While Gumroad is a popular platform among creators, small business owners, and solopreneurs, it also has some tough competition.
While Gumroad comes packed with several monetization features, its popularity largely stems from its low barrier to entry. The e-commerce platform is free to use, however, it comes with a 10% transaction fee on every sale, making it one of the highest fees in the industry.
So, if you’re looking for Gumroad alternatives for selling digital products online, we don’t blame you!
Fortunately, there are several solid Gumroad alternatives to choose from, many with the same benefits or even more.
In this article, we compare the 10 best Gumroad alternatives so that you can decide what features and pricing make the most sense for you, your business, and, most importantly, your budget.
By the end of this article, you should know which online store platform is best for you. Let’s get into it!
Click here to start creating and selling digital products with The Leap. It’s free!Gumroad alternatives at a glance
| Best overall | The Leap Do it all in one place and for free with The Leap’s link-in-bio tool, online storefront, and AI-powered digital product builder. |
| Best for community building | Ko-fi Ideal for creators who are active on multiple platforms and looking to build community support through selling digital products and donations. |
| Best for marketing tools | Sellfy Best for creators looking for an online storefront with extensive marketing features to promote products and grow sales. |
| Best for versatile selling | Payhip For creators who are looking to scale, and appreciate flexible pricing plans and transaction fee structures. |
If you are a creator looking to sell digital products online, chances are you’ve heard of Gumroad. While the online marketplace allows creators to sell online without having to pay for a monthly subscription, Gumroad charges a 10% flat fee from users for every sale they make.
For some, the high transaction fees have prompted a need to explore other platforms that don’t take a huge cut of their revenue.
Whether you’re looking for a platform that helps you keep more of your earnings or one that offers more specialized features, read on to discover 10 of the best Gumroad alternatives.
Best Gumroad alternatives
While Gumroad is a popular platform for creators to sell digital products, there are other platforms out there that offer features Gumroad doesn’t, or that offer Gumroad’s functionality with lower transaction fees — or for completely free.
Keep reading to learn more.
| Platform | Free plan |
| Gumroad | Free plan: ✅ Pricing: Free + 10% transaction fees Digital product builder: ❌ |
| The Leap | Free plan: ✅ Pricing: Free + zero transaction fees! Digital product builder: ✅ Built-in AI-powered digital product builder🪄 |
| Stan | Free plan: ❌ Pricing: Creator: $29/month Creator Pro: $99/month Digital product builder: ✅ Online course builder |
| SendOwl | Free plan: ❌ Pricing: Starter: $18/month Growth: $37/month Pro: $9/month Digital product builder: ❌ |
| Payhip | Free plan: ✅ Pricing: Plus: $29/month Pro: $99/month Digital product builder: ✅ |
| Sellfy | Free plan: ❌ Pricing: Starter: $19/month Business: $49/month Premium: $99/month Digital product builder: ❌ |
| Ko-fi | Free plan: ✅ Pricing: Ko-fi Free: 0% on donations, 5% on sales Contributor: 5% on donations and sales Digital product builder: ❌ |
| Snipfeed | Free plan: ❌ Pricing: Pro: $20/month Pro Plus: $59/month Digital product builder: ✅ Via integrations |
| Shopify | Free plan: ❌ Pricing: Basic plan: starting at $29/month Shopify plan: starting at $79/month Advanced plan: starting at $298/month Digital product builder: ❌ |
| Etsy | Free plan: ❌ Pricing: Free, with a 6.5% transaction fee Digital product builder: ❌ |
| WooCommerce | Free plan: ✅ Pricing: Subscription starts at $10/month Digital product builder: ❌ |
1. The Leap
Looking for the ultimate creator monetization tool — and one that’s free to use? Then you’ll want to get in on The Leap.
The latest tool from the leading creator educator platform Thinkific, The Leap is an all-in-one creator store that combines a link-in-bio store, digital product builder, and powerful email marketing tools to help creators effortlessly create, market, and sell digital products all from one place.
