Payhip review: free at a 5% fee, or $29 a month at 2%
Payhip ships the same product on every plan and changes only the cut it takes, so choosing a tier is arithmetic rather than a feature comparison. Our check of payhip.com on 11 June 2026, four months before this review was written, recorded a free plan at a 5% transaction fee, Plus at $29 a month at 2%, and Pro at $99 a month at 0%.
The short answer
Buy Payhip Buy Payhip Plus once your sales are large enough that $29 a month plus 2% costs less than the free plan's 5%. On our check of payhip.com on 11 June 2026, $1,000 of monthly sales cost $50 on the free plan and $49 on Plus, which is roughly where the two models cross.
Skip it Skip the paid tiers until you are selling, because the free plan already carries every feature and the upgrades only shrink the fee. Skip Payhip altogether if you need a designed storefront or working SEO tools, which are the two things our notes record as weakest here.
Where Payhip fits
Payhip fits the creator who wants to be selling this afternoon and pay nothing until money arrives. Every plan carries the same features, so the free tier is not a demonstration version: courses, memberships, coaching, affiliate tools and discount codes are all present from the start. What moves between tiers is the percentage Payhip keeps.
That makes the choice between tiers pure arithmetic. Our 11 June 2026 check of payhip.com recorded 5% on the free plan, 2% on Plus at $29 a month and 0% on Pro at $99 a month, with unlimited products and unlimited revenue on all three. No feature wall ever forces an upgrade here, only the fee does.
The crossing points are worth working out before you pay anything. At $1,000 of monthly sales the free plan's 5% is $50, while Plus is $29 plus 2% of $1,000, which is $29 plus $20, or $49. Below that level the free plan is the cheaper of the two, and the gap is small enough either way that the fee is not the reason to upgrade.
Pro takes over from Plus at $3,500 of monthly sales. Two per cent of $3,500 is $70, and $29 plus $70 is $99, which is what Pro costs flat. Above that volume the fee you stop paying is worth more than the difference in subscription, and below it Plus wins.
Payment processor fees sit on top of all of this, and Payhip does not collect them. Our check recorded Stripe or PayPal charging typically 2.9% plus $0.30 per transaction, and the snapshot describes that figure as typical rather than quoted, so treat it as the shape of the cost rather than a rate Payhip has promised you.
Against the rest of the category Payhip is the cheap middle. Gumroad takes 10% plus $0.50 per sale with no subscription at all, verified 1 October 2026. Sellfy starts at $29 a month and takes no cut, but capped annual sales at $10K on that tier when we checked it on 12 June 2026. Ko-fi Shop was free with a 5% service fee, or $12 a month for 0%, verified 15 June 2026.
This pricing was verified on 11 June 2026 and has not been re-checked since, which makes it four months old as this review is published. A transaction percentage is the kind of number a platform revises quietly, so read the current rate card before you commit to a tier. The digital product platforms category holds the alternatives if the numbers have moved.
Payhip pricing
Payhip charges a percentage of each sale and sells you a lower percentage. The figures below come from our check of payhip.com on 11 June 2026 and have not been re-verified since, so confirm them before you choose a plan. The Payhip pricing breakdown carries the longer version.
| Plan | Price | What it adds |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0/mo | 5% transaction fee on every sale. All features, unlimited products, unlimited revenue |
| Plus | $29/mo | 2% transaction fee on every sale. The same features as Free |
| Pro | $99/mo | 0% transaction fee. The same features again, so the only purchase is the fee reduction |
There is no quote to negotiate here, but four things set what Payhip costs you:
- Monthly sales volume, because the fee is a percentage. The same plan costs a different amount every month you sell a different amount.
- Which tier you sit on. Our 11 June 2026 check recorded 5%, 2% and 0% against $0, $29 and $99 a month, and those are the only three options.
- Payment processor fees, which Payhip does not take and does not set. The snapshot records Stripe or PayPal at typically 2.9% plus $0.30 per transaction.
- Average order value, because the processor's fixed component per transaction hurts small orders more. Fifty sales at $2 pay that per-transaction amount fifty times.
- Nothing else, which is the point of the model. Features, products and revenue were all uncapped on every tier on our check.
Payhip pricing against the other digital product platforms
The category splits into percentage platforms and subscription platforms, and Payhip sells both shapes. Gumroad charges 10% plus $0.50 per sale and nothing monthly, verified 1 October 2026, which makes it cheaper than Payhip Plus at low volume and much more expensive once sales are steady. Sellfy charges $29 a month on Starter with no cut of sales, verified 12 June 2026, and caps annual sales at $10K on that tier. SendOwl starts at $39 a month with no transaction fee, verified 12 June 2026, and gives you no storefront at all. Those dates differ from Payhip's, so the comparison is not strictly like for like.
