For a Canadian selling ebooks, printables, templates, or courses, the cheapest of the three depends on your monthly sales. Gumroad has no monthly fee and takes 10% + $0.50 per sale through your own links (30% when its Discover marketplace finds the buyer), and it has acted as merchant of record for sales tax since January 1, 2025. Payhip’s free plan takes 5% per sale, with paid plans at $29 a month plus 2% or $99 a month with no transaction fee, and PayPal or Stripe fees on top. Teachable is built for courses and starts at $39 a month (or $29 a month billed yearly) with a 7.5% transaction fee on Starter, dropping to 0% on Builder at $89 a month. Pick Gumroad or Payhip’s free plan to test a first product, Payhip for low fees as sales grow, and Teachable when courses are the main product.
How to make the product itself is in printables in Canada, ebook publishing, and Notion templates. Getting the first buyer is in your first printables sale.
How do Teachable, Gumroad, and Payhip fees compare?
Gumroad charges only per sale, Payhip combines a monthly plan with a falling transaction fee, and Teachable charges a monthly plan with a 7.5% fee only on its entry plan. Figures are from each company’s pricing page on October 3, 2026. The pages show dollar signs without naming a currency for Canadian visitors; treat them as U.S. dollars until checkout shows otherwise.
| Factor | Gumroad | Payhip | Teachable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly fee | None (pricing) | Free plan $0; Plus $29; Pro $99 (pricing) | Starter $39 ($29 billed yearly); Builder $89 ($69 yearly); Growth $189 ($139 yearly) (pricing) |
| Transaction fee | 10% + $0.50 per sale via your profile or direct links; 30% via Discover | Free 5%; Plus 2%; Pro 0% | Starter 7.5%; Builder and Growth 0% |
| Payment processing | No separate fee listed on the pricing page; confirm in your dashboard | PayPal and Stripe charge their standard rates on all plans | Processing fees may still apply |
| Sales tax handling | Merchant of record since Jan. 1, 2025; collects and remits where it has obligations | Collects EU and UK VAT; you can set up other taxes | “Global payments & taxes” listed on plans |
| Trial | Not needed | 15-day trial on paid plans | 7-day trial |
| Product limits | Not listed | Unlimited products on all plans | 5 products on Starter, 10 on Builder, 50 on Growth |
| Best fit | Testing a first product; creators with their own audience | Low-fee storefront for downloads, courses, and memberships | Course-first businesses |
What does “merchant of record” mean for a Canadian digital seller?
A merchant of record is the seller of record to the buyer, so it handles sales tax collection and remittance on those sales. Gumroad says it took on that role on January 1, 2025, which means it manages sales tax on sales where it has obligations. That is about the tax charged to buyers; you still report your own income to the CRA.
How much do you keep each month on each platform?
At low sales, the no-monthly-fee options keep more; as sales grow, flat plans start to win. The labelled example shows where the lines cross for one assumed month.
Illustrative example
Assume 30 sales of a $20 product in one month, so $600 in sales, all through your own links. The product price and volume are assumptions, and Payhip and Teachable processing fees are left out because they depend on the processor.
- Gumroad (direct): 10% × $600 = $60, plus 30 × $0.50 = $15, so $75 in fees and you keep $525.
- Payhip Free: 5% × $600 = $30, so you keep $570 minus processing.
- Payhip Plus: $29 + 2% × $600 = $29 + $12 = $41, so you keep $559 minus processing.
- Payhip Pro: $99, so you keep $501 minus processing.
- Teachable Starter (monthly): $39 + 7.5% × $600 = $39 + $45 = $84, so you keep $516 minus processing.
- Teachable Builder (monthly): $89, so you keep $511 minus processing.
At this volume Payhip’s free plan keeps the most before processing. Payhip Plus beats Free once 3% of monthly sales is more than $29, which is about $967 a month in sales; Pro beats Plus once 2% of sales is more than the $70 difference, about $3,500 a month. Recompute with your own prices.
Who should pick Teachable, Gumroad, or Payhip?
Pick by product type and how much you sell. This is a decision rule from the fee structures, not a ranking.
| If you… | Lean toward | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Are testing your first ebook or printable | Gumroad TODO-AFFILIATE or Payhip Free | No monthly fee |
| Want the platform to handle sales tax worldwide | Gumroad | Merchant of record since 2025 |
| Sell steadily, roughly $1,000+ a month | Payhip Plus or Pro | Monthly plan beats a percentage at volume |
| Sell mainly video courses with lessons and certificates | Teachable | Course tools; certificates on Growth |
| Hope marketplace browsing brings buyers | Gumroad Discover | Accept the 30% fee on those sales |
What mistakes do Canadian digital sellers make choosing a platform?
Canadian digital sellers most often pay a monthly plan before they have sales, ignore processing fees, or assume someone else handles all their tax.
- Paying monthly too early. A $39 plan with no sales is a $39 loss.
- Forgetting processing fees. Payhip says PayPal and Stripe charge their standard rates on every plan.
- Ignoring the per-sale minimum. Gumroad’s $0.50 per sale is 25% of a $2 product.
- Assuming merchant of record covers income tax. It covers sales tax to buyers, not your own return.
- Using unlicensed fonts or images. Design in a tool whose licence covers commercial use, such as Canva TODO-AFFILIATE, and read the terms.
Which tax rules apply to digital product sellers in Canada?
Digital product sales are generally business income reported on Form T2125, converted to Canadian dollars, and platform fees are generally deductible. Whether you need to register for GST/HST depends on your worldwide taxable sales passing the $30,000 small-supplier threshold and how sales through a merchant of record are treated; see GST/HST registration and record keeping.
This is not tax or legal advice.
Which guides sit next to Teachable vs Gumroad vs Payhip?
This comparison sits in the digital products cluster. Read printables, ebook publishing, and Notion templates. For physical goods, see Etsy vs Shopify. Browse more in digital products.
What are the common questions?
What are Gumroad's fees?
Gumroad's pricing page lists 10% plus $0.50 per sale through your profile or direct links, and 30% when a new customer finds you through its Discover marketplace. There is no monthly fee.
Is Payhip cheaper than Gumroad?
On the free plan, Payhip's 5% transaction fee is lower than Gumroad's 10% plus $0.50, but Payhip adds PayPal or Stripe processing fees. In a labelled example of $600 in monthly sales, Payhip Free kept $570 before processing and Gumroad kept $525.
How much does Teachable cost?
Teachable's pricing page lists Starter at $39 a month, or $29 a month billed yearly, with a 7.5% transaction fee, and Builder at $89 a month, or $69 billed yearly, with no transaction fee. Payment processing fees may still apply.
Does Gumroad handle sales tax for Canadian sellers?
Gumroad says it has been the merchant of record since January 1, 2025, collecting and remitting sales tax where it has obligations. You still report your own income to the CRA.
What currency are Teachable, Gumroad, and Payhip prices in?
The pricing pages show dollar signs without naming a currency for Canadian visitors. Treat them as U.S. dollars and confirm at checkout, then convert to Canadian dollars for your records.
Which sources support this guide?
The rules, rates, and platform requirements in this guide are checked against these primary sources. Retail price ranges are labelled as ranges to verify locally, and they are not quotes.
- Gumroad pricing — Gumroad
- Teachable pricing — Teachable
- Payhip pricing — Payhip
- When to register for and start charging the GST/HST — Canada Revenue Agency
- Form T2125, Statement of Business or Professional Activities — Canada Revenue Agency