If you’re interested in selling digital products online, then you’re likely familiar with Gumroad and Stan Store. The two platforms share similar features, and have a proven track record of supporting creators in achieving success selling digital products. But how do these two creator store platforms compare?
Read on to learn more about the key differences between Gumroad and Stan. By the end of this article, you should be able to decide which platform works best for you, or if you should consider an alternative altogether.
Click here to start creating and selling digital products with The Leap. It’s free!Gumroad vs. Stan Store: Key differences
Stan Store and Gumroad are both user-friendly creator store platforms with similar feature offerings, like the ability to build an online storefront quickly and sell digital products. However, there are some key differences to consider.
| Gumroad | Stan | Who does it better? | |
| Pricing | Free to use, but charges a 10% transaction fee on each sale. | No free plan, but charges 0% transaction fees for paid plans that start at $29/month. | Gumroad’s free plan may be more appealing for beginners, while Stan is a better option for selling high volume. |
| Integrations | Zapier integration connects creators to thousands of apps, like Discord and Mailchimp. | Offers several integrations with third-party platforms like Zapier, Zoom, Google Calendar. | Tie |
| Monetization | Offers a wide range of monetization options like digital product sales, memberships and subscriptions, as well as selling online courses. | Allows creators to monetize content through selling digital products, hosting and selling online courses, offering subscriptions, and booking 1:1 calls. | Stan |
| Community and support | Creators can pay to boost their product listings through Gumroad’s Discover feature. | Provides an affiliate program, creator community, and 1:1 creator strategy coaching, which could be helpful for those looking for tailored advice. | Stan |
What is Gumroad?
Gumroad is many creators’ go-to for selling digital products directly to their audience. This e-commerce platform lets creators build an online storefront and sell virtually any digital product, from online courses and ebooks, to templates, digital art, and so much more.
Gumroad is mainly prized for its ease of use. All you have to do is simply upload your digital product, set a price, and Gumroad will handle the rest.
With Gumroad, you can:
- Create a customizable online storefront.
- Sell digital products, and offer memberships and subscriptions.
- Build and sell online courses.
- Easily embed checkout buttons and widgets on your website and social media channels.
- Accept a broad range of payment methods in multiple currencies.
- Track audience analytics.
- Boost the potential of your digital products getting discovered via Gumroad’s Discover feature.
It’s important to note that while Gumroad is an easy-to-use creator store platform with some robust features, it also comes at a cost. While Gumroad is free to use (no monthly subscription plan), it takes a 10% transaction fee for every sale made on the platform. Some creators may find that those fees add up quickly and might not be totally worth the expense.
What is Stan Store?
Over the last few years, Stan Store has emerged as one of the most popular creator monetization platforms. It allows creators to build an online store quickly and offer digital products, subscriptions, and 1:1 calls.
While it boasts itself as an “all-in-one creator store,” several things about Stan might not suit every creator’s needs. For one, the platform does not offer a free plan option, meaning one must pay — either $29/month for a basic plan, or $99/month for a premium plan — in order to use Stan Store.
However, Stan is popular for a reason. Unlike Gumroad, Stan Store charges zero transaction fees. Plus, it has many other useful features to boot.
With Stan Store, you can:
- Use its drag-and-drop builder to create a professional-looking online store easily without coding or design skills.
- Sell digital products, subscriptions, and 1:1 coaching sessions or consultation calls.
- Build and sell online courses directly within the platform.
- Automate your workflow thanks to Stan’s integration with popular third-party platforms like Zapier, Zoom, Mailchimp, Google Calendar, and more.
- Join Stan’s affiliate marketing program to earn a commission by promoting other creators’ products.
- Track analytics on your audience including demographics, engagement rates, and more.
Gumroad vs. Stan Store: Comparison
Trying to decide between Gumroad or Stan as your online storefront? While both platforms are popular options, they both come with their own pros and cons. Here’s the short of it:
Gumroad is a great option for creators who are just starting their monetization journey and want a free, easy-to-use platform that helps them sell digital products and track audience analytics. However, with Gumroad’s flat 10% transaction fee, it can get costly once you start making progress in sales.
On the other hand, Stan has many of the same features that Gumroad offers, some of which are slightly more robust (e.g. its online course builder, or the ability to schedule and sell 1:1 calls). While Stan is technically more expensive than Gumroad, it comes with zero transaction fees, which makes it a better option for creators who expect to be selling at a higher volume and don’t want to get dinged with a transaction fee for every sale.
| Features | Gumroad | Stan |
| Pricing | Free | $29-$99/month. No free plan. |
| Transaction fee | 10% | 0% |
| Customization | Drag-and-drop interface allows for easy customization of branding including color, logo, and layout. | Drag-and-drop editor allows for branding customization, giving you full control over the look and feel of your store. |
| Integrations | Zapier integration connects creators with thousands of apps. | Boasts Zapier integration, as well as native integration with third-party platforms like Zoom and Mailchimp. |
| Analytics | Helps you track your revenue, downloads, and customer demographics. | Provides analytics on your audience demographics, link clicks, and sales. |
1. Pricing
The biggest difference between Gumroad and Stan is their pricing structure. Gumroad is free to use, however, it charges a 10% transaction fee on every sale.
Meanwhile, Stan doesn’t have a free plan option. Its Creator plan is $29/month, while its Creator Pro plan is $99/month, which may seem steep to some. That being said, Stan charges zero transaction fees.
