SitesPlaced vs Gumroad — which is better in 2026?
Gumroad: The default place to sell a digital file — no monthly fee, but 10% plus 50¢ of every sale, forever. Here is a plain, row-by-row comparison with SitesPlaced — price, free plan, commission, payments, shipping and the integrations that matter to an Instagram or WhatsApp seller — and how to switch in one paste.
By Manan Agrawal, Founder · Updated August 23, 2026
Short answer: Gumroad is the right first home for a digital product and the wrong long-term one. The 10% + 50¢ is invisible at $50 a month and painful at $2,000. Their genuine advantage is being merchant of record — they deal with US sales tax and EU VAT so you never think about it. We do not do that; you stay the seller. What you get instead is 0% commission, money straight into your own Stripe account, and an actual website with a blog rather than a product page.
At a glance
| SitesPlaced | Gumroad | |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest way to publish a store | $0 — free plan, unlimited products | Free — no monthly fee, but 10% + 50¢ taken from every sale |
| Cheapest paid plan | $14.99/month — no cut of your sales | $0/month |
| Cut of each sale | 0% | 10% + 50¢ per sale, on every plan |
| Category | Website + store builder for creators | Creator digital-product platform |
Prices and limits are as listed on their own pricing pages in late August 2026. Creator platforms change plans often — confirm before you buy.
SitesPlaced vs Gumroad: feature by feature
The table lists what each platform includes and on which plan. SitesPlaced facts mirror the pricing page; Gumroad facts are taken from the comparisons already published on this site, with “not listed” where we could not find a clear answer.
| Feature | SitesPlaced | Gumroad |
|---|---|---|
| Cut of each sale | 0% — we never take a cut of a sale | 10% + 50¢ per sale, on every plan |
| Annual sales limit | None. Sell as much as you like on any plan | None |
| Sell downloads | Yes — files, with per-buyer download limits and expiring links | Yes — this is what it is built for |
| How files are protected | Private storage, no public URL; emailed link that expires and can be revoked | Hosted files with download links; they act as merchant of record |
| Sell physical products | Yes — variants, stock, categories, discounts | Possible, but there is no real inventory or shipping tooling |
| Stripe | Your own Stripe account — cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay | Not your own account — Gumroad collects and pays you out |
| PayPal | Your own PayPal account | Payouts to PayPal in some countries |
| Shipping labels | Shippo — USPS, UPS, FedEx, DHL, Royal Mail from ~5¢ a label | No label buying |
| Real website + blog | Yes — a full multi-page site with a blog, not just a checkout page | A product page and a simple profile — not a website |
| Custom domain | $14.99/month plan (one-click DNS) | Custom domain supported |
| AI writes your store | $14.99/month plan — writes and designs the store from a description | No |
| Themes | 17 store themes, all free and fully editable | One layout, lightly customisable |
Prices and limits are as listed on their own pricing pages in late August 2026. Creator platforms change plans often — confirm before you buy.
What Gumroad does well
A fair comparison names the other side’s strengths. These are the things Gumroad lists that a seller might genuinely pick it for:
- ✓The fastest way to put a file behind a payment link — genuinely minutes.
- ✓They act as merchant of record, so US sales tax and EU VAT are handled for you.
- ✓An audience already used to buying through it, and a discovery surface of its own.
Who should switch — and who should stay
Switch to SitesPlaced if you…
- • You are past roughly $150 a month in sales — at $1,000/month Gumroad takes about $100 and we take nothing.
- • You want a real website and blog around what you sell, not just a product page.
- • You want the money in your own Stripe account on your own payout schedule.
- • You also sell physical things and need stock, variants and shipping labels.
Stay on Gumroad if you…
- • You sell occasionally and would rather pay per sale than a monthly fee.
- • You want someone else to be the legal seller and handle sales tax and VAT — that is a real service and we do not offer it.
How to move from Gumroad to SitesPlaced
Moving is mostly a paste. The importer is free, there is no product cap on the free plan, and nothing goes live until you hit publish — so you can build the new store alongside the old one and switch your Instagram bio link when it looks right.
Import your catalogue
Paste your Instagram handle, your current store's website URL or a PDF catalogue at /import. Products, prices, images and categories are rebuilt as a SitesPlaced store. Variants come across from Shopify, dm2buy and Shopexer stores; add them in the Products tab for other sources.
Pick one of 17 store themes
Every theme is free, and every heading, hero image, footer column and menu is editable. You can also edit the store by chatting with ChatGPT or Claude through the SitesPlaced MCP server.
Connect payments and shipping
Connect your own Razorpay account (UPI, cards, net banking, wallets), switch on cash on delivery and WhatsApp checkout, and connect Shiprocket or Shipmozo. All free, 0% commission.