Payhip billing terms worth knowing
Everything here follows from one decision: the fee is a percentage of what you sell.
- Free plan
- $0 a month with a 5% transaction fee on every sale, as of 11 June 2026.
- Plus
- $29 a month at 2%, which is $348 across a year before any fee on sales.
- Pro
- $99 a month at 0%, which is $1,188 across a year before processor fees.
- Free against Plus
- They cross near $1,000 of monthly sales: $50 at 5%, against $29 plus $20, or $49.
- Plus against Pro
- They cross at $3,500 of monthly sales: 2% of $3,500 is $70, and $29 plus $70 is $99.
- Processor fees
- On top, and not Payhip's. Recorded as typically 2.9% plus $0.30 per transaction.
- Check date
- 11 June 2026. Not re-verified since, so treat the percentages as four months old.
Payhip uses a transaction-fee model instead of feature-gating. All three plans include the exact same features, unlimited products, and unlimited revenue. The only difference is the transaction fee Payhip takes: 5% on Free, 2% on Plus ($29/mo), and 0% on Pro ($99/mo). Payment processor fees (Stripe/PayPal, typically 2.9% + $0.30) apply on top.
If a Payhip charge is higher than these rates, the first thing to check is the tier and the second is the processor, because Payhip's own cut is the only part these figures describe. Our 11 June 2026 snapshot records no revenue cap and no product limit on any plan, so this page states none. The creator tool cost calculators will total a year of percentage fees against a year of subscription once you put your own sales in.
What Payhip gives up
The storefront is plain, and that is the most common complaint. Payhip gives you a page that works and little control over how it looks, so a creator who cares about brand will end up embedding the checkout in their own site instead of using what Payhip hosts.
SEO tooling is close to absent. There is no blog, and the controls over titles, descriptions and structure are thin, which means a Payhip store is somewhere you send traffic rather than somewhere traffic finds you.
Analytics are the bare minimum. You can see sales; you cannot see much about how people arrived or where they dropped out, so anything resembling funnel work has to happen in a separate tool.
The email marketing is a mailing list rather than a marketing platform. It will send a broadcast to buyers, and it will not run the segmented sequences a dedicated newsletter tool handles.
You are the seller of record outside the EU and UK VAT handling Payhip does for you, so tax compliance everywhere else is yours. Lemon Squeezy takes 5% plus 50c per transaction and acts as merchant of record instead, verified 1 October 2026, which is a higher fee for a smaller tax job on your side.
The fee never reaches zero without the $99 a month plan, and at low volume that tier is a bad trade. At $500 of monthly sales the free plan's 5% is $25, so paying $99 to avoid $25 costs you $74 a month for nothing.
Our pricing evidence is from 11 June 2026, four months old, and that is the weakest part of this page. A percentage is cheap for a vendor to change, so the figures above describe what Payhip published in June rather than what it charges today.
How Payhip compares
The three platforms below are the ones weighed against Payhip, and the axis is a percentage of sales against a flat monthly fee. Each price is that vendor's own published rate with the date we checked it, and those dates differ, so read them with that in mind. The wider field sits in the digital product platforms category.
| Tool | Best for | Price | Where it breaks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Payhip | Starting to sell with no monthly cost and every feature | Free at 5%, $29/mo at 2%, $99/mo at 0% (June 2026) | Plain storefront, almost no SEO or analytics |
| Gumroad | Occasional sales with no subscription at all | 10% + $0.50 per sale (October 2026) | The percentage never falls, so steady sales get expensive |
| Sellfy | Keeping all of a steady month's revenue | $29/mo Starter, $79/mo Business (June 2026) | Annual sales capped at $10K on Starter |
| Ko-fi Shop | A few products attached to a tip page | Free at a 5% fee, $12/mo Gold (June 2026) | A shop bolted to a donations page rather than a store |
How to test Payhip on the free plan
The free plan had no time limit and every feature on our 11 June 2026 check, with a 5% fee as the only cost. Confirm that percentage first, because it is four months old and it is the whole product.
- Check the current fee on each tier at payhip.com/pricing. Our figures are from June 2026 and this is the one step you should not take on trust.
- List one real product on the free plan and buy it yourself. The 5% fee and the processor's cut both show up on that receipt, which is the only reliable way to see the true deduction.
- Work out your own crossing point rather than ours. At $1,000 of monthly sales the free plan's 5% was $50 against $29 plus $20 on Plus, and your average order value will move that.
- Decide whether you will use the hosted storefront or embed the checkout in your own site. The embed is where Payhip is strongest and the storefront is where it is weakest.
