Originally published on GetPaidAtlas.
By Ala'a, GetPaidAtlas · Published 25 October 2026 · Data checked 2026-10-20
Short answer: Stripe lists 5 of the 58 African countries and territories we cover: Nigeria, Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, Kenya and South Africa (stripe.com/global, checked 2026-10-20, African entries re-checked 2026-10-25). In 47 of the other 53, at least one merchant of record we track accepts sellers. The widest coverage: Paddle (50 of 58), Dodo Payments (35 of 58), Gumroad (23 of 58). 6 have no option on our list: Libya, Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, Somalia and South Sudan.
Who we are: GetPaidAtlas is an independent guide, not a payment provider. We never receive, hold or move anyone's money, and we don't process payments. We link to each platform's own official page, so you apply with them directly.
If you build software, sell digital products or run a creator business from Lagos, Nairobi, Accra, Kigali, Dakar or Kampala, the first question is simple: which payment platforms will accept you as a seller? This guide answers it for each of the 58 African countries and territories in our dataset, grouped by region. Every status comes from the platform's own official country or payout page, with the date we checked it. Where an official page doesn't confirm something, we say Unclear rather than guess.
Country by country: who accepts African sellers
Yes means the platform's official page lists the country for sellers or payouts. It doesn't guarantee approval. Click a country for notes and sources, or open its full guide.
| Country | Stripe | Paddle | Lemon Squeezy | Polar | Dodo Payments | Creem | Gumroad | Whop |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Africa | ||||||||
| Egypt · full guide | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Libya | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Tunisia · full guide | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Algeria · full guide | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Morocco · full guide | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Sudan | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Western Sahara | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Yes |
| West Africa | ||||||||
| Nigeria | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Ghana | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Côte d'Ivoire | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Senegal · full guide | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Benin · full guide | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Burkina Faso | No | Yes | Unclear | No | Yes | No | Unclear | Yes |
| Cabo Verde | No | Yes | Unclear | No | Yes | No | Unclear | Yes |
| Gambia | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Guinea | No | Yes | Unclear | No | Yes | No | Unclear | Yes |
| Guinea-Bissau | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | Unclear | Yes |
| Liberia | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No | No |
| Mali | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | Unclear | Yes |
| Mauritania | No | Yes | Unclear | No | Yes | No | Unclear | Yes |
| Niger | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Sierra Leone | No | Yes | Unclear | No | Yes | No | Unclear | Yes |
| Togo | No | Yes | Unclear | No | Yes | No | Unclear | Yes |
| Saint Helena | No | Yes | Unclear | No | No | No | Unclear | Yes |
| Central Africa | ||||||||
| Cameroon · full guide | No | Yes | Unclear | No | No | No | Unclear | Yes |
| Angola · full guide | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | No | No | No | No | No | No | Unclear | No |
| Republic of the Congo | No | Yes | Unclear | No | No | No | Unclear | Yes |
| Gabon | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Equatorial Guinea | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Yes |
| Chad | No | Yes | Unclear | No | No | No | Unclear | Yes |
| Central African Republic | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Sao Tome and Principe | No | Yes | Unclear | No | Yes | No | Unclear | Yes |
| East Africa | ||||||||
| Kenya | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Ethiopia · full guide | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Tanzania · full guide | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Uganda · full guide | No | Yes | Unclear | No | Yes | No | Unclear | Yes |
| Rwanda · full guide | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Burundi | No | Yes | Unclear | No | No | No | Unclear | No |
| Somalia | No | No | No | No | No | No | Unclear | No |
| South Sudan | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Djibouti | No | Yes | Unclear | No | Yes | No | Unclear | Yes |
| Eritrea | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Unclear | No |
| Madagascar | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Mauritius · full guide | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Seychelles | No | Yes | Unclear | No | Yes | No | Unclear | Yes |
| Comoros | No | Yes | Unclear | No | Yes | No | Unclear | No |
| Mayotte | No | Yes | Unclear | No | No | No | Unclear | Yes |
| Réunion | No | Yes | Unclear | No | No | No | Unclear | Yes |
| Mozambique · full guide | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Malawi | No | Yes | Unclear | No | Yes | No | Unclear | Yes |
| Zambia · full guide | No | Yes | Unclear | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Zimbabwe · full guide | No | No | Unclear | No | Yes | No | Unclear | Yes |
| Southern Africa | ||||||||
| South Africa | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Botswana · full guide | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Namibia · full guide | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Lesotho | No | Yes | Unclear | No | Yes | No | Unclear | No |
| Eswatini | No | Yes | Unclear | No | Yes | No | Unclear | Yes |
Merchants of record: Paddle, Lemon Squeezy, Polar, Dodo Payments, Creem, Gumroad. Whop is shown too, but our data classifies it as a marketplace. PayPal, Wise and Payoneer are payout routes, covered on each country page. Not shown: the British Indian Ocean Territory and the French Southern Territories, which have no permanent resident population.
