Overview
Kelviq is a Merchant of Record (MoR) platform built specifically for SaaS and AI companies that need to sell globally without setting up tax IDs in every country. The platform handles payments, subscriptions, usage-based billing, digital delivery, and tax compliance across 100+ countries and 135+ currencies, taking on the legal and financial risk of cross-border transactions so that engineering teams can stop wiring up tax tables and chargeback handlers.
Kelviq was announced by the ParityDeals team in March 2026 and launched publicly on Product Hunt in May 2026; ParityDeals is a five-year-old pricing localization product, so the founding team has spent years inside the cross-border billing problem. Kelviq positions itself against incumbents like Paddle, Lemon Squeezy, and Polar.sh, with explicit focus on the metering primitives that modern AI products need (token usage, API calls, credit ledgers) rather than only traditional flat or seat-based subscriptions.
For an AI sales-assistant tool, an AI agent platform, or any SaaS that charges by usage, Kelviq aims to replace a sprawl of Stripe + tax filing service + custom metering code with a single billable platform — with pricing starting at 2.9% + $0.40 per transaction for the first $5,000 in total processed volume, then 3.5% + $0.40, plus Kelviq-listed additional fees of +1.5% for non-US cards and +0.5% for recurring subscription charges.
Key Features
- Merchant of Record across 100+ countries — Kelviq is the legal seller, which means it collects, files, and remits VAT, GST, and sales tax globally so teams don't need foreign tax registrations or a dedicated tax-ops function.
- Flexible pricing models — Supports flat fee, per-seat, usage-based, tiered, volume, credits, one-time payments, overages, and hybrid combinations in one system, so a product can charge by API call, by seat, and by add-on flat fee without separate billing engines.
- Real-time usage metering — Event ingestion at zero-latency for API calls, AI tokens, compute, and data storage with soft/hard caps and overage handling, which fits AI products that bill by token or task.
- 135+ currencies and local payment methods — Localized pricing per country with native payment options, plus Kelviq-managed fraud protection and dispute workflows, with a documented chargeback/dispute fee when a customer disputes a charge.
- Digital delivery and license keys — Auto-generates license keys, hosts file downloads, and gates feature access via SDK, so digital-product sellers don't build their own fulfillment layer.
- Hosted checkout and customer portal — Drop-in checkout pages and a self-service portal for subscription management, invoice access, and plan changes, reducing custom UI work.
- Native SDKs — TypeScript, React, Node, and Python SDKs for in-app entitlements, usage events, and webhook handling.
How to Get Started
Kelviq is API-first, so onboarding centers on connecting a product's existing app to the billing layer rather than migrating an entire data model:
- Create a Kelviq account — Sign up on kelviq.com and complete merchant verification. For Merchant of Record onboarding, expect business registration and KYC documentation to be requested.
- Define pricing models — In the dashboard, configure plans (flat, seat, usage, credit, tiered, or hybrid). Kelviq's pricing-model UI is built to combine multiple billing dimensions without writing SQL or scheduled jobs.
- Install the SDK — Drop the JavaScript/React/Node/Python SDK into the product. Kelviq's docs cover SDKs and APIs for checkout, entitlements, pre-aggregated usage reporting, subscriptions, license keys, and portal sessions.
- Configure checkout — Use Kelviq's hosted checkout or embed the checkout component. Both surface localized pricing in 135+ currencies and 100+ countries automatically.
- Use SDKs (and webhooks if needed) — Kelviq's SDKs and UI widgets keep the app in sync automatically; webhooks are available as an additional sync option for provisioning, plan changes, refunds, and chargeback events when SDK-side state isn't enough.
- Go live — Switch from test to production API keys. Kelviq starts handling tax collection, fraud risk, and customer support from day one.
The most common migration pattern is moving from Stripe + a tax filing tool (Stripe Tax, Quaderno, TaxJar) to Kelviq's bundled MoR model, where the per-transaction fee replaces the combined cost of payment processing plus tax compliance plus chargeback ops.
How It Compares
Kelviq sits in the modern Merchant of Record category alongside several active players, each with a different angle:
- vs Paddle — Paddle is the established MoR for SaaS with strong enterprise polish and a full feature set. Kelviq is younger and leaner, with an AI/usage-billing focus around token ledgers and credit metering; verify each vendor's current usage-billing capabilities before relying on a direct feature-gap claim.
- vs Lemon Squeezy — Lemon Squeezy targets indie makers and creators with simple checkout and licensing. Kelviq overlaps on the MoR model but goes deeper on usage metering, hybrid pricing, and AI-specific event ingestion that creators don't typically need.
- vs Polar.sh — Polar focuses on open-source maintainers and developer-focused billing with usage-based billing primitives. Kelviq covers a wider commercial surface (135+ currencies, fraud handling, full subscription lifecycle) but is less opinionated toward the open-source community.
