Gumroad charges nothing until you sell and then takes a cut of every sale. Teachable charges a monthly fee and, on its Builder plan and up, takes no platform cut at all.
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Table of Contents
- Why This Comparison Matters
- Quick Verdict
- Gumroad Overview
- Teachable Overview
- Head-to-Head: Pricing and Fees
- Worked Examples: What You Keep Each Month
- Head-to-Head: Course Features
- Head-to-Head: Ease of Use
- Payouts, Taxes and Who Owns the Customer
- Who Should Choose Gumroad?
- Who Should Choose Teachable?
- Migration Guide: Moving a Course from Gumroad to Teachable
- Frequently Asked Questions
- The Bottom Line
Why This Comparison Matters
Most course creators start by asking where to sell their first course. Two names come up quickly: Gumroad, the pay-per-sale storefront, and Teachable, the subscription course platform.
They price in opposite ways. Gumroad has no monthly fee and takes a percentage of each sale. Teachable charges a monthly plan fee and takes a smaller cut, or none, on each sale.
This guide works out where the cost lines cross, using fee figures taken from Gumroad’s and Teachable’s own pricing and help pages in November 2026. By the end, you will know which platform costs less at your sales volume and which one gives your students a better course experience.
Quick Verdict
Choose Gumroad if:
- You are selling your first course and do not know yet how many copies it will sell
- You make well under roughly $900 a month from courses
- You sell a mix of course, ebook, template and software products
- You want a storefront live today with no subscription to cancel later
Choose Teachable if:
- You sell $900 or more of courses each month, or expect to soon
- You want quizzes, drip schedules, completion certificates and student apps built in
- You run a course business with several products, bundles or memberships
- You want an affiliate program and upsells inside the course checkout
Both platforms let you test for little or nothing. Gumroad costs $0 until a sale, and Teachable has a 7-day free trial plus a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Gumroad Overview
Gumroad is a storefront and checkout for digital products: ebooks, templates, software, memberships and courses. It has no monthly fee. According to Gumroad’s pricing page, it charges 10% + $0.50 per transaction on sales through your profile or direct links.
Strengths:
- No subscription. A creator with zero sales pays $0.
- Gumroad acts as merchant of record and, since January 1, 2025, handles sales tax collection and remittance for its sellers.
- One account sells almost any digital format, including license keys for software and pay-what-you-want pricing.
- Direct-sale fees drop to 5% + $0.50 once your paid sales pass $20,000 in a calendar month.
Weaknesses:
- The percentage never goes away. A creator selling $5,000 a month still hands over 10% of it.
- Sales that come through Gumroad’s Discover marketplace carry a flat 30% fee.
- Course delivery is simpler than on dedicated course platforms. Gumroad’s site does not advertise quizzes, graded assessments or completion certificates.
Pricing summary: 10% + $0.50 per direct sale, 30% on Discover sales. Gumroad’s fee help article states that card processing (2.9% + $0.30) and PayPal fees are not included in the 10% + $0.50 direct-sale fee, while the 30% Discover fee includes processing.
Teachable Overview
Teachable is a hosted platform built for online courses, coaching, digital downloads and memberships. It has no free plan. Teachable’s pricing page lists three published plans in USD: Starter at $39/month, Builder at $89/month and Growth at $189/month when billed monthly.
Strengths:
- Builder and Growth charge a 0% transaction fee when you use Teachable Payments.
- Every plan, Starter included, lists drip course content, auto-graded quizzes, lesson comments and iOS and Android student apps. Certificates start on Growth.
- With Teachable Payments, Teachable handles U.S. sales tax, global VAT and GST for you.
- Annual billing cuts the price by about 22%, to $29, $69 and $139 a month.
Weaknesses:
- You pay the monthly fee whether or not you sell anything.
- Starter adds a 7.5% transaction fee on top of the subscription.
- Product caps apply: 5 products on Starter, 10 on Builder and 50 on Growth.
Pricing summary: $39 to $189 a month, plus card processing of 2.9% + 30¢ for U.S. cards. Starter also takes 7.5% of each sale.
