The Internet’s Money

Compare

Paddle vs Gumroad

Of the 170 countries we track, Paddle onboards businesses in 148 (and 1 more with limits) and Gumroad in 111 (and 51 more with limits). Both serve businesses in 148.

Only Paddle · 1

Only Gumroad · 14

Side by side

Pick where your business is registered. Add up to two more providers.

Pick up to 4.

For a business registered in

Onboards businesses in United States

Paddle

Available

Gumroad

Available

Accept payments

Paddle

Paddle resells your software, SaaS or digital product as merchant of record, handling checkout, payments, sales tax and VAT, fraud and buyer support, then pays you monthly by bank transfer or Payoneer.

Gumroad

Gumroad hosts your store and checkout and acts as merchant of record for all sales, collecting and remitting sales tax and VAT. Mainly digital products, memberships and some digital services.

Pay people abroad

Paddle

Not offered

Gumroad

Not offered

Multi-currency account

Paddle

Not offered

Gumroad

Not offered

Business cards

Paddle

Not offered

Gumroad

Not offered

Stablecoins

Paddle

Not offered

Gumroad

Not offered

Yield on idle cash

Paddle

Not offered

Gumroad

Not offered

Yield on idle cash

A return on money you are not using. How safe it is depends on where the return comes from, not on how high the rate is.

Where the return comes from

Paddle

No yield offered

Gumroad

No yield offered

Is the money protected?

Paddle

–

Gumroad

–

Does the rate change?

Paddle

–

Gumroad

–

Fees

Published prices only, with the date we read them. Many providers negotiate prices instead.

How pricing works

Paddle

5% + $0.50 per checkout transaction, no monthly fee (pricing page). Paddle Invoicing paid by bank transfer: 3.5% (MSA clause 3.2). Products under $10 and high-volume businesses can get custom pricing. Currency conversion at checkout carries a 2–3% FX margin; chargebacks cost up to 20 GBP/USD/EUR. Seen 2026-10-24.

Gumroad

10% + $0.50 per direct sale plus card processing (2.9% + $0.30) or PayPal fees; 5% + $0.50 on new direct sales after $20,000 of paid sales in a calendar month; flat 30% on Discover marketplace sales. PayPal payouts 2%; US instant payouts 3%. No monthly fee. Seen 2026-10-24.

Published prices

Paddle

Not published

Gumroad

Not published

Platform & marketplace

Run payments for other businesses: sign them up, take a cut, pay them out.

Sub-accounts for your users

Paddle

NoThe Acceptable Use Policy prohibits products that let non-Paddle sellers sell to customers, such as marketplaces.

Gumroad

NoReselling products you did not create is not allowed, and no sub-account feature was found.

Split payments and platform fees

Paddle

NoMarketplaces for other sellers are prohibited, and no revenue-split feature was found.

Gumroad

PartlyAffiliate commissions are split from each sale, with fees shared in proportion. No general marketplace split was found.

Embeddable UI

Paddle

YesBranded checkout flows that can be embedded in your website or app.

Gumroad

YesOverlay and Embed widgets open the Gumroad product page or checkout on your own site.

Pay out to your users

Paddle

Not confirmedNot found on the official pages checked.

Gumroad

Not confirmedNot found on the official pages checked.

Embedded finance for your users

Give your users financial products under your brand.

Accounts that hold money

Paddle

Not confirmedNot found on the official pages checked.

Gumroad

Not confirmedNot found on the official pages checked.

Cards for your users

Paddle

Not confirmedNot found on the official pages checked.

Gumroad

Not confirmedNot found on the official pages checked.

Financing for your users

Paddle

Not confirmedNot found on the official pages checked.

Gumroad

Not confirmedNot found on the official pages checked.

Consumer apps

Build for individuals, not just businesses, the way Bridge allows.

End users can be individuals

Paddle

PartlyRead as "the seller can be an individual". The MSA’s supplier definitions include individuals (UK/Isle of Man example); no general statement found.

Gumroad

YesRead as "the seller can be an individual": individuals sell with a photo ID and proof of residence; US sellers give an SSN.

Consumer wallets or accounts

Paddle

Not confirmedNot found on the official pages checked.

Gumroad

Not confirmedNot found on the official pages checked.

Consumer cards

Paddle

Not confirmedNot found on the official pages checked.

Gumroad

Not confirmedNot found on the official pages checked.

