FIRST DIGITAL PRODUCT · FEES
Payhip vs Gumroad: what each one keeps from a sale
Both let you sell a download with no monthly bill. The difference shows up on every sale: Payhip's free plan takes 5%, while Gumroad takes 10% plus 50 cents. Gumroad gives you two things in return: a marketplace and sales tax handled for you.
Affiliate disclosure: I may earn a commission if you sign up for a paid Payhip plan through a link on this page, at no extra cost to you. I may also earn a commission if you sign up for a paid Kit plan through the Kit link. I have no affiliate relationship with Gumroad.
Fees side by side
As listed on each company's pricing page on October 4, 2026. Card and PayPal processing fees are charged on top by both.
| Payhip | Gumroad | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly fee | Free: $0 · Plus: $29 · Pro: $99 | None |
| Fee per sale | Free: 5% · Plus: 2% · Pro: 0% | 10% + $0.50 |
| Marketplace sales | No marketplace; you bring the buyers | 30% on sales that come through Gumroad Discover |
| Sales tax | Check Payhip's current tax settings for your country | Gumroad says it acts as merchant of record and collects and remits sales tax worldwide |
| Features by plan | Payhip says every plan has all features | One plan |
What that costs on real numbers
$15 product, 20 sales a month ($300): Payhip Free keeps $15. Gumroad keeps $30 plus $10 in per-sale charges, so $40.
$25 product, 40 sales a month ($1,000): Payhip Free keeps $50. Payhip Plus costs $29 plus $20, so $49. Gumroad keeps $100 plus $20, so $120.
The 50-cent charge matters most on cheap products. On a $5 download, Gumroad's fee is $1.00, which is 20% of the price. Payhip Free takes 25 cents.
Inside Payhip, the free plan is cheapest until about $967 a month in sales. Above that Plus costs less, and Pro only wins above about $3,500 a month.
When Gumroad is still the better pick
- You have no audience yet and want marketplace exposure. Discover can put a product in front of people already browsing Gumroad. Those sales cost 30%, and exposure isn't guaranteed.
- You don't want to deal with sales tax. Gumroad says it handles collection and remittance as merchant of record. That removes a real chore, especially if you sell to buyers in many countries.
When Payhip is the better pick
- You bring your own buyers from Pinterest, email, a blog or social posts. You keep more of each sale.
- Your product is low-priced. No fixed per-sale charge on Payhip's side.
- You want courses, memberships or coaching later. Payhip says they're included on every plan.
Whichever you pick: start an email list first
Neither store brings you buyers on its own unless you rely on Gumroad Discover and its 30% fee. An email list is the one audience you keep if you ever switch platforms. Kit (formerly ConvertKit) listed these on its pricing page on October 7, 2026:
- Free plan: up to 10,000 subscribers, unlimited landing pages and forms, 1 user.
- What the free plan leaves out: visual automations and email sequences. Those start on the Creator plan, listed from $33 a month.
- Selling through Kit: it lists a 3.5% + 30 cents fee per transaction on digital products.
A simple setup: a free Kit sign-up form that sends a sample page of your product, then a link to your Payhip or Gumroad listing. Check current limits and prices before you sign up; they change.
See Kit’s free plan →
Affiliate link. Opens Kit’s website, where you create and manage your own account.
Before you choose
- Write down your price and a realistic monthly sales count, then run both fee lines yourself.
- Check how each platform handles tax for your country.
- Do a test purchase on whichever you pick and open the file on a phone.
Affiliate link. Opens Payhip's own pricing page. Deciding between Payhip and an all-in-one tool instead? See Payhip vs Systeme.io.