{
  "slug": "polar",
  "name": "Polar",
  "domain": "polar.sh",
  "category": "developer-infrastructure",
  "categoryName": "Developer infrastructure",
  "description": "Merchant of record and billing platform for developers selling digital products, subscriptions, seats and usage-based software.",
  "directAnswer": "Leave Polar by emailing support@polar.sh to start a support-assisted migration. Polar sets the organization to offboarding, keeps existing customer subscriptions renewing until you cancel them, and holds payouts for 120 days. Polar does not document a refund of unused paid-plan months.",
  "price": "$20 / month",
  "priceMonthlyUsd": 20,
  "planName": "Pro",
  "subscriptionPlans": [
    {
      "id": "pro",
      "name": "Pro",
      "billingOptions": [
        {
          "cycle": "month",
          "priceUsd": 20
        }
      ],
      "priceNote": "$20 per month plus 3.8% + 40¢ per transaction",
      "sourceUrl": "https://polar.sh/docs/merchant-of-record/fees"
    },
    {
      "id": "growth",
      "name": "Growth",
      "billingOptions": [
        {
          "cycle": "month",
          "priceUsd": 100
        }
      ],
      "priceNote": "$100 per month plus 3.6% + 35¢ per transaction",
      "sourceUrl": "https://polar.sh/docs/merchant-of-record/fees"
    },
    {
      "id": "scale",
      "name": "Scale",
      "billingOptions": [
        {
          "cycle": "month",
          "priceUsd": 400
        }
      ],
      "priceNote": "$400 per month plus 3.4% + 30¢ per transaction",
      "sourceUrl": "https://polar.sh/docs/merchant-of-record/fees"
    }
  ],
  "difficulty": "Hard",
  "difficultyScore": 9,
  "billingMethods": [
    "invoice"
  ],
  "accountTypes": [
    "personal",
    "team",
    "enterprise"
  ],
  "cancellationUrl": "https://polar.sh/docs/migrate-away",
  "cancellationTime": "~5 minutes to request",
  "cancellationTimeSeconds": 300,
  "steps": {
    "web": [
      {
        "title": "Email support@polar.sh",
        "body": "Polar says migrations are not self-serve. Email support@polar.sh with the Stripe account or other PCI-compliant provider you already control."
      },
      {
        "title": "Wait for Polar to set the organization to offboarding",
        "body": "Polar confirms the destination and starts offboarding. New checkouts are disabled. Existing customer subscriptions keep renewing until you cancel them."
      },
      {
        "title": "Recreate subscriptions elsewhere, then cancel them on Polar",
        "body": "Products, prices, discounts and benefits do not transfer. Recreate each active subscription on the new provider on the same renewal date, then cancel the matching Polar subscription so the customer is not billed twice."
      },
      {
        "title": "Withdraw the remaining balance after 120 days",
        "body": "Payouts are paused for 120 days to cover refunds and chargebacks. After that, withdraw the released balance."
      }
    ],
    "ios": [],
    "android": [],
    "team": [
      {
        "title": "Switch off only the monthly Polar fee",
        "body": "If you want to keep using Polar, switch Pro, Growth or Scale to free Starter. Polar says you can switch plans anytime and the rate adjusts immediately. The dashboard labels for that switch are not published."
      },
      {
        "title": "Written termination of the supplier agreement",
        "body": "Polar Master Services Terms also let either party terminate the agreement by giving at least 30 days' prior notice in writing."
      }
    ]
  },
  "platformNotes": {
    "web": {
      "note": "Leaving Polar as merchant of record is a support-assisted migration, not a one-click export.",
      "warning": "Existing Polar subscriptions keep renewing until you cancel them. Leaving both Polar and the new provider active can double-bill customers."
    },
    "team": {
      "note": "Stripe-to-Stripe migrations are usually a few business days. Other providers usually take several weeks."
    }
  },
  "refundInfo": "Polar does not document a refund of unused Pro, Growth or Scale monthly fees. Merchant transaction fees are not returned when a customer is refunded. Polar does not charge a fee to migrate customers to another provider. Disputes cost $15 each.",
  "pauseInfo": "No pause option is documented for a merchant's own Polar Pro, Growth or Scale plan.",
  "downgradeInfo": "You can switch from Pro, Growth or Scale to a lower paid plan or to free Starter anytime. Polar says the rate adjusts immediately. If the organization was on Early Member, upgrading to a paid plan then returning to Starter uses the current Starter rate, not Early Member.",
  "dataRetentionInfo": "During offboarding, historical orders, invoices and reporting stay available in Polar. Polar retains transaction records for at least five years after processing. Polar may also keep personal data as required to comply with law, resolve disputes or collect fees owed.",
  "factRows": [
    {
      "k": "Cancellation fee",
      "v": "None for migration"
    },
    {
      "k": "Refund window",
      "v": "No unused-month refund documented"
    },
    {
      "k": "Effective",
      "v": "Offboarding after Polar confirms"
    },
    {
      "k": "Free plan after",
      "v": "Yes, Starter, if you only switch plans"
    }
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "question": "How do I stop paying Polar $20, $100 or $400 a month?",
      "answer": "Switch to free Starter. Polar says you can switch plans anytime and the rate adjusts immediately. The exact dashboard labels are not published."
    },
    {
      "question": "How do I leave Polar as merchant of record?",
      "answer": "Email support@polar.sh with the destination payment account. Polar sets the organization to offboarding and holds payouts for 120 days."
    },
    {
      "question": "Will Polar refund unused time on Pro, Growth or Scale?",
      "answer": "Polar does not document a refund of unused paid-plan months."
    },
    {
      "question": "Do my customers keep getting billed after I start leaving?",
      "answer": "Yes, until you cancel each Polar subscription. Polar keeps renewing existing subscriptions during offboarding."
    },
    {
      "question": "Is there a fee to migrate away?",
      "answer": "Polar says it does not charge a fee to migrate customers or saved payment methods."
    },
    {
      "question": "What happens to payouts when I leave?",
      "answer": "Payouts are paused for 120 days to cover refunds and chargebacks, then you can withdraw the remaining balance."
    }
  ],
  "officialSources": [
    {
      "title": "Migrate Away from Polar",
      "url": "https://polar.sh/docs/migrate-away",
      "lastCheckedAt": "2026-08-17"
    },
    {
      "title": "Fees - Polar",
      "url": "https://polar.sh/docs/merchant-of-record/fees",
      "lastCheckedAt": "2026-08-17"
    },
    {
      "title": "Pricing - Polar",
      "url": "https://polar.sh/resources/pricing",
      "lastCheckedAt": "2026-08-17"
    },
    {
      "title": "Polar homepage",
      "url": "https://polar.sh/",
      "lastCheckedAt": "2026-08-17"
    },
    {
      "title": "Polar Master Services Terms",
      "url": "https://polar.sh/legal/master-services-terms",
      "lastCheckedAt": "2026-08-17"
    },
    {
      "title": "Polar Privacy Policy",
      "url": "https://polar.sh/legal/privacy-policy",
      "lastCheckedAt": "2026-08-17"
    },
    {
      "title": "Polar Support",
      "url": "https://polar.sh/docs/support",
      "lastCheckedAt": "2026-08-17"
    }
  ],
  "verified": true,
  "manuallyVerifiedAt": "2026-08-17",
  "nextReviewAt": "2026-10-16",
  "urls": {
    "guide": "https://canicancelit.com/cancel/polar",
    "json": "https://canicancelit.com/cancel/polar.json",
    "markdown": "https://canicancelit.com/cancel/polar.md"
  }
}