Payhip vs Payloadz (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 2.0.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 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.
Payhip
Store for downloads, courses and memberships, with a free plan
Payloadz
Sell digital downloads with direct PayPal payouts and no sales fee
Which one is for you
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
Pick Payloadz if
- Fits if you sell photos, music or writing by direct link and have a PayPal business account
- Works for sellers with large catalogues who want a flat fee, not a cut of sales
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you sell a little, as $49 a month is the only plan
- Skip it if you do not want to use PayPal, because payments go through it and its fees still apply
- Watch out: the $1 trial lasts 14 days and then bills $49 a month
- Watch out: tax collection is left to you, as it is not a merchant of record
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAPayhipGood | 2.0GPAPayloadzFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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). | C$49 a month is the only plan, above the dearer quarter ($37) of digital-product tools but under its dearest tenth ($77). |
| Free plan and trial | 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. | DA $1 trial for 14 days, which means payment details; no free plan. |
| Features | 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. | CDirect payouts, automatic delivery, licence keys, affiliates, subscriptions and upsells. It is not a merchant of record, so tax is left to you. |
| Ease of use | 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. | CNo store rating on record. You upload products, set up PayPal and your own links. |
| Platforms and integrations | 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. | BWeb, with PayPal, Mailchimp, Google Analytics 4, Meta and TikTok listed. No desktop or phone app. |
| Best for | a free store for downloads, courses and coaching | selling downloads with direct PayPal payouts |
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: Payhip and Payloadz. How we grade
Price against what you get
Payhip starts at $29 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Payloadz starts at $49 a month and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and Payhip starts $20 a month lower. Of the other tools for selling digital products on the chart, 9 score higher than Payhip for less, and 12 score higher than Payloadz 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
- Payhip also covers online courses.
- Payloadz also covers popups.
At a glance
| Payhip | Payloadz | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $29 per month | $49 per month |
| Free plan | Free Forever plan with all features, unlimited products and unlimited revenue; Payhip takes 5% of each sale on top of PayPal or Stripe fees. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | $1 for a 14-day full-access trial, then $49 per month |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Payhip | PayLoadz, Inc. |
| Price read from | payhip.com | payloadz.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Payloadz
- The $1 trial lasts 14 days; after it the plan is $49 per month with no cheaper tier.
- Payments go through PayPal, whose standard processing fees still apply.
- Accounts include 1 TB of file transfer a month for delivered orders.
- It is not a merchant of record, so tax collection is left to the seller.
Key features
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.
Payloadz
- Direct payouts
- Payment goes straight to your PayPal account when a buyer checks out, and the file is delivered automatically.
- Automatic delivery
- Time-limited, tracked download links go out as soon as payment clears, with per-order download and IP limits.
- Flexible uploads
- Upload in the browser, by FTP for large folders, or add a whole catalog with a bulk CSV import.
- License and serial keys
- Upload a key list or connect a key generator URL so each order gets a unique serial key.
- Affiliates and tracking
- A built-in affiliate system, Mailchimp sync, and Meta, Google Ads, GA4 and TikTok purchase pixels.
- Subscriptions and upsells
- Recurring digital products with optional trials, checkout upsells and cross-sells, discount codes and free email-gated downloads.
Plans
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.
Payloadz
Seller plan$49
per month
Unlimited products, storage and transactions, with 0% Payloadz transaction fees. A $1 14-day trial comes first.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Payhip or Payloadz?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Payhip is cheaper to start with: $29 a month, against $49 a month for Payloadz. Payhip starts at $29 per month, and Payloadz starts at $49 per month.
Which has a free plan, Payhip or Payloadz?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Payhip has a free plan. Payloadz does not, though it has a free trial.
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.