- vs Dodo Payments / Creem — Dodo and Creem compete directly on MoR for SaaS. Dodo lists 4% + $0.40 for domestic US card/wallet payments, while Creem lists 3.9% + $0.40 per successful transaction. Kelviq's 3.5% + $0.40 base rate (with the 2.9% founder offer on first $5,000) sits at the lower end of this group on headline pricing.
- vs Stripe — Stripe is a payment processor, not a Merchant of Record. Stripe pricing is roughly 2.9% + $0.30 but the seller still owns tax filing, fraud, and chargebacks. Kelviq's higher headline rate replaces multiple line items in the back office.
The decision usually comes down to whether the team wants to own tax operations (Stripe wins on raw rate) or outsource them entirely (Kelviq, Paddle, Lemon Squeezy compete on MoR economics).
Pricing & Plans
Kelviq does not charge a monthly platform fee. The model is purely transactional, which means small sellers pay nothing until they earn revenue.
| Plan | Rate | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Founder Offer | 2.9% + $0.40 per transaction for the first $5,000 in volume; 3.5% + $0.40 thereafter | Early-stage SaaS / AI companies launching on Kelviq |
| Standard | 3.5% + $0.40 per transaction | All other sellers; no setup fee, no minimum |
| Custom | Negotiated rates for larger volumes | High-volume sellers — contact sales |
The base 3.5% + $0.40 rate bundles payment processing, tax collection and filing, fraud protection, and platform access, but Kelviq also lists additional fees: +1.5% for non-US cards and +0.5% for recurring subscription charges. Existing ParityDeals users get the 3.5% rate as well. There is no separate platform subscription or per-seat fee, but transaction add-ons, retained refund fees, and chargeback/dispute fees should be reviewed alongside the headline rate.
Best For
- Early-stage SaaS founders selling globally who want to avoid registering for VAT/GST in every country
- AI product teams that bill by token, API call, or compute and need real-time metering with caps
- Solo developers or small teams selling digital products / license keys who can't afford a tax-ops function
- Companies launching subscription products in 100+ countries that want one platform instead of Stripe + tax tool + fraud tool
- Teams migrating off Lemon Squeezy or Paddle for better usage-based billing support
- ParityDeals customers who want pricing localization plus full payment infrastructure under one vendor
FAQ
What is Kelviq and what does Merchant of Record mean?
Kelviq is a Merchant of Record platform for SaaS, AI, and digital products. Merchant of Record means Kelviq is the legal seller of record on the customer's invoice — Kelviq collects payment, calculates and remits VAT/GST/sales tax, and absorbs chargeback and fraud liability across 100+ countries. The seller receives a payout net of fees and tax.
How much does Kelviq cost?
Standard pricing is 3.5% + $0.40 per transaction after the first $5,000 in total processed volume. A founder offer reduces this to 2.9% + $0.40 for the first $5,000. Kelviq's pricing page also lists +1.5% for non-US cards and +0.5% for recurring subscription charges. There is no monthly platform fee, no setup fee, and no minimum.
How is Kelviq different from Stripe?
Stripe is a payment processor — sellers using Stripe still own tax filing, fraud handling, and chargeback disputes. Kelviq is a Merchant of Record, meaning Kelviq legally sells the product and handles tax, fraud, and chargebacks. Stripe's headline rate is lower (~2.9% + $0.30), but Kelviq replaces multiple back-office line items.
How does Kelviq compare to Paddle or Lemon Squeezy?
All three are Merchant of Record platforms. Paddle is more mature with enterprise polish. Lemon Squeezy is creator-friendly with simple checkout. Kelviq differentiates with stronger native usage-based and AI-specific billing (token metering, AI credit ledger, hybrid models) and a competitive 3.5% rate.
What pricing models does Kelviq support?
Flat fee, per-seat, usage-based (API calls, AI tokens, compute, storage), tiered, volume, credits, one-time payments, overages, and hybrid combinations of the above. Multiple billing dimensions can be combined on the same plan.
Which programming languages have Kelviq SDKs?
TypeScript, React, Node, and Python at launch. SDKs cover entitlement checks, usage event reporting, and webhook handling.
Does Kelviq handle global tax automatically?
Yes. As Merchant of Record, Kelviq calculates, collects, and remits VAT, GST, and sales tax across 100+ countries. Sellers do not need foreign tax registrations, and Kelviq monitors thresholds so compliance scales with the business.
Can I move from Stripe to Kelviq?
Yes. The most common migration is Stripe + a tax filing tool (Stripe Tax, Quaderno, TaxJar) to Kelviq's bundled MoR model. Kelviq's per-transaction fee replaces the combined cost of payment processing plus tax filing plus chargeback operations. Existing customers and subscriptions typically need to be migrated via API.
Does Kelviq work for AI products that bill by token?
Yes — real-time usage metering, AI credit ledgers, soft/hard caps, and overage handling are first-class features. Kelviq was built with AI product billing as a primary use case, not bolted on.
Is there a free tier?
There is no platform subscription fee — sellers pay only when they make a sale. The 2.9% founder rate effectively makes the first $5,000 in revenue cheaper for new accounts before the standard 3.5% kicks in.
