Payhip vs Shoppy (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 2.2.
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 and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, features and ease of use.
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
Shoppy
Digital goods storefront with crypto and PayPal checkout
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 Shoppy if
- Fits if you sell digital goods and take crypto
- Works for people who want PayPal with no fee on the free plan
Look elsewhere if
- Watch out: the pricing page gives 5% in the plan card and 4% in the table for crypto, so check before you rely on either
- Tight if you want your own domain or theme, as both need the $29 Business plan
- Skip it if you want recent proof of upkeep, since the footer is dated 2022
- Skip it if you want an app, as it runs in a browser only
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAPayhipGood | 2.2GPAShoppyFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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). | CBusiness is $29 a month billed annually, close to the $22 category middle, and the free plan carries a crypto fee of 4% or 5% depending on which part of the page you read. |
| 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. | BFree plan with unlimited products and orders, no monthly fee and no PayPal fee. You live with a crypto fee, and custom domains, theming and fee removal are Business. |
| 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. | CAutomated delivery, templates, coupons, analytics and a JSON API. The page contradicts itself on the free plan's fee, and a custom domain needs Business. |
| 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. | CWeb only, with a JSON API and two listed integrations. No apps. |
| Best for | a free store for downloads, courses and coaching | selling digital goods for crypto and PayPal |
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 Shoppy. 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. Shoppy starts at $29 a month and scores 2.0.
Payhip scores higher for the same starting price. Of the other tools for selling digital products on the chart, 9 score higher than Payhip for less, and 19 score higher than Shoppy 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 and affiliate tracking.
- Shoppy also covers reports.
At a glance
| Payhip | Shoppy | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $29 per month | $29 per month, billed annually |
| 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. | Free plan with no setup or monthly fees: unlimited orders and products, with a fee on crypto payments and none on PayPal. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Payhip | Shoppy Ecommerce Ltd. |
| Price read from | payhip.com | shoppy.gg |
| 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.
Shoppy
- The pricing page gives two different crypto fees for the free plan, 5% in the plan card and 4% in the comparison table; check before relying on either.
- Custom domains, theming and removal of fees need the Business plan at $29 per month, billed annually.
- The site footer carries a 2022 copyright line, so some pages may be older than they look.
- Runs in a browser only; no 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.
Shoppy
- Automated delivery
- Delivers a file, serial number or service after payment, or content generated through an API, with custom email templates and a replacement system.
- Store templates
- Customizable store templates, with HTML, CSS and JS editing on the Business plan.
- Payment gateways
- Accepts PayPal and Stripe payments and a range of cryptocurrencies.
- Coupons and feedback
- Personalized coupons and customer feedback collection, with buyer queries handled through support integrations.
- Analytics and financial reports
- Order analytics and financial reports, with real-time order reporting on every plan.
- JSON API
- An API for reading store data and developer support for integrations.
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.
Shoppy
Free$0
Unlimited orders and products and real-time order reporting. The page lists a fee on crypto payments (5% in the plan card, 4% in the comparison table) and none on PayPal.
Business$29
per month, billed annually
Custom domains, store theming with HTML, CSS and JS, no processing fees, an account manager, priority support and a 99% uptime SLA (99.9% in the table).
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Payhip or Shoppy?
As of Nov 13, 2026, they start at the same price. Payhip starts at $29 per month, and Shoppy starts at $29 per month, billed annually.
Which has a free plan, Payhip or Shoppy?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Payhip and Shoppy 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.