No Mystery Deductions

CommsOpen takes 2% of successful sales. Payment processing is separate because the processor charges it—not because we are hiding part of our fee.

2%to CommsOpen$0per month

Real examples

What reaches the artist.

Estimates use a U.S. creator, U.S.-issued card, and Stripe’s published 2.9% + 30¢ domestic online-card rate.

$10.00 sale $9.21 estimated artist receipt

CommsOpen: −$0.20
Stripe: −$0.59

$30.00 sale $28.23 estimated artist receipt

CommsOpen: −$0.60
Stripe: −$1.17

$90.00 sale $85.29 estimated artist receipt

CommsOpen: −$1.80
Stripe: −$2.91

Same $30 domestic card sale

Lower by design.

Published list-rate comparison checked August 22, 2026. Taxes and optional services are excluded.

Platform	Platform fee	Processing used	Total fee formula	Artist keeps
CommsOpen	2%	2.9% + 30¢	4.9% + 30¢	$28.23
VGen	5%	2.9% + 30¢	7.9% + 30¢	$27.33
Gumroad	10% + 50¢	2.9% + 30¢	12.9% + 80¢	$25.33

Current sources: Stripe Payments, Stripe Connect, VGen fees, and Gumroad fees.

International checkout

Global payments, without pretending tax is simple.

Test-mode foundation

Stripe Connect

Creator onboarding, direct-charge routing, signed webhooks, and CommsOpen’s separate 2% application fee are being tested now. There is no added monthly Connect fee to CommsOpen when Stripe bills each connected creator directly.

International cards

Usually more than domestic

For a U.S. Stripe account, the published card rate adds 1.5% for an international card and another 1% when currency conversion is required. The exact checkout method and creator country can change this.

Tax handling

Start lean; automate later

Stripe Tax Basic has no recurring fee and charges only where tax is calculated. The optional Tax Complete filing service starts at $90 per month on an annual contract, so we can add it when sales and actual obligations justify it. Tax responsibility still requires professional review.

Why not route international marketplace sales through Paddle?

Paddle is excellent for one approved software company selling its own products, but its current acceptable-use policy prohibits products that enable non-Paddle sellers to sell through a digital marketplace. It also says businesses centered on standalone human services are not a fit. CommsOpen will not risk creator payouts by building on an unsupported payment route.

Read Paddle’s current policy

Tax sources: Stripe Tax with Connect, Stripe Tax pricing, and Managed Payments limits.

Launch promise

Launch lean; expand international coverage carefully.

Stripe Connect itself does not require a monthly platform subscription under the planned model. Paid launch still requires tested onboarding, exact fee previews, and a reviewed tax, refund, and dispute path. Full tax-filing automation and additional countries can follow when marketplace income and obligations justify them.