If Stripe lists your country
Founders based in Nigeria, Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, Kenya and South Africa can apply to Stripe directly. Stripe tags all 5 with an Extended network label on its global page; check Stripe's own page for what that covers for your business. With Stripe you are the seller of record, so sales tax and VAT on international sales are your job. Some founders there still choose a merchant of record so it handles that for them; in our data, every one of these 5 countries also has at least 4 merchants of record listed as Yes. Note that Whop does not list Nigeria for payouts.
Which platform covers the most African countries?
| Platform | Type | Yes (of 58) | Yes where Stripe isn't available (of 53) | Headline fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paddle | Merchant of record | 50 | 45 | 5% + 50¢ per checkout transaction source, checked 2026-10-20 |
| Whop | Marketplace / payments platform | 46 | 42 | 2.7% + $0.30 per successful domestic card transaction source, checked 2026-10-20 |
| Dodo Payments | Merchant of record | 35 | 33 | 4% + 40¢ per transaction (Standard plan) source, checked 2026-10-20 |
| Gumroad | Merchant of record | 23 | 18 | 10% + $0.50 per sale on your own Gumroad page; 30% flat for sales through Gumroad's Discover marketplace source, checked 2026-10-20 |
| Lemon Squeezy | Merchant of record | 23 | 18 | 5% + 50¢ per transaction source, checked 2026-10-20 |
| Polar | Merchant of record | 23 | 18 | Starter (free): 5% + 50¢ per transaction source, checked 2026-10-20 |
| Creem | Merchant of record | 7 | 4 | 3.9% + 40¢ per successful transaction source, checked 2026-10-20 |
A merchant of record (MoR) is the legal seller of your product: it takes the customer's payment, handles sales tax and VAT, and pays you out. That is why an MoR can work where Stripe doesn't. What matters is whether it pays out to your country (what is a merchant of record?). Headline fees are the standard published rates; international cards, currency conversion and payouts can add to them.
By region
North Africa
Stripe: none of these countries. Paddle and Whop: every country here except Libya and Sudan. Lemon Squeezy, Polar and Gumroad: every country here except Libya, Sudan and Western Sahara. Creem: only Egypt and Morocco. Dodo Payments: only Tunisia. No platform on our list: Libya and Sudan.
West Africa
Stripe: Nigeria, Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire. Paddle: every country here except Mali. Whop: every country here except Nigeria and Liberia. Dodo Payments: every country here except Nigeria, Côte d'Ivoire and Saint Helena. Lemon Squeezy, Polar and Gumroad: only Nigeria, Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, Senegal, Benin, Gambia and Niger. Creem: only Nigeria.
Central Africa
Stripe: none of these countries. Paddle and Whop: every country here except Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic. Lemon Squeezy, Polar and Gumroad: only Angola and Gabon. Dodo Payments: only Gabon and Sao Tome and Principe. No platform on our list: Democratic Republic of the Congo and Central African Republic.
East Africa
Stripe: Kenya. Paddle: every country here except Somalia, South Sudan and Zimbabwe. Whop: every country here except Burundi, Somalia, South Sudan, Eritrea and Comoros. Dodo Payments: every country here except Kenya, Burundi, Somalia, South Sudan, Eritrea, Mayotte and Réunion. Lemon Squeezy, Polar and Gumroad: only Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Rwanda, Madagascar, Mauritius and Mozambique. Creem: only Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia. No platform on our list: Somalia and South Sudan.
Southern Africa
Stripe: South Africa. Paddle and Dodo Payments: every country in this group. Whop: every country here except Lesotho. Lemon Squeezy, Polar and Gumroad: every country here except Lesotho and Eswatini. Creem: only South Africa.
North Africa is also covered with the Arab Middle East in Stripe alternatives in the Middle East and North Africa.
What the country lists don't tell you
- Paddle is software-only. Paddle works with software businesses anywhere except the countries it lists as unsupported, and it reviews every seller. In Burundi and Eritrea it is the only platform we track that lists the country, so it is the main option there if you sell software.
- Dodo Payments goes by your ID, not where you live. Eligibility is based on the country that issued your government ID (and every director's or owner's ID for companies). It has restricted Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and Eritrea for new merchants; merchants onboarded before the restriction are grandfathered.
- Creem's list is short here. In Africa it lists Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia and South Africa.
- Bank payout vs PayPal payout. Lemon Squeezy and Gumroad pay to local bank accounts only in listed countries; elsewhere they pay through PayPal, which only works if your PayPal account can receive money. That is why Lemon Squeezy shows Unclear in 23 of the 58. PayPal's receiving status is Unclear in 50 countries here, because its official country list doesn't say whether accounts there can receive, and PayPal isn't on its own country list for 8.