Unlike Gumroad and similar platforms, The Leap has an AI-powered digital product builder, which can help you bring your digital product ideas — like tutorials, mini-courses, challenges, or guides — to life in mere minutes.
With The Leap, it takes minutes to set up your storefront, which comes with tons of customization options. From there you can use The Leap’s AI to create digital products to sell or lead magnets to help grow your email list.
The Leap’s AI also can generate high-converting landing pages for your existing digital products, craft email campaigns, or write copy for your product descriptions.
If you’re a creator who sells digital services like 1:1 consulting or coaching sessions, The Leap’s Book My Time native calendar booking feature is designed for you.
If you’re at the stage where you want to get serious about tracking analytics and upping your email marketing game, The Leap has tools for that too. The platform’s built-in email marketing feature has a library of pre-made email templates and the ability to automate email flows and email broadcasts.
The Leap also offers audience analytics and a robust Creator Analytics dashboard to help you understand your store’s performance and engagement metrics.
By speeding up the process of digital product creation, The Leap’s AI makes it ridiculously simple for creator educators to monetize their content expertise.
The best part? The Leap is 100% free to use!
Want to learn more about how to monetize content with The Leap? Sign up for The Leap Way mini-course series.
Key features
- Mobile-optimized link-in-bio storefront
- Digital product-hosting services
- AI-powered digital product builder for mini-courses, tutorials, guides, and challenges
- Email list builder and automated email marketing
- Pre-made email templates for setting up email flows and sending email broadcasts easily
- Creator Analytics dashboard
- Flexible payment options like buy now / pay later, discount/coupon codes, and one-click payments
- Book My Time native calendar booking feature for coaching and consulting services
- AI assistant to generate sales page descriptions and content for digital products
- Referral program with an opportunity to make up to 40% commission!
- Free to use with 0% transaction fees!
Pricing
Free!
Sign up for The Leap to build your online store and sell your digital products in no time at all.
Create and sell digital products in minutes using The Leap!
2. Stan
A popular platform for creators to monetize online, Stan offers users a link-in-bio landing page for selling digital products, online courses, coaching sessions, and memberships. It also offers an analytics dashboard and the ability to track sales and engagement.
One reason creators like Stan Store is because it’s easy to set up. Another reason is that Stan can help you build your email list with handy tools like sign-up forms and lead magnet suggestions. Plus, the platform provides creators with an online course builder, meaning you can create and sell courses without leaving the platform.
While Stan is packed with features, its price point might be a bit steep to some. Its paid plans go from $29 to $99/month. However, all of Stan’s plans also come with 0% transaction fees, which can end up saving you money in the long run compared to Gumroad.
Key features
- Mobile-optimized online storefront builder
- Built-in marketing features including email list builder
- Audience analytics
- Online course builder
- Sell membership and subscriptions
- Third-party app integrations
Pricing
Creator plan for $29/month and Creator Pro plan for $99/month, both with 0% transaction fees. Stan also offers a 14-day free trial.
3. SendOwl
SendOwl is a platform that allows you to sell digital products, subscriptions, as well as memberships. It offers advanced features such as customizable checkout pages, automatic delivery, and integration with various payment gateways. With SendOwl, you can easily set up your storefront and start selling your digital products in minutes.
This platform has some unique features like PDF stamping, 2-factor authentication, download limits, and software license keys for extra security. SendOwl also supports multiple currencies and payment methods, offers a tip jar feature, and has pay-what-you-want pricing. Its built-in marketing tools are plentiful, including abandoned cart analytics and automated email follow-ups.
Overall, SendOwl is ideal for small to medium-sized digital businesses that need an all-in-one solution for selling digital products, managing affiliates, and automating product delivery.
Key features
- Online storefront
- Embeddable checkout buttons
- Offers a wide range of features, customizable checkout pages, and a built-in affiliate marketing system
- Features to help you optimize your sales, such as the ability to offer discounts and upsells
- Audience analytics
Pricing
Starter plan at $18/month (plus 5% transaction fee) for 10GB storage; Growth plan at $37/month (plus $0.47 per transaction) for 100GB storage; or Pro plan at $89/month (plus $0.28 per transaction) for 200 GB storage.
