Choose around your product and how you will reach buyers. These eight alternatives include marketplaces and storefronts, with different fees and responsibilities.
Written by Bookstorez, one of the services compared. Primary sources checked 18 October 2026.
Eight alternatives at a glance
Fees below are a starting point, not a total-cost ranking. The $10 balances use a US seller, domestic card and pre-tax USD price, before subscriptions, ads, refunds or other costs. Where a comparable rate is not established here, we link the current tariff rather than invent a number.
| Platform | Useful for | $10 sale / pricing basis | Discovery, tax and payouts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bookstorez (ours) | Ebooks, guides and printables; storefront, AI ebook creation and paid-plan featuring | $8.50 on Free; 12% + 30¢ | Browsable marketplace; seller of record; monthly cleared payouts. Terms |
| Payhip | Hosted download shops | $8.91 on Free with standard US Stripe; paid plans available | Marketplace eligibility applies; published tax coverage; payments sent after a transaction. Pricing · Marketplace |
| Etsy | Printable sellers seeking marketplace browsing | $8.60 with one listing fee | Marketplace; applicable digital VAT collection; country-specific payout rules. Fees · Payments |
| Lemon Squeezy | Digital products needing merchant-of-record checkout | $9.00 at the base 5% + $0.50 rate; additional fees can apply | Merchant of record; review product approval and payout rules. Pricing |
| Sellfy | A hosted shop for an existing audience | Subscription and processor costs; see current billing options | Bring an audience; verify tax and payment arrangements. Pricing |
| Ko-fi | Creators with existing supporters | Shop and processing charges; check the current tariff | Creator page promoted to your supporters; review tax and payout setup. Features |
| Shopify | A broader shop you manage yourself | Subscription, payment rate and any download-app costs | Your own shop; choose payment and tax setup for your country. Pricing |
| Stan Store | Creators selling through their profile link | Creator $29/month or Creator Pro $99/month, plus payment costs | Audience-led storefront; check payment and tax arrangements. Plan details |
Why compare alternatives to Gumroad?
For a standard direct $10 card sale, Gumroad's 10% + $0.50 platform fee and 2.9% + $0.30 processing leave $7.91. Discover uses 30% including processing. Its direct percentage drops for subsequent sales after $20,000 in paid sales in a calendar month. Gumroad's own fee explanation.
Costs are one reason to compare. File limits, product approval, payout timing and how you will reach buyers may matter more. This guide does not rate support teams or promise that changing platforms will increase sales.
Bookstorez: our own marketplace
We run Bookstorez. Free supports 3 live products, with no monthly payment or card needed to start. We're the seller of record. No extra cut for marketplace sales. Payouts are monthly on the 15th once $50 has cleared, with smaller-balance and clearance rules in the terms. It fits creators wanting a catalogue place for ebooks, guides and printables; product limits and payout timing may make another option a better fit.
What Bookstorez includes beyond the selling fee
Create ebooks, build your storefront and promote your digital products in one place. Bookstorez brings creation tools, marketplace browsing and featured-product placements together, with clear fees and plans to suit your shop.
Your own storefront and a marketplace
Give buyers a shop link for your ebooks, guides and printables, with product pages and download delivery. Eligible products can also be discovered in the Bookstorez catalogue, with no extra marketplace commission.
Built-in AI ebook generator
Create your own ebooks with the Bookstorez AI generator. Free includes 1 generated ebook per month with a watermark; Creator includes 2 and Pro 5 per month without a watermark. Review, edit and fact-check your book before publishing.
Featured products on Creator and Pro
Creator includes 1 featured week per calendar month; Pro includes 4. Use your allowance to put products in featured placements across the site. Featuring gives products additional visibility, without guaranteeing visits or sales.
Compare the Free, Creator and Pro features and allowances. Paid plans have a subscription, included in our calculator; creation and promotion benefits are not assigned a cash value in the fee results.
Payhip: compare the low-cost starting plan
Payhip Free leaves more than Bookstorez Free in the $10 example. Its pricing page lists a 5% platform fee plus payment processing and published tax coverage. Its marketplace has eligibility and approval requirements. Compare Payhip vs Gumroad and read its current plans.
Etsy: browseable products, separate advertising costs
Etsy has a marketplace, but listing fees apply even without a sale. Payment processing varies by country. An ordinary marketplace order is not automatically an Offsite Ads order; attributed ads add a separate charge. Read Etsy alternatives for digital downloads.
Lemon Squeezy: merchant-of-record checkout
The base fee includes its merchant-of-record service. Additional charges can change your total, so check country, payment method, product acceptance and payout rules on the linked pricing page. A base $10 example is not a guarantee of your eventual payout.
Sellfy: a shop you promote
Consider Sellfy when you want to build a hosted shop and bring visitors to it. Compare the current billing period, revenue allowance and processor fees on its plans page. A subscription can be expensive before you have regular sales.
Ko-fi: start with your supporters
Ko-fi explicitly describes a model where you bring your audience. Its features combine creator support with selling tools. Check the charges for the activity you need; tips, memberships and shop sales need not have identical fee treatment.
Shopify: more control, more choices to manage
Consider Shopify when downloads sit alongside a broader shop. You will need to choose file delivery and review payment, app and tax costs. Its pricing depends on country and plan, so this guide does not assume one worldwide rate.
Stan Store: selling from a creator profile
Stan offers Creator and Creator Pro subscriptions. Compare the features you will use against the recurring cost, and confirm processing and payout fees separately. Start with its official plan comparison.
Marketplace versus storefront
A storefront gives you somewhere to send a buyer. A marketplace also lets buyers browse across sellers. Some services offer both. Neither guarantees traffic or sales: check listing eligibility and plan how you will introduce your work.
A Gumroad alternative in the UK
Bookstorez is UK-run and is the seller of record. Gumroad and Lemon Squeezy also describe merchant-of-record services. Payhip publishes its own tax coverage. Compare each service's exact role instead of assuming all tax features are equivalent. Transaction-tax handling does not replace your own income records. Read the UK ebook guide and the platform's terms.
Use the fee calculator and full fee sources to compare your price and expected volume.
Questions
- Is there a free Gumroad alternative?
- Bookstorez Free and Payhip Free have no monthly fee, but charge on sales. Bookstorez Free includes 3 live products; compare file limits and processing costs before choosing.
- Which alternatives have a marketplace?
- Bookstorez and Etsy have browsable catalogues. Payhip also has a marketplace with eligibility and approval requirements. Marketplace access is not a guarantee of sales.
- Is Bookstorez a UK Gumroad alternative?
- Bookstorez is operated by Harber Glaves Trading Ltd in England and Wales and is the seller of record. UK sellers can receive bank payouts through Stripe, subject to the payout terms.
Make room for your work.
3 live products free · 12% + 30¢ a sale · tax and card fees included · paid monthly on the 15th, once $50 has cleared. Smaller balances carry over and are paid before waiting 90 days.
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