Gumroad vs Stan
We give Gumroad a 2.6 GPA and Stan a 2.4, out of 4.0. Gumroad grades higher on the free plan. Stan grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Stan
Link-in-bio store for creators selling downloads, courses and calls
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAGumroadGood | 2.4GPAStanFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | DNo monthly fee, but Gumroad keeps 10% + 50¢ of each direct sale: $100 on $1,000, plus 50¢ an order. Card processing of 2.9% + $0.30 comes on top and isn't counted. That's in this category's dearest tenth, though it does handle sales tax for you. | CCreator is $300 billed yearly with no cut of sales, so $1,000 a month in sales costs $300 a year, inside this category's usual range. Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30 comes on top and isn't counted. Discount codes, upsells and email need Creator Pro at $948 a year. |
| Free plan and trial | ANothing to pay until you sell, with every feature, unlimited products and no cap a normal person would reach. The fee comes out of each sale instead, and the value grade counts that. | CNo free plan. There's a 14-day trial of either plan, you can sell during it, and the listing doesn't say it needs a card. |
| Features | BDownloads, memberships, courses, license keys, pay-what-you-want, email broadcasts and workflows, affiliates and a Discover marketplace. Physical goods aren't allowed, but that's outside this job, so nothing's missing from the core. | BDownloads, unlimited courses, coaching calls and webinars with booking, memberships, a community and Instagram auto-replies. The whole job is here, though discount codes, upsells, funnels, affiliates and email all wait for Creator Pro. |
| Ease of use | CNo App Store rating on record. You build a profile store with a page editor and set up products on the web; the iPhone and Android apps only track sales and open purchases. | CNo App Store rating on record. The store is built for a phone screen and a bio link, but you're still setting up products, calendars and Stripe or PayPal. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with Stripe, PayPal, Zapier, Discord and Circle, plus a checkout you can embed on your own site. No desktop app, which an A needs. | BWeb and iPhone, with Stripe, PayPal, Zapier, Zoom, Google Meet, Google Calendar, Afterpay and Klarna. There's no Android app and no desktop app. |
| Best for | a first digital product with no monthly bill | creators selling from a link in their bio |
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: Gumroad and Stan. How we grade
Price against what you get
Gumroad has no paid plan and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Stan starts at $29 a month and scores 2.7.
They score the same, and Gumroad starts $29 a month lower. Of the other tools for selling digital products on the chart, none scores higher than Gumroad for less, and 2 score higher than Stan 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
- Gumroad is free. Stan starts at $29 per month ($300 billed yearly).
- Gumroad has a free plan. Stan does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Gumroad lists an Android app.
- Gumroad also covers merchant of record.
- Stan also covers online courses, community and appointment booking.
At a glance
| Gumroad | Stan | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free trial |
| Starts at | Free | $29 per month ($300 billed yearly) |
| Free plan | No monthly fee. Gumroad keeps 10% + $0.50 of each direct sale plus card processing (2.9% + $0.30), or a flat 30% on sales made through its Discover marketplace. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | 14-day free trial of either plan, and you can sell during the trial |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Gumroad, Inc. | Stan |
| Price read from | gumroad.com | help.stan.store |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Gumroad
- Creators testing a first product who want no monthly bill
- Sellers who want sales tax and VAT handled for them
- Software makers who need license keys with each sale
Stan
- Social media creators who sell from a link in their bio
- Coaches selling calls, courses and downloads in one place
- Creators who want a flat fee with no cut of sales
Worth knowing
Gumroad
- Gumroad keeps 10% + $0.50 of every direct sale plus 2.9% + $0.30 card processing; Discover marketplace sales cost a flat 30%.
- Physical goods are not allowed: Gumroad is for digital products, memberships and services only.
- Payouts go out by direct deposit or PayPal depending on the seller's country.
- The mobile apps track sales and open purchases, but accounts and products are set up on the web.
Stan
- No free plan; Stan takes 0% of sales, but Stripe charges US sellers 2.9% + $0.30 a sale, plus 1.5% for buyers abroad.
- Discount codes, upsells, funnels, affiliates, email broadcasts and email flows all need Creator Pro at $99 a month.
- Physical products have no shipping or stock tools: sellers collect addresses at checkout and fulfill by hand.
- The mobile app is on iPhone and iPad only; there is no Android app.
Key features
Gumroad
- Profile store or embedded checkout
- Build a storefront with Gumroad's page editor on a custom domain, or embed its checkout and follow button on a site you already have.
- Memberships and subscriptions
- Charge monthly, quarterly, twice a year or yearly, or a fixed number of payments, with members keeping access to a content library while subscribed.
- Merchant of record
- Gumroad collects and remits sales tax, VAT and GST on sales where it has an obligation, so sellers have no tax settings to manage.
- Software and file options
- License keys for software, several versions of one product (PDF, ePub or lossless audio), pay-what-you-want pricing and light DRM.
- Audience tools
- Import an email list, post updates, send email broadcasts and automated workflows, run an affiliate program and read sales analytics.
- Mobile apps
- iOS and Android apps show daily, monthly and all-time sales with push notifications, and let buyers open or download their purchases.
Stan
- Bio-link storefront
- A mobile-first store built for a social media bio link, with digital downloads, custom products and links out to other sites.
- Courses, calls and webinars
- Unlimited password-protected courses, 1:1 or group coaching calls and webinars run through Zoom or Google Meet with calendar booking.
- Memberships and community
- Charge members daily, weekly, monthly or yearly, and run a community space with admins and moderators inside Stan.
- Email marketing on Creator Pro
- Import contacts, send broadcasts and build automated email flows with unlimited sends, all on the Creator Pro plan.
- Sales tools on Creator Pro
- Discount codes, limited-quantity offers, upsells, order bumps, funnels, payment plans with Afterpay or Klarna, and an affiliate program.
- Stan AutoDM
- Sends automated replies to Instagram messages and comments, included on both plans.
Plans
Gumroad
Direct sales$0
No subscription. The seller pays 10% + $0.50 of each sale through a profile or direct link, plus card processing of 2.9% + $0.30 or PayPal fees.
Discover marketplace$0
Sales to new customers who find you through Gumroad's Discover marketplace carry a flat 30% fee, which includes processing.
Stan
Creator$29
per month ($300 billed yearly)
Storefront, unlimited courses, calendar booking, recurring subscriptions, lead magnets, community, analytics and Stan AutoDM for Instagram. No transaction fee.
Creator Pro$99
per month ($948 billed yearly)
Adds discount codes, payment plans, upsells, order bumps, funnels, Afterpay and Klarna, affiliate management, email broadcasts and flows, and ad pixels.
Ways to pay less
Gumroad
- Other savings
Lower fee above $20,000 in monthly sales
Once paid sales in a calendar month reach $20,000, new direct sales that month cost 5% + $0.50 instead of 10% + $0.50; it resets each month.
Stan
- Annual discount
Lower price with yearly billing
Stan sells Creator at $300 a year instead of $29 a month ($348 over a year), and Creator Pro at $948 a year instead of $99 a month ($1,188).
