Gumroad, Lemon Squeezy, and Payhip are three common choices for selling digital products in 2026. Their fee structures look similar at a glance, but the take-home math changes quickly once fixed fees, monthly plans, international sales, affiliates, and payment processing enter the picture.
For Gumroad pricing fees, this comparison starts with the official 10% + $0.50 direct-sale rate and the 30% Discover marketplace rate, then compares the same sales volume against Lemon Squeezy and Payhip.
This guide uses official source links and does not sell a checkout platform. It is written from a calculator-first point of view: state the assumptions, show the math, and let you decide. For a deeper look at Gumroad alone, see How Much Does Gumroad Take?.
How this guide reports fees
There are two layers to keep separate. Platform fee only means the fee published by the platform itself, which matches the What I Pocket Platform Take-Home Calculator. Payment processing means the underlying card, PayPal, or processor fee.
Gumroad direct/profile sales are listed as 10% + $0.50, and Gumroad's help docs state that credit card processing and PayPal fees are separate. Discover sales are different: Gumroad's 30% Discover fee includes processing. Lemon Squeezy's base 5% + $0.50 fee includes payment processing, but add-on fee layers can apply. Payhip's platform fees do not include Stripe or PayPal processing.
Because the headline question is "which keeps more of your money," each scenario starts with platform fees and then adds a processing-aware note where needed.
Published fee schedules
Here are the published fee structures side by side, using official pricing and help pages. This is the starting point before any scenario math.
Assumption: Published platform fees as of May 2026. Tax/VAT is excluded from the modeled product price unless noted.
| Gumroad | Lemon Squeezy | Payhip Free | Payhip Plus | Payhip Pro | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base rate | 10% + $0.50/sale | 5% + $0.50/sale | 5% | 2% | 0% |
| Monthly fee | $0 | $0 | $0 | $29 | $99 |
| Tax role | Merchant of Record | Merchant of Record | EU/UK VAT handling | EU/UK VAT handling | EU/UK VAT handling |
| Separate processing | Direct: yes; Discover: included | Included in base fee | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Sources: Gumroad pricing, Gumroad fee help, Lemon Squeezy pricing, Lemon Squeezy fees, and Payhip pricing.
Lemon Squeezy has the most visible add-on layers, so it is worth separating them before the scenario tables.
| Fee layer | Rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| International transactions | +1.5% | Lemon Squeezy pricing |
| PayPal payments | +1.5% | Lemon Squeezy pricing |
| Subscription payments | +0.5% | Lemon Squeezy fees |
| Abandoned cart recovery | +5% on recovered sales | Lemon Squeezy fees |
| Affiliate referral, merchant side | +3% on referred sales | Lemon Squeezy affiliate fees |
| International payout | 1% per payout | Lemon Squeezy pricing |
Scenario 1: $10 template, 50 sales per month
This is the starter case: a low-priced template or ebook doing $500 in monthly gross revenue.
Assumption: $10 product * 50 sales = $500 gross. Platform fees only. Payhip rows do not include separate Stripe or PayPal processing.
| Platform | Monthly fee total | You keep | Effective rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gumroad direct | $75.00 | $425.00 | 15.0% |
| Lemon Squeezy, US-only, no extras | $50.00 | $450.00 | 10.0% |
| Lemon Squeezy, 50% international buyers | $53.75 | $446.25 | 10.8% |
| Payhip Free | $25.00 | $475.00 | 5.0% |
| Payhip Plus | $39.00 | $461.00 | 7.8% |
| Payhip Pro | $99.00 | $401.00 | 19.8% |
gumroad = 50 * (10 * 0.10 + 0.50) = 75.00
ls_us = 50 * (10 * 0.05 + 0.50) = 50.00
ls_intl = 50.00 + 25 * (10 * 0.015) = 53.75
payhip_free = 50 * (10 * 0.05) = 25.00
payhip_plus = 50 * (10 * 0.02) + 29 = 39.00
payhip_pro = 99.00At this volume, Payhip Pro's $99 monthly fee is too heavy, while Payhip Free has the lowest platform fee. The fixed $0.50 fee also matters a lot on a $10 sale, which is why Gumroad direct shows a 15% platform rate.
