If you sell a digital product (a template, ebook, preset, course or code) the platform’s cut decides how much of each sale you keep. This page puts the US standard fees as of Oct 20, 2026 for Gumroad, Etsy, Stripe, PayPal and Shopify side by side, then works through a $10, $25 and $50 sale.

Skip the math: the free Gumroad fee calculator, Etsy fee & profit calculator and PayPal & Stripe fee calculator do these sums for any price.

Doing this math in a spreadsheet? Seller Fee Formulas for Google Sheets ($9) adds custom functions such as STRIPEFEE, PAYPALFEE, ETSYFEE and GUMROADFEE, plus price solvers that find the price you need for a target profit. Every rate is an optional argument, and they work on a whole column at once. Disclosure: this is our own paid product, and we earn the sale price if you buy it.

The fees at a glance (US, as of Oct 20, 2026)

Platform What it is Fee per sale Monthly fee
Gumroad, direct sale Storefront + checkout, merchant of record 10% + $0.50, plus 2.9% + $0.30 card processing none
Gumroad, Discover sale Gumroad’s marketplace finds the buyer 30% (processing included) none
Etsy Marketplace $0.20 listing + 6.5% transaction + 3% + $0.25 processing none required
Etsy, order from an Offsite Ad Marketplace, buyer came from an Etsy ad elsewhere the above + 15% (12% once the shop has made $10,000 in a 365-day period), max $100 per order none required
Stripe, domestic card Payment processor 2.9% + $0.30 none
PayPal Checkout Payment processor 3.49% + $0.49 none
PayPal, standard card payments Payment processor 2.99% + $0.49 none
Shopify Basic, Shopify Payments online card Store builder + payments 2.9% + $0.30 $39/month, or $29/month billed yearly

A few things the table doesn’t show:

  • Gumroad is merchant of record, so it handles sales tax and VAT on your sales. Discover’s 30% applies only when a new customer finds you through Gumroad’s marketplace; sales from your own links pay 10% + $0.50, and card processing (2.9% + $0.30) is charged on top. PayPal payments carry PayPal’s fees instead.
  • Etsy charges the 6.5% and the processing fee on the whole order, and processing is charged on sales tax too. The listing fee is $0.20 per listing, and an auto-renewing listing is renewed for $0.20 each time it sells. Details: Etsy fees explained.
  • Stripe and PayPal only process the payment. You need your own site or checkout page, and sales tax is your responsibility. PayPal adds 1.50% for international buyers; Stripe lists its own international and currency conversion fees. Details: PayPal & Stripe fees explained.
  • Shopify charges a monthly plan on top of the card rate. On Basic, Shopify Payments online cards are 2.9% + 30¢ (premium cards 3.5% + 30¢, international cards +1%), and using a third-party payment provider instead of Shopify Payments adds a 2% transaction fee. Higher plans have lower card rates.

Worked example: a $10, $25 and $50 digital product

Example math only: one item, a US buyer paying by card, no sales tax, no shipping, standard rates from the sources below. Each fee is rounded to the cent. Shopify’s monthly plan fee isn’t included in the per-sale numbers.

Platform $10 sale: fee, you keep $25 sale: fee, you keep $50 sale: fee, you keep
Gumroad, direct $2.09, keep $7.91 (20.9%) $4.03, keep $20.97 (16.1%) $7.25, keep $42.75 (14.5%)
Gumroad, Discover $3.00, keep $7.00 (30.0%) $7.50, keep $17.50 (30.0%) $15.00, keep $35.00 (30.0%)
Etsy $1.40, keep $8.60 (14.0%) $2.83, keep $22.17 (11.3%) $5.20, keep $44.80 (10.4%)
Etsy, Offsite Ads order (15%) $2.90, keep $7.10 (29.0%) $6.58, keep $18.42 (26.3%) $12.70, keep $37.30 (25.4%)
Stripe card $0.59, keep $9.41 (5.9%) $1.03, keep $23.97 (4.1%) $1.75, keep $48.25 (3.5%)
PayPal Checkout $0.84, keep $9.16 (8.4%) $1.36, keep $23.64 (5.4%) $2.24, keep $47.76 (4.5%)
Shopify Basic card (plus plan fee) $0.59, keep $9.41 (5.9%) $1.03, keep $23.97 (4.1%) $1.75, keep $48.25 (3.5%)

Percentages are the effective fee rate (fee / price).