- Test the course builder if you intend to sell courses, because it is included on the free plan and will tell you quickly whether it is enough.
- Price the subscription alternatives against your volume before upgrading. Sellfy was $29 a month with no cut and a $10K annual sales cap on 12 June 2026, which suits a different shape of business.
- If tax handling matters more than the fee, price Lemon Squeezy at 5% plus 50c per transaction as merchant of record, verified 1 October 2026, and use the cost calculators to total the year.
Payhip questions buyers ask
How much does Payhip cost per month?
Payhip offers three plans: Free ($0/month with a 5% transaction fee), Plus ($29/month with a 2% fee), and Pro ($99/month with 0% fees). All plans include every feature, unlimited products, and unlimited revenue. Stripe or PayPal processing fees (typically 2.9% + $0.30) apply on top of Payhip's fees on every plan.
Does Payhip have a free plan?
Yes, and it's one of the most generous free plans in the digital product space. You get every feature Payhip offers (courses, memberships, coaching, affiliates, email tools, discount codes) with no product limits and no revenue caps. The only cost is a 5% transaction fee on each sale, plus standard payment processor fees. There are no time limits or trial periods.
Who is Payhip best for?
Payhip is best for digital product creators who want a simple, low-cost way to sell downloads, courses, memberships, or coaching sessions. It works especially well for creators who already have an audience and need a storefront or checkout to monetize it. It's less ideal for creators who need advanced storefront design, built-in SEO, or a platform that handles all global tax compliance as the merchant of record.
Payhip vs Gumroad: which is better?
Payhip is cheaper for most creators with steady sales. Our 1 October 2026 check of Gumroad recorded 10% plus $0.50 per sale with no monthly fee and no way to reduce the percentage, while our 11 June 2026 check of Payhip recorded 5% on the free plan, 2% on Plus at $29 a month and 0% on Pro at $99 a month. At $2,000 of monthly sales, Gumroad's 10% is $200 plus $0.50 per sale, and Payhip Plus is $29 plus 2% of $2,000, which is $29 plus $40, or $69. Gumroad has stronger discovery through its marketplace; Payhip supports more product types, including courses, coaching and memberships.
Does Payhip handle sales tax and VAT?
Payhip automatically calculates, collects and remits EU VAT and UK tax on digital product sales. For other jurisdictions you are responsible for your own compliance, because Payhip is not the merchant of record. If you want a platform that takes that job on instead, Lemon Squeezy acts as merchant of record and charges 5% plus 50c per transaction, verified 1 October 2026, against Payhip's 2% on the $29 a month Plus plan, verified 11 June 2026.
Can I sell online courses on Payhip?
Yes. Payhip has a built-in course builder with sections (modules), lessons, video hosting, text content, quizzes, surveys, downloadable files, certificates, and custom sales pages. The course builder is available on all plans, including Free. It's solid for straightforward courses but lacks advanced features like live cohort tools, community forums, or sophisticated student progress tracking that dedicated platforms like Teachable or Thinkific offer.
What integrations does Payhip support?
Payhip integrates directly with 10+ email marketing platforms including Mailchimp, Kit (ConvertKit), AWeber, MailerLite, Drip, and Campaign Monitor. Coaching products integrate with Zoom and Calendly. Everything else connects through Zapier. You can also embed Payhip's checkout on any website via embed codes that work on WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, and custom sites.
Can I use Payhip with my own website?
Yes, and many creators prefer this approach. Payhip provides embeddable checkout buttons and product cards you can place on any website. This lets you use your own design and branding while Payhip handles payment processing, file delivery, and license management in the background. You can also connect a custom domain to your Payhip storefront if you prefer the hosted option.
Is Payhip worth it compared to selling on Gumroad or Etsy?
For creators with steady sales, Payhip's paid tiers are usually cheaper than a flat percentage. Our 1 October 2026 check of Gumroad recorded 10% plus $0.50 per sale. Our 11 June 2026 check of Payhip recorded 5% free, 2% on Plus at $29 a month and 0% on Pro at $99 a month, and the two paid tiers cross at $3,500 of monthly sales, because 2% of $3,500 is $70 and $29 plus $70 is $99. We hold no verified rate card for Etsy, so this page does not quote its fees. The trade-off is discovery: Gumroad's marketplace can bring you buyers, while Payhip expects you to drive your own traffic.
Can I cancel Payhip anytime?
Yes. Payhip has no contracts, no cancellation fees, and no lock-in periods. You can downgrade from Pro to Plus to Free at any time, and your store, products, and customer data remain intact. Since the Free plan includes all features, downgrading doesn't remove any functionality: it just increases your transaction fee. Your Stripe and PayPal accounts are yours regardless of your Payhip plan.