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E-commerce · head to head

Gumroad vs PayPal

G

Gumroad

E-commerce

Sell your stuff, see what sticks

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
PayPal logo

PayPal

Personal Finance

The simpler, safer way to pay and get paid

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Gumroad charges a 10 percent plus $0.50 transaction fee on direct sales, rising to 30 percent on sales made through its Discover marketplace; PayPal currency conversion on international purchases and sends carries a 4.00 percent fee, and 3.00 percent in other conversion scenarios

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Gumroad and PayPal actually diverge.

Attributes where Gumroad and PayPal differ
AttributeGumroadPayPal
Starting priceOn request$29/month
Pricing modelsubscriptionusage-based
PlatformsWebWeb, Ios, Android, Api
CategoryE-commercePersonal Finance
FoundedUnknown1998

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Gumroad

Nothing recorded that PayPal does not also cover.

Only in PayPal

  • Payment processing
  • PayPal Checkout
  • Invoicing
  • Business debit card
  • Working capital loans
  • Shopify
  • WooCommerce
  • BigCommerce

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Gumroad

No use cases recorded yet. See the Gumroad review.

PayPal

  • Paying online merchants without sharing card detailsnot Gumroad
  • Sending money to friends and family domestically and internationallynot Gumroad
  • Holding balances in multiple currencies for cross border purchasesnot Gumroad

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Gumroad

  • Charges a 10 percent plus $0.50 transaction fee on direct sales, rising to 30 percent on sales made through its Discover marketplace

PayPal

  • Currency conversion on international purchases and sends carries a 4.00 percent fee, and 3.00 percent in other conversion scenarios
  • Instant transfer to a bank or debit card costs 1.75 percent of the amount, with a minimum of 0.25 USD and a maximum of 25.00 USD
  • International personal transactions carry a 5.00 percent fee regardless of payment method, with a minimum of 0.99 USD and a maximum of 4.99 USD
  • Sending domestic personal payments funded by a credit card costs 2.90 percent plus a fixed fee of 0.49 USD
  • Instant transfers are capped at 25,000.00 USD per transaction

Pricing, plan by plan

Gumroad

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Gumroad review.

PayPal

$29/month
  • Standard$2.99/transaction
    • Card payments
    • PayPal checkout
    • Invoice payments

Which should you pick?

Choose Gumroad if

Nothing in the data separates Gumroad from PayPal on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Gumroad review

Choose PayPal if

  • You need payment processing.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
  • You also want paypal checkout.
PayPal review

Questions people ask

Is Gumroad or PayPal better?
Neither clearly leads. Gumroad starts at On request and PayPal at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Gumroad or PayPal?
Gumroad starts at On request and PayPal at $29/month.
Does Gumroad or PayPal run on more platforms?
Gumroad runs on Web. PayPal runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
What can Gumroad do that PayPal cannot?
PayPal covers Payment processing, PayPal Checkout, Invoicing, Business debit card.
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Related pages

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