The short answer
Payhip's Free plan has a smaller published platform fee than Gumroad's direct-sale rate in the simple $5 example below. That comparison is not an all-in checkout quote. Payhip explicitly adds payment processing charges; payment method, seller setup and refund handling also need checking. A platform that does not support your payout route is not a useful bargain.
Compare one route and one order
As checked on October 8, 2026, Payhip lists its Free plan at a 5% platform fee. Gumroad lists direct/profile sales at 10% plus $0.50, and Discover sales at 30%. On one $5 order, those published charges are $0.25, $1 and $1.50 respectively. On twenty $5 orders, they total $5, $20 and $30. These are platform-rate examples only. Do not compare a direct sale on one platform with marketplace acquisition on another and call the difference the cost of an identical service.
Build an all-in comparison separately
Add the applicable payment percentage and fixed charge to each route. Then add monthly subscriptions, currency costs and non-returned fees on refunds. Use the number of orders as well as total revenue: a fixed fee makes twenty $5 orders different from one $100 order. Where a fee is included rather than additional, do not count it twice. Use your seller terms or an actual transaction breakdown to establish that.
Acquisition and delivery matter too
A checkout takes an order from an interested buyer; it does not prove that buyers will arrive. Compare what happens when someone follows your own link, what any discovery surface actually offers, and how the purchased file is delivered. Inspect the available documentation and supported test workflow. We have not performed a checkout or payout test for this comparison.
A decision you can revisit
Start with the route you are eligible to use and a product small enough to validate. Record ordinary sales, refunds and support time before choosing a paid plan. Read the linked Payhip upgrade calculation if your own sales make a subscription relevant. There is no universal cheapest platform once different seller circumstances and services are included.
Sources & verification
Official sources where available. Guides without a source list are original planning or arithmetic, not reports of earnings. No hands-on test is implied.