Head-to-Head: Pricing and Fees
The table below lists the published fees on each platform as of November 2026. All figures are in USD.
| Fee Type | Gumroad | Teachable Starter | Teachable Builder | Teachable Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly fee (billed monthly) | $0 | $39 | $89 | $189 |
| Monthly fee (billed annually) | $0 | $29 | $69 | $139 |
| Platform fee per sale | 10% + $0.50 | 7.5% | 0% | 0% |
| U.S. card processing | 2.9% + $0.30 | 2.9% + 30¢ | 2.9% + 30¢ | 2.9% + 30¢ |
| Marketplace sale fee | 30% (Discover) | None | None | None |
| Product limit | No cap listed | 5 | 10 | 50 |
| Free trial | Free to start | 7 days | 7 days | 7 days |
A few more fees sit outside the main table. Teachable lists international card processing at 3.9% + 30¢, U.S. PayPal sales at 3.49% + 49¢, a $15 chargeback fee and an optional BackOffice fee of 2% to 2.8%. Gumroad’s help center lists PayPal fees as separate from its own 10% + $0.50.
Here’s the deal: Gumroad’s cost grows with every sale, while Teachable’s Builder cost stays nearly flat. That single difference decides which platform is cheaper for you.
Fees and plan prices change. Always confirm current rates on Gumroad’s pricing page and Teachable’s pricing page before you commit. This article is for general information and is not financial, legal or tax advice.
A Note on Teachable’s November Promotions
During November 2026, Teachable’s pricing page shows a Black Friday offer. Builder is $44.50 a month and Growth is $94.50 a month for the first 2 months on monthly billing, then they return to $89 and $189.
The worked examples below use the standard prices, because a promotion only lasts two months while a course business runs for years.
Worked Examples: What You Keep Each Month
These examples assume a $100 course paid with a U.S. card, monthly billing on Teachable and direct (non-Discover) sales on Gumroad. Each sale costs:
- Gumroad: $10.50 platform fee + $3.20 processing = $13.70 per sale
- Teachable Starter: $7.50 transaction fee + $3.20 processing = $10.70 per sale, plus $39 a month
- Teachable Builder: $3.20 processing = $3.20 per sale, plus $89 a month
| Monthly sales of a $100 course | Gumroad total fees | Teachable Starter total | Teachable Builder total | Cheapest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 sales ($300) | $41.10 | $71.10 | $98.60 | Gumroad |
| 5 sales ($500) | $68.50 | $92.50 | $105.00 | Gumroad |
| 10 sales ($1,000) | $137.00 | $146.00 | $121.00 | Builder |
| 20 sales ($2,000) | $274.00 | $253.00 | $153.00 | Builder |
| 50 sales ($5,000) | $685.00 | $574.00 | $249.00 | Builder |
Where the Lines Cross
Builder costs $10.50 less per sale than Gumroad. Divide the $89 Builder fee by $10.50 and you get about 8.5. From 9 sales of a $100 course a month (about $900 in revenue), Teachable Builder costs less than Gumroad.
On annual billing, Builder costs $69 a month. The crossover then drops to 7 sales, or about $700 a month.
Starter rarely wins. It saves $3.00 per sale against Gumroad, so it needs 13 sales a month to cover its $39 fee. By 7 sales, Builder is already cheaper than Starter. For most course sellers, the choice comes down to Gumroad or Teachable Builder.
At Higher Volume
At $5,000 a month, the gap is $436 in Teachable Builder’s favor. Over a year, that is $5,232.
Gumroad narrows the gap above $20,000 a month. Its help center says direct sales drop to 5% + $0.50 once a creator’s paid sales in a calendar month reach $20,000. Even at 5%, a $100 sale costs $5.50 in Gumroad fees before processing, while Teachable Builder charges nothing per sale beyond processing.
The Discover Exception
Sales that Gumroad’s Discover marketplace brings you cost 30%, processing included. That is $30 on a $100 course.
That fee buys you a buyer you did not have to find. Teachable has no comparable marketplace, so a course on Teachable sells only to traffic you bring yourself.
