Bandcamp vs Payhip (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick Payhip: it is second in our ranking of tools for selling digital products, and it grades higher too, 2.6 against 2.4.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Payhip grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Bandcamp
Music and merch store for artists, with a fan marketplace attached
Payhip
Store for downloads, courses and memberships, with a free plan
Which one is for you
Pick Bandcamp if
- Fits if you sell your own music and merch direct to fans
- Works for a label that wants label accounts, from $20 a month
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you sell courses or software, as it is built around music
- Pricey if you sell a lot, with 15% on digital plus processor fees of 4 to 6%
- Tight if sales dip: the 10% digital rate needs at least $5,000 over 12 months
- Watch out: batch upload, private streaming, targeted messages and ad-free video need Pro at $10 a month
Pick Payhip if
- Fits if you want a free store and only pay when something sells
- Works for sellers of courses, coaching and downloads who want EU, UK and US sales tax handled
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to email your buyers from the same place, as there are no campaigns
- Pricey if you sell a lot, since only Pro at $99 a month removes Payhip's fee
- Watch out: PayPal or Stripe fees come on top of the 5% or 2%, and no yearly price is on record
- Watch out: its help center says sellers with a physical presence in a US state may still have to file a zero-dollar return there
- Not for you if you want a phone or desktop app, as only the web is listed
How we grade them
| 2.4GPABandcampFair | 2.6GPAPayhipGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CNo monthly fee, but Bandcamp keeps 15% of digital sales (10% after $5,000) and 10% of merch, with processor fees of typically 4 to 6% on top. | CPlus at $29 a month plus its 2% fee ($20 on $1,000) comes to $49, a dollar under the free plan's 5% ($50). Pro at $99 drops the fee but costs more at this size. No yearly price is on record, and PayPal or Stripe fees come on top (not counted). |
| Free plan and trial | BArtist accounts are free, which one musician could live on, with Pro at $10 a month optional. | AFree Forever has every feature, unlimited products and unlimited revenue, with no cap you'd reach. Payhip takes 5% of each sale instead, and the value grade counts that. |
| Features | CDigital music, vinyl, CDs, cassettes and merch. The listing's gap: it is built around music, and batch upload, private streaming and targeted messages need Pro. | CDownloads, courses, coaching, memberships, physical products and bundles, plus coupons, affiliates and PDF stamping. The gap the listing names is email: there are no built-in campaigns, so buyers sync to ConvertKit or another service. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record, and you build your own store, releases and merch listings. | CNo App Store rating on record. Every plan has every feature, so there's nothing to unlock, but you still set up the store, your products and a PayPal or Stripe account. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb plus iPhone and Android apps, with 3 listed integrations. No desktop app on record. | BWeb, with Stripe, PayPal, Zapier, Zoom, Calendly and ConvertKit, plus buy buttons for WordPress, Squarespace, Wix and Shopify sites. No phone or desktop app is listed. |
| Best for | selling music and merch to fans | a free store for downloads, courses and coaching |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Bandcamp and Payhip. How we grade
Price against what you get
Bandcamp starts at $10 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Payhip starts at $29 a month and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and Bandcamp starts $19 a month lower. Of the other tools for selling digital products on the chart, 6 score higher than Bandcamp for less, and 7 score higher than Payhip for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Bandcamp also covers community.
- Payhip also covers online courses and affiliate tracking.
At a glance
| Bandcamp | Payhip | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $10 per month (Bandcamp Pro, optional) | $29 per month |
| Free plan | Artist accounts are free. Bandcamp keeps 15% of digital sales (10% once you pass $5,000) and 10% of merch, plus payment processor fees. | Free Forever plan with all features, unlimited products and unlimited revenue; Payhip takes 5% of each sale on top of PayPal or Stripe fees. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Bandcamp | Payhip |
| Price read from | bandcamp.com | payhip.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Bandcamp
- Bandcamp's revenue share is 15% on digital items and 10% on merch, and processor fees of typically 4 to 6% are charged separately.
- The revenue share applies to the first $100 of an item, and the digital rate drops to 10% only while you keep at least $5,000 in sales over 12 months.
- Batch upload, private streaming, targeted messages and ad-free video need the $10-a-month Pro plan.
- It is built around music and music merch rather than general digital products such as courses or software.
Payhip
- The free plan takes 5% of each sale and Plus takes 2%, on top of PayPal or Stripe fees; only Pro at $99 a month removes Payhip's fee.
- Payhip has no built-in email campaigns: a newsletter block collects followers for export, and buyers sync to a separate email service.
- Payments go through the seller's own PayPal, Stripe or regional gateway account, such as Square, Razorpay or Paystack.
- Sellers with a physical presence in a US state may still have to file a zero-dollar sales tax return there, Payhip's help center says.
Key features
Bandcamp
- Direct-to-fan store
- A customizable artist page sells digital albums and tracks, vinyl, CDs, cassettes and apparel, priced in USD or any of about 12 other currencies.
- Flexible pricing
- Set a fixed price, a minimum with pay-what-you-want on top, or give music away in exchange for an email address. Pre-orders and discount codes are included.
- Fan marketplace and editorial
- Releases appear in tag pages, fan collections and browsing tools, and Bandcamp Daily covers records. Followers are notified of new releases and merch.
- Listening parties and messaging
- Schedule listening parties with live chat, and message fans by email and on Bandcamp. Targeting by location and spend is a Pro feature.
- Chart reporting
- Sales are submitted to SoundScan, ARIA Charts, OfficialCharts (UK and Ireland) and the Official New Zealand Music Charts.
- Merch order tools
- See orders, mark items shipped, update addresses and print shipping labels and packing slips from the artist account.
Payhip
- Many product types
- Digital downloads with variants, online courses, coaching with Calendly or Zoom scheduling, memberships, physical products and bundles.
- Sales tax handled
- Payhip collects and remits EU and UK VAT on digital sales and, from July 1, 2026, US sales tax as a marketplace facilitator, at no extra charge.
- Marketing tools
- Coupons, running sales, cross-selling, upgrade discounts, a referral system, customer reviews and an affiliate program.
- Store or embedded buttons
- A hosted store on a custom domain, or buy buttons added to WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, Weebly or Shopify sites.
- File protection
- Download limits, set to 5 by default, and PDF stamping that prints the buyer's email and purchase date on every page.
- Mailing list sync
- Buyers are added to lists in ConvertKit, ActiveCampaign, AWeber, Drip, Flodesk, Klaviyo and other email services after a purchase.
Plans
Bandcamp
Artist account$0
Free to open. Bandcamp keeps 15% of digital sales (10% after $5,000 in sales) and 10% of physical goods; processor fees come on top.
Bandcamp Pro$10
per month, billed monthly
Batch upload, ad-free HD video, private streaming, targeted fan messaging, city-level sales data, Google Analytics and Shopify inventory sync.
Payhip
Free Forever$0
All features, unlimited products and revenue. Payhip takes a 5% transaction fee on each sale; PayPal and Stripe charge their own fees too.
Plus$29
per month
The same features as Free Forever, with Payhip's transaction fee cut from 5% to 2% of each sale.
Pro$99
per month
The same features with no transaction fee from Payhip; only PayPal or Stripe processing fees apply.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Bandcamp or Payhip?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Bandcamp is cheaper to start with: $10 a month, against $29 a month for Payhip. Bandcamp starts at $10 per month (Bandcamp Pro, optional), and Payhip starts at $29 per month.
Which has a free plan, Bandcamp or Payhip?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Bandcamp and Payhip have a free plan.
Which platforms do Bandcamp and Payhip run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Bandcamp lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.