Publish free, upgrade when you want a domain
Your store goes live on a sitesplaced.com URL with a small badge. The Ecommerce plan — ₹499/month early-bird (₹999 after the first 30 stores) — adds your custom domain, branding removal, AI copy, analytics, Meta Pixel + Conversions API and WhatsApp Business API alerts.
What the ₹499/month plan adds
Everything needed to sell is free. The Ecommerce plan — ₹499/month early-bird (₹999 after the first 30 stores) — is for the things that make the store look and track like a brand:
- ✓Your own custom domain with one-click DNS for most Indian registrars
- ✓SitesPlaced branding removed
- ✓AI copy for product descriptions and sections
- ✓Store analytics and custom head code (GA4, Clarity, any tag)
- ✓Meta Pixel + Conversions API — server-side Purchase events from the order record, deduplicated, your own credentials
- ✓WhatsApp Business API order alerts — owner alert + customer confirmation from your own number via Meta Cloud API, your own credentials
Razorpay, Shiprocket, Shipmozo and Meta are integrated; their own fees apply where they charge them. Full detail on the pricing page.
Razorpay, Shiprocket, Shipmozo, WhatsApp API, Meta CAPI: all built in.
Razorpay, cash on delivery, WhatsApp checkout, Shiprocket and Shipmozo are on the free plan. The ₹499/month Ecommerce plan adds the Meta integrations: Pixel + Conversions API and WhatsApp Business API alerts, bring your own credentials, plus your own domain, branding removal, AI and analytics. No app store, no per-integration fees.
Payments
- Free
UPI, cards, net banking and wallets at checkout. SitesPlaced takes 0% commission; Razorpay's standard gateway fee applies.
- Free
StripeNew
Card, Apple Pay and Google Pay from customers worldwide. Connect your own Stripe account with a restricted key — payments land in your Stripe balance and SitesPlaced takes 0% commission.
- Free
PayPalNew
Customers pay with their PayPal balance or a card. Connect your own PayPal app — the money lands in your PayPal balance and SitesPlaced takes 0% commission.
- Free
COD at checkout with an optional COD charge you set.
- Free
Order via WhatsApp for buyers who prefer to chat before paying.
Shipping
- Free
Push orders to Shiprocket, get AWB numbers back, and show live tracking on your Track Order page.
- Free
ShippoNew
USPS, UPS, FedEx, DHL and Royal Mail labels for US, UK and international orders — around 5¢ a label with no monthly fee, billed to your own Shippo account.
- Free
ShipmozoNew
Courier selection, pickup scheduling and tracking status synced back to each order.
Fulfilment
- Free
Qikink
Print-on-demand for India — t-shirts, hoodies and mugs printed and shipped domestically from your own Qikink account.
- Free
PrintifyNew
Print-on-demand t-shirts, hoodies, mugs and posters. Link a product to your own Printify catalogue and paid orders are sent for printing automatically — Printify bills your account, we take nothing.
Messaging
- ₹499
Every new order sends you an alert and the customer a confirmation, from your own WhatsApp Business number via Meta's Cloud API. Bring your own credentials.
Marketing
- ₹499
Meta Pixel + Conversions APINew
Your own Pixel on the storefront plus server-side Purchase events from the order record, deduplicated, so Instagram and Facebook ads report real sales. Bring your own credentials.
- ₹499
Custom head code
Paste Google Analytics, Clarity or any tag into your live site.
Growth
- ₹499
yourbrand.com with one-click DNS setup for most Indian registrars.
- Free
Create and edit your store by chatting with your AI assistant.
- Free
Bring a catalogue in from Instagram, your existing website, a PDF, dm2buy or Shopexer.
Frequently asked questions
How much cheaper is SitesPlaced than Gumroad?
At $1,000 a month in sales, Gumroad's 10% + 50¢ per sale takes roughly $100–120. SitesPlaced takes 0% and the paid plan is $14.99/month. You keep the difference. Below about $150 a month Gumroad's pay-per-sale model is cheaper, and we would say so.
Does SitesPlaced handle sales tax like Gumroad?
No, and this is the honest trade-off. Gumroad is merchant of record and handles US sales tax and EU VAT for you. With SitesPlaced you are the seller, so tax is yours — though you can switch on Stripe Tax and Stripe will calculate it at checkout.
Can I move my Gumroad products across?
Yes. Recreate the products, upload the same files, and point buyers at your new link. Your files stay yours — nothing is locked in.
Do I get a real website?
Yes — a full multi-page site with a blog, product pages and your own design, on your own domain. Gumroad gives you a product page and a profile.
Leave Gumroad behind in one paste
Build and publish a real store for free — unlimited products, 0% commission, Razorpay, COD, WhatsApp checkout, Shiprocket and invoices included. Pay ₹499/month only when you want your own domain, AI copy, Meta CAPI and WhatsApp API alerts.
Import my store free →Prefer to talk first? Message us on WhatsApp. Android merchant app on Google Play.