SendOwl offers a three-month free trial with its Starter plan, and a 14-day free trial for its Growth and Pro plans.
4. Payhip
Payhip is a platform that allows you to sell digital products and memberships. Its key features include customizable landing pages, automatic delivery, as well as integration with various payment gateways. If you’re looking for a quick and easy way to create an online storefront for selling your digital products, Payhip could be a good option.
In addition to its online store builder, Payhip also provides an online course builder, which creators can use to create lessons and monetize their knowledge through paid subscriptions and drip content. It’s important to note that while Payhip does allow you to create online courses, it can’t produce other types of digital products.
In a nutshell, Payhip is ideal for creators looking for a simple and user-friendly platform to sell digital products, especially those who want to sell products directly from social media channels.
Key features
- Online storefront and shopping cart
- Online course builder
- Sell memberships and subscriptions
- Built-in marketing tools
- Get paid via PayPal and Stripe
Pricing
Payhip offers three plans — each offers the same features but charges a different percentage of transaction fees. Its Free plan charges a 5% transaction fee. Its Plus plan is $29/month with a 2% transaction fee, and the Pro plan is $99/month with 0% transaction fee.
5. Sellfy
Sellfy is a platform designed specifically for creators selling physical merchandise and digital products. With Sellfy, you can sell everything from ebooks and music, to online courses and software. The platform offers customizable storefronts and checkout pages, as well as a range of payment and delivery options.
Sellfy has robust file-hosting services, which offer creators unlimited bandwidth to truly sell as many products as they want. Speaking of robust, let’s talk about Sellfy’s built-in marketing tools. Not only does this platform include built-in email marketing tools like cart abandonment emails, but it also offers Facebook and Twitter ad pixels, and the ability to launch an affiliate program where you can reward your affiliates with a commission for every sale they make on behalf of your store.
Unlike Gumroad, Sellfy has zero transaction fees. However, it does charge a monthly subscription fee.
Key features
- Mobile-optimized online storefront
- Flexibility in pricing as well as product options, including the ability to sell both digital and physical products
- Embeddable checkout buttons
- Built-in email marketing and affiliate marketing tools
Pricing
Starter plan at $19/month, Business plan at $49/month, or Premium plan at $99/month, all with zero transaction fees.
6. Ko-fi
Ko-fi is a platform designed to help creators monetize their content through small, one-time payments from their supporters. One key advantage of Ko-fi is its focus on community-building. The platform offers features like live streaming and messaging to help creators connect with their audience and build a following.
Additionally, Ko-fi offers a range of integrations with platforms like Twitch, YouTube, and Discord, making it a great option for creators who are active on multiple platforms.
In summary, Ko-fi is a great platform for creators who want to sell digital products, physical merchandise, and offer paid subscriptions to their audience. It is best suited for artists, writers, and podcasters who want to get financial support from their audience.
Key features
- Mobile-optimized online storefront
- Sell subscriptions, memberships, and commissions
- Integrated payment system with PayPal, Stripe, and Apple Pay
- Option to receive support without the pressure of ongoing subscription payments
- Third-party integrations with Zapier, WordPress, and more
Pricing
While Ko-fi has a free plan, it does take a 5% transaction fee on all sales. Still, that’s only half of what Gumroad takes.
To waive those transaction fees, consider the Ko-fi Gold plan, which starts at $6/month and offers advanced audience analytics.
7. Snipfeed
Relatively new to the market, Snipfeed is quickly becoming a popular option for an online creator storefront thanks to its user-friendly interface. The platform offers plenty of features like tipping, SMS and email marketing, Zapier integrations, and the ability to offer your audience 1:1 consultation services or ticketed live streams.
One thing to keep in mind is that Snipfeed isn’t exactly cheap. Its Pro plan is $20/month, and its Pro Plus plan is $59/month.
To sum it up, Snipfeed is a good option for creators who aren’t on a tight budget and who want to sell both digital products and services on a platform that’s easy to use.
