What Lemon Squeezy is
Lemon Squeezy sells digital downloads, subscriptions and software licenses. It is the merchant of record, so it collects and pays sales tax and VAT on each sale.
Lanternbee vs Lemon Squeezy
Looking for a Lemon Squeezy alternative for your books?
A checkout for software and digital products that handles tax as merchant of record. Here is what it costs, where it does better than Lanternbee, and what moving would take.
Who it suits
Authors who sell digital products worldwide and want tax off their hands, and who don’t need print or a book-shaped store.
What Lemon Squeezy costs
US prices, checked against the sources at the bottom of this page.
| Plan | Price | Fee on sales |
|---|---|---|
| Lemon Squeezy | Free | 5% + 50¢ per sale; some sales outside the US cost a little more |
Lemon Squeezy and Lanternbee side by side
The jobs a bookstore has to do, and how each one handles them.
| What you need | Lemon Squeezy | Lanternbee |
|---|---|---|
| One book with several editions | Not listed | Yes. Ebook, audiobook, paperback and hardcover live on one book page. |
| Series with a reading order | Not listed | Yes, with the reading order you set. |
| Bundles and box sets | Not listed | Yes. Readers who own book one pay less for the rest. |
| Ebook and audiobook delivery | YesSigned download links. | Yes. Download links by email, and a reader library. |
| Send to Kindle | Not listed | Yes, from the reader library. |
| Print on demand for books | Not listedBuilt for digital products. | Yes, through BookVault or Lulu. |
| Your reader list | YesEmail marketing. | Yes. Every buyer lands on your list, with tags. |
| Your own domain | Not listed | Yes. yourname.lanternbee.shop or shop.yourname.com. |
| Monthly cost | Lemon Squeezy: Free | Free: nothing a month. Author: $45 a month, or $35 paid yearly. |
| Fee on sales | Lemon Squeezy: 5% + 50¢ per sale; some sales outside the US cost a little more | Free: 5%, only when you sell. Author: none. |
US prices. “Not listed” means we could not find it on Lemon Squeezy’s own pages or in the sources below, so check with them. Card fees apply everywhere; on Lanternbee they are Stripe’s, with nothing added.
What Lemon Squeezy does better
No store is right for every author. These are fair reasons to stay.
- Lemon Squeezy is the merchant of record. It deals with sales tax and VAT, so you don’t file it. Lanternbee plans to do this for EU VAT on ebooks, but it is not live yet.
- Affiliate tools and license keys.
- No monthly fee.
Moving from Lemon Squeezy
There is no importer for Lemon Squeezy. Here is what you would do by hand.
- Add your books on Lanternbee, with every format on one page.
- Download your Lemon Squeezy customers if you need them and keep them in your email tool. Lanternbee cannot import that list yet.
- Swap your checkout links for your Lanternbee book links in your back matter and newsletter.
Questions about Lemon Squeezy and Lanternbee
Who pays the VAT on my ebooks?
On Lemon Squeezy, Lemon Squeezy does, as the merchant of record. On Lanternbee you are the seller: Stripe Tax works out the tax at checkout and you report and pay it. We plan to take EU VAT on ebooks off your hands later.
Which costs less per sale?
On a $5 ebook, Lemon Squeezy takes $0.75 (5% plus 50¢). Lanternbee Free takes $0.25 plus Stripe’s card fees, and Author takes nothing beyond card fees.
Can I sell print books on Lemon Squeezy?
It is built for digital products. Lanternbee sends print orders to BookVault or Lulu.
Read next
Waiting list
Lanternbee is not open yet
We’re opening to a small group of authors first. Join the waiting list and we’ll email you when your store is ready to set up.
Free to join. No card needed.