The Gumroad Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Gumroad in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Gumroad
The Insider’s Guide
Sell downloads, memberships and courses for a cut of each sale
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among tools for selling digital products, read from Gumroad’s own pages.
Made by Gumroad, Inc. · checked Oct 18, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Gumroad’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Gumroad’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 18, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.6
GPA, above 6 of the 14 other tools for selling digital products we grade
Gumroad lets creators sell digital files, courses, memberships and software with license keys from a simple profile page or from buttons on their own site. There is no monthly charge: Gumroad takes a fee on each sale, and since January 2025 it acts as merchant of record, collecting and remitting sales tax and VAT. Buyers can also find products through its Discover marketplace.
To get you started, here are 8 things to know about Gumroad, taken from its own pages and our grades.
- 1
Best for a first digital product with no monthly bill
Once you're selling steadily, a flat-fee store costs less.
- 2
It is free
Gumroad has no paid plan at all. 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.
- 3
It runs on 3 platforms
Web, iOS and Android.
- 4
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.
- 5
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.
- 6
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.
- 7
A 2.6 GPA, above 6 of 14
That is against the other tools for selling digital products we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 8
Keep it
Gumroad is free, so making your own would save you nothing.
Gumroad at a glance
- Pricing
- Free
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web, iOS, Android
- Made by
- Gumroad, Inc.
- Category
- Selling Digital Products
- Our grade
- 2.6 GPA, good
The report card
Best for a first digital product with no monthly bill
Gumroad is the easy way to put a file, course or membership on sale: no monthly fee, a simple profile store, and sales tax handled for you as merchant of record. The price of that is a big cut, 10% + 50¢ of every direct sale and 30% through Discover. Once you're selling steadily, a flat-fee store costs less.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | D | No 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. |
| Free plan and trial | A | Nothing 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. |
| Features | B | Downloads, 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. |
| Ease of use | C | No 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. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | Web, 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. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Gumroad is for
- Great if you're testing your first product and don't want a monthly bill
- Handy when you sell software and need a license key sent with each sale
- Good for sellers who never want to think about sales tax or VAT
Who it is not for
- Pricey if you sell steadily, as 10% + 50¢ of every sale soon costs more than a flat fee
- Skip it if you sell physical goods, which Gumroad doesn't allow
- Not for you if you count on marketplace sales, since Discover takes a flat 30%
Good to know
Good for
- 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
Worth knowing
- 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.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
Free
No paid plan at all
Gumroad is free to use.
That's in this category's dearest tenth, though it does handle sales tax for you.
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.
The 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.
Read from gumroad.com on Oct 18, 2026.
Ways to pay less
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.
Stated on gumroad.com
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
3
Places it runs: Web, iOS and Android
Sell downloads, memberships and courses for a cut of each sale. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: email campaigns, affiliate tracking, digital downloads, merchant of record.
Downloads, memberships, courses, license keys, pay-what-you-want, email broadcasts and workflows, affiliates and a Discover marketplace.
- 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.
Where it runs
- Web
- iOS
- Android
What it works with
- Stripe
- PayPal
- Zapier
- Discord
- Circle
Gumroad is made by Gumroad, Inc.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
6/14
Other tools for selling digital products it is graded above
Gumroad's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 6 of the 14 other tools for selling digital products we grade, and level with 5.
It stands best on free plan and trial (A, above 7 of 14) and worst on value for money (D, above 0).
Gumroad has no paid plan.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 15 tools for selling digital products we grade, cut by the letter each got. Gumroad’s own letter is outlined.
- DValue for moneyAbove 0 of 14
- AFree plan and trialAbove 7 of 14
- BFeaturesAbove 6 of 14
- CEase of useAbove 1 of 14
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 14
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 14 tools for selling digital products. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Gumroad is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
Gumroad is free, so making your own would save you nothing.
And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces.
What you could make
- Digital downloads: an app builder makes this well.
What you could not
- Selling as the merchant of record, so sales tax and VAT are handled everywhere.
