Kelviq vs Polar Fees, Flat Rate vs Plan Ladder
Kelviq's flat 3.5% + 40¢ with no monthly fee vs Polar's four-plan ladder from 5% + 50¢ down to 3.4% + 30¢. The break-even math by volume and sale type.
Kelviq and Polar are both merchants of record with the same 1.5% international-card surcharge, but they price in opposite shapes. Kelviq has one rate of 3.5% + 40¢, plus 0.5% on recurring charges, with no monthly fee. Polar has a ladder. Starter is free with a 5% + 50¢ rate, Pro is $20/month at 3.8% + 40¢, Growth is $100/month at 3.6% + 35¢, and Scale is $400/month at 3.4% + 30¢, with no subscription surcharge on any plan.
That makes this a volume question. Against Polar’s free Starter plan, Kelviq is cheaper in every scenario, at $3.90 vs $5.50 on a $100 domestic sale, $2.36 vs $2.95 on a $49 domestic subscription, and $3.10 vs $3.69 on the same subscription billed internationally. Against the paid plans, Polar’s monthly fees start paying for themselves at specific volumes. Pro overtakes Kelviq on domestic subscriptions above $10,000 per month, and Scale overtakes it on one-time sales above roughly $133,000 per month at a $50 average order. The math for each rung is below.
Kelviq breakdown
- Base fee (2.9% + 40¢) $3.30
Polar.sh breakdown
- Base fee (5% + 50¢) $5.50
| Platform | Fee | Effective rate | You keep |
|---|---|---|---|
 KelviqMoR First $5K lifetime volume | $3.30 | 3.30% | $96.70 |
 Polar.shMoR Starter (free) | $5.50 | 5.50% | $94.50 |
The ranking counts per-transaction cost only. Monthly plan fees, payout fees, and dispute fees are listed separately on each platform page. Rates are verified against official pricing pages, and the sources list the dates.
Every Kelviq vs Polar.sh fee side by side
| Kelviq | Polar.sh | |
|---|---|---|
| Base transaction fee | First $5K lifetime volume 2.9% + 40¢ After $5K lifetime volume 3.5% + 40¢ | Starter (free) 5% + 50¢ Pro ($20/mo) 3.8% + 40¢ Growth ($100/mo) 3.6% + 35¢ Scale ($400/mo) 3.4% + 30¢ |
| International cards | +1.5% | +1.5% |
| Currency conversion | No surcharge | No surcharge |
| Subscription billing | +0.5% | Included |
| PayPal | Not offered | Not offered |
| Monthly fee | None | Varies by plan ($0–$400/mo) |
| Payout fees | Standard payouts included (T+7, or T+3 on enterprise) | $2/month with payouts + 0.25% + 25¢ per payout (0.25–1% FX on non-USD payouts) |
| Dispute / chargeback fee | Not published | $15.00 |
| Sales tax / VAT handling | MoR Kelviq handles global sales tax and VAT as the legal seller | MoR Polar handles global sales tax and VAT as the legal seller |
| Source | Official pricing, last verified 2026-07-10 | Official pricing, last verified 2026-07-10 (Plans introduced May 2026. Grandfathered Early Member orgs pay 4% + 40¢ + 0.5% on subscriptions) |
| Platform | $10 sale | $50 sale | $500 sale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kelviq | $0.69 | $1.85 | $14.90 |
| Polar.sh | $1.00 | $3.00 | $25.50 |
The ladder, rung by rung
Each Polar plan trades a monthly fee for a lower rate. Here is where each rung actually overtakes Kelviq’s no-monthly-fee 3.5% + 40¢ (effective 4% + 40¢ on subscriptions).
| Polar plan | Monthly fee | Card rate | Overtakes Kelviq at |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $0 | 5% + 50¢ | never |
| Pro | $20 | 3.8% + 40¢ | $10,000/mo in subscriptions |
| Growth | $100 | 3.6% + 35¢ | ~$20,000/mo in subscriptions (at $49) |
| Scale | $400 | 3.4% + 30¢ | ~$50,000/mo in subscriptions, or ~$133,000/mo in one-time sales at $50 AOV |
Two structural facts drive the table. Polar charges no subscription surcharge while Kelviq adds 0.5%, so paid Polar plans close the gap fastest on recurring revenue. And both platforms add the same 1.5% for international cards, so customer geography shifts totals but never the ordering.
A worked example at the Pro break-even
Take a $29/month SaaS, all domestic. At 300 subscribers ($8,700/month), Kelviq charges 4% plus 40¢ per renewal, which comes to $348 + $120 = $468. Polar Pro charges 3.8% plus 40¢ plus its $20 fee, totaling $330.60 + $120 + $20 = $470.60. Kelviq wins by $2.60. At 400 subscribers ($11,600/month), the same math gives Kelviq $624 and Pro $620.80, so Pro wins by $3.20. The crossover sits at $10,000/month regardless of price point, because the fixed fees match and the rate gap is a flat 0.2 points.
One-time sales are a different story
Pro’s 3.8% is above Kelviq’s 3.5% one-time rate, so Pro never wins on one-time sales at any volume. Only Scale’s 3.4% + 30¢ gets under Kelviq, saving 15¢ per $50 order, and it takes about 2,667 orders, or $133,000 a month, to recover the $400 fee. Digital product sellers and lifetime-deal businesses under that bar stay cheaper on Kelviq. Against Starter specifically, Kelviq wins every transaction ($5.40 vs $7.00 on a $100 international sale).
Fees beyond the transaction
Polar charges payout fees of $2 per month plus 0.25% + 25¢ per payout (about $27.25 on $10,000 of monthly payouts) and $15 per dispute. Kelviq publishes no payout or dispute fees and pays out T+7, T+3 on enterprise. Kelviq’s introductory 2.9% + 40¢ rate until $5,000 lifetime volume is worth at most $30 total and doesn’t change any break-even above.
Philosophy, priced in
Polar develops in the open. Its platform code is open source, and the plan ladder mirrors that self-serve, scale-as-you-grow posture. Kelviq spends its margin on bundled usage metering and entitlement management instead of rate rungs. Fee-wise the decision reduces cleanly to volume. Under $10K/month, Kelviq wins. Over it, check which rung of the ladder your revenue mix has reached.