- Local payment methods. We track whether a platform accepts you as a seller, not which local payment methods (for example mobile money) your customers can use at checkout. If most of your customers pay that way, check the platform's checkout documentation before you commit.
If no platform lists your country
For founders based in Libya, Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, Somalia and South Sudan, none of the seller platforms we track list the country, and Mercury doesn't accept founders residing in any of them. That rules out the usual US LLC route with a Mercury account there too. We'd rather say so plainly than suggest a workaround that breaks a provider's terms. Payoneer doesn't publish a full country list, so it shows as Unclear: check during sign-up.
Elsewhere on the continent, the US LLC route (form a US company remotely, open Mercury, then Stripe US) is open in principle: Mercury is Yes for founders residing in 39 of the 58. It adds US filing costs and your home-country tax obligations, so compare it with a merchant of record first.
How to choose, step by step
- Open your country's page (table above) and note which platforms are Yes.
- Match what you sell: software (Paddle, Lemon Squeezy, Polar, Dodo Payments, Creem), digital products and memberships (Lemon Squeezy, Gumroad, Whop). Paddle and Lemon Squeezy don't accept services like coaching.
- Check how the money reaches you: a local bank payout is simpler than PayPal-only.
- Compare the headline fees above, then read each platform's pricing page for international-card and payout extras.
- Apply to two platforms, not one. Approval is a separate review, and having a backup saves weeks.
Side-by-side: Paddle vs Lemon Squeezy · Lemon Squeezy vs Polar · Paddle vs Dodo Payments · all comparisons · every country and platform in one table: payment platform availability by country
FAQ: Stripe alternatives in Africa
Is Stripe available in Africa?
In 5 of the 58 African countries and territories covered here: Nigeria, Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, Kenya and South Africa (stripe.com/global, checked 2026-10-20). The other 53 are not on Stripe's supported-country list, so a business based there can't open a Stripe account directly.
What is the best Stripe alternative in Africa?
There isn't one best option for the whole continent; it depends on your country and what you sell. By coverage in our data, Paddle lists 50 of the 58, Dodo Payments lists 35 of the 58, Gumroad lists 23 of the 58. Paddle accepts software only. Being listed doesn't guarantee approval: each platform reviews your business.
Which African countries have no payment platform option?
Libya, Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, Somalia and South Sudan. None of the seller platforms we track list them for sellers or payouts (checked 2026-10-20). Mercury, which the US LLC route depends on, also doesn't accept founders residing in any of them.
Can I use Dodo Payments in Nigeria?
No. Not accepting new merchants. Only merchants onboarded before this country was restricted are grandfathered (policy dated 23 Mar 2026). Dodo decides eligibility by the country that issued your government ID, not where you live.
Is GetPaidAtlas a payment provider?
GetPaidAtlas is an independent guide, not a payment provider. We never receive, hold or move anyone's money, and we don't process payments. We link to each platform's own official page, so you apply with them directly.
Sources and check dates
Each status is copied from the platform's official page below. Per-country notes and the exact source for every cell are on the country pages. Stripe is not available in 199 countries and territories worldwide; see Stripe alternatives by country.
- Stripe: https://stripe.com/global (checked 2026-10-20; African entries re-checked 2026-10-25)
- Paddle: https://www.paddle.com/help/start/intro-to-paddle/which-countries-are-supported-by-paddle (checked 2026-10-20)
- Lemon Squeezy: https://docs.lemonsqueezy.com/help/getting-started/supported-countries (checked 2026-10-20)
- Polar: https://polar.sh/docs/merchant-of-record/supported-countries (checked 2026-10-20)
- Dodo Payments: https://docs.dodopayments.com/miscellaneous/accepted-countries-and-territories (checked 2026-10-20)
- Creem: https://docs.creem.io/merchant-of-record/supported-countries (checked 2026-10-20)
- Gumroad: https://gumroad.com/help/article/13-getting-paid (checked 2026-10-20)
- Whop: https://docs.whop.com/manage-your-business/manage-payouts/set-up-payouts (checked 2026-10-20)
- PayPal (receiving): https://www.paypal.com/us/webapps/mpp/country-worldwide (checked 2026-10-20)
- Mercury (via US LLC): https://support.mercury.com/hc/en-us/articles/28771710754580-Prohibited-countries (checked 2026-10-20)
More guides: all guides · Stripe alternatives in the Middle East and North Africa · What is a merchant of record? · Stripe alternatives in every country · the full dataset (CSV)
Not legal, tax or financial advice. Provider rules change often and depend on your business type, what you sell, and the documents you hold. Always verify with the provider before you build or sign up. 'Unclear' means we could not confirm it from an official source. Spotted something wrong? It will be fixed and noted in the change log.
Based somewhere else? Check which payment platforms accept sellers in your own country on GetPaidAtlas.
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