Gumroad vs Lemon Squeezy vs Stripe: how much of each sale you keep
The published fees, side by side
| Feature | Headline fee | Includes card processing? | Common extras | Sales tax |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gumroad (direct) | 10% + $0.50 (5% + $0.50 above $20,000 a month) | No. Charged on top (2.9% + $0.30 per its help page) | Discover marketplace sales are a flat 30% including processing. 2% on PayPal payouts | Handled by Gumroad |
| Lemon Squeezy | 5% + $0.50 | Treated as all-in (its pricing says it consolidates platform fees) | +1.5% international, +1.5% PayPal, +0.5% subscriptions. $15 dispute fee | Handled by Lemon Squeezy |
| Stripe | 2.9% + $0.30 (US cards) | This is the processing fee | +1.5% international, +1% currency conversion, +0.7% Billing on subscriptions. $15 dispute fee | You handle it. Stripe Tax is 0.5% per transaction where you are registered |
| Stripe + Managed Payments | 2.9% + $0.30 plus 3.5% | Yes, the standard card rate applies as well | Checkout and Payment Links only. No Stripe Connect | Handled by Stripe |
| PayPal | 3.49% + $0.49 (Checkout); 2.99% + $0.49 (cards) | This is the processing fee | +1.5% international (reported). Fees not returned on refunds | You handle it |
| Payhip | 5% on Free, 2% on Plus ($29 a month), 0% on Pro ($99 a month) | No. Stripe or PayPal charge their standard rates on top | Payouts go straight to your own Stripe or PayPal | EU and UK VAT handled automatically |
Why the cheapest option is not always the cheapest
Plain Stripe and PayPal have the lowest fees, but they leave you as the seller of record. That means deciding where you owe sales tax or VAT, registering, collecting it, and filing returns, and the rules tighten as you sell to more places. Gumroad, Lemon Squeezy and Stripe Managed Payments take that on, and their higher percentage is partly the price of it. Whether that is worth it depends on how much you sell, and where.
If you only sell in a place where you are not yet required to collect tax, plain Stripe can be the right choice. If you sell internationally or are not sure, a merchant of record is usually simpler. Either way, treat this as a cost comparison, not tax advice.
What the headline fee leaves out
- Fixed fees bite on low prices. PayPal's $0.49 and Gumroad's $0.80 together with processing are a large share of a $5 sale.
- International buyers cost more. Lemon Squeezy and Stripe each add 1.5%, and Stripe adds 1% when a currency has to be converted.
- Payouts and disputes. Lemon Squeezy pays out twice a month with a $50 minimum, and charges $15 for a dispute; Stripe also charges $15, PayPal $20.
What we could not confirm
We left these out of the totals rather than guess: whether Gumroad's, Stripe's and PayPal's percentages apply to the price alone or also to tax and shipping, Gumroad's international-card and chargeback fees, Lemon Squeezy's currency-conversion fee and whether its 5% covers processing in so many words, PayPal's micropayment rate for very small sales, and Payhip's US sales-tax handling. Each row in the calculator lists what it leaves out.
Check the providers yourself
Plans change, so confirm the current price on each provider's own site before you decide. These are plain links: we do not earn a commission if you use them.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Gumroad take from each sale?
For sales through your own profile or direct links, Gumroad charges 10% + $0.50 per transaction. Its help page says this does not include credit-card processing, which it puts at 2.9% + $0.30, so a direct card sale costs roughly 12.9% + $0.80 in total. Sales that come through Gumroad's Discover marketplace are a flat 30% that includes processing. Once your paid sales in a month reach $20,000, new direct sales that month are charged 5% + $0.50.
Does Gumroad's 10% include credit card processing?
Gumroad's help article says it does not: it lists credit-card processing and PayPal fees as extra. Its pricing page doesn't say either way, so we followed the help article. If Gumroad confirms that processing is included, the gap between it and the other platforms would be much smaller.
Is Lemon Squeezy cheaper than Stripe?
Not on fees alone. Stripe's card rate is 2.9% + $0.30, against Lemon Squeezy's 5% + $0.50. The difference is that Lemon Squeezy is your merchant of record and handles sales tax and VAT, while with Stripe you are responsible for registering, collecting and filing tax yourself. The fairer comparison is Lemon Squeezy against Stripe with Managed Payments, which adds 3.5% for the same merchant-of-record service.
What is a merchant of record, and why does it matter?
The merchant of record is the business legally selling to the customer, and so the one responsible for collecting and remitting sales tax and VAT. Gumroad, Lemon Squeezy and Stripe Managed Payments act as merchant of record. With plain Stripe or PayPal that job is yours, which can mean registering for tax in several places once you sell internationally. Stripe Tax can calculate it for 0.5% per transaction, but you still register and file.
Is Lemon Squeezy still a good choice?
We could not find an official statement about its future. Secondary sources report that Stripe acquired Lemon Squeezy in 2024 and that Stripe now offers its own merchant-of-record product, Managed Payments. Check Lemon Squeezy's current status and roadmap before you build on it, since we could only confirm its fees, not its plans.
What happens to fees when I refund a customer?
It varies. Gumroad returns its own fee on the refunded portion and keeps only the processing part. Stripe and PayPal do not return the original processing fees. Lemon Squeezy deducts the refunded amount minus its platform fee, and its wording does not make clear whether the platform fee is returned to you. A dispute costs $15 on Stripe and Lemon Squeezy, and PayPal lists $20.
Why is PayPal's fixed fee such a problem on low prices?
PayPal adds $0.49 to every sale, and Gumroad's total fixed fee is about $0.80 once processing is included. On a $5 product that alone is 10% to 16% before any percentage. If you sell low-priced products, the fixed part of the fee matters more than the headline percentage, which is why the calculator above asks for your actual price.
How we calculated this
For each provider we add its percentage and fixed fee to any processing charged on top, then the extras that apply to your scenario. We assume a US seller and prices before sales tax, and we show the fee per sale and the share of the price it takes. For general card-processing maths, see our Credit Card Processing Fee Calculator.
Prices last checked: October 2026. Plans and fees change without much notice, so confirm current pricing with each provider before you switch. Our sources: