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Head to head · updated September 2026

Payhip vs Gumroad: Which Costs Less and Pays Faster?

Payhip charges 5% per sale on its free plan and as little as 0% on Pro; Gumroad charges 10% plus $0.50. Payhip pays you instantly to PayPal or Stripe; Gumroad holds money for 7 days with a $100 minimum. Gumroad's advantage is its marketplace. Here is the full comparison, with the numbers worked out.

This comparison contains affiliate links to Payhip, which means I may earn a commission if you sign up through them, at no extra cost to you. There are no affiliate links to Gumroad on this page.

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TL;DR

Payhip and Gumroad both let creators sell digital products without a monthly fee. Payhip charges 5% per sale on its free plan, 2% on Plus ($29 a month) and 0% on Pro ($99 a month), pays out instantly to your PayPal or Stripe, and has dedicated course, membership and coaching features. Gumroad charges 10% plus $0.50 per sale (30% on marketplace sales), holds payouts for 7 days with a $100 minimum, and acts as merchant of record for tax. For sellers with their own audience, Payhip is usually much cheaper; Gumroad's edge is its Discover marketplace.

Fee per sale: Payhip 5% / 2% / 0% · Gumroad 10% + $0.50
Monthly fee: Payhip $0, $29 or $99 · Gumroad $0
Marketplace: Payhip none · Gumroad Discover (30% fee)
Payouts: Payhip instant · Gumroad 7-day hold, $100 minimum
Taxes: Payhip VAT + US sales tax · Gumroad merchant of record
Courses and coaching: Payhip built in · Gumroad lighter

How Do Payhip and Gumroad Fees Compare?

	Payhip Free	Payhip Plus	Payhip Pro	Gumroad
Monthly fee	$0	$29	$99	$0
Platform fee per sale	5%	2%	0%	10% + $0.50
Marketplace sales	No marketplace			30% flat
Payment processing	PayPal or Stripe rates, on top			Card processing on top

Gumroad also has a volume discount: after $20,000 of sales in a calendar month, direct sales drop to 5% plus $0.50 for the rest of that month. Below that level, which is where most creators are, the standard 10% plus $0.50 applies.

What Would You Actually Pay? Three Worked Examples

Platform fees only, before payment processing, which is similar on both.

Scenario	Payhip (best plan)	Gumroad	Difference
One $20 ebook sale	$1.00 (Free)	$2.50	Gumroad costs 2.5x
50 sales of $20 ($1,000 a month)	$49 (Plus: $29 + $20)	$125	$76 a month less on Payhip
100 sales of $50 ($5,000 a month)	$99 (Pro)	$550	$451 a month less on Payhip

The gap grows with your sales and is widest on cheap products, where Gumroad's fixed $0.50 hurts most. The exception: if Gumroad's marketplace is bringing you buyers you would not otherwise reach, those sales have value that a fee table does not show.

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Do Payment Processing Fees Change the Comparison?

Not much. On Payhip, PayPal or Stripe charge their standard rates on top of Payhip's fee, typically around 2.9% plus 30 cents per card payment in the US. Gumroad's help pages say its 10% plus $0.50 does not include card processing either, and PayPal payouts where used carry their own fee. Because both sides pay a similar processing cost, the difference between the two platforms is essentially the platform fee shown above: 5%, 2% or 0% on Payhip against 10% plus $0.50 on Gumroad.

Which Pays Out Faster?

Payhip never holds your money: each sale is deposited straight into your PayPal or Stripe account, and you withdraw on their schedule.

Gumroad collects the money itself and pays you out after a 7-day holding period, once your balance reaches $100, on a daily (US only), weekly, monthly or quarterly schedule. Bank transfers take 2 to 7 business days; PayPal is used only where bank payouts are not supported, with a 2% fee. For new sellers with small volumes, the $100 minimum can mean waiting weeks for the first payout.

How Do They Handle Taxes?

Gumroad has been the merchant of record since January 2025: legally, it sells to your customer, and it handles sales tax and VAT worldwide. That is the most complete tax setup of the two.

Payhip handles EU and UK VAT on digital products automatically and, since July 1, 2026, collects and remits US sales tax as a marketplace facilitator at no cost to sellers. For a typical creator selling ebooks and courses to the US, UK and EU, both now take the tax burden off your hands.

How Do Their Features Compare?

Feature	Payhip	Gumroad
Digital downloads	Yes	Yes
Courses with quizzes and certificates	Yes	Lighter
Memberships	Yes	Yes
Coaching with Zoom and Calendly	Yes	Limited
Physical products	Yes, with inventory	Yes
Marketplace	No	Discover
Affiliates for your products	Built in, you pay affiliates	Built in
Custom domain	Free	Available

Which Should You Choose?

Choose Payhip if

Your buyers come from your own audience: social media, email, a website or YouTube.
You want lower fees now and 0% as you grow.
You want your money immediately, without a minimum.
You sell courses, memberships or coaching as well as downloads.

Choose Gumroad if

You are counting on Gumroad's Discover marketplace for sales.
You want the platform to be merchant of record everywhere.
You sell occasionally and value its simplicity over fees.

