A $20 digital sale costs $2.35 on Etsy and $3.38 on Gumroad under the US card-payment assumptions below. That is a $1.03 difference before advertising and other costs. Whether either storefront earns more depends on the customers you can acquire and the product you deliver.
For a broader platform decision, read which platform fits your digital product. This guide focuses on the fee calculation.
The assumptions behind these examples
Checked September 21, 2026. Each example is one digital item in one order, a US seller, USD pricing and standard card processing. There is no shipping charge. Taxes, currency conversion, refunds, optional services, account-specific discounts and advertising are excluded.
Etsy includes one $0.20 listing charge per sold item. Listing charges also apply to unsold listings and renewals, so a catalog with poor sell-through costs more than these examples suggest. A one-time shop setup fee may apply. Payment processing depends on the seller’s country.
Gumroad uses its standard direct-sale platform fee plus separate card processing. PayPal and Discover are different cases. High-volume or custom account fees may also differ.
Three sale prices, with every baseline fee included
| Sale price | Etsy listing | Etsy transaction | Etsy US processing | Etsy total | Gumroad platform | Gumroad card processing | Gumroad total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $5 | $0.20 | $0.325 | $0.40 | $0.93 | $1.00 | $0.445 | $1.45 |
| $20 | $0.20 | $1.30 | $0.85 | $2.35 | $2.50 | $0.88 | $3.38 |
| $100 | $0.20 | $6.50 | $3.25 | $9.95 | $10.50 | $3.20 | $13.70 |
Totals round to cents. At $5, intermediate values retain the half-cent to make the calculation visible; the final transaction export remains the reference for settlement rounding.
On $100, the baseline amount left is $90.05 on Etsy and $86.30 on Gumroad. These are amounts after the listed fees, not profit: acquisition, production, support and tax costs remain.
Order count changes the monthly calculation
Do not apply a percentage and one fixed fee to an entire month’s sales. Fixed charges occur on each transaction.
For 30 orders at $100, baseline costs are $298.50 on Etsy and $411.00 on Gumroad. The difference is $112.50. Thirty orders at a lower price will have a different effective fee rate, even if a larger number of orders produces the same monthly revenue.
Build your own forecast from expected orders and average order value. Then add unsold listing renewals, acquisition costs and any recurring tools you use.
When acquisition fees change the result
Etsy Offsite Ads can add 15% or 12% to attributed orders, depending on the shop’s applicable tier. A $20 order with a 15% Offsite Ads charge adds $3.00 to the $2.35 baseline, producing $5.35 before other excluded costs. Check the current participation and attribution rules for your shop.
A Gumroad Discover sale uses a 30% fee including processing: $6.00 on a $20 sale. Do not add the direct-sale processing fee to that figure.
A marketplace sale and a sale from your newsletter have different acquisition economics. Compare channels separately instead of treating one platform-wide rate as your actual margin.
How an existing seller can test the choice
- Pick a product whose delivery requirements fit both platforms.
- Calculate contribution after fees, refunds and acquisition for each channel.
- Track support and storefront maintenance time.
- Compare the same period and explain any differences in traffic source or promotions.
Do not assume that marketplace access guarantees sales or that moving a catalog preserves demand. A small pilot provides better evidence than a platform’s total audience size.
For the Gumroad side, compare analytics and competitor research tools. Use public estimates to shortlist comparable products, then validate your offer with your own customer and sales evidence. InsightRaider does not reveal competitors’ actual profit.
Frequently asked questions
Is Etsy cheaper than Gumroad?
Under the standard US card-sale assumptions above, yes. That does not establish a universal profit advantage. Advertising, processing country, listing renewals and account-specific terms can change the result.
Does Gumroad’s advertised platform fee include card processing?
Its help center lists card processing separately for standard direct sales. Discover’s rate includes processing. Use the route that actually generated the order.
Can I use these figures outside the US?
Use the method, but replace the payment-processing assumptions with the rate for your country. Check currency conversion and any applicable local fees as well.