Softwr

Accounting · head to head

Creem vs Trustly

Creem logo

Creem

Accounting

All-in-one payment and compliance platform for software companies

From
$3.9/percent
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Trustly logo

Trustly

APIs

Pay-by-bank payments network, majority-owned by private equity firm Nordic Capital

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Creem per-transaction fee model scales with volume, potentially expensive for high-frequency transactions; Trustly it is majority-owned by Nordic Capital, a private equity firm, so its long-term roadmap is ultimately oriented toward an eventual sale or IPO rather than indefinite independent operation.
  • They diverge on capability: Creem covers Global payments processing, Trustly covers Pay by bank checkout.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Creem and Trustly actually diverge.

Attributes where Creem and Trustly differ
AttributeCreemTrustly
Starting price$3.9/percentOn request
Pricing modelPer-transaction flat ratequote
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, API
CategoryAccountingAPIs

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Creem

  • Global payments processing
  • Automated tax compliance
  • Subscription billing
  • Revenue distribution
  • Digital product support
  • Fraud protection
  • AI business assistant
  • Affiliate platform

Only in Trustly

  • Pay by bank checkout
  • Instant refunds
  • Verified payouts
  • Multi-market bank connectivity
  • Merchant dashboard and reconciliation
  • Fraud and risk tooling

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Creem

  • SaaS subscription billing and managementnot Trustly
  • Digital product distribution with license keysnot Trustly
  • Global payment processing across 100+ countriesnot Trustly
  • Revenue sharing among co-founders and affiliatesnot Trustly
  • Automated tax compliance for international salesnot Trustly

Trustly

  • An e-commerce merchant wanting a lower-cost alternative or complement to card payment acceptancenot Creem
  • A gaming or gambling operator needing verified, instant payouts to players' bank accountsnot Creem
  • A merchant wanting instant refunds processed directly to a customer's bank account rather than card reversal delaysnot Creem
  • A business in a market with strong open banking adoption wanting pay-by-bank as a checkout optionnot Creem

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Creem

  • Per-transaction fee model scales with volume, potentially expensive for high-frequency transactions
  • Limited to software and digital product companies, not suitable for physical goods
  • AI business assistant availability and capabilities not fully detailed
  • Requires using Creem as Merchant of Record, limiting white-label options
  • Mobile app only available in beta for iOS and Android

Trustly

  • It is majority-owned by Nordic Capital, a private equity firm, so its long-term roadmap is ultimately oriented toward an eventual sale or IPO rather than indefinite independent operation.
  • Consumer familiarity with paying by bank transfer still lags card payments in most markets, so merchants typically see it used as a secondary option rather than a full card replacement.
  • The 1.15 to 3.15% merchant fee range is not a single published rate, so a merchant cannot know its actual cost without a sales negotiation.
  • As with all open banking-dependent payment methods, reliability depends on the consistency of the underlying banks' own APIs, which Trustly does not control.
  • Its verified payout functionality is heavily used in gaming and gambling, a sector with additional regulatory scrutiny, which is worth factoring in when evaluating vendor risk exposure by association.

Pricing, plan by plan

Creem

$3.9/percent
  • StandardFree
    • 3.9% + $0.40 per transaction
    • No setup fees
    • No monthly fees

Trustly

On request
  • Trustly$undefined/month
    • Typical merchant cost of 1.15% to 3.15% depending on volume and market
    • Exact rate negotiated per merchant, not published as a flat card

Which should you pick?

Choose Creem if

  • You need global payments processing.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want automated tax compliance.
Creem review

Choose Trustly if

  • You need pay by bank checkout.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want instant refunds.
Trustly review

Questions people ask

Is Creem or Trustly better?
Neither clearly leads. Creem starts at $3.9/percent and Trustly at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Creem or Trustly?
Creem starts at $3.9/percent and Trustly at On request.
Does Creem or Trustly run on more platforms?
Creem runs on Web, iOS, Android. Trustly runs on Web, API.
What is Creem best used for?
Creem is most often used for saas subscription billing and management, digital product distribution with license keys, global payment processing across 100+ countries, revenue sharing among co-founders and affiliates. Of those, saas subscription billing and management and digital product distribution with license keys are not what Trustly is typically brought in for.
What can Creem do that Trustly cannot?
Creem covers Global payments processing, Automated tax compliance, Subscription billing, Revenue distribution. Trustly covers Pay by bank checkout, Instant refunds, Verified payouts, Multi-market bank connectivity.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Creem: What are Creem's transaction fees compared to competitors?

Creem charges a flat 3.9% plus 40 cents per successful transaction with no additional setup, monthly, or hidden fees. For a $5,000 transaction volume, Creem estimates $235 in fees compared to Lemon Squeezy at $565 ($400 + $165).

Source
Trustly: Who owns Trustly?

Nordic Capital, a private equity firm, holds a 51.1% majority stake; Alfven & Didrikson and BlackRock hold smaller stakes.

Creem: Does Creem handle international tax compliance?

Yes. Creem automatically handles VAT, GST, and sales tax filing and remittance as a Merchant of Record across 50+ countries, eliminating manual tax compliance work.

Source
Trustly: Is Trustly going public?

It has discussed an IPO but as of its most recent comments said one remained at least a year away.

Creem: Can I use Creem for subscription billing?

Yes. Creem provides subscription management with billing, dunning, and a customer portal. Revenue splits are included for distributing earnings to co-founders and affiliates.

Source
Trustly: What does it typically cost a merchant?

Roughly 1.15% to 3.15% of transaction value depending on volume and market, negotiated per merchant.

Share

Related pages

More on Creem

More on Trustly

Keep looking

Other head to heads