How the $25 numbers are built:

  • Gumroad direct: $25 x 10% = $2.50, plus $0.50 = $3.00, plus card processing $25 x 2.9% = $0.725, plus $0.30 = $1.025, rounded to $1.03. Total $4.03.
  • Etsy: listing $0.20 + transaction $25 x 6.5% = $1.625, rounded to $1.63 + processing $25 x 3% + $0.25 = $1.00. Total $2.83. With an Offsite Ads order, add $25 x 15% = $3.75 for $6.58.
  • Stripe: $25 x 2.9% = $0.725, plus $0.30 = $1.025, rounded to $1.03.
  • PayPal Checkout: $25 x 3.49% = $0.8725, plus $0.49 = $1.3625, rounded to $1.36.
  • Shopify Basic: same card rate as Stripe, so $1.03 per sale, plus the plan. Spread over 20 sales a month, the $39 monthly plan adds $1.95 per sale ($1.45 on the $29 yearly-billed rate).

What the numbers mean

  • Processors are cheapest per sale, but you build the rest. Stripe and PayPal take the least, but you need a site, a way to deliver the file and a plan for sales tax.
  • Gumroad and Etsy cost more and do more. Both host the product page and checkout and deliver the file. Gumroad also handles sales tax as merchant of record; Etsy brings marketplace buyers. Gumroad’s fixed $0.50 plus the $0.30 card fee make it relatively expensive on cheap products, and on a direct sale it costs more than Etsy without Offsite Ads at all three prices here ($7.25 vs $5.20 at $50).
  • Marketplace sales cost the most. A Gumroad Discover sale (30%) or an Etsy Offsite Ads order (an extra 15% or 12%) takes a much bigger cut, in exchange for a buyer you didn’t bring yourself.
  • Shopify’s cost depends on volume. The card rate matches Stripe’s, but the monthly plan matters most when you sell a few low-priced items a month.

FAQ

Which is cheapest for selling digital products?

Per sale, at US standard rates, Stripe card payments (2.9% + $0.30) are the lowest of the options here, and Shopify Basic matches that card rate but adds a monthly plan. PayPal Checkout is a little higher. Gumroad and Etsy cost more per sale but include the storefront, checkout and file delivery.

What exactly does Gumroad charge?

Gumroad’s pricing page lists 10% + $0.50 per transaction for direct sales and 30% for Discover sales, with no monthly fee. Its help page adds that the 10% + $0.50 doesn’t include card processing (2.9% + $0.30) or PayPal fees, while the 30% Discover fee includes all processing. Payout methods can have their own fees, so check a real payout once. See Gumroad fees in 2026, explained.

Can I sell digital downloads on Etsy?

Yes, and the same listing, transaction and processing fees apply. There’s no shipping, so the fees are charged on the item price (and processing on any sales tax). Try your own price in the Etsy fee calculator.

Do these rates apply outside the US?

No. Every platform has different rates by country, and negotiated or volume pricing differs. Check the official pages below for your country.

Sources

Checked Oct 20, 2026: Gumroad pricing, Gumroad Help: Gumroad’s fees, Etsy Help: fee basics, Etsy Help: payment processing fees, Etsy Help: how Offsite Ads work, Stripe pricing, PayPal merchant fees (US) (last updated Oct 1, 2026) and Shopify pricing. Fees can change at any time, so check the official pages and your own account before you rely on a number.

Selling on Etsy? The Etsy Seller Profit Tracker (Excel and Google Sheets, $9) logs each order and works out its Etsy fees, cost of goods, profit and margin, with a monthly profit and loss. Disclosure: this is our own paid product, and we earn the sale price if you buy it.

More tools and guides: all guides and free tools. Not affiliated with Gumroad, Etsy, Stripe, PayPal or Shopify. Not tax or financial advice.