Platform Break-Even Calculator
Enter your product price and monthly sales, and compare what Gumroad, Gumroad Discover, Etsy, Payhip, Whop, Ko-fi and Stripe leave in your pocket — per sale, per month, and at which volume one platform starts beating another. Rates checked October 2026; every one is editable.
Your product
Platforms to compare
Net payout, ranked
| Platform | Fees / sale | Net / sale | Net / month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your own site (Stripe)Best net | $1.14 | $27.86 | $1,392.95 |
| Payhip (free plan) | $2.59 | $26.41 | $1,320.45 |
| Etsy | $3.21 | $25.80 | $1,289.75 |
| Gumroad (direct sale) | $4.54 | $24.46 | $1,222.95 |
| Gumroad (Discover sale) | $8.70 | $20.30 | $1,015.00 |
Net per month, visualized
None of the selected platforms charges a monthly fee, so volume never flips this ranking — Your own site (Stripe) keeps the most at every sales level, and the differences here are per sale, not per month. Turn on a plan with a subscription (Payhip Plus) to see a crossover.
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How the break-even calculator works
Fees per sale = Price x (Platform % + Processing %) + Fixed fees Net per sale = Price - Fees per sale Net per month = Net per sale x Sales - Monthly subscription Crossover volume = Monthly fee difference / Net-per-sale difference
The crossover answers the only volume question that matters: two platforms where one charges a monthly fee and the other takes more per sale split the month at a specific sales count. Solve it once and you know which plan to be on before you list. Platforms with no monthly fee can never lose to volume — their ranking is fixed per sale.
Default rates (checked October 2026)
| Platform | Fees per sale | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| Gumroad (direct) | 10% + $0.50, plus card processing 2.9% + $0.30 (US) | $0 |
| Gumroad (Discover) | Flat 30%, processing included | $0 |
| Etsy (US) | $0.20 listing + 6.5% transaction + 3% + $0.25 processing | $0 |
| Payhip (free plan) | 5% + Stripe/PayPal processing (2.9% + $0.30) | $0 |
| Payhip (Plus plan) | 2% + processing | $29 |
| Whop | 3% platform fee (automation-gated sales) + 2.7% + $0.30 processing (US) | $0 |
| Ko-fi (shop, free plan) | 5% + Stripe/PayPal processing (2.9% + $0.30) | $0 |
| Your own site (Stripe) | 2.9% + $0.30 (US) | $0 |
Sources: Gumroad pricing, Etsy fees, Payhip pricing, Whop fees, Ko-fi's plans and Stripe US pricing. Rates change and vary by country and plan, so check your own dashboard before you set prices.
- Not included: sales tax and VAT, currency conversion, payout or transfer fees, refunds, chargebacks, ads, and your own site costs (hosting, domain, email).
- Gumroad's 5% + $0.50 volume tier for direct sales is not modeled; if your month crosses Gumroad's published threshold, lower the direct fee by hand.
- Whop's 3% applies to sales gated through automations such as Discord or Telegram. For a plain download, edit it to 0.
FAQ
Which platform keeps the most per sale on a digital product?
On a $29 product with October 2026 presets: about $27.86 net on your own site with Stripe, $27.05 on Whop (counting its 3% automation fee), $26.41 on Payhip's free plan, $25.80 on Etsy, $24.46 on Gumroad direct, and $20.30 on a Gumroad Discover sale. Per sale, low-fee platforms win. What the percentages buy you — a marketplace audience, tax handling, storefront — is the part a calculator cannot decide.
At what sales volume does Payhip Plus beat the free plan?
On a $29 product, about 34 sales a month. The Plus plan saves 3% of each sale ($0.87) but costs $29 a month, and $29 ÷ $0.87 ≈ 34. Set the crossover yourself: the calculator solves units = monthly fee difference ÷ net-per-sale difference for every selected pair.
Is Gumroad's 30% Discover fee worth paying?
Only on sales Discover brings you. A $29 product nets $20.30 through Discover versus $24.46 through a direct link, so each Discover sale costs $4.16 more. If that buyer searched Discover and would never have found you, it is fair marketing spend. If the buyer was already yours, list the product but send your own traffic through direct links.
What does Etsy charge for digital downloads?
With the default US rates: $0.20 listing fee, 6.5% transaction fee, and 3% + $0.25 payment processing — $2.35 on a $20 download. Offsite Ads, when a sale comes from one of Etsy's ads, add 12–15% (capped at $100 per order) and are not included in the presets; raise the platform fee to model them.
Does this include sales tax and VAT?
No. Gumroad acts as merchant of record and handles sales tax and VAT worldwide. Etsy collects tax where marketplace laws require it. Payhip handles EU/UK VAT; with Whop, Ko-fi and your own Stripe site, tax is your responsibility. Two platforms can show the same net here and still differ once tax filing work is priced in.
My payout numbers do not match a preset.
Every rate is editable — open the platform's settings and match your dashboard. Rates were checked in October 2026 and differ by country, plan and card type; processing rates in particular change outside the US.