Processing-aware note: Payhip still needs separate processing. A Stripe-style estimate is 50 * ($10 * 2.9% + $0.30) = $29.50 per month. Payhip Free would be about $54.50 after that estimate, still below Gumroad direct platform fees but much closer to Lemon Squeezy. Gumroad direct may also have card or PayPal processing separate from the published platform fee; Lemon Squeezy's base fee includes processing.
Scenario 2: $29 template, 100 sales per month
This middle scenario is a common creator benchmark: a $29 template, preset pack, mini guide, or digital download doing $2,900 in monthly gross revenue.
Assumption: $29 product * 100 sales = $2,900 gross. Platform fees only. Payhip rows do not include separate payment processing.
| Platform | Monthly fee total | You keep | Effective rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gumroad direct | $340.00 | $2,560.00 | 11.7% |
| Lemon Squeezy, US-only, no extras | $195.00 | $2,705.00 | 6.7% |
| Lemon Squeezy, 50% international buyers | $216.75 | $2,683.25 | 7.5% |
| Lemon Squeezy, 50% international + 20% affiliate referred | $234.15 | $2,665.85 | 8.1% |
| Payhip Free | $145.00 | $2,755.00 | 5.0% |
| Payhip Plus | $87.00 | $2,813.00 | 3.0% |
| Payhip Pro | $99.00 | $2,801.00 | 3.4% |
gumroad = 100 * (29 * 0.10 + 0.50) = 340.00
ls_us = 100 * (29 * 0.05 + 0.50) = 195.00
ls_intl = 195.00 + 50 * (29 * 0.015) = 216.75
ls_intl_affiliate = 216.75 + 20 * (29 * 0.03) = 234.15
payhip_free = 100 * (29 * 0.05) = 145.00
payhip_plus = 100 * (29 * 0.02) + 29 = 87.00
payhip_pro = 99.00At $2,900 per month, Payhip Plus is cheaper than Payhip Pro because the $29 monthly fee plus 2% still totals less than $99. Lemon Squeezy's international and affiliate layers can move the effective fee from 6.7% to 8.1%, which is still below Gumroad direct's platform fee but higher than the headline 5% + $0.50 may suggest.
Processing-aware note: A Stripe-style processing estimate for Payhip is 100 * ($29 * 2.9% + $0.30) = $114.10 per month. After that estimate, Payhip Free is about $259.10, Payhip Plus about $201.10, and Payhip Pro about $213.10. Payhip remains low-fee in this scenario, but the gap is smaller than a platform-fee-only table implies.
Run this scenario in the Platform Take-Home Calculator.
Scenario 3: $99 course, 200 sales per month
At $19,800 in monthly gross revenue, fee differences stop being abstract. A few percentage points can become thousands of dollars per month.
Assumption: $99 product * 200 sales = $19,800 gross. Platform fees only. Payhip rows do not include separate payment processing.
| Platform | Monthly fee total | You keep | Effective rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gumroad direct | $2,080.00 | $17,720.00 | 10.5% |
| Lemon Squeezy, US-only, no extras | $1,090.00 | $18,710.00 | 5.5% |
| Lemon Squeezy, 50% international + 20% affiliate referred | $1,357.30 | $18,442.70 | 6.9% |
| Payhip Free | $990.00 | $18,810.00 | 5.0% |
| Payhip Plus | $425.00 | $19,375.00 | 2.1% |
| Payhip Pro | $99.00 | $19,701.00 | 0.5% |
gumroad = 200 * (99 * 0.10 + 0.50) = 2080.00
ls_us = 200 * (99 * 0.05 + 0.50) = 1090.00
ls_intl_affiliate = 1090.00 + 100 * (99 * 0.015) + 40 * (99 * 0.03)
= 1090.00 + 148.50 + 118.80 = 1357.30
payhip_free = 200 * (99 * 0.05) = 990.00
payhip_plus = 200 * (99 * 0.02) + 29 = 425.00
payhip_pro = 99.00In this higher-volume case, Gumroad direct platform fees are $2,080 per month, while Payhip Pro platform fees are $99 per month. That is a $1,981 monthly difference, or $23,772 per year, before considering Payhip's separate payment processing and tax-compliance tradeoffs.
