As a solo developer, I’ve worked with different payment infrastructures across multiple projects. I use Paddle for the membership system on ceaksan.com and other SaaS projects, and iyzico for the Leetty marketplace. I’m writing this article as a reference for solo developers who want to sell digital products or SaaS subscriptions from Türkiye, drawing from my own experience and research.
The Core Problem
Choosing a payment infrastructure in Türkiye is far more complex compared to developers in other countries. The reason is simple: the two major global players don’t work in Türkiye.
| Platform | Status | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Stripe | Unavailable | Does not support accepting payments from Türkiye-registered businesses |
| PayPal | Unavailable | Shut down operations in Türkiye |
| Wise | Restricted | Receiving money to Türkiye stopped under new regulations |
| Gumroad | Unavailable | No payout support for Türkiye |
This table summarizes why someone new to the topic can’t just “start with Stripe.”
Two Different Worlds: MoR and Local Virtual POS
To understand payment infrastructure options, you first need to distinguish between two fundamental models.
Merchant of Record (MoR)
With MoR platforms, you are not the seller. The platform sits between you and the customer as the legal seller. Tax calculation, collection, chargeback management, and international compliance are the platform’s responsibility. You are a supplier and receive payouts from the platform.
Advantages:
- Tax, chargebacks, and compliance handled by the platform
- Sales to 200+ countries with a single integration
- Country-based pricing support
- Platform issues customer invoices
Disadvantages:
- High commission (4-5% + fixed fee)
- SWIFT/payout costs
- Monthly payout cycle (no quick access)
- Platform risk (account freezes, policy changes)
- Product approval process (not everything is accepted)
Local Virtual POS
With local virtual POS providers, you are the seller. Payment intermediaries (iyzico, PayTR, Param) process the payment and transfer it to you. Tax, invoicing, and compliance are your responsibility.
Advantages:
- Low commission (2.19-4.29%)
- Local payments in TRY
- Installment support (local cards)
- Faster settlement (PayTR next-day)
Disadvantages:
- Tax and compliance entirely on you
- Limited international sales
- KYC/TCKN requirements
- Separate tax registration needed for each country (for international sales)
MoR Options
Paddle
Paddle is one of the best-known MoR platforms. I use it for the ceaksan.com membership system, Validough, and Dnomia projects.
Strengths:
- Sales to 200+ countries with a single integration
- Automatic tax calculation and collection
- Subscription lifecycle management (upgrade, downgrade, proration)
- Overlay and inline checkout options
- Solid, well-documented webhook system
- MCP server for AI integration (Claude Code, Cursor)
Challenges:
- Commission: 5% + $0.50 per transaction
- TRY not supported, balance only in USD/EUR/GBP
- SWIFT payout fee: $15 flat on Paddle’s side. The Turkish bank side varies; in my own real payout, QNB charged $0 to the USD account
- Monthly payout cycle (created on the 1st, paid by the 15th)
- Minimum payout: $100
- Strict product approval: only SaaS/software accepted. Content, courses, consulting are gray areas
- KYC tightened further after $5M FTC settlement (2025)
Real cost calculation ($300/month revenue):
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Paddle commission (5% + $0.50) | ~$15.50 |
| SWIFT fee (Paddle side, flat) | $15.00 |
| Correspondent/receiving bank (my real payout) | $0.00 |
| FX (USD account, at payout) | $0.00 |
| Total deductions | ~$30.50 (10.2%) |
| Net received | ~$269.50 |
I verified these figures against my own Paddle payout: $15 SWIFT flat, zero bank and FX deductions (USD account; converting to TL is a separate step). Deduction at $300 is ~10%. Note: the SWIFT fee is flat per payout, not a percentage; when a monthly payout is ~$110, that same $15 is ~14%. At low volume the flat fee inflates the rate; it shrinks as volume grows.
Polar.sh
Polar.sh is an open-source, developer-focused MoR platform. It issues payouts via Stripe Connect Express.
An important distinction: Stripe Payments and Stripe Connect Express are different products. While Stripe Payments (accepting payments directly) doesn’t work in Türkiye, Stripe Connect Express (sending payouts) does. Polar accepts payments as the MoR, then transfers to you via Stripe Connect Express as a cross-border transfer. Your country doesn’t need Stripe to work directly.
