Every "how to accept payments" thread on the internet gives you the same answer: use Stripe.
The data says otherwise.
We analyzed 708 monetized websites and found Shopify appears on 63 sites — 6× more than Stripe's 10. LemonSqueezy, despite years of hype, shows up on just 4.
Here's what's actually being used.
The Full Breakdown
| Processor | Sites | % of Monetized |
|---|---|---|
| Shopify | 63 | 8.9% |
| BuyMeACoffee | 16 | 2.3% |
| Stripe | 10 | 1.4% |
| Ko-fi | 7 | 1.0% |
| Paddle | 6 | 0.8% |
| LemonSqueezy | 4 | 0.6% |
Why Shopify Is Winning
We assumed Shopify was for big e-commerce brands. The data disagrees.
29 of 46 monetized e-commerce sites use Shopify — a 63% capture rate within its category. No other processor comes close.
The reason is obvious once you think about it: solo founders don't want to stitch together Stripe + tax handling + checkout UI separately. Shopify does all of it. The higher fees are worth it when you're building alone.
Why Stripe's Footprint Is Surprisingly Small
Stripe powers just 1.4% of monetized sites in our dataset. Yet it's the default recommendation everywhere.
Who's actually using it? Almost exclusively AI tools — 7 of the 10 Stripe sites are in the AI category. Stripe's API-first approach fits products with complex billing logic. For a simple checkout page? Founders reach for hosted solutions first.
The Paddle vs LemonSqueezy Race
Both solve the same problem — Merchant of Record, handling VAT automatically — but adoption is still early:
- Paddle: Skews toward developer tools and design products
- LemonSqueezy: More popular with education and creator niches
The first Paddle site in our dataset appeared Dec 2025. LemonSqueezy in Oct 2025. The hype-to-adoption curve is longer than the Twitter discourse suggests.
The Takeaway
What gets talked about ≠ what gets used.
Stripe has the best developer marketing in the industry. But when a solo founder actually ships, they choose the path of least resistance — a hosted solution that handles checkout, taxes, and payouts out of the box.
If you're a first-time indie hacker choosing a payment processor:
- Selling digital products / physical goods → Shopify
- Building a SaaS with custom billing logic → Stripe
- Want zero tax headaches, global from day one → Paddle or LemonSqueezy
Data from MRRScout — a micro-SaaS discovery platform tracking monetized websites.
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