First Sale Fees / Field guide

Payhip vs Gumroad: compare the fee model

A percentage, a fixed fee per sale and a marketplace sale are different costs. Keep them separate when comparing a low-price product.

By Masato Ishioka · Updated 2026-09-15

Separate direct sales from marketplace sales

Gumroad lists a direct-sale fee of 10% plus $0.50 and a 30% fee for sales through Discover. Payhip's Free plan lists a 5% platform fee, with payment processing charged separately. These are the published platform charges; do not treat them as a complete, like-for-like operating budget.

A fixed charge matters more on a small product

For the direct-sale fee above, the fixed $0.50 alone represents 10% of a $5 product, 2% of a $25 product and 0.5% of a $100 product. The percentage component is added on top. This is why a low headline percentage is not enough to compare platforms.

At $10 per product and 20 sales, Gumroad's listed direct-sale charge calculates to $30. The Payhip Free platform charge calculates to $10, before its separate processor fees. The $20 difference is a difference in these listed platform charges; it is not a claim that your final payouts differ by $20.

Tax handling changes the comparison

Gumroad describes its role as merchant of record for sales-tax collection and remittance. Payhip describes automated EU and UK VAT handling. Compare the actual scope for the products and countries you sell to. Neither statement means your own income-tax or business-filing responsibilities disappear.

Before switching, list the administrative work your current service handles. A lower platform charge can be offset by extra software or work. We do not assign a dollar value to that work in the fee calculator.

Do not count discovery as guaranteed traffic

A marketplace fee and an acquisition result are separate questions. If you expect customers to arrive through your own product link, use the direct-sale rate. If a sale is attributed to a discovery marketplace, use the marketplace rate. Budget with traffic you can explain rather than treating a marketplace listing as a promise of visitors.

Calculate Payhip's plan costs with your actual processor quote. Check Gumroad's current fee details directly before making a final comparison.