Gumroad takes 10% of every sale you make. No cap. No upgrade path. Just a 10% tax on everything you earn, forever.
That number used to be more palatable when Gumroad was the only simple option. In 2026, it isn’t. Payhip and Sellfy both offer paths to 0% commission — and this article breaks down exactly when each platform wins, loses, and when you should consider none of them.
This is a Sellfy vs Payhip vs Gumroad comparison based on real fee math, not affiliate marketing. If you’re a creator, indie developer, or small team selling digital products — PDFs, templates, courses, software, music — this is the comparison you actually need.
The Core Difference: Fee Structure
The three platforms use completely different business models, which is why comparing them requires actual math rather than surface-level feature lists.
Gumroad charges no monthly fee. Instead, it takes 10% + $0.50 of every direct sale. If your product goes through the Gumroad Discover marketplace, the cut jumps to 30%. Add standard Stripe/PayPal processing (~2.9% + 30¢) and a $10 sale actually costs you about $1.81 in fees — an effective 18%.
Payhip offers a free plan (5% transaction fee) and two paid tiers that lower the fee. Plus at $29/month drops it to 2%. Pro at $99/month brings it to 0%. All plans include EU VAT handling.
Sellfy charges a flat monthly subscription with 0% commission on every plan. Starter is $29/month (up to $10k/year in sales), Business is $79/month (up to $50k/year), and Premium is $159/month (unlimited). You only pay the payment processor (Stripe or PayPal).
Fee Math: What You Actually Keep
Let’s run the numbers on a $29 digital product (a common price point for templates, ebooks, presets):
| Platform & Plan | Monthly Cost | Per-Sale Fees on $29 | Your Net on $29 | Net on 100 Sales ($2,900) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gumroad (free) | $0 | $3.74 (10% + $0.50 + processing) | $25.26 | $2,526 |
| Payhip Free | $0 | $2.29 (5% + processing) | $26.71 | $2,671 |
| Payhip Plus | $29 | $1.42 (2% + processing) | $27.58 | $2,729 ($2,700 after sub) |
| Payhip Pro | $99 | $1.14 (0% + processing) | $27.86 | $2,786 ($2,687 after sub) |
| Sellfy Starter | $29 | $1.14 (0% + processing) | $27.86 | $2,786 ($2,757 after sub) |
At 100 sales of a $29 product ($2,900 revenue), Sellfy Starter nets you $231 more than Gumroad. That gap widens as volume grows.
Payhip Break-Even Analysis
Payhip’s tiered model rewards you for upgrading at the right time. Here’s when each upgrade pays off:
| Monthly Revenue | Payhip Free Total Cost | Payhip Plus Total Cost | Payhip Pro Total Cost | Best Plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $300/mo | $15 | $35 | $99 | Free |
| $600/mo | $30 | $41 | $99 | Free |
| $966/mo | $48 | $48 | $99 | Free / Plus (breakeven) |
| $1,500/mo | $75 | $59 | $99 | Plus |
| $3,500/mo | $175 | $99 | $99 | Plus / Pro (breakeven) |
| $5,000/mo | $250 | $129 | $99 | Pro |
The math is clear: stay on Payhip Free below ~$966/month in sales. Upgrade to Plus between $966 and $3,500/month. Switch to Pro above $3,500/month — or switch to Sellfy, which at $29/month with 0% commission often beats Payhip Pro until you hit roughly $5,000/month in revenue.
Feature Comparison: What Each Platform Actually Does
Fees tell you what something costs. Features tell you what you can build with it.
Gumroad
Gumroad is the simplest of the three. It handles file hosting, basic product pages, and payments. The Discover marketplace theoretically sends you customers, but realistically requires a large existing audience to benefit from. You get:
- Digital downloads, physical products, memberships
- Pay-what-you-want pricing
- Discount codes and affiliate links
- Basic analytics
- No storefront customization (beyond basic themes)
- No email marketing (you’ll need a separate tool)
- Payouts via Stripe: weekly, $10 minimum
What’s missing: any real marketing tooling, course delivery, or storefront branding. You’re getting a transaction layer, not a platform.