Head-to-Head: Course Features
Teachable is built around the course. Gumroad is built around the checkout.
| Feature | Gumroad | Teachable |
|---|---|---|
| Sell courses | Yes | Yes |
| Digital downloads | Yes | Yes |
| Memberships and subscriptions | Yes | Yes |
| Coaching products | Digital services listed | Yes |
| Drip course content | Not advertised | Yes |
| Auto-graded quizzes | Not advertised | Yes |
| Completion certificates | Not advertised | Growth plan and up |
| Student mobile apps | Not advertised | iOS and Android |
| Affiliate program | Yes | Builder plan and up |
| Upsells and cart recovery | Not advertised | All plans |
| Email to buyers | Broadcasts and automated workflows | Built-in email marketing |
| License keys for software | Yes | No |
| Pay-what-you-want pricing | Yes | Not advertised |
| Built-in marketplace | Discover | None |
Where Gumroad Wins
Gumroad sells almost any digital format from one account. You can price a course, an ebook and a Notion template side by side, offer pay-what-you-want pricing and issue software license keys.
Its email tools cover broadcasts and automated workflows. That is enough to send a welcome sequence and announce launches without a separate email service.
Where Teachable Wins
Teachable’s course player is the reason course creators pay for it. Drip schedules release lessons over time, quizzes grade themselves and lesson comments let students ask questions under each video.
If students need to finish your course, not just download it, Teachable’s built-in learning tools matter more than the fee gap. Completion certificates, available on Growth, matter for professional training such as compliance or continuing-education style courses.
Teachable’s iOS and Android apps also let students watch lessons on a phone. Gumroad’s site does not advertise a dedicated course app.
Head-to-Head: Ease of Use
Gumroad is faster to start. Its features page describes a short flow: open an account, add a product and start selling. A creator with a finished video folder can be selling within an hour.
Teachable takes longer because there is more to set up. You build a school, structure curriculum into sections and lessons, set pricing and connect payments. Most creators need an afternoon or two for their first course.
The trade-off reverses after launch. On Gumroad, a course is one product page with content attached. On Teachable, the school, student list, progress tracking and checkout live in one dashboard designed for running courses.
Neither platform needs code. Teachable’s Growth plan adds custom admin permissions and the option to remove Teachable branding, which matters once a course business has a team.
Payouts, Taxes and Who Owns the Customer
Payouts. Gumroad’s payout help page says creators can be paid daily, weekly, monthly or quarterly. Weekly, monthly and quarterly payouts need a $100 minimum balance, and each sale is held for at least 7 days. Teachable’s pricing page lists daily payouts with Teachable Payments and monthly payouts through a monthly payment gateway.
Taxes. Both platforms take sales tax work off your plate. Gumroad says it has been merchant of record since January 1, 2025, collecting and remitting sales tax worldwide. Teachable lists U.S. sales tax, global VAT and GST handling when you sell through Teachable Payments.
Customer data. Both platforms let you keep your buyer list. Gumroad’s features page says you can export your followers and customers at any time. Teachable keeps student records inside your school, and its plan comparison lists bulk student imports on the Growth plan and up.
Who Should Choose Gumroad?
- First-time course creators who want to test demand before paying a monthly bill.
- Creators earning under about $900 a month from courses, where the per-sale fee costs less than a subscription.
- Mixed-catalog sellers who sell a course next to ebooks, templates, presets or software.
- Creators who want marketplace exposure and are willing to pay 30% on Discover sales for buyers they did not find.
- Short, download-style courses where students watch a few videos and do not need quizzes or progress tracking.
Who Should Choose Teachable?
- Course businesses doing $900 or more a month, where Builder’s flat fee beats Gumroad’s 10% + $0.50.
- Creators running long, structured programs that need drip content, quizzes and completion tracking.
- Professional training sellers who need completion certificates (Growth plan).
- Creators who want students learning on mobile through Teachable’s iOS and Android apps.
- Sellers who rely on affiliates and upsells, which Teachable builds into checkout from the Builder plan.
Migration Guide: Moving a Course from Gumroad to Teachable
Many creators start on Gumroad and move once sales grow. Here is a realistic path.
- Export your customer list. Download your customer and sales data from Gumroad as CSV.
- Start a Teachable trial. Use the 7-day trial to build the school before you pay.
- Rebuild the curriculum. Upload videos and files into sections and lessons. Add quizzes or drip schedules if you want them.
- Import existing students. Teachable lists bulk student imports on Growth and up; on lower plans, plan to enroll past buyers another way. Give past buyers free access so nobody pays twice.
- Recreate pricing and coupons. Set the same price, payment plans and any discount codes.
- Email past buyers. Send the new login link from Gumroad or your email tool, with a deadline after which the Gumroad version comes down.
