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Garmin payment processors compared: every way to charge in a Connect IQ app
Updated 23 October 2026
You can charge in a Garmin Connect IQ app five ways: Garmin's Connect IQ Store at 15% a sale plus $100 a year, KiezelPay at 27%, PayToUse at payment fees plus 13%, WearCheckout at a plan from $9 a year with 0% on the sales it covers, or your own server with Stripe at 2.9% + 30¢. On a $4.99 sale you keep $4.55 with WearCheckout or your own server, $4.24 with Garmin, $3.96 with PayToUse and $3.64 with KiezelPay. Your own server costs least per sale but takes the most work, WearCheckout costs least of the ready-made services from the 16th sale of $4.99 a year, and Garmin's store is the least work if you live in one of its 37 countries.
Contents
What are the ways to charge in a Connect IQ app?
There are five, and they differ most in who holds the money and who handles tax.
- Garmin's Connect IQ Store. Since August 2024, buyers pay for apps and watch faces in the store with Garmin Pay. You join Garmin's merchant program, pick a price, and add no payment code.
- KiezelPay. A payment service for watch apps since 2016. The watch shows a code, and the buyer pays at kzl.io/code. KiezelPay collects the money and pays you by PayPal.
- PayToUse. A payment service built on unlock codes and a QR payment page. It also has a designer that builds paid watch faces without code.
- WearCheckout. Your app shows a QR code. The buyer pays on the phone into your own Stripe, PayPal, Polar, Razorpay or Paystack account, and the watch unlocks by itself.
- Your own server with Stripe. You write the checkout, the webhooks and the watch code. The watch reaches your server with Connect IQ's web requests, over Wi-Fi or through the phone.
We make WearCheckout, so weigh our view with that in mind. Every fact about the others links to their own pages. WearCheckout is not affiliated with Garmin.
How do the five options compare?
They split on fees, on who holds the money, and on what they can sell. Here they are side by side, in US dollars.
| Garmin Connect IQ Store | KiezelPay | PayToUse | WearCheckout | Your own server + Stripe | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fee per sale | 15% of the price before tax | 27%, at least $0.27 | Payment fees, then 13% of the rest | 0% on sales your plan covers, then 2%; plus your processor's fee | Stripe's fee only: 2.9% + 30¢ for a US card |
| Fixed cost | $100 a year | Nothing to start | None in its manual | $9, $99 or $299 a year | Your hosting and your build time |
| Where the money goes, and when | To Garmin, after the 48-hour return window; paid on the 1st of each month, from a $10 balance | To KiezelPay; paid the last Thursday of each month, by PayPal only | To your PayToUse balance; each payment can be withdrawn 7 days after it is made | Straight into your own processor account, paid out on its schedule | Straight into your Stripe account, on Stripe's schedule |
| Sales tax | Garmin adds it to the price | KiezelPay handles it, EU VAT included | Not in its manual | You are the seller and handle it; through Polar, Polar handles it | You handle it; Stripe Tax costs 0.5% a transaction |
| Buyer steps | Buys the app in the Connect IQ Store with Garmin Pay | Reads a code on the watch and pays at kzl.io/code, by PayPal or card | Scans a QR code or enters the watch's code and pays; the app unlocks by itself, or the buyer types a code into its settings | Scans the watch's QR code and pays on the phone; an app unlocks within about a second | Whatever you build |
| One-time purchases | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes, every plan | Yes |
| Subscriptions | Not in Garmin's pages | No | Codes for a set term; no renewals in its manual | Yes, on Pro and Studio | Yes, with Stripe Billing at 0.7% more |
| Free trials | Not in Garmin's monetization pages | Yes | Yes, any length you set | Yes, up to 30 days, every plan | If you build them |
| Watch faces | Yes | Yes | Yes, plus a face designer without code | Yes | Yes, from a background service |
| Data fields | Not in Garmin's pages | Not in its FAQ | Yes | Yes | Yes; before API level 5.0, only from a background service |
| Countries | Developers in 37 countries and territories | Not in its FAQ; payouts need a verified PayPal account | Not in its manual; buyers pay by Stripe, PayPal or Robokassa | Wherever your processor serves you, including India (Razorpay) and Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and South Africa (Paystack) | Wherever Stripe serves you |
| Setup work | Merchant onboarding with ID and tax documents; approval can take several days; then pick a price, with no code | Add its library; about 30 to 60 minutes the first time, its FAQ says | Add an unlock-code setting and call its API, or build a face in its designer | Add the library and change one line; a first test unlock takes about 15 minutes | Build the server, checkout, webhooks, refunds and watch code yourself |
Checked 23 October 2026, on each company's own pages (see Sources).