Payhip
Payhip punches above its price point. The free plan is genuinely useful — not a crippled trial. Features across all plans:
- Digital downloads, courses, coaching, memberships, physical products
- EU + UK VAT automatic handling (this is significant — see below)
- Built-in affiliate program on all plans
- Customizable storefront pages
- Coupon codes, upsells, cross-sells
- PayPal and Stripe payments
- Basic email marketing tools
- License key generation for software
- Drip content for courses
Payhip’s EU VAT handling is a real differentiator. It automatically collects and remits VAT on digital goods sold to EU customers. This saves you the headache of registering in each EU country — or using a separate tool for compliance.
Sellfy
Sellfy is built for creators who want a polished storefront without technical complexity. It feels more “premium” than Payhip, with better design defaults and tighter built-in marketing. Features:
- Digital downloads, subscriptions, print-on-demand, physical products
- Built-in email marketing (newsletters + automation — no Mailchimp needed)
- Upselling and cart abandonment features
- Embeddable buy buttons for any website
- Custom domain support
- Store themes and design customization
- Video streaming (no YouTube needed)
- PayPal and Stripe payments
Where Sellfy falls short: no affiliate program on the Starter plan (Business+ only), and EU VAT handling is less comprehensive than Payhip’s — you’ll need to manage VAT registration yourself or use a separate tool if you sell heavily into Europe.
EU VAT and Global Tax Compliance: The Hidden Problem
This is the section most comparisons skip. It matters if you sell to customers in the EU, UK, Australia, or anywhere with digital services tax rules.
When you sell a digital product to a customer in Germany, France, or Italy, EU VAT law requires the seller to collect and remit VAT at the local rate (ranging from 17% to 27% depending on country). This means you need to either:
- Register for VAT in each EU country (expensive, complex)
- Use the EU’s OSS (One Stop Shop) scheme (still requires registration)
- Use a platform that handles it for you
Payhip handles EU and UK VAT automatically on all plans. This is genuinely useful for EU-based creators or anyone selling internationally.
Gumroad also handles VAT collection on sales, which gives it an advantage over Sellfy here.
Sellfy does not handle VAT for you. If you’re selling into the EU, you either manage this manually or add a separate tax tool.
However — and this is important — none of these three platforms are Merchants of Record. They process payments on your behalf, but you remain the legal seller. You’re responsible for global tax compliance, chargebacks, fraud disputes, and tax registration in every country where you have obligations.
For creators selling occasional PDFs to a small audience, this isn’t a problem. For anyone generating $5,000+ per month globally, it starts to matter. Platforms like Fungies.io operate as a true Merchant of Record — they take legal responsibility for taxes, VAT, chargebacks, and compliance in 100+ countries. You sell, they handle the rest.
Gumroad Discover: Real Traffic or Not?
Gumroad’s marketplace claims to bring you organic buyers. The reality is more nuanced.
Gumroad Discover does surface products to buyers browsing the platform — but it charges 30% of sales made through that channel. At 30%, Gumroad takes roughly $3 of every $10 sale before payment processing. Your effective take-home on a $10 Discover sale is about $6.60.
Does the traffic make up for it? For creators with well-optimized products in competitive categories (fonts, Notion templates, Lightroom presets), Discover can deliver real sales. For most others, it’s a nice theory that rarely materializes in meaningful revenue.
Neither Payhip nor Sellfy has an equivalent marketplace. Both rely entirely on your own traffic — through social media, your email list, your blog, or paid ads.