Strengths:
- Commission: new Starter plan 5% + $0.50 (same as Paddle); the old 4% + $0.40 Early Member rate closed to new sellers after 27 May 2026
- Open source
- Türkiye explicitly supported (195 countries)
- No flat $15 SWIFT fee like Paddle (Stripe payout percentages apply instead)
- Payout currency depends on the Stripe Connect Express account; with a Turkish bank account the balance is held in TRY and can land as TRY (Paddle has no TRY, pays foreign currency)
- Astro adapter available
- Developer-focused API
Challenges:
- Relatively new platform
- Less documentation and community
- KYC process controlled by Stripe
- International (non-US) cards add +1.5%; on global subscriptions the effective commission can exceed Paddle’s
- Tiered pricing: lower variable rates require paid Pro/Growth/Scale plans
- Payouts go through Stripe with fees: $2/mo + 0.25% + $0.25, cross-border up to 1%
- I have not verified these figures against my own payout; modeled from official rates
Real cost calculation ($300/month revenue):
| Item (modeled · Starter · international card) | Amount |
|---|---|
| Polar commission (5% + $0.50) | ~$15.50 |
| International card surcharge (+1.5%) | ~$4.50 |
| Stripe payout ($2/mo + 0.25% + $0.25, cross-border ≤1%) | ~$3-6 |
| Total deductions | ~$23-26 (~8%) |
| Net received (modeled) | ~$274-277 |
Under this model, Polar comes out a few dollars ahead at $300, but the difference comes from Paddle’s flat $15 SWIFT fee, not commission. The key point is the crossover: at low volume (e.g. ~$110/month payout) Paddle’s flat $15 is ~14%, so Polar nets more; as volume grows (e.g. $5,000) that same $15 drops to ~0.3% and Polar’s 5% + 1.5% international + cross-border fees take over, making Paddle cheaper. There’s no single right answer; calculate with your own card mix and payout frequency.
Lemon Squeezy
Acquired by Stripe in 2024. Migration to Stripe Managed Payments is planned.
Strengths:
- Commission: 5% + $0.50
- Bank payout fee: 1% for international
- Mid-market exchange rate (better than SWIFT bank rates)
- Minimum payout: $50
Challenges:
- Uncertain future (Stripe migration)
- Cases of frozen payouts and closed stores on Trustpilot
- AI support, human support takes 1+ week
- Türkiye bank payout not definitively confirmed
Other MoRs
| Platform | Commission | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Dodo Payments | 4% + $0.40 | Explicitly targets Türkiye but only 2 payouts/month, $5 payout fee |
| FastSpring | ~5.9%+ | Enterprise-heavy, overkill for solo dev |
| 2Checkout (Verifone) | 3.5% + $0.35 | Accepts TR merchants, 200+ countries |
Local Virtual POS Options
iyzico
I use iyzico in the Leetty marketplace project. One of Türkiye’s most widely used payment processors, an electronic money institution under TCMB supervision (originally licensed by the BDDK in 2016, supervised by the TCMB since 2020).
iyzico’s marketplace model should not be confused with MoR: it provides split payments and escrow, but the seller remains a submerchant. The sales invoice and VAT stay with the submerchant; iyzico only issues a commission invoice for its intermediary service (10% VAT on the intermediary fee). The platform does not become the seller as it would under MoR. Note: “under the PayU umbrella” is no longer accurate; PayU and Paynet merged under iyzi Ödeme ve Elektronik Para Hizmetleri A.Ş. on 1 January 2026.
Strengths:
- Most widespread virtual POS in Türkiye
- Subscription support available
- International card support (USD, EUR, GBP, CHF, NOK, RUB)
- Marketplace/submerchant model
Challenges (and these are serious):
Payout cycle: weekly. In iyzico’s official flow, weekday transactions accrue on Sunday 23:59, then transfer the following Wednesday after a 2-day hold (the hold period can vary by agreement). Sales over 20,000 TL/month also get a next-day payout option. PayTR does it the next day. Edge cases still exist: Sikayetvar (Turkish complaint platform) shows 240,000 TL and 68,070 TL blocked-fund cases; holds can lengthen for high-risk or new accounts.
Submerchant KYC: Adding a submerchant in the marketplace model requires TCKN (national ID number) verification. Due to MASAK (Türkiye’s financial intelligence unit) compliance, the API returns an error without the identityNumber parameter. From 2025, NFC-based chip ID verification became mandatory: you need to download the mobile app and scan your physical ID card via NFC, with no alternative.
Refund commission: A 2.5% commission is deducted on refunds made after 24 hours. PayTR does not charge commission on refunds.
3D Secure and international: iyzico made 3D Secure mandatory for all transactions, but many countries don’t use 3D systems. This causes payments from international cards to fail. Multi-currency support costs an extra 99 TL/year.
SDK status: The Python SDK now supports the subscription API; the long-open request (GitHub Issue #75) was closed in February 2026 once subscription services were added to the SDK, with remaining open items being narrower (e.g. card update, #102). PHP SDK subscription functions don’t work in sandbox. The subscription product is free for the first 3 months, then 199 TL/month.
