Comparison

Crater vs Paddle

On the evidence we track, Paddle leads this comparison with a composite score of 55/100. Scores are only directly comparable because these tools share a category; the full breakdown and every source is below.

Machine formatsJSONMarkdownGraphQLor send Accept: application/json
Crater50
Paddle55
Score
Vioscale score
Crater50 / 100medium · 74%
Paddle55 / 100medium · 61%
Pricing
Free tier
Crater
Paddle
Model
Price level
Craterfree
Paddleunknown
Transparent
Crater
Paddle
Integrations
Count
Crater3
Paddle3
Security
Disclosure policy
Crater
Paddle
Gdpr
Crater
Paddle
Pci
Crater
Paddle
Soc2
Crater
Paddle
Reliability
Status page
Crater
Paddle
Adoption
Github stars
Crater8,340
Paddle
Release
Cadence days
Crater2
Paddle
History
Crater20 items
Paddle
License
Spdx
CraterAGPL-3.0
Paddle
Language
Primary
CraterPHP
Paddle

Capabilities

Feature-by-feature on the axes that matter for billing & invoicing software. “-” means undocumented, not absent.

Core
Subscription billing
Crater-
Paddle
Usage metering
Crater-
Paddle-
Pricing models
Crater-
PaddleSubscriptions, per-user, usage-based, and tiered billing
Invoicing & AR
Crater
Paddle
Catalog management
Crater-
Paddle-
Commerce
Merchant of record
Crater-
Paddle
Finance
Revenue recognition
Crater-
Paddle-
Tax handling
Crater-
PaddleNative
Collections
Dunning
Crater-
PaddleSmart
Integrations
GL / ERP sync
Crater-
Paddle-
Ecosystem
API-first / developer-first
Crater
Paddle
Deployment
Self-hostable
Crater
Paddle
Insight
Revenue analytics
Crater-
Paddle

What each one is

The product in its own terms, so the numbers below have context.

Crater

Open-source web and mobile app that helps track expenses, payments, and create professional invoices and estimates.

Independently observed

Paddle

Leader

An all-in-one payment processing and billing platform for digital product companies that manages subscriptions, invoicing, tax compliance, and payment recovery across 300+ global markets.

Independently observed

Pricing

List pricing as published by each vendor, with the date we read it. Always verify at the source before you buy.

Crater

Open sourceFree tier

Free, open-source

  • Open SourceFree
    • Expense tracking
    • Payment tracking
    • Invoice creation
    • Estimate creation
as of verify ↗

Paddle

Leader
Hybrid

5% + 50¢ per transaction. No hidden fees or migration costs.

  • Pay-as-you-go5% + 50¢ per Checkout transaction
    • Global compliance
    • 24/7 customer support
    • Revenue recovery
    • Cross-border sales tax compliance
    • Fraud and chargeback protection
  • Custom pricingContact sales
    • Premium services
    • Success management
    • Custom migration services
    • Implementation support
as of verify ↗

Platform & deployment

Where each product runs and how it can be hosted. A dash means undocumented, not unsupported.

Platforms
Web
Crater
Paddle
iOS
Crater
Paddle
Android
Crater
Paddle
Deployment
Cloud / SaaS
Crater
Paddle
Self-hosted
Crater
Paddle

Integrations

What each product connects to. Counts come from the vendor's own integration directory where one exists.

Crater

3 total
  • Plaid
  • QuickBooks
  • Xero
Independently observed

Paddle

Leader
3 total
  • Drift
  • HubSpot
  • Intercom
Independently observed

Comparison generated from independently-sourced facts. Every value links to its source and retrieval date. See the method.