Key features
- Online storefront functionality
- Course builder feature through Canva integration
- Native calendar booking to schedule 1:1 consultations and live streams
- Audience analytics
Pricing
Pro Plan at $20/month, and Pro Plus plan at $59/month.
8. Shopify
Shopify is an all-in-one e-commerce platform that allows creators and businesses to build and customize their own online stores, selling digital and physical products. The platform offers a variety of features including website templates, a point-of-sale system, and integration with various payment gateways and shipping carriers. Additionally, Shopify provides various tools for managing orders, inventory, and customer data.
What’s more, Shopify offers a range of resources and support options, including a community forum and 24/7 customer support, making it a great option for creators.
Overall, Shopify is an excellent platform for creators looking to sell digital products, physical goods, and services. That being said, it’s generally best suited for creators who have an established brand and want to expand their e-commerce presence — aka, it may feel overwhelming to beginners.
Key features
- Mobile-optimized online storefront
- Extensive app store for additional features
- Robust analytics capabilities with robust e-commerce features
- Wide range of integrations
- 24/7 customer support
Pricing
Shopify’s Basic plan starts at $29/month, while the Shopify plan costs $79/month. The Advanced Shopify plan costs $299/month and includes additional features like advanced reporting.
9. Etsy
Etsy is a popular marketplace for handmade and vintage goods, but it also offers options for creators selling digital products like printable art and digital downloads. With Etsy, creators can set up a shop and reach a large audience of buyers who are already interested in unique and creative products.
One key advantage of Etsy is its built-in audience. The platform has a large and active community of buyers, making it easy for creators to reach potential customers. Moreover, Etsy offers custom listing options and marketing tools to help creators promote their products and grow their businesses.
Etsy is best suited for creators who are looking to sell digital products alongside physical products, or who have a unique or handmade product that would fit well within the Etsy community. Overall, it can be ideal for creators who are just starting out and want to test the waters with their products. Just keep in mind that this platform comes with steep transaction fees.
Key features
- Mobile-optimized online storefront
- Large and engaged community of buyers
- Easy to set up and use
- Access to a global market
- Support for a wide range of products
Pricing
Etsy charges a $0.20 listing fee for each product and takes a 6.5% transaction fee on the sale price.
10. WooCommerce
WooCommerce is a powerful e-commerce platform built for WordPress users who want a lot of flexibility in selling digital products, physical merchandise, or digital services. Unlike platforms like Gumroad, WooCommerce is self-hosted, giving you full control over your store’s design, functionality, and data.
WooCommerce is also highly customizable, offering an extensive library of free and paid extensions. These add-ons let you do everything from setting up subscription services and memberships to integrating with email marketing tools or third-party payment gateways. Plus, it supports multiple currencies, which is great for creators with global audiences.
One standout feature of the platform is its scalability. It works just as well for small creators starting out as it does for established brands looking to expand. While it doesn’t offer built-in marketing tools like some Gumroad alternatives, you can integrate WooCommerce with services like Mailchimp and Google Ads to craft your marketing strategy.
Keep in mind that WooCommerce itself is free to use, but you’ll need to cover the cost of hosting, domain registration, and optional extensions.
Key features
- Seamless integration with WordPress
- Ability to sell physical, digital, and subscription-based products
- Unlimited customization with themes and plugins
- Multi-currency support for global audiences
Pricing
WooCommerce is free, but hosting starts at around $10/month. Costs for domain registration and premium plugins/extensions vary.
The best alternative to Gumroad: The Leap
If you’re a creator looking to sell digital products online and want to avoid paying high fees, the good news is that various Gumroad alternatives are available.
When considering an alternative to Gumroad, you’ll want to keep in mind that each platform has its own unique features and benefits, including ease of use, customization options, integrations with payment gateways, built-in analytics, and more.
If you want to sell, market, and create digital products on one platform, for free, then the solution is a no-brainer: The Leap is the best option for you.
The Leap is an all-in-one creator store with an AI-powered digital product builder that can brainstorm and generate digital products in literal minutes, saving you valuable time, money, and effort.
