Paddle is becoming the go-to payment processor for SaaS companies that want to avoid dealing with sales tax, VAT, and merchant-of-record complexity. But because Paddle handles billing differently than Stripe (they're the merchant, not you), email integrations work differently too.

Most email tools have native Stripe integrations. Far fewer have native Paddle support. This means you're often relying on webhooks, Zapier, or custom code to connect Paddle events to your email sequences. Here's what actually works.

How Paddle Integration Differs From Stripe

With Stripe, you're the merchant. Your email tool connects directly to your Stripe account and reads subscription data. With Paddle, they're the merchant. Your email tool needs to receive webhook events from Paddle or connect through their API.

This matters because:

Paddle sends webhooks for subscription events, but your email tool needs to process them
Customer data lives in Paddle and needs to be synced to your email tool
Billing management happens in Paddle, so "update your card" links point to Paddle's hosted pages

The 6 Best Options

1. Sequenzy

Best for: SaaS founders who want automated lifecycle email

While Sequenzy's native integration is currently Stripe-focused, you can use the event tracking API to forward Paddle webhook events and get the same automation benefits. Track subscription events as custom events, and the sequences trigger the same way. The subscriber tagging and lifecycle management work regardless of the payment source.

Pricing: From $29/month Paddle integration: Via event API (forward Paddle webhooks) Pros: Affordable, AI sequences, lifecycle automation, transactional + marketing Cons: No native Paddle OAuth (requires webhook forwarding)

2. Customer.io

Best for: Technical teams wanting flexible Paddle event processing

Customer.io's event-driven architecture handles Paddle webhooks well. Set up a webhook endpoint that forwards Paddle events to Customer.io, and build automations that trigger on subscription events. The flexibility of Customer.io's workflow builder lets you handle Paddle's specific event structure cleanly.

Pricing: From $100/month Paddle integration: Via webhooks/API (no native connection) Pros: Powerful workflows, handles any event structure, multi-channel Cons: Requires engineering setup, expensive, complex

3. Userlist

Best for: B2B SaaS using Paddle with team-based billing

Userlist supports Paddle through their integration layer. You can sync subscription data and trigger automations based on Paddle events. The company-level data model is useful when Paddle subscriptions are tied to team accounts.

Pricing: From $149/month Paddle integration: Via API integration Pros: Company-level tracking, SaaS-specific, good B2B support Cons: Higher starting price, requires setup

4. Loops

Best for: Early-stage startups wanting simple Paddle-triggered emails

Loops accepts events via API, so you can forward Paddle webhooks and trigger sequences. The simplicity of Loops means the integration is straightforward: receive event, trigger sequence. No complex configuration needed.

Pricing: Free for 1,000 contacts, from $49/month Paddle integration: Via event API Pros: Simple setup, clean UX, good free tier, event-driven Cons: Basic automation, limited segmentation

5. Paddle (Built-in Email)

Best for: Companies who want zero additional tools

Paddle includes basic dunning and subscription email as part of their service. They handle failed payment retries, send dunning notifications, and manage basic subscription communication. If your email needs are limited to billing-related messages, Paddle's built-in email might be enough.

Pricing: Included with Paddle (5% + $0.50 per transaction) Paddle integration: Native (it IS Paddle) Pros: Zero setup, works automatically, no additional cost Cons: Very limited customization, no marketing email, no sequences beyond dunning

6. Encharge

Best for: Non-technical teams wanting visual Paddle automations

Encharge has a Paddle integration through their connector ecosystem. You can receive Paddle events and build visual automations for lifecycle email. The visual builder makes it accessible for non-technical teams.

Pricing: From $79/month Paddle integration: Via integration connectors Pros: Visual builder, non-technical friendly, good automation Cons: Mid-range pricing, integration can require setup

Building Paddle-to-Email Integration

If your email tool doesn't have native Paddle support, here's the practical approach:

Set up a webhook endpoint in your app that receives Paddle events
Map Paddle events to your email tool's event format (e.g., subscription_created becomes saas.purchase)
Forward events to your email tool via their API
Tag subscribers based on subscription status

The key Paddle events to capture:

subscription_created - New subscription
subscription_cancelled - User cancelled
subscription_payment_failed - Payment failure (trigger dunning)
subscription_payment_succeeded - Payment recovered
subscription_updated - Plan change
subscription.trial_ended - Trial period ended

FAQ

Is Paddle's built-in email good enough? For dunning and basic billing notifications, yes. For marketing, onboarding, lifecycle, and engagement email, no. You'll need a separate tool.

Why don't more email tools have native Paddle integration? Paddle has a smaller market share than Stripe, so fewer tools have built native integrations. This is changing as Paddle grows, but for now, webhook forwarding is the standard approach.

Can I use Zapier to connect Paddle to my email tool? Yes. Zapier has Paddle triggers and actions for many email tools. It works but adds cost ($20+/month) and latency. For critical flows like dunning, direct webhook integration is more reliable.

Should I switch from Paddle to Stripe for better email integration? Probably not. Paddle's value (handling tax, VAT, merchant of record) usually outweighs the inconvenience of webhook-based email integration. The email integration is a solvable problem.