5% transaction fee, no monthly cost. We tested it for 30 days selling a digital template pack.
Payhip is a digital commerce platform that lets creators sell products directly to buyers without building a full e-commerce site. You upload your file, set a price, and get a checkout link you can embed anywhere — on your blog, in emails, or linked from social media. Buyers pay via Stripe or PayPal and receive an automated download link.
Unlike Gumroad, Payhip does not have a discovery marketplace. There is no Payhip homepage showing featured products. You are responsible for driving all traffic to your product pages. This is a limitation if you are counting on organic discovery, but not a problem if you have an audience already — blog traffic, email subscribers, or social following.
Sell any file format: PDFs, Notion templates, spreadsheets, Canva templates, audio, video, software. Automatic secure delivery via email link. File size limit 5GB.
Built-in course builder with sections, lessons, and drip scheduling. No third-party platform needed. Supports video, audio, text, and file downloads per lesson.
Recurring subscription products with tiered pricing. Members get access to a private library of content. Useful for newsletter monetisation and premium communities.
Recruit affiliates to sell your products and pay them a commission you set. Payhip tracks referrals and handles affiliate payouts automatically.
Custom checkout fields, coupon codes, pay-what-you-want pricing, and upsell offers. More checkout flexibility than most tools at this price point.
Sales dashboard with revenue, conversion rates, and traffic source data. Basic but sufficient for a solo creator tracking product performance.
We listed a Notion template pack at $19 on Payhip and drove traffic from two blog posts and one email to existing subscribers. In 30 days we processed 11 sales with zero technical issues. The checkout loaded fast, the automated delivery worked on every transaction, and the payout arrived in our Stripe account within 48 hours.
Setup took under an hour. Upload the file, write a product description, set the price, connect Stripe. The checkout page looks professional without customisation. Adding a custom domain to the store page requires the Plus plan ($29/month) but is not strictly necessary — the default Payhip URL is perfectly functional.
Compared to Gumroad, the admin interface is cleaner and less busy. Gumroad has added a lot of creator-network features that can feel distracting. Payhip stays focused on the commerce mechanics and gets out of the way.
If you already have a blog audience or email list and want to sell a digital product today, Payhip is the fastest path to a working checkout. The 5% fee is lower than Gumroad's free tier. The course builder is a bonus you get without paying for Teachable or Podia. The only reason to choose Gumroad over Payhip is if you want access to Gumroad's discovery marketplace and follower system.
| Plan | Price/mo | Transaction fee |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | 5% |
| Plus | $29 | 2% |
| Pro | $99 | 0% |
At $1,000/month in sales, the 5% free plan costs $50. Upgrading to Plus at $29 saves $21/month. The breakeven point is $1,450/month in sales.
| Feature | Payhip (free) | Gumroad (free) |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction fee | 5% | 10% |
| Monthly fee | $0 | $0 |
| Discovery marketplace | No | Yes |
| Course builder | Yes | Yes |
| Membership support | Yes | Yes |
| Built-in affiliate system | Yes | Yes |
| Custom domain | Paid plan only | Paid plan only |
Free to start, 5% fee, no monthly cost. The fastest way to sell a digital product without a website.
Start free with Payhip →