Contra: A better alternative to Polar for monetizing your software and digital products

Thinking about using Polar to monetize your software, SaaS, or digital goods like Framer templates but wondering if there’s a platform that fits your goals better? A lot of developers and creators are asking the same question. Polar’s developer-centric billing infrastructure has appeal. It handles subscription billing, usage-based pricing, and acts as the Merchant of Record so you don’t have to sweat VAT or taxes.

But some creators find it limiting when it comes to keeping revenue, building a personal creator reputation, or selling directly without heavyweight dev integration. If that sounds familiar, Contra is worth exploring as an alternative that’s more a creator-friendly way to sell digital products, commission-free.

What Polar offers, and why people look for alternatives

Polar is an open-source billing and monetization platform that helps developers turn software and digital products into a business. It provides tools for payments, usage billing, subscriptions, automated entitlements (like license keys, downloads, GitHub access, Discord roles), and handles global tax compliance as the Merchant of Record.

That all sounds great, but there are reasons creators search for Polar alternatives:

Fees still cut into your earnings
Even though Polar’s pricing is designed to be competitive, it still charges a percentage plus a fixed fee on each transaction. That adds up, especially on smaller or independent projects.

Focus on dev infrastructure, not creator reputation
Polar’s strength is in API flexibility and billing primitives. But for creators focused on building a brand, discoverability, or long-term audience around their products, that’s not always enough.

Setup and integration can feel technical
Polar works great if you want billing deeply embedded in your codebase, but if you want to sell without heavy dev overhead, you might want something smoother and more profile-centric.

Those kinds of trade-offs are why many digital creators explore alternatives that still let them sell software and digital products but with a different value mix.

Enter Contra: A different way to monetize your software and products

Contra's digital products offering combines selling with reputation, community, and ease of use. Instead of being solely a developer billing layer, Contra blends marketplace energy, social proof, and flexible sales outside traditional storefronts.

Here’s what makes Contra a compelling alternative to Polar:

Keep more with zero commission fees
Contra doesn’t take a cut of your sales revenue. You only pay payment processing fees. That’s a much cleaner economics game than percentage-based fees that slice into margins on every transaction.

Sales build your reputation and visibility
On Contra, every sale boosts your profile and visibility. Over time, that means better discoverability for your software and digital products. It’s not just a checkout link in isolation.

Sell however you want
You can sell products linked to your profile, shared via link, or embedded anywhere online, no storefront setup required. That gives you freedom to sell in your community, portfolio, newsletter, or website.

Payments and tax are handled for you
Like Polar, Contra handles payment security and tax compliance so you don’t have to build or manage that infrastructure yourself.

Who Contra is best for

Contra’s digital products are especially well suited for:

• Indie developers who want to sell software and build a creator reputation.

• Designers, makers, or small SaaS founders who want simple selling without deep dev setup first.

• Creators tired of platform commissions eating profits.

• People who want to sell a mix of software, templates, downloads, tools, or assets all in one place.

Sell smarter, earn more, and grow your business

Polar’s billing infrastructure is a solid choice if your focus is deep product integration, API-driven billing, and usage-based pricing. Contra is a stronger option if your focus is keeping revenue, building reputation, and selling digital products without technical friction.

Instead of just checking out, Contra helps turn your sales into momentum.

Ready to sell digital products on your terms?

Sell digital products on Contra →