Support quality: 2.1/5 on Trustpilot. Risk department unreachable by phone, email only. Technical support quality drops after 5 PM.
Commission: ~4.29% + 0.25 TL (negotiable).
PayTR
Strengths:
- Low commission: ~2.19% (volume-based); no annual or hidden fees
- Next-day settlement (vs iyzico’s weekly cycle)
- Subscription and marketplace (submerchant) support; no separate fixed fee on subscriptions (commission only), USD/EUR plans supported
Challenges:
- Tax registration required (no account without a registered business; a sole proprietorship suffices)
- Direct API approval required
- February 2026: 2-day outage across all merchants with “Failed - Bank terminal error”
- Sudden store closures + thousands of TL blocked
- Refund processing can take 20+ days
Other Local Options
| Platform | Commission | Subscription | International | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Param | ~2.20-2.29% | Yes | Yes | 65K+ active users, PCI-DSS |
| iPara | Starting from 0.99% | Yes | Yes | Volume-based pricing |
| Shopier | 2.99-4.99% | No | Possible via correspondence | Payments only on Wednesdays. No recurring. Suitable for simple one-time sales |
| Moka | Starting from 1.89% | Unclear | Unclear | AI-based automatic bank routing |
| Kpay | Custom | No | Yes | 2-hour activation, no monthly fee |
Comparison Table
| Feature | Paddle | Polar.sh | iyzico | PayTR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Model | MoR | MoR | Virtual POS | Virtual POS |
| Commission | 5% + $0.50 | 5% + $0.50 (Starter) | ~4.29% + 0.25 TL | ~2.19% |
| Settlement | Monthly | Periodic | Weekly (2-day hold) | Next day |
| Subscription | Yes | Yes | Yes (199 TL/month) | Yes (no fee) |
| International | 200+ countries | 195 countries | Declined on non-3DS cards | Yes |
| Tax management | Platform | Platform | On you | On you |
| TRY support | No | Yes (payout) | Yes | Yes |
| Installments | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| SWIFT cost | $15 flat/payout | None (Stripe payout) | None | None |
| Product limits | SaaS/software only | Digital products | Broad | Broad |
Real Cost Comparison
$300/month international revenue scenario:
| Platform | Commission | Transfer | FX Loss | Total Deductions | Net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paddle (verified) | $15.50 | $15.00 | $0.00 | $30.50 (10.2%) | $269.50 |
| Polar.sh (modeled, intl) | $20.00 | $3-6 | incl. | ~$23-26 (~8%) | ~$274-277 |
| Lemon Squeezy | $15.50 | $2.85 | $1.40 | $19.75 (6.6%) | $280.25 |
Note: the Paddle row is verified against my own real payout. The Polar row is modeled from official rates (I don’t have an account) and assumes international cards; with US cards, subtract +1.5%. This is a single $300 scenario; because the SWIFT fee is flat, the ranking shifts with volume: Polar wins at low volume, Paddle at high volume. That ranking assumes Polar’s Starter plan; the paid plans (Pro 3.8%+40¢, Growth 3.6%+35¢, Scale 3.4%+30¢) drop the rate below Paddle’s 5% at volume and push the crossover further out.
5,000 TL/month local revenue scenario:
| Platform | Commission | Transfer | Total Deductions | Net |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| iyzico | ~215 TL + 0.25 TL | None | ~215 TL (4.3%) | ~4,785 TL |
| PayTR | ~110 TL | None | ~110 TL (2.19%) | ~4,890 TL |
| Param | ~110-115 TL | None | ~112 TL (2.2%) | ~4,888 TL |
Regulation and Tax
For Local Virtual POS
2025 Withholding Tax: Starting January 1, 2025, a 1% withholding tax is mandatory on all e-commerce intermediary payments. iyzico and PayTR deduct this automatically.
BDDK/TCMB Oversight: In 2024, TCMB (Central Bank of Türkiye) fined 55 payment institutions a total of 160.3 million TL. 4 institutions had their licenses revoked. Regulation is tightening.
MASAK: Identity verification (TCKN) is mandatory for all transactions. Certain sectors (food, boutiques, cafes) are under special monitoring.
For MoR (Service Export)
When working with a MoR, payments come from abroad. This is an advantageous position within the Turkish tax system:
Service export exemption (100%, from 2026): If your digital products meet the “service utilized abroad” condition, the full earnings can be tax-exempt. Presidential Decree 11257, published in Official Gazette 33239 on 30 April 2026, raised the deduction rate under GVK 89/13 and KVK 10/1-ğ from 80% to 100%, applicable to taxation periods starting 1/1/2026 onwards. Both sole proprietorships and corporations benefit. Condition: earnings must be transferred to Türkiye by the tax return filing deadline. Since the MoR is a foreign legal entity (Paddle: UK, Lemon Squeezy: US), the “service utilized abroad” condition is generally met.
