Merchants of record · October 2026 Edition
FastSpring vs Lemon Squeezy
Three of fourteen models named FastSpring first on the direct prompt; zero named Lemon Squeezy. Both were named by all fourteen models and FastSpring carries 49 labels and Lemon Squeezy 35, so the shares are not directly comparable.
Named in one category this edition.
Named in three categories this edition.
First-choice share14%12%Of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, 0 to 100.
Negative rate10%23%Negative labels as a share of the product's labels, 0 to 100.
Rank in category#3#4A position in a field of 10; printed, not drawn.
Labels4935A count; the two differ.
The two percentage rows are drawn on one 0 to 100 track, FastSpring reading right to left. Rank and label count are printed, not drawn.Paddle was named alongside these two in fourteen of the fourteen direct answers. Paddle vs FastSpring · Paddle vs Lemon Squeezy · Cleverbridge vs FastSpring
Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all fourteen models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category; every quote names the model and the prompt it came from. Both figures come from the merchants of record page.
By framing
How many of the fourteen models made each the first choice, per way of asking, and how many argued against it.
FastSpringFirst choices, of fourteen modelsLemon Squeezy
Direct302 against FastSpring
Paraphrase40
Comparative10
Budget-constrained171 against FastSpring · 2 against Lemon Squeezy
Scale-constrained00
Negative012 against FastSpring · 6 against Lemon Squeezy
Bars are first choices, 0 to 14 each sideModels that argued againstA model can name both, so the two sides of a row do not sum to fourteen.
Across every category in the October 2026 Edition, FastSpring and Lemon Squeezy were named in the same answer sixty-two times, of the 151 answers naming FastSpring and the 102 naming Lemon Squeezy. In those answers Lemon Squeezy took the first choice eleven times and FastSpring seven.
Every model, every framing
The eighty-four answers behind the chart above, one cell each: where FastSpring and Lemon Squeezy stood in it.
| Model | Direct | Paraphrase | Comparative | Budget-constrained | Scale-constrained | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | | | ||||
| GPT-5.4 mini | | | | |||
| Gemini 3.5 Flash | | | | | | |
| Perplexity Sonar | | | | | ||
| Grok 4.1 Fast | | | | | | |
| Mistral Small | | | | |||
| DeepSeek V4 Flash | | | | | ||
| Llama 4 Maverick | | |||||
| Qwen 3.7 Flash | | | | | | |
| Kimi K2 | | | | | | |
| GLM 4.7 FlashX | | | | |||
| MiniMax M2.5 | | | | | ||
| GPT-6 Luna | | | | | ||
| Muse Glimmer 30B | | | | |
FastSpring Lemon Squeezy first choice named as an alternative argued againstblank: not namedEach cell is one answer, FastSpring on the left and Lemon Squeezy on the right.The direct prompt
The plain question, one answer per model, grouped by where FastSpring and Lemon Squeezy stood in it.
FastSpring first, Lemon Squeezy not the choice
3 of 14 modelsLemon Squeezy was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.Claude Haiku 4.5FastSpring alternatives: Cleverbridge, Paddle, PayPro Global
GPT-5.4 miniFastSpring alternatives: Paddle
Qwen 3.7 FlashFastSpring, Paddle alternatives: Verifone
Neither was the first choice, one was named
7 of 14 modelsThe answer put something else first and named one of the two as an alternative.Gemini 3.5 FlashCleverbridge alternatives: FastSpring, Paddle, PayPro Global
Grok 4.1 FastCleverbridge alternatives: FastSpring, Paddle
Kimi K2Paddle alternatives: FastSpring, PayPro Global
GLM 4.7 FlashXCleverbridge, Paddle alternatives: FastSpring
MiniMax M2.5Cleverbridge alternatives: FastSpring, Paddle, PayPro Global
GPT-6 LunaPaddle alternatives: FastSpring
Muse Glimmer 30BPaddle alternatives: Cleverbridge, FastSpring, PayPro Global
Neither was named
4 of 14 modelsThe answer made no first choice from these two in this category.Perplexity SonarCleverbridge alternatives: Paddle
Mistral SmallCleverbridge alternatives: 2Checkout, Paddle
DeepSeek V4 FlashCleverbridge alternatives: 2Checkout, Paddle
Llama 4 MaverickCleverbridge, Paddle
Bold names in an answer are the products the judge labeled a first choice; a model naming several gives each of them that label. The full answer text for every row is in the record.
By buyer segment
The same question asked on behalf of a different buyer. Each standing is computed within its segment and they are never added together. The figures above are the mid-market standing, which is the one the category orders by.
Small business
FastSpring leads by twelve points.
FastSpring24%#2 of 10Lemon Squeezy12%#3 of 10Mid-marketThe figures above
FastSpring leads by two points.
FastSpring14%#3 of 10Lemon Squeezy12%#4 of 10Enterprise
FastSpring leads by seven points.
FastSpring7%#4 of 7Lemon Squeezy0%#7 of 7What the models said about FastSpring
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of eight in this category shown.
“Avoid for tiny budgets: Enterprise-focused like FastSpring (quote-based, higher effective)” Grok 4.1 Fast · budget prompt · hard negative
“FastSpring is more likely to shut down your account and withhold funds for 180 days” Qwen 3.7 Flash · negative prompt · hard negative
“Caveat: Some users note its legacy infrastructure can be less flexible than newer competitors like Paddle” DeepSeek V4 Flash · direct prompt · soft negative
“If your B2B offering includes a mix of software licenses, implementation services, and physical devices, FastSpring is arguably the most flexible backend.” Qwen 3.7 Flash · direct prompt · first choice
“FastSpring is the better fit for small-to-mid-size software sellers who want a faster, more self-serve setup.” Muse Glimmer 30B · paraphrase prompt · first choice
“Top Pick: FastSpring ... I'd recommend FastSpring as the best all-around Merchant of Record” DeepSeek V4 Flash · paraphrase prompt · first choice
What the models said about Lemon Squeezy
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of eight in this category shown.
“Trustpilot and review aggregates repeatedly flag frozen accounts and payout delays.” Muse Glimmer 30B · negative prompt · hard negative
“many merchants report sudden account "reviews" that freeze payouts... their customer support can be slow during these bottlenecks” Gemini 3.5 Flash · negative prompt · soft negative
“Mixed reviews (≈3.5/5 on Trustpilot) ... Account suspensions without clear explanation” GLM 4.7 FlashX · negative prompt · soft negative
“Top Recommendation: Lemon Squeezy ... Start with Lemon Squeezy for the best balance of low cost, simple integration, and included tax compliance.” Qwen 3.7 Flash · budget prompt · first choice
“Simpler, established alternative: Lemon Squeezy... Choose Lemon Squeezy if you prefer its pricing and product setup.” GPT-6 Luna · budget prompt · first choice
“I'd recommend starting with Freemius ... or Lemon Squeezy (for digital products/creators)” MiniMax M2.5 · budget prompt · first choice
Also compared
Paddle vs FastSpringPaddle vs Lemon SqueezyCleverbridge vs FastSpringCleverbridge vs Lemon SqueezyFastSpring vs PayPro GlobalFastSpring vs Dodo PaymentsFastSpring vs 2CheckoutFastSpring vs GumroadLemon Squeezy vs PayPro GlobalLemon Squeezy vs Dodo PaymentsLemon Squeezy vs 2CheckoutLemon Squeezy vs GumroadAll twenty-eight head-to-head pages and the full merchants of record standing
Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category, each against each. The output is the models' output; nothing here is a recommendation by the index.