Understanding Paddle's Acceptable Use Policy (AUP): What Am I Not Allowed To Sell? - Help Center - Paddle

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·Understanding Paddle's Acceptable Use Policy (AUP): What Am I Not Allowed To Sell?

·Paddle is built to serve software companies (including B2B SaaS, Consumer Software, and Games). If your company's primary offering is human services (such as consultation, support, or design services) or the sale of physical goods, Paddle is not a good fit for your needs.

·While we have stipulated a series of forbidden business categories in this document, some overall restrictions on the use of Paddle include any business offering that:

• ·Violates any rules or regulations of Card Brand Networks;
• ·Violates any law or government regulation;
• ·Involves fraudulent, deceptive, unfair, abusive, or predatory practices;
• ·Is marketed through the use of outbound telemarketing.
• ·Threatens reputational damage to Paddle or any Card Brand Network;
• ·Results in or causes a significant risk of chargebacks, fines, damages, or harm and liability;
• ·Engages in, encourages, promotes, or celebrates violence or physical harm to persons or property, or toward any group based on race, religion, disability, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, or any other immutable characteristic
• ·Contravenes the requirements for the provision of consent under the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

·Some of the above may not be obvious or evident at the time of application, but Paddle reserves the right to exercise judgment in ascertaining whether any of these factors are likely to be present.

·A list of all business categories and practices that are forbidden from using the Paddle service can be found below. Many of these categories are imposed by Card Network rules or by our payment processors.

·By creating an account and selling through Paddle, you are confirming that you will not be accepting payments with any connection to the following business categories and practices.

·Prohibited Categories

• 1Physical products or products that require physical delivery
• 2Human services that are not related to a software offering (e.g., pure consulting or advisory services, including but not limited to legal advice, coaching, IT services, and access to a community of experts)
• 3Where there is no bona fide software or service sold, including but not limited to donations, crowdfunding, community access, advertising, and sponsorship
• 4Any product or service that infringes upon, or enables the infringement upon copyrights, trademarks, terms and conditions, or trade secrets of another party, including but not limited to:
• ·resale of any product without a valid reseller certificate Illicit streaming services streaming downloaders content copying and IPTV
• 5Any product or service that enables unauthorized access to data belonging to another party, including but not limited to: spyware phone/device unlocking services keyloggers
• 6Any product or service that enables non-Paddle Sellers to sell products and services to customers, such as digital marketplaces
• 7Advertising and marketing:
• ·Advertising Services, including but not limited to job boards and open houses
• ·Marketing Services and Schemes, including but not limited to pyramid schemes, network marketing, referral marketing programs, multi-level marketing, and get-rich-quick schemes Telemarketing
• ·Automated Social Media Marketing, including but not limited to those that purport to increase/ optimize engagement (posts, clicks, likes, views, reviews)
• ·Mass Marketing Products, including but not limited to SMS marketing and Message App marketing Phone services Political or Social campaigning
• 8Adult and other age-restricted content and services, including sexually-oriented or pornographic products or services, any material of a lewd and lascivious nature, dating services/applications, or any other products/services intended for this industry
• 9Gambling:
• ·Betting-related products, competition/event tickets, or entries
• ·lotteries, auctions, contests, sweepstakes, or games of chance
• ·Sports forecasting/odds making where monetary or material prizes are involved fantasy sports leagues
• 10Trading and financial services/advice
• ·Any product or service that is considered a regulated financial product or service in any jurisdiction
• ·Payment services, whether regulated or not (e.g., as a Payment Facilitator, Payment Services Provider, Money Transmitter, or Merchant of Record)
• ·Exchanges, dealers, or trading platforms that enable transactions in financial instruments, currencies, or cryptocurrencies / virtual currencies Money transfer services
• ·Virtual currency or stored value, including but not limited to store credit, gift cards, vouchers Business or investment opportunities
• ·Investment or financial advice, including trading signals and strategies
• ·Credit advice or consulting, including credit/mortgage counseling, repair, or protection
• ·Credit card and identity theft protection, including but not limited to age verification
• 11Government Services, including but not limited to embassies and foreign consulates
• 12Certifications and exam preparation services, including but not limited to:
• ·essay and paper mills, ghostwriting services
• ·any certifications or courses for which the business is not the owner or creator of the underlying product, or does not have the authority to resell
• 13Travel Services, including but not limited to reservation services, travel clubs, timeshares
• 14Digital services associated with pseudo-science, including but not limited to clairvoyance, horoscopes, fortune-telling
• 15Medical advice, including but not limited to any product or service that provides advice (e.g., weight loss, muscle building)
• 16Content generation, including but not limited to:
• ·Human-like faces in realistic, stylized, or animated forms (Restricted Category) Face Swaps Deep Fakes Images or Videos Voice Impersonations
• ·Any content generation using a person's likeness without that person's explicit consent
• ·Automated decision-making or categorization of people
• ·Any content generation that falls into other prohibited categories
• 17Technical support services, including any software or service, marketed to repair, maintain, or improve the performance or security of an Electronic Device (Restricted Category)
• 18System Health Products, including but not limited to: Device Cleaners Antivirus
• 19VPN and Proxies (Restricted Category)
• 20Captcha Solving
• 21Reseller Products, including but not limited to: Microsoft Adobe

·Restricted Categories

·Due to the increased risk on certain offerings, Paddle must do enhanced due diligence on certain product offerings. Should your offering be considered restricted, Paddle's team will reach out to you for additional information if it is needed.

·The above lists are reflective of our risk appetite and historical experience with onboarding software sellers and our knowledge of the market environment in which we operate. This is not an exhaustive list as the software landscape is continuously changing, presenting new business models that we must consider and evaluate. Last Updated 13 April 2026