Stablecoins

Dollar-backed tokens as a payment and treasury rail.

Accept stablecoins

Paddle

Not confirmedNot found on the official pages checked.

Gumroad

Not confirmedNot found on the official pages checked.

Hold stablecoin balances

Paddle

Not confirmedNot found on the official pages checked.

Gumroad

Not confirmedNot found on the official pages checked.

Pay out in stablecoins

Paddle

Not confirmedNot found on the official pages checked.

Gumroad

Not confirmedNot found on the official pages checked.

Issue your own stablecoin

Paddle

Not confirmedNot found on the official pages checked.

Gumroad

Not confirmedNot found on the official pages checked.

Regulatory risk in United States

Paddle

No stablecoin products

Gumroad

No stablecoin products

AI agents

Build with AI tools, and let AI agents shop and pay.

Official MCP server

Paddle

YesOfficial remote Paddle MCP server (sandbox and live endpoints) plus a separate docs MCP server; part of the Paddle AI Toolkit announced 20 October 2026.

Gumroad

YesOfficial Gumroad MCP server (custom connector URL gumroad.com/claude/v1/mcp) for reading products, sales and payouts and creating drafts.

Checkout for AI agents

Paddle

Not confirmedThe AI Toolkit is for developers’ agents managing billing; no support for agents buying (ACP, AP2 or similar) was found.

Gumroad

Not confirmedThe Gumroad MCP connector cannot take payments or run checkout (customers always pay through Gumroad checkout). No official page addresses agent-buying protocols or agent-initiated checkout.

Cards for AI agents

Paddle

Not confirmedNot found on the official pages checked.

Gumroad

Not confirmedNot found on the official pages checked.

Working with them

How easy it is to get started.

Self-serve signup

Paddle

Not confirmedNot researched yet.

Gumroad

Not confirmedNot researched yet.

Published pricing

Paddle

Yes5% + $0.50 per checkout transaction, no monthly fee (pricing page). Paddle Invoicing paid by bank transfer: 3.5% (MSA clause 3.2). Products under $10 and high-volume businesses can get custom pricing. Currency conversion at checkout carries

Gumroad

Yes10% + $0.50 per direct sale plus card processing (2.9% + $0.30) or PayPal fees; 5% + $0.50 on new direct sales after $20,000 of paid sales in a calendar month; flat 30% on Discover marketplace sales. PayPal payouts 2%; US instant payouts 3%

Public API and sandbox

Paddle

Not confirmedNot researched yet.

Gumroad

Not confirmedNot researched yet.

In short

Countries onboarded

Paddle

148 of 170

Gumroad

111 of 170

Designed for

Paddle

Software, SaaS and app companies in most countries that want one company to handle global tax and payments.

Gumroad

Individual creators selling e-books, courses, templates or memberships with little setup.

Limitations

Paddle

Only software and related digital products; no physical goods or stand-alone services, and payouts are monthly.

Gumroad

Highest headline fee of the group, and outside bank-payout countries you need a PayPal account that can receive money.

Common questions

Is Paddle or Gumroad available in more countries?

Gumroad. Of the 170 countries we track, Paddle onboards businesses in 148 (and 1 more with limits) and Gumroad in 111 (and 51 more with limits). Both serve businesses in 148. Only Paddle: Zambia. Only Gumroad: Haiti, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Yemen, Central African Republic, DR Congo, Libya, Mali, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Zimbabwe and 2 more.

What do Paddle and Gumroad offer?

Accept payments: Paddle yes, Gumroad yes. Pay people abroad: Paddle no, Gumroad no. Multi-currency account: Paddle no, Gumroad no. Business cards: Paddle no, Gumroad no. Stablecoins: Paddle no, Gumroad no. Yield on idle cash: Paddle no, Gumroad no.

How do Paddle and Gumroad differ for platforms and embedded finance?

Split payments and platform fees: Paddle no, Gumroad partly. End users can be individuals: Paddle partly, Gumroad yes.

Who is Paddle designed for?

Software, SaaS and app companies in most countries that want one company to handle global tax and payments. Limitations: Only software and related digital products; no physical goods or stand-alone services, and payouts are monthly.

Who is Gumroad designed for?

Individual creators selling e-books, courses, templates or memberships with little setup. Limitations: Highest headline fee of the group, and outside bank-payout countries you need a PayPal account that can receive money.

Related comparisons