Gumroad vs Payhip
Gumroad and Payhip are both low-friction ways to sell digital products without building a full store. Gumroad leans on radical simplicity and a large creator ecosystem, while Payhip pairs a genuine free plan with courses, memberships and built-in EU VAT handling. The right pick usually comes down to how much you sell and how much per-sale fee you're willing to give up.
Quick answer
Choose Gumroad if you want the simplest possible way to list a digital product and plug into an established creator ecosystem; choose Payhip if you want a free plan plus built-in courses and memberships, and the option to lower fees by moving to a paid tier. Both take a cut on their free tiers, so check current pricing before you commit. If you'd rather keep 100% of every sale, OneSol is a free all-in-one alternative that pays straight into your own Stripe with no platform cut.
Gumroad vs Payhip at a glance
| Feature | Gumroad | Payhip |
|---|---|---|
| Free to start | Yes | Yes |
| Sell digital downloads | Yes | Yes |
| Cut on each sale | Per-sale % | Fee (lower on paid) |
| Courses & memberships | Memberships | Courses + memberships |
| How you get paid | Scheduled payout | Direct to PayPal/Stripe |
| Email & marketing tools | Built-in | Built-in |
| EU VAT handling | Handled | Handled |
| Ease of use | Very easy | Easy |
Competitor features and pricing can change — check their current plans before deciding.
1. Where Gumroad fits best
Gumroad is built for creators who want to list a digital product in minutes with almost zero setup and a checkout that just works. It's ideal if you value speed and simplicity over customization, and you're comfortable trading a per-sale cut for not having to think about hosting or design.
2. Where Payhip fits best
Payhip suits sellers who want a real free plan alongside courses, memberships and coupons, and who like that fees drop as you upgrade to a paid tier. It also handles EU VAT and pays out more directly, which matters if you sell to European buyers or want faster access to your money.
3. The cost that's easy to miss
On the free tiers, both platforms take a percentage of every sale on top of the payment processor's fee, and that compounds as your volume grows. A no-cut platform or a flat monthly plan can quietly become cheaper once you're selling regularly, so it pays to model your real numbers before settling in.
The verdict
OneSol is the free all-in-one alternative to both: from a single link you can sell digital products and downloads, run forms, take bookings and capture emails, with payments going straight into your own Stripe account. There's no platform cut, so you keep 100% of every sale minus only Stripe's standard fee — a genuinely different economic model from Gumroad's per-sale percentage or Payhip's tiered fees.
FAQ
Is Gumroad or Payhip cheaper?
It depends on volume. Payhip's paid plans reduce or remove the per-sale fee, while Gumroad keeps a simple flat cut on every sale — check both platforms' current pricing against your monthly revenue.
Can I sell courses and memberships on both?
Payhip has dedicated course and membership tools, and Gumroad supports memberships and subscriptions. Payhip is generally the stronger pick if courses are your main product.
Do I get paid instantly?
Payhip typically pays directly into your PayPal or Stripe as sales happen, while Gumroad collects funds and pays out on a schedule. If cash flow matters, that difference is worth checking.
Is there a free option that doesn't take a cut of my sales?
Yes — OneSol is free and routes payments straight to your own Stripe, so you keep 100% of each sale minus only Stripe's standard processing fee, with forms, bookings and downloads built in.