// research · data as of November 2026
Digital Product Platform Fees 2026: 17 Fee Setups Calculated From Published Pricing
I ran 17 fee setups from 8 platforms through one formula at 6 sale prices. Calculated from each platform's published fee schedule: US card buyer unless a row says otherwise, per-sale fees only, monthly plans at list price, no taxes, refunds, chargebacks or payout fees. This is a calculation, not a survey of sellers.
Disclosure: ToolGenX sells its own products on Gumroad and Polar. This page has no affiliate links to any platform.
Quick answer
On a $29 sale paid with a US card, the 10 per-sale fee setups leave the seller between $27.86 (Stripe, 3.9% in fees) and $20.30 (Gumroad Discover, 30.0%).
// key findings
8 findings you can quote
On a $29 sale paid with a US card, the 10 per-sale fee setups leave the seller between $27.86 (Stripe, 3.9% in fees) and $20.30 (Gumroad Discover, 30.0%).
Link to this findingAt $5, 9 of the 10 per-sale setups take more than 10% of the price. At $49, 4 of 10 do, because the fixed part of most fees weighs less as the price rises.
Link to this findingGumroad's direct-sale fee plus card processing (10% + $0.50, 2.9% + $0.30) takes 29.0% of a $5 sale and 13.7% of a $99 sale.
Link to this findingAt $29, Lemon Squeezy and Polar Starter tie as the cheapest merchants of record, leaving $27.05. Gumroad direct leaves $24.46, $2.59 less.
Link to this findingThe cheapest merchant of record keeps $0.81 less of a $29 sale than taking the card on Stripe directly ($27.05 vs $27.86). That gap buys sales tax and VAT handling and file delivery, which a plain Stripe account leaves to the seller.
Link to this findingOn a $19 Etsy sale, an order Etsy attributes to Offsite Ads leaves $13.89 instead of $16.74, $2.85 less.
Link to this findingPayhip: Payhip Free is cheapest below $967 of monthly sales, Payhip Plus from $967 and Payhip Pro from $3,500. Ko-fi: Ko-fi free tier is cheapest below $240 of monthly sales, Ko-fi Gold from $240.
Link to this findingIn this data, a buyer paying with a non-US card costs the seller $0.44 to $0.73 more on a $29 sale on the 4 platforms that list a surcharge (Stripe, PayPal, Lemon Squeezy and Polar); the top of that range is Stripe, whose non-US row here also includes currency conversion. Payhip and Ko-fi run on the seller's own Stripe or PayPal account, so the processor's surcharge applies there too.
Link to this finding
// payout by price
What the seller keeps at 6 prices
Each cell is the payout after fees, with the fee share in brackets. Rows marked with a monthly plan also cost that amount every month, so they are left out of the per-sale rankings above.
| Setup | Fee rule | $5 | $9 | $19 | $29 | $49 | $99 | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gumroad directMerchant of record | 10% + $0.50, 2.9% + $0.30 | $3.55(29.0%) | $7.04(21.8%) | $15.75(17.1%) | $24.46(15.7%) | $41.88(14.5%) | $85.43(13.7%) | 2026-11-06 |
| Gumroad DiscoverMarketplace | 30% | $3.50(30.0%) | $6.30(30.0%) | $13.30(30.0%) | $20.30(30.0%) | $34.30(30.0%) | $69.30(30.0%) | 2026-11-06 |
