The cheapest way to take payments for a mobile game web shop is a provider with a published per-payment rate, no bundle you don't need, and no platform fee on the route the player took. On public rate cards in October 2026 that is 3.9% per successful payment on Appside, with card processing and tax on top; the alternatives publish 5% flat (Stash, about 10% all-in) or "typically 4–5%" (Appcharge's blog), or publish nothing (Xsolla, Neon). The app store you are leaving charges 15% to 30%. Here is every line, from the sources, so you can add them up for your own game.
1. The five lines every web shop pays
| Line | What it is | Public figures (October 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Provider fee | The store and checkout platform's cut | Appside 3.9% per payment; Stash 5% flat; Appcharge "typically 4–5%" (its blog, March 29, 2026); Xsolla and Neon: no rate card |
| Card processing and FX | What the acquirer and card schemes take | Inside Stash's 10% all-in; on the payment side with Appside (the rails' own rates) |
| Tax | Registration, calculation, collection, filing | Inside a merchant-of-record bundle, or yours with a tax engine or an accountant (guide) |
| Chargebacks and refunds | Disputed and reversed payments | Inside Stash's all-in; your policy on Appside (refunds) |
| Platform link fee | What Apple or Google charge when the player came through an in-app link | US iOS: none (Oct 2026); US Android link program: 20% within 24 hours; EU and Japan: 15% / 10% within 7 days; none when the player reached the store without an in-app link |
Independent estimates land in the same band: Game Growth Advisor's May 2026 piece puts an all-in setup at 5–7% of web revenue once payments, tax and chargebacks are counted.
2. The gateways people compare first (published rates, checked October 29, 2026)
| Provider | Published price | Merchant of record | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stripe (US pricing page) | 2.9% + 30¢ per domestic card charge; +1.5% international cards; +1% currency conversion | No | You build the store, identity, fulfilment and refunds yourself |
| Paddle | 5% + 50¢ per transaction | Yes | Digital products; game items subject to its approval |
| Lemon Squeezy | 5% + 50¢ per transaction, "small additional fees" outside the US | Yes | Same caveat |
| Xsolla | No rate card on its pricing page (partnership form); its 2022 blog said 5% per transaction | Yes | Web Shop and Site Builder sell virtual currency and items |
| Appcharge | "Request a quote"; its blog says partners typically pay 4–5% | Yes (per its site) | Sales-led |
| Appside | 3.9% per successful payment, no fixed fee, no setup or monthly fee | No (tax is yours) | Store, checkout, Studio, SDKs and signed webhooks included |
The fixed fee is what hurts a game: on a $0.99 pack, 30¢ is 30% of the sale and 50¢ is half of it. A percentage-only rate keeps small packs sellable.
| Per $10 pack | Fee | Per $0.99 pack | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stripe 2.9% + 30¢ | $0.59 (5.9%) | $0.33 (33%) | |
| Paddle / Lemon Squeezy 5% + 50¢ | $1.00 (10%) | $0.55 (55%) | |
| Appside 3.9% | $0.39 (3.9%) | $0.04 (3.9%) |
Base published rates only; taxes, cross-border charges, refunds and the card rails behind a percentage-only provider are separate.
3. On a $9.99 pack
| Route | Fees | You keep |
|---|---|---|
| App Store or Google Play billing (30%, or 25% + 5%) | $3.00 | $6.99 |
| Web shop, 10% all-in (Stash's calculator figure) | $1.00 | $8.99 |
| Web shop, 5% flat platform fee + your payments and tax | $0.50 + rails | about $9.20 |
| Web shop, "4–5%" (Appcharge's blog) + your payments and tax | $0.40–0.50 + rails | about $9.20–9.30 |
| Web shop, Appside 3.9% + your payments and tax | $0.39 + rails | about $9.30 |
| Same, reached through Google's US link program (+20%) | $2.39 + rails | about $7.30 |
"Rails" means card processing of roughly 3% plus a small fixed fee on most gateways; it applies to every web column except the all-in one, which has already counted it.
4. On $50,000 a month of web revenue
| Appside at 3.9% | A 10% all-in bundle | |
|---|---|---|
| Provider fee | $1,950 | $5,000 |
| Payments and FX | on the payment side (about $1,000–1,500) | included |
| Tax handling | tax engine and filings (about $300–800 plus registrations) | included |
| Chargebacks and refunds | your policy (say $250) | included |
| Monthly total | about $3,500–4,500 | $5,000 |
The app store on the same $50,000: $12,500 to $15,000 at 25–30%. Either web column is a fraction of that, which is why the real choice between providers is about control and scope, not the last tenth of a point. The cost breakdown walks through the build and ops lines too.
5. Four ways to pay less than the rate card suggests
- Send players to the store without an in-app link where the platform charges for links (email, a code on a stream, a QR on social): no platform fee on those purchases, in every country.
- Pick local payment methods per market: the rails' fees differ by method, and a wallet or bank transfer can be cheaper than an international card.
- Keep refunds a policy, not a bundle: a clear policy with idempotent fulfilment (webhooks) costs less than paying for chargeback insurance you rarely use.
- Choose a published rate: a figure you can read on a page is a figure you can plan against; a "get in touch" form is a negotiation.
6. The published rate
Appside: 3.9% per successful payment. No setup fee, no monthly fee, no minimum, no contract to negotiate. The store, checkout, Studio, live ops, SDKs and signed webhooks are inside; tax is yours. Create your store free: no card needed to start; the rate applies to successful payments.