What You Keep on USD 5, 10 and 20 Digital Products
Short answer
On a one-time US card sale of a USD 20 download, published fees leave about USD 17.50 on Gumroad (direct), USD 18.12 on Payhip Free, USD 18.50 on Lemon Squeezy, and USD 19.12 on Stan, Systeme.io or Kajabi Payments Basic before monthly plans. Gumroad and Lemon Squeezy are merchants of record; Payhip collects EU/UK VAT and US/CA sales tax; Stan, Systeme.io and Kajabi leave processing to Stripe or Kajabi Payments.
Last checked · Prices from systeme.io (opens in new tab) and kajabi.com (opens in new tab) · how we check
On this page 5 sections
Last checked 29 Oct 2026 · Fees from gumroad.com/pricing, payhip.com/pricing, lemonsqueezy.com/pricing and docs.lemonsqueezy.com fees, Stan help: Creator vs Creator Pro and transaction fees, systeme.io/pricing, systeme.io terms Art. 5a, help.systeme.io plan moderation, kajabi.com/pricing and stripe.com/pricing (US domestic cards 2.9% + USD 0.30).
Indie Hackers and X threads keep asking the same question: on a USD 5, 10 or 20 download, what do you actually keep after platform and card fees? This page answers that from each vendor’s published pricing, for one-time US domestic card sales. It is not a hands-on checkout test, and it is not tax advice.
Fee model at a glance
| Platform | Monthly plan (entry) | Platform fee per sale | Card / processing | Merchant of record / VAT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gumroad | USD 0 | 10% + USD 0.50 direct; 30% via Discover | Bundled in the published fee on the pricing page (no separate processing line) | Yes — MoR since 1 Jan 2025; sales tax worldwide |
| Payhip Free | USD 0 | 5% | Stripe or PayPal standard rates on top | Collects EU/UK VAT and US/Canadian sales tax |
| Payhip Plus | USD 29 | 2% | Stripe or PayPal on top | Same |
| Payhip Pro | USD 99 | 0% | Stripe or PayPal on top | Same |
| Lemon Squeezy | USD 0 ecommerce | 5% + USD 0.50 | Included in platform fee (docs); +1.5% intl / PayPal, +0.5% subscriptions may apply | Yes — MoR; VAT and sales tax |
| Stan Store Creator | USD 29 (USD 300/yr) | 0% | Stripe US 2.9% + USD 0.30 (or PayPal) | No — you and Stripe/PayPal |
| Systeme.io Free | USD 0 | 0% | Stripe / PayPal / other listed gateways | No — you and your gateway |
| Systeme.io Startup | USD 17 | 0% | Same | Same |
| Kajabi Basic | USD 179 (USD 143/yr) | 0% revenue share | Kajabi Payments US 2.9% + USD 0.30 | No — Kajabi Payments / your tax settings |
What you keep on one sale
Assumptions for the table: one-time sale, US domestic card, product price as listed (buyer-side tax not modelled), Discover and marketplace surcharges off, Lemon Squeezy without intl/PayPal/subscription add-ons, Stan and Systeme.io on Stripe US 2.9% + USD 0.30, Kajabi on Kajabi Payments Basic. Monthly plan prices are not spread into a single sale.
| Platform | Keep on USD 5 | Keep on USD 10 | Keep on USD 20 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gumroad (direct) | USD 4.00 | USD 8.50 | USD 17.50 |
| Payhip Free | USD 4.30 | USD 8.91 | USD 18.12 |
| Payhip Plus (fee only) | USD 4.45 | USD 9.21 | USD 18.72 |
| Payhip Pro (fee only) | USD 4.55 | USD 9.41 | USD 19.12 |
| Lemon Squeezy | USD 4.25 | USD 9.00 | USD 18.50 |
| Stan / Systeme.io / Kajabi Payments (card fee only) | USD 4.55 | USD 9.41 | USD 19.12 |
On low ticket sizes the flat USD 0.50 on Gumroad and Lemon Squeezy bites hardest at USD 5. Platforms that charge 0% and pass Stripe through keep more per sale, but Stan Creator (USD 29), Systeme.io Startup (USD 17) and especially Kajabi Basic (USD 179) add a monthly cost that only pays back once volume rises.
