tiun
tiun is an AI-native commercial backend for SaaS and AI products. It bundles email-OTP authentication, prebuilt checkout overlays, Merchant of Record payments with global tax handling, a customer database, and AI analytics behind one SDK, replacing the auth provider, payment processor, CRM, and analytics tools that teams usually stitch together with webhooks, sync jobs, and reconciliation scripts.
What is tiun?
tiun is a commercial backend for SaaS and AI companies that combines authentication, payments, a customer database, and AI analytics in a single platform, with tiun acting as Merchant of Record for the transactions it processes. Instead of wiring an auth provider, a payment processor, a customer data layer, and an analytics tool together with webhooks and synchronization code, teams install one SDK and get a system where users, subscriptions, entitlements, and product usage already share one data model. Products are defined in the dashboard as a subscription, a one-time purchase, or a time-based charge, and the frontend calls checkout or start; tiun renders the payment overlay, authenticates the buyer with an email one-time code, processes the card or wallet payment, and returns an access event the app uses to gate content. Authentication covers sign-up, login, logout, a user profile menu, and multifactor options by SMS passcode or email, with optional social SSO. Because tiun is the legal seller, it calculates VAT, GST, and sales tax at checkout, applies EU B2B reverse charge, issues compliant invoices, assumes chargeback risk, and pays out net revenue monthly with a $200 minimum. Customer profiles carry subscription status, payment history, session and event tracking, invoice access, and self-serve plan changes, so upgrades and cancellations no longer require a support ticket.
Integration is built for AI coding agents: a skills command adds tiun instructions to a repository and an MCP server lets Cursor, Claude Code, Copilot, Codex, or similar agents read the account snippet ID and product details, then wire the integration directly. A manual path exists through npm install @tiun/sdk, with guides for subscriptions, one-time purchases, and time-based billing, and the web SDK supports React, Vue, Next.js, Nuxt, and vanilla JavaScript. Native mobile runs on a separate React Native SDK, while Swift, Kotlin, and Flutter SDKs are listed as roadmap items. Sandbox and live are independent parallel environments with their own domains, snippet IDs, products, and API keys, so integration work happens against simulated payments before production traffic moves over.
Analytics is presented as one system for business, engineering, product, and marketing teams, answering who signs up, who pays, how the product is used, and where pricing could change. A published case study describes Res Publica growing its user base 21% in twelve months after moving to usage-based billing with tiun. The company positions tiun against Stripe Managed Payments, Paddle, Lemon Squeezy, Polar, and Dodo Payments on all-in fee comparisons. tiun is hosted in Europe, GDPR compliant, and operated by TIUN AG in Zurich, and the company reports 99.9% uptime since inception alongside a public status page.
tiun Core Features
Email-OTP authentication
sign-up, login, logout, profile menu, SMS or email multifactor codes, and social SSO, with no passwords stored
Prebuilt checkout overlays
hosted payment UI that keeps users on the page and supports cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, and TWINT by region
Three pricing models
subscriptions on any interval, one-time purchases, and time-based billing through the same SDK
Merchant of Record
tiun is the legal seller, calculating VAT, GST, and sales tax, handling EU B2B reverse charge, chargebacks, and compliant invoices
Customer database
subscription status, payment history, invoice downloads, session and event tracking all stored on the user profile
Self-serve portal
customers upgrade, downgrade, cancel, and manage payment methods without opening a support ticket
MCP and skills integration
npx skills add https://mcp.tiun.business lets Cursor, Claude Code, Copilot, Codex, and other agents wire the backend
AI analytics
cross-data reporting on sign-ups, payments, and usage, with plain-language questions and a $17/month add-on
Who is tiun for?