So, if you’re a creator who plans on selling a high volume of digital products every month (let’s say even a thousand bucks worth), then Stan might actually be the better option for you. Stan also offers a 14-day free trial to its users, so you can give it a try before you subscribe.
2. Customization options
Both Gumroad and Stan come with a drag-and-drop editor. That essentially means you don’t have to worry about being a full-blown graphic designer to create a professionally looking online store.
Both platforms allow for a pretty broad range of customization options around branding, including the ability to adjust color, layout, and logo design. These customization features extend to each platform’s built-in online course builder, making it easy to create (and then sell) your online course.
3. Integrations
Both platforms offer integrations with popular third-party platforms. Stan has built-in integrations with useful platforms like Mailchimp, Google Calendar, and Zoom. It also boasts Zapier integration, allowing you to streamline your workflow by connecting your Stan Store to thousands of apps.
Similarly, Gumroad has a Zapier integration that offers a broad range of third-party integrations including ConvertKit, Slack, Discord, Flodesk, Airtable, Notion, and more.
4. Analytics
Both Gumroad and Stan offer fairly robust audience analytics, including the ability to track revenue, downloads, customer demographics, link clicks, and other useful sales metrics to help you better understand how to tailor your products to your audience’s needs.
The only main difference between the two platform’s audience analytics is that technically, you can access your analytics on Gumroad for free, whereas you have to subscribe to a paid plan to access similar data on Stan Store.
Gumroad vs. Stan Store: Which creator store should you use?
Both Gumroad and Stan share the same primary goal: helping creators set up their online store quickly and easily, so they can monetize their audience through selling digital products, subscriptions, and more. So it’s only natural that these platforms share some similar functionality.
Both platforms comes with some pretty sweet monetization features, like an online course builder, audience analytics, the ability to sell subscriptions and memberships, as well as access to an exclusive creator community.
However, there are some key differences to consider, especially their pricing. While Gumroad is free to use, it charges a 10% flat fee on every sale made on the platform. On the other hand, Stan requires a monthly subscription between $29-$99/month, but it doesn’t charge any transaction fee.
Ultimately, the choice between Gumroad or Stan should be based on your business objectives, your budget, and your most desired functionalities. With the right strategy and quality digital products, you could find success on either platform.
Still not convinced that either of these platforms is the one for you? Read on for the best alternative on the market.
A free alternative to Gumroad and Stan Store: The Leap
The Leap is an all-in-one creator store that boasts an easy-to-use, time-saving digital product builder. With The Leap, you can quickly build your own link-in-bio storefront, where you can create, market, and sell digital products easily, while also capturing leads and growing your email list. The best part? The Leap is totally free to use.
The Leap’s AI-powered digital product builder doesn’t just give you content suggestions, it can actually generate mini-courses, guides, tutorials, and more in minutes, helping creators like you bring your product ideas to life way faster. You can also use The Leap’s super-smart digital product builder to create effective lead magnets (aka freebies) to grow your email list, which in turn helps grow your income!
Looking to build profitable digital products? The Leap offers creators an array of audience analytics including sales and leads reports, giving you the insights you need to create digital products that will fly off the (digital) shelves.
If you’re a creator looking to jumpstart your monetization journey, then The Leap is for you. Looking for an alternative to Gumroad and Stan? Try The Leap for free today.
Start monetizing your audience with The Leap, your all-in-one creator store.
Gumroad vs. Stan Store FAQ
What is Gumroad used for?
Gumroad is an e-commerce platform that creators can use to sell their digital products online, such as digital art, ebooks, online courses, templates, and monthly subscriptions. This platform also allows creators to accept tips or donations from their audience.
You can use Gumroad as your online storefront, or use the platform’s built-in API to integrate its checkout system into your website. And with Gumroad’s marketing tools, you can track sales, understand customer habits, and ultimately build customer loyalty.
How much does Gumroad cost?
Gumroad is technically free to use. However, it takes a flat 10% transaction fee on all sales. So, while you won’t be spending money on a monthly subscription, you will be giving away a portion of every single sale to Gumroad.
Is there a free alternative to Gumroad and Stan Store?
While both Gumroad and Stan are great options for a creator store tool, if you’re looking for a free alternative with even smarter features, look no further than The Leap.
The Leap an all-in-one creator store with an AI-powered digital product builder that can help you generate mini-courses, guides, tutorials, and more in minutes — and it’s free to use! Additionally, The Leap offers many of the same features that Gumroad and Stan Store have — like audience analytics, simple payment and order fulfillment, and — soon — native email marketing for nurturing your leads.
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
- 10 Best Gumroad Alternatives for Selling Digital Products
- 12 Best Stan Store Alternatives for Selling Digital Products
- Gumroad Pricing Review: Is the E-Commerce Platform Worth It?
- Stan Store Pricing Review: Is the Creator Platform Worth It?
- The Leap vs. Stan Store: Which Creator Store Platform Should You Choose?
- Stan Store vs. Beacons: Which Creator Store Platform Should You Choose?
- Stan Store vs. Snipfeed: Which Creator Store Tool Is Better?
- Stan Store vs Linktree: Which Link-in-Bio Tool Is Better?
- Pensight vs. Stan Store: Which Link-In-Bio Tool Is Better?