The Leap is also an online creator storefront that’s packed with tons of tools to help you create and sell your new and existing digital products. For example, you can use The Leap’s AI to generate product landing pages in mere minutes or its native calendar booking feature Book My Time to sell services like 1:1 consultations or coaching sessions.
Because The Leap is all about helping creators make money, we’ve also just launched a new Referral program, which allows creators to make up to a 40% recurring commission on new sign-ups!
The Leap also has advanced automated email marketing, a Creator Analytics dashboard for valuable sales and performance insights, and flexible payment and selling options.
But even if none of that appeals to you, we know that this will:
The Leap is 100% free, forever.
If paying 10% transaction fees seems crazy to you, we suggest you sign up for The Leap today to start creating and selling digital products for free.
Create and sell digital products in minutes using The Leap!
Gumroad alternatives FAQ
What is Gumroad used for?
Popular among artists, musicians, writers, and entrepreneurs alike, Gumroad is an online marketplace and e-commerce platform that creators can use to sell their digital products online.
A digital product can be anything from digital art to ebooks to music or online courses, templates, monthly subscriptions, and more. This platform also allows creators to accept tips or donations from their audience.
Creators can also use Gumroad’s marketing toolkit to help track sales, understand customer habits, and ultimately build customer loyalty. You can use Gumroad as a link-in-bio tool, or use the platform’s built-in API to integrate its checkout system into your own website.
To learn more about how to sell digital products, check out The Leap free resources.
How can you make money on Gumroad?
The easiest way for creators to make money on Gumroad is by selling digital products online. On Gumroad, you can sell digital or physical products. Digital products can range from ebooks, online courses, templates, digital art, and more. Creators can also make money on the platform by accepting tips or donations from their audience.
Gumroad is free to use, minus its 10% transaction fee taken off every sale. This is important to keep in mind when deciding how to price the products you sell on Gumroad, as the percentage of transaction fees will affect your overall revenue made on the platform.
Gumroad also offers you the ability to integrate its checkout system into your own website, making it easy for you to start selling online.
How much does Gumroad cost?
Gumroad is free with the addition of a 10% transaction fee on sales (plus payment processing fees).
Is there a free alternative to Gumroad?
Yes! The Leap is a free, all-in-one creator storefront with an AI-powered digital product builder. The only fee you’ll see on The Leap is a standard 2.9% Stripe transaction fee. That’s it — no monthly subscriptions or other hidden fees. Out of all the other Gumroad alternatives on the market, only The Leap lets you keep all of your revenue.
Click here to start creating and selling digital products with The Leap. It’s free!Is The Leap or Gumroad better?
In many ways, The Leap and Gumroad offer similar functionality, including an online storefront builder and the ability to sell digital products. That being said, The Leap is different from Gumroad in two very important ways.
Firstly, The Leap is completely free to use with zero transaction fees. While Gumroad boasts a Free plan, the platform actually charges a very steep 10% transaction fee on all sales. That adds up quickly.
The second reason that makes The Leap a superior alternative to Gumroad is that it offers creators the ability to actually create digital products like mini-courses, guides, tutorials, and challenges. The best part is that you can create these digital products on the same platform you sell them on.
Not only does The Leap have a digital product builder, but its authoring tool is AI-powered, meaning it allows users to create digital products faster and with less effort. That’s a major win for you and your creator business.
Click here to start creating and selling digital products with The Leap. It’s free!
Build, market, and sell digital products all in one spot with The Leap!
Follow The Leap on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube for more creator platform reviews. We also make a newsletter.
Further reading
- 11 Best Platforms To Sell Digital Products Online
- The Leap vs. Stan Store: Which Creator Store Platform Should You Choose?
- 13 Best Examples of Digital Products Created on The Leap
- Stan Store Pricing Review: Is the Creator Platform Worth It?
- 10 Best Snipfeed Alternatives for Your Link in Bio
- 7 Best Etsy Alternatives for Selling Digital Products
- Gumroad Pricing 2024 Review: Is the E-Commerce Platform Worth It?
- Comparison: The Leap vs. Gumroad
This article was originally published in April 2024, and updated in December 2024 with additional information.
