Gumroad alternative with lower fees
By the Crato team · Prices checked Oct 5, 2026 · 4 min read
The short answer
Gumroad charges 10% plus 50¢ on each direct sale, and card processing comes on top of that. On a $19 product you keep about $15.75. On Crato's free plan you'd keep about $17.20 of the same sale.
That gap matters most on cheap products, because the 50¢ is charged on every sale no matter the price.
Gumroad is still the better pick if you want it to handle sales tax and VAT for you, or if you get real sales from its Discover marketplace. If neither applies, Crato's free plan keeps more of each sale.
What Gumroad costs
| Sale type | Gumroad's fee | Card fees |
|---|---|---|
| Sales from your own link (direct) | 10% + 50¢ | On top |
| Sales from Gumroad Discover | 30% | Included |
No monthly fee. Payouts have a $10 minimum, and each sale is held for at least 7 days before it can be paid out. For a full breakdown, see our Gumroad fees guide.
What Crato costs
| Plan | Monthly | Fee per sale |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 5% |
| Pro | $19 | 0% |
Card processing is charged by Stripe on top. Your money goes into your own Stripe account, so payouts follow Stripe's schedule to your bank. There's no Crato balance.
One sale, three prices
| Product price | Keep on Gumroad (direct) | Keep on Crato Free |
|---|---|---|
| $9 | $7.04 | $7.99 |
| $19 | $15.75 | $17.20 |
| $49 | $41.88 | $44.83 |
*After platform fees and US card fees (2.9% + 30¢). Discover sales on Gumroad keep 70% of the price instead.*
A whole month
| Your month | Gumroad | Crato Free | Crato Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 sales × $9 ($90) | $70 | $80 | $65 |
| 10 sales × $19 ($190) | $157 | $172 | $162 |
| 30 sales × $29 ($870) | $734 | $792 | $817 |
| 20 sales × $49 ($980) | $838 | $897 | $927 |
*After platform fees and US card fees. Rounded to the nearest dollar.*
Crato Pro starts beating Crato Free once you sell more than about $380 a month. You can switch plans any time.
Work out your own number
Every plan on this page, at your price and your volume.
Your product costs
And this many sell in a month
- Crato Freeours5% a sale$172
- Crato Proours$19 a month, 0% a sale$162$10 less
- Gumroad10% + 50¢ a sale, held 7 days$157$15 less
After each platform’s fee, any per-sale flat fee, card processing at 2.9% + 30¢, and the monthly plan price. Monthly billing, not yearly. Rounded to the nearest dollar.
Side by side
| Gumroad | Crato | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly price | $0 | $0 or $19 |
| Fee per direct sale | 10% + 50¢ | 5% on Free, 0% on Pro |
| Payout timing | $10 minimum, 7-day hold per sale | Stripe pays out to your bank on its schedule |
| Handles sales tax and VAT for you | Yes | No, you're the seller |
| Marketplace that sends buyers | Yes (Discover, 30% fee) | No |
| Digital downloads | Yes | Yes |
| Courses and memberships | Yes | Yes |
| 1:1 calls | Yes | Yes, plus live group sessions |
| Print-on-demand merch | No | Yes, printed and shipped for you |
| Storefront | Profile page with your products | Built for phones, made for your bio link |
Where Gumroad is better
- It handles tax for you. Since January 2025, Gumroad acts as the merchant of record for sales tax and VAT. That's real work off your plate, especially if you sell to buyers in Europe. On Crato you're the seller, so tax is your responsibility.
- Discover. Gumroad has a marketplace that can send buyers you didn't bring yourself. The fee is 30%, but a sale you wouldn't have made is still a sale.
- It's been around since 2011. Lots of creators, lots of answers online.
- Simple for files. If you only sell one PDF and never want to think about it again, Gumroad does that well.
Where Crato is different
Lower fees on every sale. 5% on the free plan, 0% on Pro, and no 50¢ added to each sale.
No balance to wait on. Payments land in your own Stripe account, then your bank. No 7-day hold on our side, no minimum to reach.
Merch next to your downloads. Tees, hoodies, mugs and totes with your designs, printed and shipped for you, in the same store as your guides, courses, calls and memberships.
Made for your bio link. The store is designed to be opened from Instagram or TikTok on a phone, which is where most creator sales start.
A listing from one sentence. Describe what you sell and Crato drafts the title, description and a price to start from.
Who should switch, and who shouldn't
Crato is probably a better fit if you:
- sell mostly to your own audience, not from Discover
- sell low-priced products, where 50¢ a sale hurts most
- want merch next to your downloads
- don't like waiting on payout holds
Gumroad is probably a better fit if you:
- want sales tax and VAT handled for you
- get a meaningful share of sales from Discover
- sell a single file and want the simplest possible setup
Moving over
- Build a free Crato store. No card needed.
- Re-upload your top product. Crato can draft the listing from a sentence.
- Swap your bio link, or keep both running and compare for a month.
- Your past Gumroad buyers stay on Gumroad. Let your email list know where new products live.
FAQ
What percentage does Gumroad take? 10% plus 50¢ on direct sales, with card processing on top. On Discover sales it's 30%, with processing included.
Is there a cheaper alternative to Gumroad? For direct sales, yes. Crato's free plan takes 5% with no per-sale flat fee. Payhip's free plan also takes 5%.
Does Gumroad hold payouts? Gumroad holds each sale for at least 7 days and pays out once you're over $10.
Does Crato handle sales tax like Gumroad? No. On Crato you're the seller, so sales tax and VAT are yours to handle. If that's a big deal for you, Gumroad's merchant of record setup is a real advantage.
Can I sell merch on Crato? Yes, print-on-demand tees, hoodies, mugs and totes, printed and shipped for you.
Sources
- Gumroad fees (help center): gumroad.com/help/article/66-gumroads-fees (checked Oct 5, 2026)
- Gumroad pricing: gumroad.com/pricing (checked Oct 5, 2026)
- Gumroad payouts (help center): gumroad.com/help (search "payouts"; checked Oct 5, 2026)
- Gumroad calls: gumroad.com/help/article/70-can-i-sell-services
- Stripe US pricing: stripe.com/pricing
- Crato pricing: crato.store/pricing
Changelog: Oct 5, 2026: First published.