FxLeakage
Best for Indie SaaS founder

Best payment stack for indie SaaS founders (2026)

One-person SaaS: Stripe collects, something has to sweep it home cheaply.

Our picks, ranked

  1. S
    #1
    Stripe

    Industry-default subscription billing + hosted checkout.

  2. M
    #2
    Mercury

    Best home for USD if you have a US LLC — free ACH + yield.

  3. W
    #3
    Wise Business

    Cheapest way to move USD out to your local currency.

Playbook tips

  • ▸US LLC → Stripe → Mercury → Wise. That's the modern indie stack.
  • ▸Never convert inside Stripe — always payout USD to a USD account first.
  • ▸Wise transfers monthly beat weekly — amortize the flat fee.

Run your numbers

Showing latest calculation.
The leak story
vs Stripe International

Your bank just got $145.30 richer.

That's enough to pay for…
  • 7 months of ChatGPT Plus
  • 9 Uber rides across town
  • 1 gram of 24k gold
Over a year at this pace

You'll leak $1,744 — that's a decent electric bike.

Every. Single. Year.

Plug the leak — route via Wise Business.
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PayPal
4.4% + $0.30 · 2.5% FX markup
Leaky
Fee$220.30
FX leak$119.49
Skimmed$339.79
You keep
$4,660
Stripe International
4.3% + $0.30 · 2.0% FX markup
Fee$215.30
FX leak$95.69
Skimmed$310.99
You keep
$4,689
Payoneer
3% flat · 1.5% FX markup
Fee$150.00
FX leak$72.75
Skimmed$222.75
You keep
$4,777
Winner!
Wise Business
0.5% transparent · 0% FX markup
Fee$25.00
FX leak$0.00
Skimmed$25.00
You keep
Take-home
$4,975
Open free Wise Business account →
Airwallex
1% intl · 0.6% FX markup
Fee$50.00
FX leak$29.70
Skimmed$79.70
You keep
$4,920
Revolut Business
0.4% · interbank FX (0.4% beyond plan)
Fee$20.00
FX leak$19.92
Skimmed$39.92
You keep
$4,960
WorldFirst
0% fee · 0.5% FX markup
Fee$0.00
FX leak$25.00
Skimmed$25.00
You keep
$4,975
Mercury
Free wires · ~1% FX spread
Fee$0.00
FX leak$50.00
Skimmed$50.00
You keep
$4,950
Bank Wire (SWIFT)
$25 flat · 3% FX spread
Fee$25.00
FX leak$149.25
Skimmed$174.25
You keep
$4,826
Deel
3% withdraw · 1.5% FX markup
Fee$150.00
FX leak$72.75
Skimmed$222.75
You keep
$4,777
Smart Tip

Stop the leak! Based on your parameters, Wise Business saves you $1,744/year compared to Stripe International.

Switch the rail and reclaim that margin every cycle.

Per invoice
$145.30
Extrapolated yearly
$1,744
How we calculated it

Difference between Stripe International and Wise Business on the same invoice, split into the two leak sources:

  • Platform fee delta$145.30
  • FX markup leakage delta$0.00
  • Per-invoice savings$145.30
  • × 12 months$1,744

Winner breakdown

0.00% better than Airwallex
Calculation breakdown · Wise Business
Gross billed
$5,000
Platform fee %
0.00%
Total platform fee
$0.00
Conversion rate
1.0000
FX markup
0.00%
Effective rate
1.0000
Receiving amount
$5,000
Hidden FX loss
$0.00
Total loss
$0.00
Final payout$5,000

Other playbooks

Upwork freelancer →Fiverr seller →Etsy seller →YouTube creator →Shopify store owner →Remote employee →Digital agency →