Getting approved by Paddle: what their review looks for

Updated August 2026 · verify specifics against Paddle's current docs — processes change

Paddle is a merchant of record: legally, Paddle sells your product and you supply it. Every refund dispute and chargeback lands on their merchant account. That makes their review a genuine underwriting decision, not a signup form — and it's why Paddle's review has a reputation for being the most thorough of the indie-friendly MoRs.

What the review covers

A working product they can inspect. Paddle reviewers want to see what they'd be reselling. A live product (or at minimum a convincing demo/video and screenshots) matters more here than anywhere else. Pre-launch products with nothing to show stall.
Your website as a claims document. Copy that implies unsolicited contact, guaranteed outcomes, or restricted categories fails the same way it fails everywhere — the vocabulary guide applies in full.
Acceptable-use fit. Paddle publishes the categories it won't serve; read the list before applying, not after. If your product is adjacent to one (email tooling, social automation, anything crypto), your copy needs to make the distinction explicit and factual.
Legal pages and business identity. Terms, privacy, refunds, and a business identity consistent between site and application. (Checklist.)
Follow-up questions. Expect emails asking what the product does, who buys it, and how it's delivered. These are normal; complete, factual answers keep the review moving.

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The common indie failure modes

Applying with a landing page and no inspectable product.
Describing the product in growth-marketing language instead of factually ("10x your pipeline" vs "drafts replies you review").
Missing or template-artifact legal pages.
Treating reviewer questions as an interrogation and answering defensively or minimally.

If you're rejected

Same playbook as every platform: fix the site first, then respond saying specifically what changed. And a Paddle rejection isn't an ecosystem rejection — Polar and Lemon Squeezy underwrite independently (see the MoR checklist and the Lemon Squeezy guide), and depending on your situation a plain processor may fit better (Stripe vs MoR).