Gumroad vs. Payhip vs. Shopify: Best Platforms for Selling Online Courses & Coaching Programs
Selling your online course, coaching program, digital workbook, or lesson plan doesn't need a complex website. Gumroad and Payhip are made for coaches, tutors, and course creators. They help you get your first student or client quickly and cost less than Shopify for simple digital offerings.
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The Quick Answer
Choose Gumroad if you want the fastest way to sell your online course or coaching session with built-in ways for new students to find you. Choose Payhip if you want no monthly fees and lower selling fees than Gumroad's free plan. Choose Shopify only if you also plan to sell physical items like textbooks or branded merchandise alongside your digital education products.
Side-by-Side Breakdown
Gumroad offers a free plan (10% fee per sale) or a $10/month plan (5% fee). It has a 'Discover' tab to help new students find your courses, a built-in referral program for clients, and supports recurring coaching subscriptions or membership communities. Payhip has a free plan (5% fee per sale) or paid plans from $29-99/month (0% fee). It handles EU VAT for international students, allows print-on-demand for physical workbooks, and has lower fees on its free plan compared to Gumroad. Shopify costs $39/month plus extra apps for delivering your digital course materials. It's best for stores that mix physical products with online courses.
When to Choose Gumroad
You are a coach, tutor, or course creator who sells directly to students or clients. You want to be discovered through Gumroad's 'Discover' feature and benefit from their existing community of learners. You sell pre-recorded video courses, digital workbooks, masterclass recordings, or one-on-one coaching sessions. You want to offer pay-what-you-can pricing for workshops or pre-sell future courses.
When to Choose Payhip
You want the same easy setup as Gumroad but with lower fees on the free plan (5% vs 10%). You sell to students in Europe and want automatic VAT handling for your course sales. You want to sell physical study guides or branded items alongside your digital courses. You are sensitive to costs and plan to launch your first online course or coaching package before committing to monthly fees.
When to Choose Shopify
Your online courses or coaching programs are one part of a bigger business that also sells physical products, like branded journals, equipment, or physical textbooks. You already have a Shopify store for physical products and want to add downloadable course materials or digital access keys using an app. You need a full, branded online school or academy website with custom design, rather than simple product pages for your offerings.
The Verdict
For coaches and educators launching their first online course or digital product, Payhip's free plan with 5% fees is the best place to start. Gumroad wins when you want to find new students or clients through its audience network. Shopify is too much for purely digital course sales — save the $39/month and start with platforms built for creators like you.
How to Get Started
For Gumroad: sign up at gumroad.com, create a product (e.g., '30-Minute Coaching Call' or 'Intro to Coding Course'), upload your video or PDF, set your price, and your product page is live in under 30 minutes. For Payhip: sign up at payhip.com, add a product (e.g., 'Digital Workbook' or 'Online Workshop Replay'), set up your store page, and connect PayPal or Stripe. Both platforms handle delivery of your course materials or digital files automatically after a purchase.
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Does Gumroad handle taxes?
Gumroad collects and remits US sales tax and EU VAT on behalf of sellers as their merchant of record. This is a significant advantage for creators who do not want to manage tax compliance themselves.
Can I use my own domain on Gumroad?
Yes. Gumroad allows custom domains on the $10/month plan. Your store can be at store.yourdomain.com instead of yourbrand.gumroad.com.
Is Payhip really free?
Yes. Payhip's free plan lets you sell unlimited products with no monthly fee. They take 5% of each sale. The paid plans reduce this fee to 2% (Plus at $29/month) or 0% (Pro at $99/month).