Processing-aware note: A Stripe-style estimate for Payhip is 200 * ($99 * 2.9% + $0.30) = $634.20 per month. Payhip Pro would be about $733.20 after that estimate, Payhip Plus about $1,059.20, and Payhip Free about $1,624.20. The high-volume conclusion still points toward monthly-fee plans, but the real number is not the platform fee alone.
The Lemon Squeezy add-on layers
Lemon Squeezy's headline fee is simple, but real-world use can add layers. Here is a concrete example with a $29 product, 100 monthly sales, 50 international buyers, 20 affiliate-referred sales, and PayPal used on 15 transactions.
Assumption: One-time digital product sales, tax excluded from the modeled $29 product price.
| Fee layer | Applies to | Rate | Monthly cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base fee | All 100 sales | 5% + $0.50 | $195.00 |
| International | 50 sales | +1.5% | $21.75 |
| Affiliate, merchant side | 20 referred sales | +3% | $17.40 |
| PayPal | 15 PayPal sales | +1.5% | $6.53 |
| Total | $240.68 | ||
| Effective rate | 8.3% |
base = 100 * (29 * 0.05 + 0.50) = 195.00
international = 50 * (29 * 0.015) = 21.75
affiliate = 20 * (29 * 0.03) = 17.40
paypal = 15 * (29 * 0.015) = 6.53
total = 195.00 + 21.75 + 17.40 + 6.53 = 240.68
effective_rate = 240.68 / 2900 * 100 = 8.3%Lemon Squeezy's fee docs state that platform fees are calculated on total order value, not just the pre-tax product price. This article models fees on the $29 product price to keep the comparison consistent across platforms. In tax/VAT-heavy regions, actual Lemon Squeezy fees can be slightly higher than this simplified model.
The point is not that these add-ons are unfair. International tax handling, affiliate tracking, PayPal, and recovered carts all have real costs. The practical point is simpler: "5% + $0.50" is the base fee, not always the final effective fee.
What the fees do not tell you
Fees are only one axis. Tax handling, marketplace discovery, licensing, subscriptions, and affiliate workflows can matter as much as raw take-home.
| Gumroad | Lemon Squeezy | Payhip | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tax role | Global Merchant of Record | Global Merchant of Record | EU/UK VAT handling; other taxes configurable |
| Discovery / marketplace | Gumroad Discover, 30% fee | No marketplace-first discovery channel | Payhip Marketplace, no extra marketplace fee |
| Subscription billing | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| License keys | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Affiliate tools | Built in | Built in, +3% merchant-side fee on referred sales | Built-in affiliate tool; seller pays affiliate commissions manually |
| Payout speed | Varies by payout method and account | Varies by payout method and account | Varies by payout method and account |
Sources: Gumroad license keys, Lemon Squeezy license keys, Payhip license keys, Payhip marketplace, and Payhip affiliates.
Which platform fits which creator
Gumroad fits creators who want the fastest launch path, no monthly fee, marketplace discovery, and a Merchant of Record setup. Its direct-sale fee is higher, and direct payment processing can be a separate layer, but simplicity has value when you are validating a product.
Lemon Squeezy fits sellers who want Merchant of Record tax handling, software-friendly workflows, license keys, subscriptions, and a Stripe-owned checkout stack. The base fee is lower than Gumroad direct, but international, affiliate, PayPal, subscription, and recovered-cart layers should be modeled if you use them.
Payhip fits creators who are fee-sensitive, already comfortable with Stripe or PayPal, and willing to manage more of the tax/compliance edge cases outside the platform. At higher volume, Plus and Pro can be dramatically cheaper even after processing estimates.
None of these platforms is objectively best. The right choice depends on your price point, sales volume, buyer geography, and how much tax compliance you want to handle yourself.
Run your own comparison
Use the Platform Take-Home Calculator to compare platform fees at your price and volume, the Stripe Fee Calculator to estimate Payhip-style processing, and the Profit Margin Calculator to include platform fees, processing, and other costs in one margin view.
You can also browse all What I Pocket calculators, or read the detailed Gumroad-only guide: How Much Does Gumroad Take?
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