Pricing
How Arcalotl pricing works. Transaction fees, recovery fees, and what you actually pay.
Arcalotl has no monthly fees, no setup costs, and no minimums. You pay only when you earn.
Fee Structure
| Fee | Rate | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction fee | 2% | On every successful subscription payment |
| Recovery fee | 5% | Only on revenue recovered by dunning or saved by cancel offers |
| Stripe processing | 2.9% + 30¢ | Standard Stripe fees, paid directly to Stripe |
The transaction fee and Stripe processing fee apply to all payments. The recovery fee only applies when Arcalotl actively saves revenue that would have otherwise been lost. If we don't recover anything, you pay nothing extra.
How Fees Are Collected
Arcalotl uses Stripe Connect Direct Charges. When a member subscribes, the payment goes directly to your Stripe account. Arcalotl's platform fee is collected as a Stripe application fee on each charge. You'll see it in your Stripe dashboard.
You never need to pay Arcalotl separately. Fees are deducted automatically at the time of each transaction.
Cost Examples
Small community (100 subscribers at $9.99/mo)
| Amount | |
|---|---|
| Monthly revenue | $999 |
| Arcalotl transaction fee (2%) | $19.98 |
| Estimated failed payments (~9%) | $89.91 |
| Recovered by Arcalotl (~50%) | $44.96 |
| Recovery fee (5% of recovered) | $2.25 |
| Total Arcalotl fees | $22.23 |
| Stripe processing (~2.9% + 30¢) | ~$31.97 |
Without Arcalotl's recovery, that $44.96 would be lost entirely.
Medium community (500 subscribers at $9.99/mo)
| Amount | |
|---|---|
| Monthly revenue | $4,995 |
| Arcalotl transaction fee (2%) | $99.90 |
| Estimated failed payments (~9%) | $449.55 |
| Recovered by Arcalotl (~50%) | $224.78 |
| Recovery fee (5% of recovered) | $11.24 |
| Total Arcalotl fees | $111.14 |
Net gain from recovery: $224.78 - $11.24 = $213.54/mo back in your pocket.
Large community (2,000 subscribers, mixed plans)
| Amount | |
|---|---|
| Monthly revenue | $18,000 |
| Arcalotl transaction fee (2%) | $360 |
| Estimated failed payments (~9%) | $1,620 |
| Recovered by Arcalotl (~50%) | $810 |
| Recovery fee (5% of recovered) | $40.50 |
| Total Arcalotl fees | $400.50 |
Net gain from recovery: $769.50/mo.
Total Effective Fee
Your total effective rate with Arcalotl is around 5-6% (including Stripe processing), with no monthly fees. Compare that to:
| Platform | Monthly fee | Transaction fee | Effective total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arcalotl | $0 | 2% + Stripe | ~5-6% |
| MEE6 Premium | $11.99/mo | 5% + Stripe | ~$12/mo + 7.9% |
| LaunchPass | $29/mo | 3.5% + Stripe | ~$29/mo + 6.5% |
| Whop | $0 | 5.7% (all-inclusive) | ~5.7-6% |
Arcalotl is the only platform where the higher fee tier (5% recovery) only applies to revenue you would have otherwise lost entirely.
What You Don't Pay For
- No monthly subscription
- No setup or onboarding fee
- No per-seat charges
- No minimum commitment
- No charge if you have zero subscribers
- No charge for recovery features if nothing is recovered
Billing FAQ
When do fees start? Fees begin with your first subscriber payment. There's nothing to pay before that.
Can fees change? Your fee rates are locked when you connect. We'll always notify you in advance of any changes and give you the option to stay on your current rates.
Where can I see my fees? Your Arcalotl dashboard shows a real-time breakdown under Settings > Billing, including total processed, transaction fees, recovery fees, and net totals.