Tool directory

A Merchant of Record platform built for Chinese indie devs accepting overseas subscription payments.

Paddle acts as Merchant of Record, handling global sales tax, refunds, and compliance on your behalf—so solo developers can collect subscriptions without an overseas company. Pricing runs roughly 5% plus payment fees, making it a solid fit for validating paid products quickly.

Best for: Solo developers without an overseas entity who want to launch subscription SaaS fast.

A go-to MoR platform for indie developers—Paddle's closest direct competitor.

Lemon Squeezy handles subscriptions, one-time payments, and digital product sales while managing tax compliance. Lighter UI than Paddle, with an API indie hackers love—ideal for small SaaS products and template sales.

Best for: Solo developers selling digital products or lightweight SaaS who want minimal compliance overhead.

The world's most popular payment API—but direct access is tough for China-based entities.

Stripe offers a complete suite of payment, subscription, and billing APIs with a mature ecosystem and excellent docs. Mainland China individuals and companies usually cannot open accounts directly; most Chinese developers use an overseas entity or route through an MoR instead.

Best for: Teams with a Hong Kong, US, Singapore, or other overseas entity that need highly custom payment flows.

Cross-border payments and multi-currency accounts with relatively smooth signup for Chinese users.

Wise offers multi-currency accounts, international transfers, and local receiving details with transparent fees. Indie developers commonly use it to receive payouts from Paddle, Upwork, and similar platforms, then convert to domestic bank accounts.

Best for: Individuals and small teams who need to receive foreign currency, control FX losses, and manage multi-currency cash flow.

A widely known cross-border payout tool—common for platform withdrawals in China.

Payoneer provides USD, EUR, and other receiving accounts widely used for Amazon, Fiverr, and affiliate network payouts. Chinese individuals can register and withdraw to domestic bank cards—a classic payout path for developers going global.

Best for: Individuals and small teams receiving from overseas platforms, affiliate networks, or MoR services who need to settle in China.