- Newsletters sent to thousands of people that still reach the inbox.
- Every click and sale traced back to the right partner.
- A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page.
- It plugs into other products, Stripe, PayPal and Zapier among them.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Gumroad’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Lemon Squeezy, Payhip, Sellfy, Ko-fi and Stan
The 5 tools Gumroad is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.8GPA
Lemon Squeezy
Free plan · from $10/mo
Merchant of record checkout for software, subscriptions and downloads.
- Only Gumroad lists iOS and Android apps.
- Lemon Squeezy also covers online store.
- 2.6GPA
Payhip
Free plan · from $29/mo
Store for downloads, courses and memberships, with a free plan.
- Only Gumroad lists iOS and Android apps.
- Gumroad also covers email campaigns and merchant of record.
- Payhip also covers online courses and online store.
- 2.4GPA
Sellfy
Free trial · from $22/mo
Store builder for selling downloads, subscriptions and print-on-demand.
- Gumroad has a free plan. Sellfy does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Gumroad lists iOS and Android apps.
- Gumroad also covers merchant of record.
- 2.6GPA
Ko-fi
Free plan
Creator page for tips, memberships, a shop and paid commissions.
- Only Gumroad lists iOS and Android apps.
- Gumroad also covers email campaigns, affiliate tracking and merchant of record.
- Ko-fi also covers online store.
- 2.4GPA
Stan
Free trial · from $29/mo
Link-in-bio store for creators selling downloads, courses and calls.
- 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.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
13
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Gumroad free?
Yes. Gumroad is free to use.
How much does Gumroad cost?
Gumroad lists 2 plans. Direct sales: $0.
What platforms does Gumroad work on?
Gumroad is available on Web, iOS and Android.
Does Gumroad offer any discounts?
Gumroad publicly lists the following: Lower fee above $20,000 in monthly sales.
Does Gumroad have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 18, 2026. Gumroad is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Does Gumroad have a macOS app?
No macOS app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 18, 2026. Gumroad is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Is Gumroad open source?
Gumroad is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 18, 2026.
What does Gumroad integrate with?
Gumroad's listing names Stripe, PayPal, Zapier, Discord and Circle. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Who makes Gumroad?
Gumroad is made by Gumroad, Inc.
What are the alternatives to Gumroad?
The closest alternatives to Gumroad in our directory are Lemon Squeezy, Payhip, Sellfy, Ko-fi and Stan.
How does Gumroad compare with other tools for selling digital products?
Gumroad's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 6 of the 14 other tools for selling digital products we grade, and level with 5.
Is Gumroad good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Gumroad D for value for money. Gumroad has no paid plan.
Could I make my own version of Gumroad?
Gumroad is free, so making your own would save you nothing. And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Gumroad’s own pages on Oct 18, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 18, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Gumroad's own pages on 18 October 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Gumroad, Inc. Prices change, so check gumroad.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
2,281
Tools graded, in 73 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
ToolGPA is free to read. It may earn a commission from affiliate links and it works with sponsors, but anything paid for is labelled and no one can pay for a grade. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
2,281
tools graded
73
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Gumroad, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/gumroad
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Gumroad: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 18, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/gumroad
Know someone choosing between tools for selling digital products?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/gumroad/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded tools for selling digital products after Gumroad, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Selling Digital Products Insider's GuideEvery one of the 15 tools for selling digital products we grade, compared
- Whop Insider's GuideStorefront, checkout and payouts for paid communities and products3.4 GPA
- Patreon Insider's GuidePaid memberships, a shop and community for creators and their fans3.0 GPA
- Lemon Squeezy Insider's GuideMerchant of record checkout for software, subscriptions and downloads2.8 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Gumroad’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. ToolGPA uses affiliate links and may earn a commission from them, and it works with sponsors; anything paid for is labelled, and no one can pay for a grade. Gumroad is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Gumroad, Inc. Prices and plans change: check gumroad.com before you buy.