> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.tiun.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.tiun.io/faq.md). # FAQ ## General ### What is tiun? tiun is an end-to-end monetization platform — the commercial backend for the AI engineering era. Instead of stitching together an auth provider, a payments processor, a customer database, and an analytics tool, you get one integrated ecosystem that covers authentication, payments, customer data, and product analytics, exposed through a single SDK. tiun is also your Merchant of Record, so it handles tax, payouts, and chargebacks. You drop in a few lines of code; tiun runs the rest. ### Who is tiun for? SaaS and AI companies selling digital products globally — from solo builders launching their first product, to small teams that want to avoid a multi-tool stack, to enterprises. It is not built for physical goods, marketplaces with third-party sellers, in-person retail, or complex wire-transfer enterprise contracts. ### How am I faster with tiun? Three reasons: you integrate one system instead of four; you don't write webhooks or glue logic between disconnected tools; and because user, payment, and product data live in one place, tiun can surface improvement opportunities that siloed tools can't. ### What does tiun replace? The usual four-tool stack — an auth provider, a payments processor, a customer/CRM database, and an analytics tool — collapses into a single integrated system, with no data silos or middleware to maintain. ### How do I get started? Sign up at [my.tiun.business](https://my.tiun.business/), complete a short onboarding, and you'll land in the dashboard. From there you create a product, grab its product ID, and follow a [guide](https://docs.tiun.io/guides/) for the integration that matches what you're building. The [Quickstart](/quickstart.md) is the fast version; [Create a profile](/guides/getting-started/create-a-profile.md) is the longer walkthrough. *** ## How tiun Works ### What does Merchant of Record mean for me? As Merchant of Record, tiun is the legal seller of your product to the end customer. That moves tax, compliance, and payment liability from you to tiun — you receive payouts and focus on your product instead of billing infrastructure. ### Why one system instead of multiple tools? Because users, payments, and usage data are connected by default, setup is faster and there's no synchronization logic to maintain. It also lets tiun generate recommendations from cross-data correlation that separate tools simply can't produce. ### How does tiun turn my data into recommendations? tiun correlates user, payment, and usage data and lets you ask plain-language questions about it. Instead of piecing together scattered metrics, you get answers that point at improvement opportunities and development priorities. ### Do I need a backend? No. tiun works entirely client-side — checkout, authentication, and access control all happen in the browser, so you can ship a complete subscription, one-time purchase, or time-based app from a static site. If your backend serves protected data and you want to verify the user before responding, tiun also provides signed tokens and session-verification endpoints. See [server-side authentication verification](/guides/authentication/verify-server-side.md), [server-side subscription verification](/guides/subscriptions/verify-server-side.md), and [server-side session verification](/guides/time-based-billing/verify-server-side.md). ### How do users sign in? With their email — no passwords. tiun sends a one-time code (OTP) and the user enters it to verify. Once signed in, the session is restored automatically on later visits. The full flow is in [Authentication / How it works](/reference/authentication/how-it-works.md) in Reference. *** ## Products & Billing ### What product types can I sell? Three, each matching a different pricing and access pattern: * **Subscription** — the user pays a flat recurring fee (monthly, quarterly, yearly) for ongoing access. Best for SaaS, membership sites, and anything where the value is "access to the product". * **One-time purchase** — the user pays a single fixed fee and access never expires. Best for consulting engagements, lifetime licenses, or a single course, report, or deliverable. * **Time-based** — the user pays for the time they actually spend with your content (per minute or per interval). Best for media-style products like articles, podcasts, or video where engagement varies per visit. You can offer any combination at once — see [Products](/reference/generic/products.md) in Reference. ### Can I sell multiple products or tiers? Yes. You can create as many products as you need — multiple subscription tiers (Light, Pro, Team), one-time purchases, time-based products, or any mix. Your integration code references each by its product ID, and the user's `productAccess` array tells you which ones they're entitled to. The guides on [monetizing with subscriptions](/guides/subscriptions/monetize-with-subscriptions.md), [selling one-time products](/guides/one-time-purchases/sell-one-time-products.md), and [charging for time-based sessions](/guides/time-based-billing/charge-for-time-based-sessions.md) show the patterns. *** ## Speed and Integration ### How long does it take to integrate? The agent setup path is designed to get a basic backend running in about five minutes. Full production readiness depends on the specifics of your product. ### Can my AI agent integrate tiun? Yes. tiun exposes an MCP server and skills, so AI agents (in Cursor or similar) can read the setup and