- Update every link. Change links in your bio, newsletter, YouTube descriptions and website to the Teachable checkout.
Realistic timeframe: a single 20-lesson course usually takes 2 to 5 days to move, depending on how much you restructure. Keep the Gumroad product live but unlisted for a few weeks so late buyers still get access.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Gumroad cheaper than Teachable?
Gumroad is cheaper at low volume because it has no monthly fee. For a $100 course sold to U.S. card buyers, Teachable’s Builder plan becomes cheaper at about 9 sales a month on monthly billing, or 7 sales on annual billing.
What are Gumroad’s fees in 2026?
Gumroad charges 10% + $0.50 per sale through your profile or direct links, and 30% on sales through its Discover marketplace. Its help center says card processing of 2.9% + $0.30 is not included in the direct-sale fee.
How much does Teachable cost per month?
Teachable lists Starter at $39, Builder at $89 and Growth at $189 per month on monthly billing. Annual billing brings those to $29, $69 and $139 a month.
Does Teachable charge transaction fees?
Only the Starter plan has a transaction fee, at 7.5% per sale. Builder, Growth and Custom have 0% transaction fees when you use Teachable Payments, though standard payment processing fees still apply.
Does Teachable have a free plan?
No. Teachable describes itself as a paid service with a 7-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Can I sell courses on Gumroad?
Yes. Gumroad lists courses alongside ebooks, memberships and other digital products. Its site does not advertise quizzes, drip schedules or completion certificates, so it suits simpler video or download courses best.
Which platform is better for beginners?
Gumroad is easier for a first course because there is no subscription and setup takes minutes. Teachable takes longer to set up but gives beginners a structured course player once it is running.
Does Gumroad offer lower fees for big sellers?
Yes. Gumroad’s help center says direct sales drop to 5% + $0.50 once your paid sales in a calendar month reach $20,000. The discount resets on the 1st of each month and does not apply to Discover sales.
Do Gumroad and Teachable handle sales tax?
Both do. Gumroad says it has been merchant of record since January 1, 2025, and handles sales tax collection and remittance worldwide. Teachable lists U.S. sales tax, global VAT and GST handling when you sell through Teachable Payments.
How fast do I get paid on each platform?
Gumroad offers daily, weekly, monthly or quarterly payouts, with a $100 minimum and a 7-day hold on the non-daily schedules. Teachable lists daily payouts with Teachable Payments and monthly payouts through a monthly payment gateway.
Are there hidden fees on Teachable?
Teachable lists extra charges beyond the plan price: 3.9% + 30¢ on international cards, 3.49% + 49¢ on U.S. PayPal sales, a $15 chargeback fee and an optional BackOffice fee of 2% to 2.8%.
Can I use Gumroad and Teachable at the same time?
Yes. Some creators host their main course on Teachable and sell smaller products such as templates or ebooks on Gumroad. Keep in mind that you would pay both the Teachable plan and Gumroad’s per-sale fees.
The Bottom Line
Gumroad and Teachable charge you in opposite ways, so the cheaper platform depends on how much you sell.
If you are launching your first course or sell under about $900 a month, Gumroad costs less and asks for no commitment. If your courses bring in $900 or more a month, Teachable Builder keeps more of each sale and gives students quizzes, drip schedules and mobile apps that Gumroad does not advertise.
Plan for growth. A creator who expects to pass that line within a few months will save money by starting on Teachable instead of migrating later.
Compare Teachable with Kajabi if you want an all-in-one marketing suite, or see how Payhip stacks up against Gumroad for a lower-fee pay-per-sale option.
Related Articles
- Payhip vs Teachable: a free-plan course seller against Teachable’s subscription tiers.
- Teachable vs Thinkific: two dedicated course platforms compared on plan costs.
- Podia vs Gumroad: Which Costs Less for Creators (2026): Gumroad’s per-sale model against Podia’s flat plans.
Also see Teachable vs Podia, Sellfy vs Gumroad and Shopify vs Gumroad.
About This Research
Chloe Cruz has spent four years writing about eCommerce.
This comparison is based on Gumroad’s pricing page, features page and help center articles on fees and payouts, and on Teachable’s pricing page and plan comparison table, all checked in November 2026. The worked examples are calculated directly from those published rates.
Content reviewed and updated: 2026-11-15
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