| StripePayment processor | 2.9% + $0.30 | $4.55(9.0%) | $8.44(6.2%) | $18.15(4.5%) | $27.86(3.9%) | $47.28(3.5%) | $95.83(3.2%) | 2026-11-06 |
| Stripe, non-US card with currency conversionPayment processor | 2.9% + $0.30, 1.5%, 1% | $4.42(11.6%) | $8.21(8.8%) | $17.67(7.0%) | $27.13(6.5%) | $46.05(6.0%) | $93.35(5.7%) | 2026-11-06 |
| PayPal CheckoutPayment processor | 3.49% + $0.49 | $4.34(13.2%) | $8.20(8.9%) | $17.85(6.0%) | $27.50(5.2%) | $46.80(4.5%) | $95.05(4.0%) | 2026-11-06 |
| PayPal Checkout, international buyerPayment processor | 3.49% + $0.49, 1.5% | $4.26(14.8%) | $8.06(10.4%) | $17.56(7.6%) | $27.06(6.7%) | $46.06(6.0%) | $93.56(5.5%) | 2026-11-06 |
| Lemon SqueezyMerchant of record | 5% + $0.50 | $4.25(15.0%) | $8.05(10.6%) | $17.55(7.6%) | $27.05(6.7%) | $46.05(6.0%) | $93.55(5.5%) | 2026-11-06 |
| Lemon Squeezy, non-US card or PayPalMerchant of record | 5% + $0.50, 1.5% | $4.17(16.6%) | $7.91(12.1%) | $17.26(9.2%) | $26.61(8.2%) | $45.31(7.5%) | $92.06(7.0%) | 2026-11-06 |
| Payhip FreeHosted storefront | 5%, 2.9% + $0.30 | $4.30(14.0%) | $7.99(11.2%) | $17.20(9.5%) | $26.41(8.9%) | $44.83(8.5%) | $90.88(8.2%) | 2026-11-06 |
| Payhip PlusHosted storefront · $29/mo plan | 2%, 2.9% + $0.30 | $4.45(11.0%) | $8.26(8.2%) | $17.77(6.5%) | $27.28(5.9%) | $46.30(5.5%) | $93.85(5.2%) | 2026-11-06 |
| Payhip ProHosted storefront · $99/mo plan | 2.9% + $0.30 | $4.55(9.0%) | $8.44(6.2%) | $18.15(4.5%) | $27.86(3.9%) | $47.28(3.5%) | $95.83(3.2%) | 2026-11-06 |
| EtsyMarketplace | $0.20, 6.5%, 3% + $0.25 | $4.07(18.6%) | $7.69(14.6%) | $16.74(11.9%) | $25.79(11.1%) | $43.89(10.4%) | $89.14(10.0%) | 2026-09-21 |
| Etsy, sale from Offsite AdsMarketplace | $0.20, 6.5%, 3% + $0.25, 15% | $3.32(33.6%) | $6.34(29.6%) | $13.89(26.9%) | $21.44(26.1%) | $36.54(25.4%) | $74.29(25.0%) | 2026-09-21 |
| Ko-fi free tierHosted storefront | 5%, 2.9% + $0.30 | $4.30(14.0%) | $7.99(11.2%) | $17.20(9.5%) | $26.41(8.9%) | $44.83(8.5%) | $90.88(8.2%) | 2026-09-19 |
| Ko-fi GoldHosted storefront · $12/mo plan | 2.9% + $0.30 | $4.55(9.0%) | $8.44(6.2%) | $18.15(4.5%) | $27.86(3.9%) | $47.28(3.5%) | $95.83(3.2%) | 2026-09-19 |
| Polar StarterMerchant of record | 5% + $0.50 | $4.25(15.0%) | $8.05(10.6%) | $17.55(7.6%) | $27.05(6.7%) | $46.05(6.0%) | $93.55(5.5%) | 2026-11-06 |
| Polar Starter, non-US cardMerchant of record | 5% + $0.50, 1.5% | $4.17(16.6%) | $7.91(12.1%) | $17.26(9.2%) | $26.61(8.2%) | $45.31(7.5%) | $92.06(7.0%) | 2026-11-06 |
Etsy's Offsite Ads fee is 15% for shops under $10,000 a year (they can opt out) and 12%, no longer optional, above that. Polar Pro ($20/mo, 3.8% + $0.40) is left out because whether it pays off depends on order count, not just sales volume. Polar organisations created before 2026-05-27 keep a legacy Early Member rate of 4% + $0.40 per sale. New sellers cannot get it, so it is not counted here. Download every row as CSV.
// paid plans
When a paid plan becomes the cheaper one
- Payhip: Payhip Free at first, then Payhip Plus from $967 of monthly sales, then Payhip Pro from $3,500 of monthly sales.
- Ko-fi: Ko-fi free tier at first, then Ko-fi Gold from $240 of monthly sales.
