Merchants of record · November 2026 Edition
Paddle vs FastSpring
Thirteen of fourteen models named Paddle first on the direct prompt; one named FastSpring. Both were named by all fourteen models and Paddle carries 62 labels and FastSpring 48, so the shares are not directly comparable.
Named in seven categories this edition.
Named in two categories this edition.
First-choice share44%12%Of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, 0 to 100.
Negative rate16%4%Negative labels as a share of the product's labels, 0 to 100.
Rank in category#1#3A position in a field of 12; printed, not drawn.
Labels6248A count; the two differ.
The two percentage rows are drawn on one 0 to 100 track, Paddle reading right to left. Rank and label count are printed, not drawn.Cleverbridge was named alongside these two in ten of the fourteen direct answers. Paddle vs Creem · Paddle vs Lemon Squeezy · Paddle vs PayPro Global
Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all fourteen models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category; every quote names the model and the prompt it came from. Both figures come from the merchants of record page.
By framing
How many of the fourteen models made each the first choice, per way of asking, and how many argued against it.
PaddleFirst choices, of fourteen modelsFastSpring
Direct131
Paraphrase54
Comparative123
Budget-constrained204 against Paddle · 1 against FastSpring
Scale-constrained21
Negative106 against Paddle · 1 against FastSpring
Bars are first choices, 0 to 14 each sideModels that argued againstA model can name both, so the two sides of a row do not sum to fourteen.
Across every category in the November 2026 Edition, Paddle and FastSpring were named in the same answer 145 times, of the 227 answers naming Paddle and the 161 naming FastSpring. In those answers FastSpring took the first choice eight times and Paddle seventy-six.
Every model, every framing
The eighty-four answers behind the chart above, one cell each: where Paddle and FastSpring stood in it.
| Model | Direct | Paraphrase | Comparative | Budget-constrained | Scale-constrained | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | | | ||||
| GPT-5.4 mini | | | | | ||
| Gemini 3.5 Flash | | | | | ||
| Perplexity Sonar | | | | | ||
| Grok 4.20 | | | | | | |
| Mistral Small | | | | |||
| DeepSeek V4 Flash | | | | | | |
| Llama 4 Maverick | | | | | ||
| Qwen 3.7 Flash | | | | | | |
| Kimi K2 | | | | | | |
| GLM 4.7 FlashX | | | | | ||
| MiniMax M2.5 | | | | | ||
| GPT-6 Luna | | | | | | |
| Muse Glimmer 30B | | | |
Paddle FastSpring first choice named as an alternative argued againstblank: not namedEach cell is one answer, Paddle on the left and FastSpring on the right.The direct prompt
The plain question, one answer per model, grouped by where Paddle and FastSpring stood in it.
Both were the first choice
1 of 14 modelsThe answer named them together, and the judge labeled each a first choice.Gemini 3.5 FlashFastSpring, Paddle alternatives: Adyen, Anrok, Avalara, Cleverbridge, PayPro Global, Stripe
Paddle first, FastSpring an alternative
12 of 14 modelsFastSpring was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.Claude Haiku 4.5Paddle alternatives: 2Checkout, Cleverbridge, FastSpring, PayPro Global
GPT-5.4 miniPaddle alternatives: FastSpring
Perplexity SonarPaddle alternatives: Cleverbridge, FastSpring
Grok 4.20Paddle alternatives: 2Checkout, Cleverbridge, FastSpring
Mistral SmallPaddle alternatives: Cleverbridge, FastSpring
DeepSeek V4 FlashPaddle alternatives: Cleverbridge, FastSpring, Nexway, PayPro Global
Llama 4 MaverickPaddle alternatives: Cleverbridge, EBizCharge, FastSpring
Qwen 3.7 FlashPaddle alternatives: Cleverbridge, FastSpring
Kimi K2Paddle alternatives: FastSpring, Nexway, PayPro Global
MiniMax M2.52Checkout, Paddle alternatives: DualEntry
GPT-6 LunaPaddle alternatives: Cleverbridge, FastSpring
Muse Glimmer 30BPaddle alternatives: Cleverbridge, DualEntry, FastSpring, Nexway
Neither was named
1 of 14 modelsThe answer made no first choice from these two in this category.GLM 4.7 FlashXno first choice
Bold names in an answer are the products the judge labeled a first choice; a model naming several gives each of them that label. The full answer text for every row is in the record.
By buyer segment
The same question asked on behalf of a different buyer. Each standing is computed within its segment and they are never added together. The figures above are the mid-market standing, which is the one the category orders by.
Small business
Paddle leads by thirty-three points.
Paddle44%#1 of 12FastSpring12%#3 of 12Mid-marketThe figures above
Paddle leads by thirty-two points.
Paddle44%#1 of 12FastSpring12%#3 of 12Enterprise
Paddle leads by twenty-one points.
Paddle31%#2 of 9FastSpring10%#3 of 9What the models said about Paddle
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of seven in this category shown.
“Paddle ⚠️ PROCEED WITH CAUTION ... June 2025 FTC Settlement: Paddle paid $5 million and was permanently banned from processing payments” Kimi K2 · negative prompt · hard negative
“FTC settlement in 2025 for $5 million over unfair payment practices... avoid if selling high-risk or subscription-heavy products.” Grok 4.20 · negative prompt · hard negative
“the FTC has targeted a merchant of record, Paddle, for unlawful payment processing and other violations” Llama 4 Maverick · negative prompt · hard negative
“Best default for scaling SaaS: Paddle, because it combines subscriptions, tax handling, invoicing, and global checkout in one system.” Perplexity Sonar · comparative prompt · first choice
“Paddle is my top recommendation for a mid-sized B2B company looking for a reseller that handles both global sales tax and payments.” DeepSeek V4 Flash · paraphrase prompt · first choice
“Paddle is the market leader for scaling B2B SaaS companies that want transparent pricing and a comprehensive all-in-one platform.” DeepSeek V4 Flash · comparative prompt · first choice
What the models said about FastSpring
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Five of six in this category shown.
“Avoid enterprise-heavy options like FastSpring (higher ~5.9% fees, older interface)” Grok 4.20 · budget prompt · hard negative
“MoR model leads to higher costs (negotiated but often 4–6% effective) and less control over customer data/branding.” Grok 4.20 · negative prompt · soft negative
“FastSpring tends to be referenced more specifically for mid-sized B2B SaaS with both self-serve and sales-assisted motions” Muse Glimmer 30B · paraphrase prompt · first choice
“Pick a Merchant of Record (Paddle or FastSpring) if your contract sizes are smaller ($1k–$25k ACV)” Gemini 3.5 Flash · direct prompt · first choice
“For most SaaS and software companies, Paddle and FastSpring are the most common choices.” GLM 4.7 FlashX · comparative prompt · first choice
Also compared
Paddle vs CreemPaddle vs Lemon SqueezyPaddle vs PayPro GlobalPaddle vs CleverbridgePaddle vs 2CheckoutPaddle vs Digital RiverCreem vs FastSpringFastSpring vs Lemon SqueezyFastSpring vs PayPro GlobalFastSpring vs CleverbridgeFastSpring vs 2CheckoutFastSpring vs Digital RiverAll twenty-eight head-to-head pages and the full merchants of record standing
Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category, each against each. The output is the models' output; nothing here is a recommendation by the index.