WearCheckout's plans are Starter at $9, Pro at $99 and Studio at $299 a year. They include $1,000, $10,000 and $50,000 of sales, then 2%. Starter sells up to 3 paid apps with one-time prices and trials. Pro adds subscriptions and offers. See plans and fees.
What do you keep from a $4.99 sale, and from a year?
On a $4.99 sale you keep $4.55 with WearCheckout or your own Stripe server, $4.24 with Garmin, $3.96 with PayToUse and $3.64 with KiezelPay. These assume a US buyer paying by card, before sales tax. Where you pay card fees, we use Stripe's US rate of 2.9% + 30¢.
| Option | Fee on $4.99 | You keep | 1,000 sales a year: fees | You keep |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WearCheckout, Starter, with Stripe | $0.44 | $4.55 | $528.80 | $4,461.20 |
| Your own server with Stripe | $0.44 | $4.55 | $440, plus hosting and your time | $4,550, before hosting |
| Garmin Connect IQ Store | $0.75 | $4.24 | $850 | $4,140 |
| PayToUse with Stripe | $1.03 | $3.96 | $1,030 | $3,960 |
| KiezelPay, buyer pays by PayPal | $1.35 | $3.64 | $1,350 | $3,640 |
Checked 23 October 2026, on each company's own pages (see Sources).
The arithmetic:
- Stripe: 2.9% of $4.99 is $0.14, plus $0.30, is $0.44. For 1,000 sales, $440.
- WearCheckout: Stripe's $440, plus the $9 Starter plan, plus 2% of the $3,990 past the plan's included $1,000, which is $79.80. In all, $528.80. Pro would cost $440 + $99 = $539.
- Garmin: 15% of $4.99 is $0.75. 1,000 × $0.75 = $750, plus the $100 program fee, is $850.
- PayToUse: $4.99 minus Stripe's $0.44 leaves $4.55, and 13% of that is $0.59. $0.44 + $0.59 = $1.03 a sale.
- KiezelPay: 27% of $4.99 is $1.35. A card payment costs $0.30 more, paid by you or the buyer.
Among the ready-made services, WearCheckout's Starter plan costs less than KiezelPay from the 10th sale of $4.99 in a year, and less than PayToUse from the 16th. The payments guide also works out a $2.99 sale, and the home page's fee comparison shows $500, $7,000 and $14,000 years.
Which is cheapest at a low price like $1.99?
At $1.99, Garmin's 15% ($0.30) is less than Stripe's fee ($0.36), but PayPal's micropayments rate ($0.19) is less than both. Garmin's lowest price point is $2.00, shown as $1.99 in the US store.
| Option | Fee on $1.99 | You keep |
|---|---|---|
| WearCheckout with PayPal's micropayments rate | $0.19 | $1.80 |
| Garmin Connect IQ Store | $0.30 | $1.69 |
| WearCheckout or your own server, with Stripe | $0.36 | $1.63 |
| KiezelPay, buyer pays by PayPal | $0.54 | $1.45 |
| PayToUse with Stripe | $0.57 | $1.42 |
Checked 23 October 2026, on each company's own pages (see Sources).
- Garmin: 15% of $1.99 is $0.30.
- Stripe: 2.9% of $1.99 is $0.06, plus $0.30, is $0.36.
- PayPal micropayments: 4.99% of $1.99 is $0.10, plus $0.09, is $0.19. PayPal grants this rate on application. Its standard US checkout rate is 3.49% + $0.49.
- KiezelPay: 27% of $1.99 is $0.54.
- PayToUse: $1.99 minus Stripe's $0.36 leaves $1.63, and 13% of that is $0.21. $0.36 + $0.21 = $0.57.
So at $1.99 with Stripe, Garmin's store costs less than WearCheckout's Starter plan above about 1,100 sales a year. Below that, Garmin's $100 yearly fee outweighs its lower fee per sale. With PayPal's micropayments rate, WearCheckout costs less at any volume. The PayPal guide has the rates.
Which one fits you?
Pick by what matters most to you.
- The least work: Garmin's store, if you live in one of its 37 countries. Garmin pays the card fees and adds the sales tax, and you add no payment code. Paid apps are offered only on the watches Garmin lists, from API level 3.4.
- Tax handled, with no processor account: KiezelPay. It handles sales tax and EU VAT, and pays you by PayPal. It costs the most per sale.
- A paid watch face without code: PayToUse's face designer.
