GetPaidStripe alternatives in the Middle East and North Africa (2026): what works in each country
By Ala'a, GetPaidAtlas · Published 24 October 2026 · Data checked 2026-10-20
Short answer: Stripe lists only the United Arab Emirates out of the 17 Arab countries of the Middle East and North Africa (stripe.com/global, checked 2026-10-20). In 12 of the other 16, at least one merchant of record we track accepts sellers. The widest coverage: Paddle (13 of 17), Gumroad (11 of 17), Lemon Squeezy (11 of 17). 4 countries have no option on our list: Yemen, Syria, Iraq and Libya.
Who we are: GetPaidAtlas is an independent guide, not a payment provider. We never receive, hold or move anyone's money, and we don't process payments. We link to each platform's own official page, so you apply with them directly.
If you build software, sell digital products or run a creator business from Amman, Riyadh, Cairo or Casablanca, you have probably hit the same wall: Stripe's sign-up page doesn't list your country. This guide answers, for each of the 17 Arab countries of the Middle East and North Africa, which payment platforms will accept you as a seller today. Every status comes from the platform's own official country or payout page, with the date we checked it. Where an official page doesn't confirm something, we say Unclear rather than guess.
Country by country: who accepts MENA sellers
Yes means the platform's official page lists the country for sellers or payouts. It doesn't guarantee approval. Click a country for notes and sources, or open its full guide.
| Country | Stripe | Paddle | Lemon Squeezy | Polar | Dodo Payments | Creem | Gumroad | Whop |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Gulf and Yemen | ||||||||
| United Arab Emirates | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Saudi Arabia full guide | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Qatar full guide | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Kuwait full guide | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Bahrain full guide | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Oman full guide | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Yemen | No | No | No | No | No | No | Unclear | No |
| The Levant and Iraq | ||||||||
| Jordan full guide | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Lebanon full guide | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Palestine full guide | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Syria | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Iraq | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| North Africa | ||||||||
| Egypt full guide | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Morocco full guide | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Tunisia full guide | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Algeria full guide | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Libya | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Merchants of record: Paddle, Lemon Squeezy, Polar, Dodo Payments, Creem, Gumroad. Whop is shown too, but our data classifies it as a marketplace. PayPal, Wise and Payoneer are payout routes, covered on each country page.
Which platform covers the most MENA countries?
| Platform | Type | Yes (of 17) | Yes where Stripe isn't available (of 16) | Headline fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paddle | Merchant of record | 13 | 12 | 5% + 50¢ per checkout transaction source, checked 2026-10-20 |
| Gumroad | Merchant of record | 11 | 10 | 10% + $0.50 per sale on your own Gumroad page; 30% flat for sales through Gumroad's Discover marketplace source, checked 2026-10-20 |
| Lemon Squeezy | Merchant of record | 11 | 10 | 5% + 50¢ per transaction source, checked 2026-10-20 |
| Polar | Merchant of record | 11 | 10 | Starter (free): 5% + 50¢ per transaction source, checked 2026-10-20 |
| Whop | Marketplace / payments platform | 11 | 10 | 2.7% + $0.30 per successful domestic card transaction source, checked 2026-10-20 |
| Dodo Payments | Merchant of record | 7 | 6 | 4% + 40¢ per transaction (Standard plan) source, checked 2026-10-20 |
| Creem | Merchant of record | 3 | 2 | 3.9% + 40¢ per successful transaction source, checked 2026-10-20 |
A merchant of record (MoR) is the legal seller of your product: it takes the customer's payment, handles sales tax and VAT, and pays you out. That is why an MoR can work where Stripe doesn't. What matters is whether it pays out to your country (what is a merchant of record?). Headline fees are the standard published rates; international cards, currency conversion and payouts can add to them.
By region
The Gulf and Yemen
Stripe: only the United Arab Emirates. Paddle, Lemon Squeezy, Polar, Gumroad and Whop: every country here except Yemen. Dodo Payments: every country here except Kuwait and Yemen. Creem: only the United Arab Emirates. No platform on our list: Yemen.
The Levant and Iraq
Stripe: none of these countries. Paddle: every country here except Syria and Iraq. Lemon Squeezy, Polar, Dodo Payments, Gumroad and Whop: only Jordan. No platform on our list: Syria and Iraq.
North Africa
Stripe: none of these countries. Paddle, Lemon Squeezy, Polar, Gumroad and Whop: every country here except Libya. Creem: only Egypt and Morocco. Dodo Payments: only Tunisia. No platform on our list: Libya.
For the rest of the continent, including West, East, Central and Southern Africa, see Stripe alternatives in Africa.
What the country lists don't tell you
- Paddle is software-only. Paddle works with software businesses anywhere except the countries it lists as unsupported, and it reviews every seller. In Lebanon and Palestine it is the only platform we track that lists the country, so it is the main option there if you sell software.
- Dodo Payments goes by your ID, not where you live. Eligibility is based on the country that issued your government ID (and every director's or owner's ID for companies). It has restricted Egypt and Morocco for new merchants.
- Creem's list is short here. In this region it lists the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Morocco.