Worked example: 100 sales of a USD 10 template
Gross: USD 1,000. Card assumptions as above. Monthly plan cost shown separately.
| Platform | Fees on 100 sales | Monthly plan | Net before other costs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gumroad (direct) | USD 150 | USD 0 | USD 850 |
| Payhip Free | USD 109 | USD 0 | USD 891 |
| Lemon Squeezy | USD 100 | USD 0 | USD 900 |
| Systeme.io Free | USD 59 | USD 0 | USD 941 (until lifetime sales hit USD 10,000) |
| Stan Creator | USD 59 | USD 29 | USD 912 |
| Kajabi Basic | USD 59 | USD 179 | USD 762 |
Merchant of record vs bring-your-own processor
- MoR (Gumroad, Lemon Squeezy): the platform is the seller of record for tax. You focus on the product; they collect and remit covered taxes. Their published fee is the main per-sale cost.
- Partial tax help (Payhip): Payhip states it handles digital EU/UK VAT and US/Canadian sales tax; other taxes you configure yourself.
- BYO (Stan Store, Systeme.io, Kajabi): you (or Kajabi Payments) are closer to the merchant path. Card fees are explicit. Sales tax / VAT registration stays your problem unless you turn on a tax tool they offer.
Related reading
Frequently asked questions
What does Gumroad charge on a direct sale?
Gumroad's pricing page lists 10% + USD 0.50 per direct sale through your profile or link, with no monthly fee, and 30% when a buyer finds you through Discover. Since 1 Jan 2025 Gumroad acts as merchant of record and collects and remits sales tax worldwide (checked 29 Oct 2026).
Does Payhip's fee include Stripe or PayPal?
No. Payhip Free adds a 5% transaction fee, Plus (USD 29 a month) adds 2%, and Pro (USD 99 a month) adds 0%. Payhip's pricing FAQ states that PayPal and Stripe still charge at their standard rates on every plan.
What is Lemon Squeezy's fee?
Lemon Squeezy lists 5% + USD 0.50 per transaction with no monthly ecommerce fee. Its docs say that platform fee covers card processing and taxes as merchant of record. Extra fees can apply: +1.5% international, +1.5% PayPal and +0.5% on subscriptions (docs.lemonsqueezy.com, checked 29 Oct 2026).
Does Stan Store take a cut of sales?
Stan's help centre lists a 0% Stan transaction fee. You pay Creator at USD 29 a month (USD 300 a year) or Creator Pro at USD 99 (USD 948 a year), plus Stripe or PayPal processing. US Stripe is listed as 2.9% + USD 0.30 per standard purchase (help articles updated Jun/Sep 2026).
Does Systeme.io take a cut?
Systeme.io lists 0% transaction fees on every plan, including Free. You connect Stripe, PayPal or another listed gateway and pay that gateway's fee. Free is USD 0 with a lifetime sales-revenue limit of USD 10,000; Startup is USD 17 a month (pricing and terms, checked 29 Oct 2026).
Is Kajabi sensible for a USD 5 product?
Kajabi lists no revenue share. Basic is USD 179 a month (USD 143 billed annually) with Kajabi Payments at 2.9% + USD 0.30 in the US. The monthly plan cost dominates at low ticket sizes, so Kajabi fits better once you also need its email, funnels and contacts stack.
Who handles VAT and sales tax?
Gumroad and Lemon Squeezy state they are merchants of record and handle tax collection and remittance. Payhip says it collects, reports and remits digital EU/UK VAT and US/Canadian sales tax. Stan Store, Systeme.io and Kajabi leave tax setup to you and your payment provider unless you use a built-in tax tool they offer.
Are these figures a hands-on test?
No. tested is false. The take-home table applies each vendor's published fee formula to a one-time US domestic card sale at the listed price, with Stripe's published US rate of 2.9% + USD 0.30 where the platform does not include processing. Tax amounts charged to the buyer are not modelled.