Paddle reduces time to first call by 50% with Postman

Paddle Classic launched in 2012, quickly becoming the simplest way to sell Mac apps online. Fast-forward more than a decade, and Paddle had grown to encompass SaaS and other digital products, but the team was struggling to evolve the platform and deliver world-class DX.

Internally, teams built APIs independently using different tools and approaches, often with REST clients and inconsistent OpenAPI implementations. Without a unified engineering strategy and platform, cross-team collaboration became difficult.

For customers, team separations led to inconsistent DX. There was no uniformity in how things worked across the platform, and data was siloed. Some functionality was only available in the dashboard. Additionally, the Solutions team had to field many questions, such as how things worked and where to start.

APIs were shared both internally and publicly using Stoplight. Onboarding was not straightforward. Stoplight had a steep learning curve, which led to the Paddle team building an additional layer for public docs.

Paddle clearly solved a real need, but it was just as clear that the developer experience needed to evolve. Ways of working in product and engineering had to be streamlined. A new ecosystem and API needed to be built. With a focus on DX, Paddle could offer customers new ways to increase revenue and scale operations. This evolution would allow Paddle to be well-equipped to meet the needs of modern digital businesses, like mobile apps and AI.

As AI adoption accelerated, Paddle needed to create AI agents to automate business operations. These agents have to integrate with APIs and LLMs, which is a complex task requiring multiple tools, testing frameworks, and seamless connectivity.

The Postman API Platform and Postman API Network played a key role in Paddle's transformation. Beginning in 2022, most of the core product was rebuilt, followed by the launch of Paddle Billing in 2023 — a complete reimagining of the platform as an API-first product with DX at its heart.

Customers frequently requested a Postman Collection and workspace. At the same time, many team members were already using Postman, so it's safe to say they are among Postman's 40 million users.

“We wanted to make engineers' lives easier, and customers already expected to see and use Postman, it's the default API platform of preference.”

Kieran Mountford, Head of Engineering, Experience, Paddle

Internal collaboration has improved significantly. Changes are now visible in shared workspaces, with clear API documentation providing instant context.

The relaunch of Paddle Billing coincided with the rise of AI, and Postman enabled Paddle to be among the first to launch a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server. Showcased by Postman at paddle.getmcp.dev, customers can use Postman's built-in MCP client to make calls right away.

“We've launched our MCP server using Postman to add AI workflows to Paddle. Postman has been incredibly useful as our MCP client when developers integrate.”

Michael McGovern, Staff Developer Advocate, Paddle

The DX internally and externally has been strengthened by Postman's focus on ensuring the time to first call (TTFC) is as short as possible. Onboarding has been accelerated as Postman is so intuitive and easy to use, with the Paddle API and AI all in one place.

Typically, before a customer makes their first call, numerous questions must be answered. For example, how is a pricing page built? These queries are often non-linear. Now, the Solutions team can provide customers with a collection that lets them explore, learn, and get started immediately.

Early in the product evaluation journey, technical decision makers can explore and interact with the Paddle API and Paddle MCP using Postman to see whether it meets their product and engineering goals.

All customer-facing collections include a Run in Postman button, allowing developers to quickly share and fork. Everyone has the most recent version, as the collection is centralized on the Postman API Network and can be synced at any time. The buttons mean users can begin using the API quickly, reducing the TTFC. Time has also been invested in ensuring that the happy and unhappy paths for developers are well-defined.

“Postman allows ideas to be quickly validated and helps you check everything is working as it should be.”

Daniel Billson, Developer Experience, Software Engineer, Paddle

Creating collections is a priority for Paddle. The Paddle Billing collection was a critical element as a fast follow-up to its launch. Collections are essential for larger enterprise customers who are exploring an API as part of their decision-making process.

Internally, a collection is created for every new API specification. Teams work together by creating a pull request in GitHub for every API change. Postman's CI/CD tools automatically generate a collection for each pull request that teams can use to test and explore a proposed change. When a pull request is merged as accepted, a new version of the main collection is generated, with a separate process to publish to the Paddle public workspace using the Postman API.

The team crafts visual workspace updates to share changes with watchers, often triggering a spike in forks as developers re-engage. Workspace updates complement the Paddle developer changelog, reaching developers in the Postman API platform, where they're working and driving them to use their developer docs.

“The Postman API Network's clout among the developer community, coupled with verification, instills confidence in the maturity of an API. For us, Postman is our developer front door.”

Michael McGovern, Staff Developer Advocate, Paddle

Paddle's verification on the Postman API Network is a huge advantage. It has led to Paddle being featured on the Postman homepage, and its API consistently ranks among the top APIs on the API Network.

As part of the Postman API Network, the Paddle API is available in the AI Tool Builder, from which an MCP server can be generated. This lets internal teams and customers create an MCP for new endpoints in minutes, using the built-in MCP client to connect to an agent and interact.

“Postman's tools for MCP are amazing. You can quickly create an MCP server from your collection to validate ideas, which is important as AI can hallucinate.”

Daniel Billson, Developer Experience, Software Engineer, Paddle

The Postman Publisher Success team works closely with Paddle to fine-tune its public-facing collections and MCP offering. The initial optimization work included amending the workspace description, adding Postman links, and adding Run In Postman buttons. Optimization, however, isn't a one-and-done deal. Through regular check-ins, the Postman team offers tailored support by sharing insights and learning about upcoming launches or goals.

For Paddle, it all ties back to creating an elite DX where everything is ready to go in a few clicks, for fast, frictionless adoption.

Adopting an API-first strategy, powered by Postman, reduced TTFC by 50%. The improved DX also led to a shorter sales cycle and faster onboarding. Now, onboarding takes only hours. Alongside these achievements, Postman's suite of AI tools — from the AI Agent Builder to the AI Tool Builder — has given Paddle an AI edge in a highly competitive marketplace by leading the way in AI adoption.

“Postman's 200 OK reputation will continue in the MCP server space, because Postman makes everything easier to see and work with, matching our mission of making online selling easy.”

Kieran Mountford, Head of Engineering, Experience, Paddle

Since launching Paddle Billing on the Postman API Network and optimizing its collections, Paddle has seen consistent growth across key engagement metrics. API discoverability has increased 4x, with views jumping from around 400 to 1,600 views per month. Forks have more than doubled, with an approximate increase of just over 50%. Forks are considered to be an indicator of intent to buy.

With Postman and the Postman API Network, Paddle has enhanced its DX, improved API discoverability, and increased engagement, all while maintaining API reliability.