- Bank payout vs PayPal payout. Lemon Squeezy and Gumroad pay to local bank accounts only in listed countries; elsewhere they pay through PayPal, which only works if your PayPal account can receive money. PayPal's receiving status is Unclear in 12 of the 17 countries, because its official country list doesn't say whether accounts there can receive.
- Local card schemes. We track whether a platform accepts you as a seller, not which local payment methods (for example mada, KNET or Meeza) your customers can use at checkout. If most of your customers pay with a local scheme, check the platform's checkout documentation before you commit.
If no platform lists your country
For founders based in Yemen, Syria, Iraq and Libya, none of the seller platforms we track list the country, and Mercury doesn't accept founders residing there. That rules out the usual US LLC route with a Mercury account too. We'd rather say so plainly than suggest a workaround that breaks a provider's terms. Payoneer doesn't publish a full country list, so it shows as Unclear: check during sign-up.
Elsewhere in the region, the US LLC route (form a US company remotely, open Mercury, then Stripe US) is open in principle: Mercury is Yes for founders residing in 11 of the 17 countries. It adds US filing costs and your home-country tax obligations, so compare it with a merchant of record first.
How to choose, step by step
- Open your country's page (table above) and note which platforms are Yes.
- Match what you sell: software (Paddle, Lemon Squeezy, Polar, Dodo Payments, Creem), digital products and memberships (Lemon Squeezy, Gumroad, Whop). Paddle and Lemon Squeezy don't accept services like coaching.
- Check how the money reaches you: a local bank payout is simpler than PayPal-only.
- Compare the headline fees above, then read each platform's pricing page for international-card and payout extras.
- Apply to two platforms, not one. Approval is a separate review, and having a backup saves weeks.
Side-by-side: Paddle vs Lemon Squeezy · Lemon Squeezy vs Polar · Paddle vs Dodo Payments · all comparisons
FAQ: Stripe alternatives in the Middle East and North Africa
Is Stripe available in the Middle East?
Of the 17 Arab countries in the Middle East and North Africa covered here, Stripe lists only the United Arab Emirates (stripe.com/global, checked 2026-10-20). The other 16 are not on Stripe's supported-country list, so a business based there can't open a Stripe account directly.
What is the best Stripe alternative in the Middle East and North Africa?
There isn't one best option for the whole region; it depends on your country and what you sell. By coverage in our data, Paddle lists 13 of the 17, Gumroad lists 11 of the 17, Lemon Squeezy lists 11 of the 17. Paddle accepts software only. Being listed doesn't guarantee approval: each platform reviews your business.
Which MENA countries have no payment platform option?
Yemen, Syria, Iraq and Libya. None of the seller platforms we track list them for sellers or payouts (checked 2026-10-20). Mercury, which the US LLC route depends on, also doesn't accept founders residing there.
Why can't I use Dodo Payments in Egypt or Morocco?
Dodo Payments has restricted Egypt and Morocco and isn't accepting new merchants there; merchants onboarded before the restriction are grandfathered (policy dated 23 Mar 2026). Kuwait, Yemen, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, Iraq, Algeria and Libya are not on Dodo's accepted list. Dodo decides eligibility by the country that issued your government ID, not where you live.
Is GetPaidAtlas a payment provider?
GetPaidAtlas is an independent guide, not a payment provider. We never receive, hold or move anyone's money, and we don't process payments. We link to each platform's own official page, so you apply with them directly.
Sources and check dates
Each status is copied from the platform's official page below. Per-country notes and the exact source for every cell are on the country pages. Stripe is not available in 199 countries and territories worldwide; see Stripe alternatives by country.
- Stripe: https://stripe.com/global (checked 2026-10-20)
- Paddle: https://www.paddle.com/help/start/intro-to-paddle/which-countries-are-supported-by-paddle (checked 2026-10-20)
- Lemon Squeezy: https://docs.lemonsqueezy.com/help/getting-started/supported-countries (checked 2026-10-20)
- Polar: https://polar.sh/docs/merchant-of-record/supported-countries (checked 2026-10-20)
- Dodo Payments: https://docs.dodopayments.com/miscellaneous/accepted-countries-and-territories (checked 2026-10-20)
- Creem: https://docs.creem.io/merchant-of-record/supported-countries (checked 2026-10-20)
- Gumroad: https://gumroad.com/help/article/13-getting-paid (checked 2026-10-20)
- Whop: https://docs.whop.com/manage-your-business/manage-payouts/set-up-payouts (checked 2026-10-20)
- PayPal (receiving): https://www.paypal.com/us/webapps/mpp/country-worldwide (checked 2026-10-20)
- Mercury (via US LLC): https://support.mercury.com/hc/en-us/articles/28771710754580-Prohibited-countries (checked 2026-10-20)
More guides: all guides · Stripe alternatives in Africa · What is a merchant of record? · Stripe alternatives in every country · Stripe Atlas alternatives · the full dataset (CSV)
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Not legal, tax or financial advice. Provider rules change often and depend on your business type, what you sell, and the documents you hold. Always verify with the provider before you build or sign up. 'Unclear' means we could not confirm it from an official source. Spotted something wrong? It will be fixed and noted in the change log.