Who Each Platform Is For
| Use Case | Best Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| First digital product, testing the market | Gumroad or Payhip Free | Zero monthly cost, instant setup |
| Consistent seller, $500-$2,000/month | Payhip Plus | $29/mo + 2% beats Gumroad math |
| Course creator who needs drip content | Payhip | Better course delivery features |
| Creator wanting built-in email marketing | Sellfy | Email automation included in plans |
| Print-on-demand seller | Sellfy | Native POD integration |
| EU-based creator selling into EU/UK | Payhip | Auto VAT handling on all plans |
| Scaling above $2,000/month consistently | Sellfy Starter | 0% commission at $29/mo wins |
| Software/SaaS with global compliance needs | Fungies.io (MoR) | True Merchant of Record, handles all taxes |
Platform Limitations to Know Before You Commit
Gumroad limitations
- 10% fee never decreases regardless of volume
- Very limited storefront customization
- No native email marketing
- Payouts via Stripe only (no PayPal)
- Not a Merchant of Record
Payhip limitations
- Free plan 5% fee hurts at volume
- Less polished design than Sellfy
- Email marketing tools are basic
- Pro plan ($99/mo) is expensive for mid-tier sellers
- Not a Merchant of Record
Sellfy limitations
- Revenue caps on Starter ($10k/yr) and Business ($50k/yr) plans
- No affiliate program on Starter plan
- EU VAT handling not included — your responsibility
- Print-on-demand limited in product range
- Not a Merchant of Record
Key Takeaways
- Gumroad’s 10% fee makes sense only if you’re selling sporadically — below ~$290/month in revenue, the no-monthly-fee model is defensible. Above that, you’re leaving money on the table.
- Payhip’s free plan is genuinely competitive — 5% beats Gumroad’s 10% at every revenue level, with better features and EU VAT included.
- Sellfy’s 0% commission is the cleanest math at scale — at $29/month, you keep everything above Stripe’s processing fee. For any creator doing $500+/month consistently, this is the right move.
- EU VAT is Payhip’s biggest advantage — if you sell into Europe and don’t want to manage VAT yourself, Payhip handles it automatically across all plans.
- None of these platforms protect you from global compliance risk at scale — if you’re selling software or SaaS into 10+ countries, you need a true Merchant of Record, not a file delivery tool.
FAQ
Is Gumroad free to use?
Yes — there’s no monthly fee. But Gumroad charges 10% + $0.50 on every sale plus payment processing fees (~2.9% + 30¢), making it one of the most expensive options per-sale once you’re generating real volume.
Does Payhip handle VAT automatically?
Yes. Payhip automatically collects and remits EU and UK VAT on digital products sold to customers in those regions, across all plans including the free tier. This is a meaningful advantage for creators who sell internationally.
Can I migrate from Gumroad to Sellfy or Payhip?
Yes. Both Payhip and Sellfy allow you to upload your existing product files, set up new product pages, and redirect traffic to your new store. Neither has a direct Gumroad import tool, but the migration is straightforward — export your customer list from Gumroad, upload files to the new platform, and update your links.
What’s the difference between Sellfy and a Merchant of Record?
Sellfy processes payments on your behalf, but you remain the legal seller. A Merchant of Record (like Fungies.io, Paddle, or FastSpring) takes legal responsibility for the entire transaction — including global tax compliance, chargebacks, fraud, and VAT/sales tax filing in every country. If you’re selling software or SaaS globally at volume, this distinction matters significantly.
Conclusion
The Sellfy vs Payhip vs Gumroad comparison comes down to volume and what features you need.
Start with Payhip Free or Gumroad if you’re testing. The moment you’re consistent above $500/month, Payhip Plus or Sellfy Starter both beat Gumroad’s per-sale math. Above $2,000/month, Sellfy’s 0% commission is the cleanest long-term structure.
If you’re selling digital products globally at scale — especially software, SaaS tools, or anything involving recurring billing — all three platforms leave you exposed on tax compliance. That’s where a Merchant of Record solves the problem properly.
Ready to skip the compliance headache entirely? Try Fungies.io free — we handle global taxes, VAT, and payment processing as your Merchant of Record.
References
- Gumroad Fees 2026: Pricing, Plans, and What Sellers Pay — CheckoutPage
- Payhip Fees Explained: Free vs Plus vs Pro Plan (2026) — AstroLink
- Sellfy Pricing: Plans From $22/mo, 0% Transaction Fees — Sellfy
- Gumroad vs Sellfy Fees in 2026: Which Costs Less? — Getly
- Payhip vs Gumroad: Which Is Better For You In 2026? — Payhip
