The best Gumroad alternative in 2026 — keep the 10% you're giving away
Gumroad is the easiest place to start selling a file and the most expensive place to keep doing it. Here is exactly what the 10% costs you at different sales levels, what Gumroad genuinely does better, and what changes if you move.
SitesPlaced is the cheapest serious Gumroad alternative in 2026. Gumroad charges 10% plus 50c on every sale with no monthly fee. SitesPlaced charges 0% commission on every plan and $14.99/month for a custom domain, unlimited downloads and the AI store builder. The switch pays for itself at roughly $150/month in sales. Below that, Gumroad's pay-per-sale model is genuinely cheaper — and there is one thing they do that we do not, covered below.
TL;DR
- • Gumroad: $0/month, 10% + 50c per sale. SitesPlaced: free to publish, $14.99/month, 0% per sale.
- • At $1,000/month in sales Gumroad takes about $105. We take nothing.
- • Break-even is around $150/month. Below that, stay on Gumroad — we would rather say so than sell you something.
- • Gumroad is merchant of record and handles US sales tax and EU VAT. We do not. That is a real service and worth money to some sellers.
- • You get a full website with a blog and your own domain, not a product page — and you can sell physical products in the same store.
What the 10% actually costs
The fee is invisible at low volumes and brutal at high ones. That is by design: it is the trade for having no monthly cost. Here is the same revenue on both platforms.
| Monthly sales | Gumroad keeps | SitesPlaced keeps | You gain |
|---|---|---|---|
| $100 | about $12 | $14.99 | -$3 — Gumroad wins |
| $250 | about $28 | $14.99 | about $13/month |
| $500 | about $53 | $14.99 | about $38/month |
| $1,000 | about $105 | $14.99 | about $90/month |
| $3,000 | about $310 | $14.99 | about $295/month |
| $10,000 | about $1,020 | $14.99 | about $1,005/month |
Gumroad figures assume 10% + 50c per sale at an average $25 order. Payment processing fees apply on both platforms and are excluded. Competitor prices are from their own pricing pages, checked late August 2026. Plans change — confirm before you switch.
At $3,000 a month you are handing over roughly $3,700 a year. That is a camera, a laptop, or three months of runway.
What Gumroad does better — honestly
Two things, and the first one matters more than most comparison pages admit.
- • Merchant of record. Gumroad is the legal seller, so US sales tax and EU VAT are their problem, not yours. With us you are the seller. You can switch on Stripe Tax and Stripe will calculate tax at checkout, but the responsibility stays with you.
- • Discovery. Gumroad has its own audience browsing and buying. A store on your own domain has no built-in traffic — you bring it, which is why we include a blog.
- • Zero commitment. No monthly fee means a month with no sales costs nothing. If you sell sporadically, that shape genuinely suits you better.
The honest rule of thumb: if you sell under about $150 a month, or you would rather never think about sales tax, Gumroad is the right choice and you should stay.
What changes when you move
- • The money goes to your own Stripe or PayPal account, on your payout schedule — not held and paid out by a platform.
- • You get a real website: multiple pages, product pages, and a blog on your own domain. Search traffic you earn is yours permanently.
- • You can sell physical things in the same store — prints, merch, anything with stock and variants — and buy shipping labels straight from the order.
- • Your files sit in a private bucket with no public address. Buyers get a link that expires, with a download limit you choose, and you can revoke it if you refund.
- • Your store stops looking like a product page on someone else's platform. 17 themes, all editable, plus AI that designs the first draft from a description.
How to move without losing sales
- Build the store free at SitesPlaced. No card needed. Take an hour.
- Upload the same files and recreate the products. Your files are yours — nothing is locked in on Gumroad.
- Connect your own Stripe account with a restricted key. It takes five minutes and cannot move your money.
- Point your domain at it, or use the free sitesplaced.com address to start.
- Run both for a month. Move your links across when you are happy, and keep the Gumroad page pointing at the new one.
Nothing here is one-way. Your products, files and customer list stay yours on both platforms.
Frequently asked questions
Is SitesPlaced cheaper than Gumroad?
Above about $150 a month in sales, yes, and the gap grows fast. At $1,000/month Gumroad's 10% + 50c takes roughly $105 while our plan is a flat $14.99 with no cut. Below $150/month Gumroad's pay-per-sale model is cheaper and we would tell you to stay.
Does SitesPlaced handle sales tax like Gumroad?
No. Gumroad is merchant of record and handles US sales tax and EU VAT for you. With SitesPlaced you are the seller of record. You can enable Stripe Tax in your own Stripe account so tax is calculated at checkout, but the filing responsibility is yours. This is the single biggest reason to stay on Gumroad.
Can I move my Gumroad products to SitesPlaced?
Yes. Recreate the products and upload the same files — your files were never locked in. Most sellers run both for a few weeks and switch their links over once the new store is live.
Do I get a real website, not just a product page?
Yes. A full multi-page site with product pages, a blog and your own domain. This is the main structural difference: Gumroad gives you a product page and a profile.
How are my files protected?
Files go into a private Cloudflare R2 bucket with no public URL. Each buyer gets a signed link that expires after a set time, works a set number of times, and can be revoked from the order if you issue a refund. Nothing stops someone re-sharing a file they have already downloaded — that is true everywhere — but limits, expiry and revocation are the real controls.
Can I sell physical products too?
Yes, in the same store. Stock, variants, categories and discounts, plus shipping labels through Shippo at around 5c a label. Gumroad is not built for this.
Stop paying 10% to sell your own work
Build the store free, connect your own Stripe account, and keep everything your buyers pay. $14.99/month only when you want a custom domain and unlimited downloads.