- The lowest cost as sales grow, subscriptions, or older watches: WearCheckout. It works on every watch on Connect IQ 3.0 or newer, 127 models. You are the seller, so sales tax is yours, unless you sell through Polar, which is the seller of record and handles sales tax and VAT.
- Outside Garmin's 37 countries: KiezelPay, PayToUse or WearCheckout. With WearCheckout, Razorpay covers India, and Paystack covers Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and South Africa, for one-time prices.
- Time to build and run a server: your own server with Stripe. It costs least per sale. You also build trials, refunds, renewals, offline watches and the watch code, and keep them running. The Stripe guide lists the parts.
Where are the detailed comparisons?
Each service has its own page, with worked examples and sources.
- WearCheckout vs KiezelPay: 27% a sale against a yearly plan, and moving your KiezelPay buyers.
- WearCheckout vs PayToUse: payment fees plus 13% against a yearly plan.
- Garmin's store vs your own payments: 15% plus $100 a year, and what Garmin handles for you.
- How to sell a Connect IQ app in 2026: every option, with a $2.99 sale and a year worked out.
- One guide each on subscriptions, free trials, watch faces, data fields, Stripe and PayPal. All of them are on the guides page.
Questions
What is the cheapest payment processor for a Garmin watch app?
At $4.99, WearCheckout and your own Stripe server leave you $4.55 a sale, Garmin $4.24, PayToUse $3.96 and KiezelPay $3.64, checked 23 October 2026. WearCheckout adds a plan from $9 a year, Garmin $100 a year, and your own server its hosting and build time. At $1.99, Garmin's 15% is less than Stripe's card fee, and PayPal's micropayments rate is less than both.
Does Garmin have its own payment system for Connect IQ apps?
Yes. Since August 2024, the Connect IQ Store sells apps and watch faces with Garmin Pay. Garmin takes 15% of the price before tax and charges $100 a year, and only developers in its 37 countries and territories can join.
Which Garmin payment options support subscriptions and free trials?
WearCheckout has trials of up to 30 days on every plan, and subscriptions on Pro and Studio. KiezelPay and PayToUse have trials, but KiezelPay says it has no subscriptions, and PayToUse sells codes for a set term. Garmin's monetization pages describe neither.
Can I sell a Garmin app from outside Garmin's 37 countries?
Yes, with KiezelPay, PayToUse or WearCheckout. Garmin's merchant program is closed to developers in countries such as Japan, India, Brazil and Nigeria. WearCheckout works with Razorpay in India and Paystack in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and South Africa.
Is WearCheckout part of Garmin?
No. WearCheckout is not affiliated with Garmin. We make WearCheckout, so weigh our view with that in mind. Every competitor fact on this page links to that company's own page.
Sources
Competitor facts come from each company's own pages, checked on 23 October 2026. Where a page didn't say something, we wrote so.
- Garmin: App Sales (15% split, sales tax, card fees, payouts, the 48-hour return window, supported watches)
- Garmin: Merchant Onboarding (developer countries, documents, approval time, the $100 yearly program fee)
- Garmin: Price Points (from $2.00, shown as $1.99 in the US store)
- Garmin: premium apps and watch faces in the Connect IQ Store, 7 August 2024
- Garmin: Toybox.Communications (web requests, and foreground data fields from API level 5.0.0)
- KiezelPay: FAQ (27% fee, $0.27 minimum, card surcharge, PayPal payouts, sales tax, no subscriptions, setup time)
- PayToUse: developer manual (payment fees, 13% fee, withdrawals, trial period, codes for a set term)
- PayToUse: home page (watch faces, widgets, data fields and apps; monthly payouts)
- Stripe: pricing (2.9% + 30¢ per US card payment, Billing at 0.7%, Tax at 0.5%)
- PayPal: US merchant fees, last updated 1 October 2026 (3.49% + $0.49 checkout, 4.99% + $0.09 micropayments)
- WearCheckout: plans and fees
- WearCheckout: what you can sell
- WearCheckout: terms of service (you are the seller, taxes)
Start selling
Add the library, buy your own app on your own watch in test mode, and watch it unlock. Your plan starts only when your first app goes live.
Related
- How to sell a Connect IQ app in 2026Every payment option, with fees and worked examples.
- WearCheckout vs KiezelPay27% a sale against a yearly plan, and moving your buyers.
- WearCheckout vs PayToUsePayment fees plus 13% against a yearly plan.
- Garmin's store vs your own payments15% plus $100 a year, and what Garmin handles for you.
- Subscriptions in a Connect IQ appWhich options renew, and what each one costs.
- All guidesTrials, data fields, Stripe, PayPal and more.