Etsy vs Payhip vs Ko-fi vs Gumroad fees on a $10, $20 and $50 sale

By Kitson Workshop · 3 October 2026 · 5 minute read

Every platform quotes its fees differently: a percentage here, a fixed charge there, a payment processor's cut somewhere else. The only fair comparison is to run the same sale through each one. Here are three typical digital-product prices, on each platform's free plan, for a US seller paid through PayPal where the platform uses it.

The fee rules we used

Rates as of September 2026, as used in our free fee calculator. Rates change, and currency conversion or international buyers can add more, so check each platform before you set prices.

What you keep

Fees rounded to the cent. The $50 Payhip and Ko-fi fee is exactly $4.735, so our calculator may show $45.27 kept.

Worked example: Etsy at $20

Transaction fee 6.5% of $20 = $1.30. Payment processing 3% of $20 = $0.60, plus $0.25. Listing fee $0.20. Total $2.35, so you keep $17.65.

What the numbers tell you

• The fixed charge hurts small prices most. On a $10 sale, fees take 13.4% to 15%. On a $50 sale, 9.5% to 11%. If you sell $5 items, the fixed part dominates.
• On these rules, Payhip and Ko-fi tie for the lowest fee at every price here, with Etsy close behind and Gumroad highest. The gaps are cents to under a dollar per sale.
• Fees aren't the whole story. A marketplace such as Etsy, or Gumroad's Discover, can bring buyers who would never find your own page (Gumroad charges a higher fee on sales that come through Discover, so check its current terms). On your own store page, most buyers are people you sent there yourself. One extra sale a month easily outweighs a few cents saved per sale.

Working backwards: the price to keep $20

Divide what you want to keep, plus the fixed fee, by one minus the percentage:

price = (target + fixed fee) / (1 - percent fee)

That only covers the fees. Most sellers also price in a buffer for taxes, refunds and the occasional chargeback; our calculator can cover the fees two, three or four times over to build that in.

For educational purposes only. Not financial, tax or legal advice. Fees are estimates from published rates as of September 2026; always confirm with each platform before you set prices. Etsy, Payhip, Ko-fi, Gumroad and PayPal have not made, sponsored or endorsed this article.