Full VAT Exemption: VAT on exports is 0%.
Digital Services Tax (DST): Dropping to 5% in 2026, 2.5% in 2027. However, the thresholds are very high: Türkiye revenue >20M TRY AND global revenue >750M EUR. Not applicable to solo developers, only major platforms like Google, Apple, and Netflix pay this.
My Approach: Hybrid Strategy
Trying to solve everything with a single platform brings the biggest risk: single point of dependency. A platform can freeze your account, change its policies, or shut down. Digital River’s insolvency, Gumroad’s sudden MoR transition, and store closures on Lemon Squeezy are examples.
My approach:
For Turkish customers: iyzico or PayTR. TRY payments, local card installments, fast settlement (next-day with PayTR). Tax and compliance are my responsibility, but this is manageable for local transactions.
For international customers: Paddle (existing projects) or Polar.sh (evaluating for new projects). The MoR model automatically handles tax, chargebacks, and international compliance. Polar’s structural difference isn’t commission (same as Paddle on the new Starter plan, higher on international cards) but the payout side: Paddle’s flat $15 SWIFT fee doesn’t apply. This favors Polar at low volume and Paddle at high volume.
This approach both optimizes costs and reduces the risk of single-platform dependency.
Conclusion
Selling digital products from Türkiye requires more research and planning compared to developers in countries where Stripe operates. However, it’s not impossible and even offers some tax advantages.
- For international sales, MoR platforms (Paddle, Polar.sh) take on the tax and compliance burden, but watch out for transfer costs
- For local sales, PayTR’s low commission and next-day settlement is an advantage over iyzico’s weekly cycle
- Single-platform dependency is the biggest risk: account freezes, policy changes, or platform shutdowns are always possible
- Know your tax advantages: service export exemption (100%, from 1/1/2026), full VAT exemption (0%)
When choosing, look not just at commission rates but at total cost (transfer fees + currency conversion + settlement time + operational overhead).
- 01 Stripe and PayPal are unavailable in Türkiye; you need to work with MoR platforms (Paddle, Polar.sh) or local virtual POS providers (iyzico, PayTR)
- 02 MoR platforms handle tax, chargebacks, and compliance, but Paddle's flat $15 SWIFT fee inflates the rate on small payouts (~14% at ~$110/month, ~10% at $300)
- 03 Key challenges with local virtual POS providers include iyzico's weekly payout cycle (2-day hold), refund commissions, and mandatory 3D Secure blocking international cards
- 04 Türkiye's service export exemption (raised to 100% from 1/1/2026, Official Gazette 33239), zero VAT on exports, make selling digital products from Türkiye advantageous from a tax perspective
- 05 Single-platform dependency is the biggest risk; a hybrid strategy (local + MoR) is the healthiest approach for both cost and security
+ Can I use Stripe from Türkiye?
No. Stripe does not support accepting payments directly from Türkiye-registered businesses. However, Stripe Connect Express (the payout side) is a different product. MoR platforms like Polar.sh use this infrastructure to issue payouts to sellers in Türkiye.
+ What's the fundamental difference between Paddle and iyzico?
Paddle is a MoR (Merchant of Record) platform: it manages tax, chargebacks, and compliance, while you act as a supplier. iyzico is a virtual POS: you accept the payment directly, and tax and compliance are your responsibility. Paddle is strong for international sales, iyzico for local TRY payments.
+ Which platform has the lowest commission?
Among local virtual POS providers, PayTR (~2.19%). Among MoR platforms, commission is the same on Paddle and Polar's Starter plan (5% + 50¢); Polar adds +1.5% on international cards. But total cost isn't just commission: Paddle's flat $15 SWIFT fee, Polar's Stripe payout fees, currency conversion, settlement time, and operational overhead must also be factored in.
+ Which strategy should I choose as a solo developer?
Hybrid strategy: iyzico or PayTR for Turkish customers (TRY, fast settlement), Paddle or Polar.sh for international customers (MoR, automatic tax/compliance). Single-platform dependency is the biggest risk.
+ Are there tax advantages for selling digital products from Türkiye?
Yes. The service export exemption was raised to 100% from 1/1/2026 (Official Gazette 33239, Presidential Decree 11257, covering both GVK 89/13 and KVK 10/1-ğ); qualifying earnings can be fully tax-exempt. Previous rate was 80%. VAT on exports is 0% (Full Exemption). Payments from MoR platforms count as foreign income and can benefit from these exemptions.