Payhip vs Sell.app (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 they share a 2.6 GPA.
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. Sell.app grades higher on features. They get the same grade on value for money, 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
Free plan · from $29/mo
Sell.app
Digital product storefronts billed as a percentage of sales
Free plan · from $0
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 Sell.app if
- Fits if you sell digital files and want no monthly bill
- Works for people who want a store, delivery and an API in one place
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if your sales grow, because the only way to drop the 3% is $199.99 a month
- Watch out: fees are billed in arrears and the pricing FAQ says unpaid bills can put a store on hold
- Watch out: the pricing page doesn't say whether payment gateway fees come on top of the 3%
- Skip it if you want an app, as it runs in a browser only
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAPayhipGood | 2.6GPASell.appGood | |
|---|---|---|
| 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). | CStandard has no monthly fee but keeps 3% of each sale. The plan that removes it is $199.99 a month, and the page doesn't say whether Stripe or PayPal fees come on top. |
| 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. | BNo monthly fee, unlimited products, custom domain and the store builder on Standard. You pay 3% of every sale, so it is free to start rather than free to run. |
| 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. | BStore builder, automated delivery, subscriptions, affiliates, fraud checks and an API and embed. The listing shows no gap in the core job of selling a digital file. |
| 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, and it is a web app where the work is building the store, so it sits at C. |
| 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 only, but with an API, an embed and seven listed integrations. No desktop or phone apps. |
| Best for | a free store for downloads, courses and coaching | a digital product store with no monthly fee |
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 Sell.app. How we grade
Where they differ
- Payhip also covers online courses.
- Sell.app also covers community.
In commonFree planWebAffiliate trackingOnline storeDigital downloads
At a glance
| Payhip | Sell.app | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $29 per month | $0 to start, then 3% of each sale |
| 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. | The Standard plan has no monthly fee: unlimited products and resources, a custom domain, any payment method and the store builder, with a 3% fee on each sale. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Payhip | SellApp |
| Price read from | payhip.com | sell.app |
| 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.
Sell.app
- The Standard plan keeps 3% of each sale, billed monthly in arrears; the Advanced plan that removes it costs $199.99 per month.
- Fees are not taken at the time of sale: unpaid fee bills can put a store on hold, according to the pricing FAQ.
- The pricing page does not say whether payment gateway fees such as Stripe's or PayPal's come on top of the platform fee.
- Runs in a browser only; no desktop or mobile apps are listed.
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.
Sell.app
- Store builder and templates
- A drag-and-drop store builder with templates for digital product sellers, plus an AI-assisted option for drafting a storefront.
- Automated delivery
- Sells ebooks, PDFs, software with license keys, videos, templates and memberships, and delivers them after payment.
- Community access
- Can add a buyer to a Discord server and give them a role after purchase; the site also lists Telegram, Slack and WhatsApp communities.
- Subscriptions and affiliates
- Configurable recurring payments, and an affiliate program feature so others can promote a store for a commission.
- Payment options and fraud checks
- Works with providers such as Stripe, PayPal, Square and crypto gateways, with built-in fraud protection measures.
- Developer API and embed
- An API and webhooks for programmatic access to a store, and an embeddable checkout modal for use on other sites.
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.
Sell.app
Standard$0
3% of each sale, billed to the seller at the start of the following month. Unlimited resources and products, custom domain, any payment method and the store builder.
Advanced$199.99
per month
Everything in Standard with 0% platform fees. Payment gateway fees are separate.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Payhip or Sell.app?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Payhip starts at $29 per month, and Sell.app starts at $0 to start, then 3% of each sale.
Which has a free plan, Payhip or Sell.app?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Payhip and Sell.app have a free plan.
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.