Gumroad vs Payhip vs Lemon Squeezy Fee Calculator
Compare monthly and annual platform fee losses across leading digital storefronts. Model payment gateway fees, calculate net creator take-home pay, and uncover the Payhip Plus breakeven point.
Digital Product Fee Simulator
Real-time client-side modeling of platform takes, gateway processing, and breakeven recommendations.
Gumroad
Payhip
Lemon Squeezy
How Gumroad, Payhip, and Lemon Squeezy Fees Work (2026 Analysis)
For digital creators, educators, and software builders, choosing between Gumroad, Payhip, and Lemon Squeezy involves balancing pure platform percentage costs against global sales tax compliance and infrastructure management.
Gumroad charges a flat 10% platform commission across all creator tiers. In addition to this headline percentage, Gumroad passes through credit card processing costs. For Stripe transactions, sellers pay an additional 2.9% + $0.30, while PayPal payments incur a 3.49% + $0.49 fee. On a $50 digital product, cumulative deductions can reach roughly 13.5% to 14.5% of gross revenue, making Gumroad convenient for beginners but expensive at higher volumes.
Payhip operates on a creator-friendly tiered model. On the Free Forever plan, Payhip charges a modest 5% platform fee plus direct Stripe processing fees (2.9% + $0.30). For growing businesses, Payhip provides the Plus Plan at $29/month, which slashes the platform fee to just 2%, and the Pro Plan at $99/month with 0% platform fees. The transition to the Plus plan pays for itself immediately once your store surpasses $966.67 in monthly revenue.
Lemon Squeezy functions distinctly as a Merchant of Record (MoR). Instead of charging a platform fee on top of separate Stripe account fees, Lemon Squeezy charges a single comprehensive fee of 5% + $0.50 per successful sale (with a 1.5% surcharge for international PayPal orders). Because Lemon Squeezy acts as the legal reseller, they automatically calculate, collect, and remit EU/UK VAT, Australian GST, and US state sales taxes on your behalf. For international software and digital product creators, this all-in-one MoR structure frequently yields superior net take-home earnings while completely eliminating tax liability headaches.
Quick Comparison Table Across $10, $49, and $199 Price Points (50 Sales Baseline)
All values dynamically computed at build time from verified platform rates (10% Gumroad vs 5% Payhip Free vs 5% + $0.50 Lemon Squeezy).
| Product Price | Total Revenue (50 sales) | Gumroad Net | Payhip Free Net | Lemon Squeezy Net | Highest Net Payout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $10 | $500 | $420.50 | $445.50 | $450.00 | Lemon Squeezy |
| $49 | $2,450 | $2118.95 | $2241.45 | $2302.50 | Lemon Squeezy |
| $199 | $9,950 | $8651.45 | $9148.95 | $9427.50 | Lemon Squeezy |
Storefront Fees, Payment Gateways & Merchant of Record Insights
What is the core difference between Gumroad, Payhip, and Lemon Squeezy fees?↓
Gumroad charges a flat 10% fee plus separate gateway processing (2.9% + $0.30 for Stripe). Payhip charges 5% on its Free plan, dropping to 2% with the $29/month plan. Lemon Squeezy charges 5% + $0.50 all-in and operates as a Merchant of Record (MoR) to handle worldwide VAT/sales taxes.
At what revenue level does upgrading to Payhip Plus ($29/mo) break even?↓
Payhip Plus pays for itself as soon as you surpass $966.67 in monthly sales. Because the fee drops from 5% to 2%, the 3% platform fee difference saves you more than the $29 monthly plan fee.
What does Merchant of Record (MoR) mean, and why is it worth the fee?↓
A Merchant of Record (like Lemon Squeezy) takes legal responsibility for the transaction, automatically calculating, collecting, and remitting international sales taxes and EU/UK VAT. This eliminates the need to register for tax IDs in dozens of countries or purchase expensive tax software.
How does PayPal processing differ across the three platforms?↓
Gumroad assesses a 3.49% + $0.49 processing fee for PayPal on top of its 10% take. Payhip connects directly to your business PayPal account. Lemon Squeezy processes PayPal natively with an additional 1.5% international transaction fee.
Can I sell subscription memberships or courses on these platforms?↓
Yes. All three platforms support recurring subscription billing, digital file downloads, software license keys, and video hosting. Payhip includes a dedicated course builder, Lemon Squeezy excels at SaaS software licensing, and Gumroad provides an integrated discovery marketplace.
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