Fee Calculator
Gumroad vs Payhip vs Lemon Squeezy vs Paddle — what do you actually keep?
Every digital-product platform quotes a headline rate. Few show what stacks on top of it. Enter your numbers below and compare total fees, effective rate, and monthly take-home across platforms.
Keep more of every sale
You connect your own Stripe — so your money, your customers, and their data stay yours. Some competitors act as merchant of record; Go!BrightCart uses a Stripe-direct model. See the full fee stack:
With Go!BrightCart you keep about
$5,550 more / year
vs. the priciest comparison row, on 125 orders/mo.
| Platform | Fees / mo | Effective rate | You keep / mo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Go!BrightCart (Grow)* | $282.50 | 5.7% | $4,717.50 |
| Gumroad (direct sales) | $745.00 | 14.9% | $4,255.00 |
| Payhip (Free plan)* | $432.50 | 8.6% | $4,567.50 |
| Lemon Squeezy | $312.50 | 6.3% | $4,687.50 |
| Paddle | $312.50 | 6.3% | $4,687.50 |
Go!BrightCart figures include Stripe standard processing (2.9% + $0.30) plus the plan's platform fee. Competitor figures are configured as estimated full payment/platform fee stacks from each provider's published rates as of August 2026 and may change. Estimate only — taxes and refunds vary. *Seller is merchant of record, like Go!BrightCart: payment processing stacks on top of the platform fee, and the seller is responsible for their own sales tax/VAT. Merchant-of-record rows may include tax/VAT handling or compliance under that provider's model, but extra fees and terms vary. Beyond fees: on Go!BrightCart your customer list and data are yours to keep and export.
What This Means For You
Know the real cost before you choose where to sell
A lower headline fee does not always mean you keep more, and a higher fee is not always wasted if it includes tax handling you actually need. Use the calculator to see the full fee stack, then choose based on your margins, sales volume, tax responsibilities, and how much control you want over the customer relationship.
Your take-home matters
Compare the effective rate and monthly take-home, not just the advertised percentage.
Tax handling has value
Merchant-of-record platforms may cost more because they handle sales tax and VAT for you.
Control has value too
With Go!BrightCart, payments go through your own Stripe account and the customer relationship stays yours.
How this calculator works
Some platforms are a merchant of record: they can take on tax/VAT or compliance work under their model, and their payment fee stack may be packaged differently from a Stripe-direct seller setup. Others, including Go!BrightCart and Payhip's free plan, are not a merchant of record: you connect your own Stripe (or PayPal) account, pay standard processing directly, and remain responsible for your own tax registration, calculation, and remittance. Comparing headline rates alone hides that difference. This calculator uses an estimated full payment/platform fee stack for each row so the table reflects what actually leaves your revenue.
What this calculator does not capture: currency conversion fees, chargebacks, refund handling differences, payout timing (some platforms hold funds for 7–13 days before payout), and the practical value of not having to register for sales tax or VAT yourself if you sell internationally at volume. Weigh those against the raw fee math for your situation.
Common questions
Why is Go!BrightCart cheaper than merchant-of-record platforms like Gumroad?
Go!BrightCart is not a merchant of record. You connect your own Stripe account, so you pay Stripe's standard processing rate directly plus one platform fee on top. Merchant-of-record platforms can take on tax/VAT or compliance work under their model, but fees and extra charges vary by provider.
What do I give up by not using a merchant-of-record platform?
Merchant-of-record platforms remit sales tax and VAT on your behalf, which is real value if you sell internationally at volume. On Go!BrightCart, and on non-merchant-of-record competitors like Payhip, you are your own merchant of record and are responsible for your own tax registration, calculation, and remittance.
Is Payhip really comparable to Go!BrightCart?
Structurally, yes. Payhip is also not a merchant of record: its published percentage is a platform fee only, and Stripe/PayPal processing fees stack on top, paid directly by the seller. This calculator includes that stacked total so the comparison is apples-to-apples with Go!BrightCart's own stacked fee.
How often are these numbers updated?
Competitor rates are based on each provider's published pricing, reviewed periodically. Always confirm current pricing on the provider's own pricing page before switching platforms, since rates, processing treatment, and extra fees change.
See the full pricing breakdown
Compare plan limits, digital delivery caps, and every feature side by side.