// what the fee buys
Four kinds of platform, four kinds of fee
- Payment processor
- Moves the money and offers a hosted checkout. File delivery and sales tax filing are your job. Stripe and PayPal list processing rates only.
- Merchant of record
- Sells on your behalf, so it collects and remits sales tax and VAT. Lemon Squeezy and Polar describe themselves this way, and Gumroad says it has been one since 2025-01-01.
- Marketplace
- Brings its own buyers. Gumroad Discover (30%) and Etsy sales from Offsite Ads are the most expensive rows here; a standard Etsy sale costs less than Gumroad direct.
- Hosted storefront
- A shop page with checkout. Payhip says it collects and remits EU/UK VAT and US/Canadian sales tax; Ko-fi does not say it does. Neither calls itself a merchant of record.
// methodology
How the numbers were made
- Source: each platform's published fee schedule, read on the date shown. Etsy and Ko-fi block automated requests, so their dates are older and their figures were checked by hand.
- Formula: every percentage and fixed fee is applied to the sale price and rounded to the cent, the same code the free fee calculators use.
- Excluded: sales tax and VAT, refunds, chargebacks, payout fees, annual plan discounts, and currency conversion except where a row says so.
- Refresh: the page changes when a platform's fee schedule is re-read or changes.
- Gumroad: gumroad.com/pricing (read 2026-11-06)
- Stripe: stripe.com/pricing (read 2026-11-06)
- PayPal: www.paypal.com/us/business/paypal-business-fees (read 2026-11-06)
- Lemon Squeezy: www.lemonsqueezy.com/pricing (read 2026-11-06)
- Payhip: payhip.com/pricing (read 2026-11-06)
- Etsy (digital downloads): www.etsy.com/legal/fees/ (read 2026-09-21)
- Ko-fi: help.ko-fi.com/hc/en-us/articles/360005506873-What-is-Ko-fi-Gold (read 2026-09-19)
- Polar: polar.sh/resources/pricing (read 2026-11-06)
// cite this
Suggested citation
ToolGenX, “Digital Product Platform Fees 2026”, https://www.agentskillpacks.com/platform-fee-research, data as of November 2026. Licensed CC BY 4.0.
// faq
Questions about platform fees
How much do platform fees take from a $29 digital product sale?
On a $29 sale paid with a US card, the 10 per-sale fee setups leave the seller between $27.86 (Stripe, 3.9% in fees) and $20.30 (Gumroad Discover, 30.0%). The figures include card processing wherever the platform charges it on top.
Link to this answerWhy do fees take a bigger share of cheap digital products?
Most platforms add a fixed amount to every sale on top of the percentage, between $0.30 and $0.80 per sale in this data. At $5, 9 of the 10 per-sale setups take more than 10% of the price. At $49, 4 of 10 do, because the fixed part of most fees weighs less as the price rises.
Link to this answerWhen does a paid Payhip or Ko-fi plan pay for itself?
Payhip: Payhip Free is cheapest below $967 of monthly sales, Payhip Plus from $967 and Payhip Pro from $3,500. Ko-fi: Ko-fi free tier is cheapest below $240 of monthly sales, Ko-fi Gold from $240. The switch points use monthly list prices and the per-sale fees each plan removes.
Link to this answerIs Polar cheaper than Lemon Squeezy?
On a per-sale basis, no: Polar Starter and Lemon Squeezy both charge 5% + $0.50 per sale, so a $29 sale leaves $27.05 on either. Polar Pro ($20/mo, 3.8% + $0.40) is left out because whether it pays off depends on order count, not just sales volume. Polar organisations created before 2026-05-27 keep a legacy Early Member rate of 4% + $0.40 per sale. New sellers cannot get it, so it is not counted here.
Link to this answerHow were these fee numbers calculated?
Each setup runs the platform's published fee schedule through the same formula the ToolGenX fee calculators use: every percentage and fixed fee is applied to the sale price and rounded to the cent. The schedules were last read between 2026-09-19 and 2026-11-06. Taxes, refunds, chargebacks and payout fees are left out.
Link to this answerRun your own price
The platform fee comparison takes any price. Single-platform calculators: Gumroad, Stripe, PayPal, Lemon Squeezy, Payhip, Etsy (digital downloads), Ko-fi.