configure your backend directly instead of you wiring it up by hand. ### What frameworks are supported? The tiun SDK works with any JavaScript framework or vanilla JS — React, Vue, Next.js, Nuxt, plain HTML/JS, and more. See the [SDK examples](/sdk/examples/vue.md) for framework-specific setup. ### Does tiun work for native or mobile apps? Yes. When you set up live, you choose the platform — **Web app** or **Native app** — and tiun configures the integration accordingly. The current developer documentation covers the web SDK in depth; if you're building a native app, contact and we'll point you at the native integration path. ### How do I test my integration? tiun runs **live** and **sandbox** as two **independent parallel environments** — separate domains, snippet IDs, products, product IDs, and API keys. Sandbox uses simulated payments; live handles real billing. `localhost` is enabled by default on any port in sandbox and blocked in live. Most teams set up sandbox first: register a non-localhost test domain in the dashboard (prefer test/staging; use your live domain as a fallback), create test products, then use `sandbox: true` with your sandbox snippet ID and `p-test-...` product IDs while testing locally. You do not need to add `localhost` explicitly. Keep the dashboard on the same environment as your SDK while you work. See [setting up your environment](/guides/getting-started/set-up-environment.md), [Sandbox](/reference/generic/sandbox.md) in Reference, and [test flows](/guides/testing/test-flows.md) for a verification checklist. ### How do I go from sandbox to live? Sandbox does not promote into live automatically. You **set up live as its own environment** (production domain, products, snippet ID, API keys), then point production traffic at it: 1. Remove `sandbox: true` from `tiun.init` (or set it to `false`). 2. Replace sandbox-specific values with live ones: snippet ID, product IDs (`p-test-...` → `p-live-...`), and server-side API URL/key if you verify server-side. The SDK surface is identical — only environment-specific IDs and credentials change. Sandbox stays available for parallel testing. Full walkthrough: [setting up your environment](/guides/getting-started/set-up-environment.md). *** ## Payments, Payout and Invoicing ### What payment methods does tiun support? All major credit and debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express) plus the most-used digital wallets: Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal and TWINT. Available methods may vary by region. ### How are payouts made? Payouts are processed directly through tiun. You receive net revenue after fees and taxes, sent to your bank account via the most efficient local rails in supported countries. The default frequency is monthly with a $200 minimum; enterprise plans support custom schedules and multiple IBANs. ### Who handles refunds, chargebacks, and fraud? As Merchant of Record, tiun manages chargebacks and the associated risk and liability. Refunds are issued through tiun, and fraud screening runs before a transaction completes. ### Can my customers access their invoices and receipts? Yes. Both business and private customers can view or download their receipts and invoices themselves — no support tickets required. tiun generates compliant invoices automatically for every transaction type. ### Does tiun support enterprise invoicing? Not currently. Under the Merchant of Record model, transactions must run through tiun's checkout to be properly invoiced, so external wire-transfer invoicing workflows aren't supported. *** ## Tax and Compliance ### Do you handle sales tax and VAT for me? Yes. As Merchant of Record, tiun calculates taxes in real time at checkout and collects and remits VAT, GST, and sales tax across global jurisdictions, assuming the tax liability itself. ### Do you handle EU VAT reverse charge for B2B transactions? Yes. tiun validates the customer's VAT ID at checkout, applies the reverse charge automatically when the conditions are met, and issues a compliant invoice that includes the required reverse charge notation. ### Is tiun GDPR compliant? Yes. tiun is hosted in Europe and GDPR compliant by default, with customer data stored in EU data centers. We maintain a public sub-processor list and honor customer data rights including access, deletion, and portability. *** ## Pricing ### What does tiun cost? Sign up is free. See the [pricing page](https://tiun.io/pricing) for current plans and the comparison table for details. *** ## Comparison ### Do I still need Stripe if I use tiun? No. tiun includes payment processing and Merchant of Record services, so you don't manage Stripe separately. ### Why not just use Stripe directly? Stripe handles payments only. On top of it you'd still build authentication, manage entitlements, keep billing and access in sync, and create a self-serve portal. tiun provides that complete system out of the box. ### How does tiun compare to Polar, Paddle, Lemon Squeezy, and Stripe Managed Payments? Those are billing platforms with Merchant of Record. tiun is broader — it adds authentication, a customer database, and analytics alongside billing, and offers lower all-in transaction rates. *** ## Account and Leaving ### How do I migrate to tiun? Start by joining the Discord community or emailing for guidance on your specific setup. Enterprise plans include a dedicated technical team to help plan and execute the switch for more complex migrations. *** Still stuck? Email . --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. 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