Creator Unit Math · take-home math for digital sellers
What do you actually keep per sale?
Enter your price, the buyer's country and how they pay. See your net take-home on Gumroad, Payhip and Lemon Squeezy side by side — platform fee, payment processing and EU VAT broken out — so you know which storefront leaves you the most per sale.
Leaves you the most per sale · Lemon Squeezy
$27.05
per sale · of $29.00 — Spread of $2.59 per sale between the best and worst rankable option.
| Storefront | Platform fee | Processing | VAT (Payhip remits) | Net per sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Payhip ProPayhip handles digital EU/UK VAT · $99/moNeeds a monthly volume to rank fairly (fixed fee) | $0.00 | $1.14 | — | $27.86 |
| Payhip PlusPayhip handles digital EU/UK VAT · $29/moNeeds a monthly volume to rank fairly (fixed fee) | $0.58 | $1.14 | — | $27.28 |
| Lemon SqueezyBestMerchant of Record | $1.95 | VAT collected + remitted by the platform | — | $27.05 |
| Payhip FreePayhip handles digital EU/UK VAT | $1.45 | $1.14 | — | $26.41 |
| GumroadLowestMerchant of Record | $3.40 | VAT collected + remitted by the platform | — | $24.46 |
Break-even: when a paid Payhip tier beats Free
Payhip Plus ($29/mo, 2%) and Pro ($99/mo, 0%) only pay off above a sales volume. At $29.00 each:
- Payhip Plus saves $0.87/sale vs Free — breaks even at 34 sales/month.
- Payhip Pro saves $1.45/sale vs Free — breaks even at 69 sales/month.
How much do you actually keep selling a digital product?
On a $29 download you do not keep $29. As of 2026-10-24, a creator selling via their own link keeps roughly $24.46 on Gumroad (10% + $0.50 platform fee plus 2.9% + $0.30 card processing, billed separately per Gumroad's help center; Gumroad is Merchant of Record for VAT), about $27.05 on Lemon Squeezy (5% + $0.50, all-in, Merchant of Record), and around $26.41 on Payhip Free (5% + Stripe US 2.9% + $0.30) for a US buyer with no EU VAT. Payhip also collects, reports and remits digital EU/UK VAT by default. For an EU buyer with VAT included in the price, that VAT reduces the payout; Payhip charges its percentage on the price excluding VAT, while processing applies to the full amount charged. Run your exact price below.
Why your sticker price is not your bank deposit: each sale runs down a payout stub as deductions — the platform fee, payment processing, and the VAT or sales tax deducted — before it lands as your net payout. Platform-fee ranges here are educational bands from each storefront's published pricing, not a quoted rate for your account; the calculator computes your exact figures.
Official sources: Gumroad pricing · Payhip pricing · Payhip digital EU/UK VAT · Payhip tax remittance · Lemon Squeezy pricing · Lemon Squeezy fees · EU VAT rates
Illustration only — enter your price below for the real per-platform figures.
Estimate, not financial or tax advice
This tool is an estimate to help you compare storefronts. It is not financial, tax or accounting advice, and it is not an adviser. Fees, processing rates and VAT change and vary by country, card type and account; confirm the current numbers on each platform's pricing page and with a qualified professional before deciding.
How the math works
Who collects and remits VAT
Gumroad and Lemon Squeezy are Merchants of Record: they collect and remit tax added to the product price. Lemon Squeezy charges its percentage on the order total including tax, so tax increases that fee. Gumroad's standard 10% + $0.50 excludes card processing of 2.9% + $0.30, included separately here. Payhip acts as reseller for digital EU/UK VAT and collects, reports and remits it by default, regardless of seller registration. Stripe or PayPal processing is separate from Payhip's percentage.
How EU VAT is modelled
EU VAT uses the buyer-country standard rate. Gumroad and Lemon Squeezy assume VAT added on top of the entered product price. Lemon Squeezy's fee uses that tax-inclusive total: a $20 product bought in France adds $4 VAT; 6.5% of $24 plus $0.50 leaves $17.94. Payhip instead treats the entered price as VAT-inclusive when EU VAT is enabled: VAT = price - price / (1 + VAT rate). Its percentage applies before VAT, while processing applies to the full charge. The toggle affects Payhip only. Non-EU taxes are not modelled.
The fee figures
Gumroad standard direct sales: 10% + $0.50 plus card processing of 2.9% + $0.30. After $20,000 in paid sales in a calendar month, new direct sales use 5% + $0.50 until the monthly reset; this discount is not modelled because monthly volume does not identify cumulative paid sales or refunds. Payhip Free: 5%; Plus: $29/mo + 2%; Pro: $99/mo + 0%, before VAT. Lemon Squeezy: 5% + $0.50 on the total including tax, plus 1.5% outside the US and 1.5% for PayPal; both are included here. One-time sales only; its 0.5% subscription supplement, currency conversion and payout fees are not modelled. Payhip processing uses Stripe US 2.9% + $0.30 or standard EEA cards 1.5% + €0.25; PayPal US Checkout 3.49% + $0.49, plus 1.5% cross-border. These are regional pricing assumptions, not an account-specific quote.
Ko-fi is also an option but its current rates could not be verified against an official source on 2026-06-14, so it is left out of the numbers — verify on ko-fi.com/pricing if you use it.
Frequently asked questions
- Why don't I keep the full price I set?
- Every storefront takes a platform fee, most sales carry payment processing, and EU buyers add VAT. On a $29 product the take-home lands roughly $24–$27 depending on the storefront and the buyer's country. This tool breaks out each piece so you can see exactly where the money goes.
- What is a Merchant of Record and why does it matter?
- A Merchant of Record is the legal seller and remits tax collected from the buyer. With tax added on top, the product price remains the seller's base, but Lemon Squeezy's percentage fee includes that tax in its base. Gumroad's card processing is charged separately. Payhip handles digital EU/UK VAT by default, with payment processing charged separately.
- How is EU VAT handled here?
- Payhip collects, reports and remits digital EU/UK VAT by default, independently of your VAT registration. For the EU countries modelled here, VAT included in the price is deducted from the gross payout. Payhip charges its percentage on the price excluding VAT; processing still uses the full amount charged. The toggle models VAT applied or a no-VAT scenario. UK VAT rates are not included in this calculator.
- Where do the fee numbers come from?
- Each percentage and fixed fee is taken from the platform's own published pages and verified on 2026-10-24: Gumroad's pricing page (platform fee) and help center (card-processing fee), Payhip and Lemon Squeezy for storefront fees, Stripe and PayPal for processing, and the European Commission for VAT rates. The sources are linked above the calculator and in the methodology.
- Which fees are included and which are outside this estimate?
- Lemon Squeezy includes its base fee, the 1.5% international supplement and the 1.5% PayPal supplement on the order total including modelled EU VAT. Subscriptions, non-EU taxes, currency conversion and payout fees are outside this estimate. Gumroad uses the standard direct-sale rate; its automatic high-volume discount is not modelled. Confirm the figures for your account before choosing a platform.
- When is Payhip Plus or Pro worth the monthly fee?
- Plus ($29/mo, 2%) and Pro ($99/mo, 0%) only beat Payhip Free once your volume is high enough that the lower percentage repays the monthly fee. The break-even section shows the exact monthly sales count at your price; below it, Free keeps you more.
- Is this tax or financial advice?
- No. It is an estimate to help you compare storefronts. Fees and tax rules change and vary by country and account type — confirm current numbers on each platform's pricing page and with a qualified professional before deciding.