More on Payhip's plans, payouts and seller reviews in our Payhip pricing guide.

How Do You Move From Gumroad to Payhip?

Open a free Payhip account and connect PayPal or Stripe.
Recreate your products: upload the same files, copy titles, descriptions and prices. Courses and memberships have their own product types.
Export your customers from Gumroad and import the list into your email tool, so you can tell them where to find you.
Swap your links: replace Gumroad links in your bio, website, emails and videos with Payhip product links.
Keep Gumroad open for a while for existing buyers' downloads and any Discover sales, then close products there once traffic has moved.

Most creators can move a small catalog in an afternoon. The one thing you cannot move is Discover visibility, so if marketplace sales matter to you, keep those products on Gumroad while selling to your own audience through Payhip.

What About Other Gumroad Alternatives?

Stan Store: a link-in-bio store popular with creators on social media, sold as a monthly subscription. Choose it if your whole business runs from Instagram or TikTok bios.
Etsy: a marketplace with its own buyers, strong for printables and templates, with listing and transaction fees. Choose it if you want marketplace traffic more than your own brand.
Shopify: a full online store with monthly plans, better for physical products and larger catalogs than for a few digital files.
Lemon Squeezy: aimed at software and SaaS sellers who want a merchant of record.

For a creator selling ebooks, courses or memberships to their own audience, Payhip and Gumroad remain the two most direct options, which is why they are compared so often.

What Do Sellers Say About Each?

Payhip rated 4.5 on Trustpilot from about 540 reviews in September 2026; sellers praise the free plan, fast setup and tax handling, and the main complaints are occasional account or product removals. Gumroad is praised for simplicity and its marketplace, and criticized mostly for its fees and payout rules, which is exactly what drives the "Gumroad alternative" searches. On both platforms, keep your own copy of your files and customer list.

Can You Use Payhip and Gumroad Together?

Yes. Some creators keep a few products listed on Gumroad for Discover traffic and sell everything else, including courses and memberships, through Payhip to their own audience, where fees are lower. The cost is managing two dashboards and two customer lists. If Discover sales are small, one platform is simpler.

Payhip vs Gumroad: Common Questions

Is Payhip cheaper than Gumroad?

For most sellers, yes. Gumroad charges 10% plus $0.50 per sale; Payhip charges 5% on its free plan, 2% on Plus ($29 a month) or nothing on Pro ($99 a month). Both add payment processing on top. On a $20 ebook, Gumroad keeps $2.50 and Payhip's free plan keeps $1.

Which pays out faster, Payhip or Gumroad?

Payhip. Sales go straight into your PayPal or Stripe account immediately. Gumroad holds sales for 7 days, requires a $100 minimum balance and pays out on a daily (US only), weekly, monthly or quarterly schedule.

Does Gumroad bring you customers?

It can. Gumroad's Discover marketplace can surface your products to its visitors, but sales made through Discover carry a flat 30% fee. Payhip has no marketplace, so you bring all your own traffic.

Which handles taxes better?

Gumroad has been the merchant of record since January 2025, so it takes responsibility for sales tax and VAT worldwide. Payhip handles EU and UK VAT on digital products and, since July 2026, US sales tax as a marketplace facilitator. For most small sellers both remove the tax burden.

Can I sell courses on Gumroad and Payhip?

Payhip has dedicated course, membership and coaching features, including quizzes, drip content and certificates. Gumroad focuses on digital downloads and memberships, with lighter course features.

Should I switch from Gumroad to Payhip?

If most of your sales come from your own audience rather than Gumroad Discover, switching usually cuts your fees by half or more. If Discover brings you meaningful sales, compare what you would lose before moving.

Payhip or Gumroad, in One Paragraph?

For creators who bring their own audience, Payhip is the better deal: 5% on the free plan against Gumroad's 10% plus $0.50, dropping to 0% on Pro, with instant payouts and stronger course and coaching tools. Gumroad earns its higher fee only if its marketplace sends you buyers you would not otherwise reach, or if you want a full merchant of record. Since both are free to start, the cheapest test is to put one product on Payhip and compare.

How this was assessed: this page is based on Payhip's official pricing and product pages, its terms, public ratings on review platforms and the pages that currently rank for these searches, all read in September 2026. Gumroad figures come from its own pricing and help pages. It is not a report from inside a paid account, and it does not claim to be.

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About the author

Carlos D.

I have worked in affiliate marketing since 2020, mostly on global product launches: the coordinated releases where a program opens for a fixed window and partners drive registrations and sales. Across those launches I have generated more than $1 million in tracked sales as an affiliate.

That is the lens these reviews are written through. I read the official pages and partner terms before writing, I cover programs I am a partner for, and I say so at the top of every review. More about how these reviews are made.

These were our results. Your results will vary based on a variety of factors, including your education, effort, and market factors. There is no guarantee you will make any money.

This is an independent guide. It is not the official Payhip website and it is not operated by, affiliated with or endorsed by Payhip. Product names are trademarks of their respective owners. We may earn a commission from sign-ups and purchases made through links on this page, at no extra cost to you. Prices and plans were checked on the official pages in September 2026 and can change at any time: confirm them at checkout.