Ten predefined roles, 2FA, Okta (OIDC) or Google SSO |
| Card export if you leave | Not documented; data returned in a standard form |
| Security reports | PCI DSS, SOC 2 Type 2, SOC 3 |
Read from the vendor's public pages on Oct 15, 2026. No hands-on run is published yet. How we check
We have not published a sign-up run for FastSpring yet. The access facts above were read from its sign-up and pricing pages on Oct 15, 2026.
We have not published API calls for FastSpring yet.
FastSpring lists 2 plans. The cheapest paid plan, Revenue share, costs Quote/transaction.
- FastSpringRevenue shareContact salesFlat rate set by transaction type and volume; no minimum volume; fees withheld from payouts
- FastSpring as merchant of record
- Sales tax and VAT collected and remitted
- Subscriptions, checkout, B2B invoicing and quotes
- Fraud prevention and chargeback handling
- FastSpringAdditional fees$20/chargebackFrom the additional fees page
- $20 per chargeback prevention alert
- 3.5% currency conversion for major currencies, 5.5% for others
- $15 per SEPA or ACH return
- $10 check refund, $30 manual bank transfer refund
Prices as listed, USD, excluding tax; observed 2026-10-15.
Source: fastspring.com pricing page. Prices change; the observed date above is when our agent read them.