tiun targets people building a commercial digital product who do not want to assemble its backend themselves. Solo builders and indie hackers launching a first paid product use it to get login, checkout, and entitlements running without hiring a backend developer or maintaining webhook handlers. Founders and engineering leads at early-stage AI startups use it to meter usage-based or subscription access for an LLM product while keeping billing state next to user records. Full-stack and frontend developers adding monetization to an existing React, Vue, Next.js, Nuxt, or plain JavaScript app use the SDK and its overlay components instead of designing payment screens. Developers building React Native apps get a dedicated SDK that renders the same login and checkout overlays inside iOS and Android clients. Product and growth teams use session and event tracking plus AI analytics to see who signs up, who pays, and where usage correlates with revenue. Finance and operations staff at small SaaS companies lean on the Merchant of Record model so VAT, GST, sales tax, invoices, and chargebacks stay off their plate. Studios and agencies shipping client products reuse one integration across projects instead of standing up a new stack each time. Publishers, course creators, and media businesses charging per minute or per interval for articles, podcasts, or video use the time-based billing model. Companies already selling through Stripe but wanting Merchant of Record coverage without rebuilding billing also evaluate it. Teams weighing Stripe, Paddle, Lemon Squeezy, Polar, or Dodo Payments compare tiun on all-in rates and on the auth and customer data those tools leave you to build. Higher-volume companies needing multiple IBANs, custom payout schedules, an SLA, custom integrations, and a dedicated technical team fit the Enterprise tier. The vendor states that tiun is not built for physical goods, marketplaces with third-party sellers, in-person retail, or complex wire-transfer enterprise contracts.
tiun Use Cases
Launch a paid AI product with login, checkout, and entitlements in a single afternoon
Replace an auth provider, Stripe account, CRM, and analytics tool with one SDK and one bill
Bill LLM usage by subscription tiers, one-time credits, or metered time without writing billing logic
Sell software internationally while tiun collects and remits VAT, GST, and sales tax as Merchant of Record
Give customers a self-serve portal so they upgrade, downgrade, cancel, and download invoices themselves
Track sign-ups, paying users, and feature usage in one place to find where customers get value
Ship a subscription app from a static site or React Native client with no backend servers to operate
Migrate an existing SaaS off a four-tool stack onto a single customer and payment data model
tiun Pros and Cons
Pros
- One vendor and one data model cover auth, payments, customer records, and analytics, removing sync and webhook code
- Merchant of Record status means tax registration, remittance, invoicing, and chargeback liability sit with tiun
- Agent-native integration through skills and an MCP server shortens setup, with a documented SDK path as a fallback
- The platform itself is free, so cost scales with processed volume rather than seats or monthly users
Cons
- Transaction pricing stacks a 2.9% + $0.30 rate, a 0.5% subscription surcharge, and a 1.5% payout fee, with AI analytics a $17/month add-on
- Merchant of Record scope rules out external wire-transfer invoicing, and the vendor excludes physical goods, marketplaces, and retail
- Swift, Kotlin, and Flutter SDKs are still on the roadmap, so those stacks must wait or host the web app in a view
FAQ About tiun
tiun Pricing
The tiun platform is free, with no monthly fee for the core product; charges apply only to processed volume at 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction, an additional 0.5% on subscription payments, a 1.5% payout fee, and monthly payouts with a $200 minimum. AI-native analytics is a $17/month add-on, and Enterprise adds custom rates, multiple IBANs, custom payout schedules, an SLA, and a dedicated technical team.
Check official pricingFree
Full platform at no monthly cost: auth, checkout, customer database, self-serve portal, SDK and MCP, cards and wallets, all three pricing models, and basic analytics. Pay 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction, plus 0.5% on subscriptions, plus 1.5% payouts.
AI Analytics add-on
Optional AI-native analytics layer on top of the free platform, adding cross-data reporting on sign-ups, payments, and product usage.
Enterprise
Best transaction, subscription, payout, and dispute rates, custom payout schedules, multiple IBANs and payout accounts, unlimited workspaces, SLA, dedicated technical team, custom integrations, and priority support.
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