Alternatives

Gumroad alternative for license keys, software and communities

Gumroad is a merchant of record: it takes 10% + $0.50 per direct sale (plus card or PayPal processing) and handles sales tax for you. ShopFast lets buyers pay your own Stripe, PayPal or crypto wallet with no ShopFast fee on those payments, and adds key pools with durations, Discord roles, Telegram access and Fraud Shield; with your own gateway, tax is yours to handle.

Updated 2 min readBy the ShopFast team

Gumroad is one of the best-known places to sell digital products, especially for creators. It works differently from ShopFast at the root: Gumroad sells to your buyers on your behalf, while ShopFast runs your store and lets buyers pay you directly. Everything about Gumroad below comes from its own pages as of October 31, 2026 (see Sources).

The core difference: merchant of record or your own accounts

Gumroad’s pricing FAQ says it has handled all sales tax as merchant of record since January 1, 2025. That’s real work taken off your hands, and it’s priced in: Gumroad lists 10% + $0.50 per direct sale, plus card or PayPal processing, and 30% on sales through its Discover marketplace (which includes processing). Its help center says direct sales drop to 5% + $0.50 for the rest of a month once paid sales pass $20,000 that calendar month. Connecting your own Stripe account doesn’t remove Gumroad’s fee.

On ShopFast, buyers pay your own Stripe, PayPal, Square or crypto wallet, and ShopFast takes no fee on those payments. In exchange, you’re the seller of record and handle your own sales tax and VAT (tax on digital products). ShopFast Pay, a merchant-of-record option, is available by application.

Gumroad and ShopFast side by side

Gumroad ShopFast
Fee per sale 10% + $0.50 direct, 30% via Discover; processing on top for direct sales None on your own gateway or wallet; plans and ShopFast Pay fees on pricing
Sales tax Handled by Gumroad as merchant of record Yours on your own gateway; handled by ShopFast with ShopFast Pay (by application)
Ways to pay Cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Venmo; PayPal if you connect it Cards and wallets through Stripe, PayPal, Square and others; crypto to your own wallet; Cash App; gift cards
License keys Listed as a feature Key pools per option, durations, replacements, status badges
Discord An integration that adds buyers to a server Roles granted on payment, removed on refund or when a membership ends; bot commands
Telegram access Not found on Gumroad’s pages Single-use invites to private groups, removed when access ends
Marketplace Discover None: you bring your buyers

What each one lets you sell

Gumroad’s prohibited list includes cheats and hacks and the license keys that unlock them, unauthorized copies of software and games (including OEM or bundled software), cryptocurrency products and reselling private label rights products. ShopFast also forbids cheats, cracked software and stolen keys, and allows authorized game keys, software keys and accounts only where the service permits transfers (Acceptable Use Policy). Read both lists against what you sell.

When Gumroad is the better choice

If you sell ebooks, courses or art to a general audience, want tax handled on every sale without thinking about it, and value being listed on a marketplace, Gumroad’s model makes sense, and its fee pays for that.

When ShopFast is the better choice

If you sell keys with durations, software, or community access through Discord or Telegram, take crypto, or sell enough that a percentage per sale adds up, ShopFast keeps the money in your own accounts and automates more of the delivery. See selling license keys, selling Discord roles and how to sell digital products.

Questions sellers ask

How much does Gumroad take per sale?

Gumroad's pricing page lists 10% + $0.50 on direct sales and 30% on sales through its Discover marketplace, with no monthly fee. Its help center adds that card (2.9% + $0.30) and PayPal processing fees are not included in the 10%.

Does ShopFast handle sales tax like Gumroad?

Only with ShopFast Pay, which is available by application. When buyers pay your own gateway, you are the seller of record and handle your own tax. Gumroad, as merchant of record, handles it on every sale.

Can I sell license keys on both?

Gumroad's features page lists license keys. ShopFast adds key pools per option, so 1 Day, 7 Days, 30 Days and Lifetime keys sit on one product with their own prices and stock, plus self-serve key replacements and status badges.

Can buyers pay with crypto?

We found no crypto payment option on Gumroad's own pages. ShopFast takes BTC, LTC, ETH, USDC and USDT straight to your own wallet, with no processor in between.

Sources

Facts about other platforms come from their own public pages, checked on . Platforms change: check the page before you decide.

  1. Gumroad pricing
  2. Gumroad Help: Gumroad's fees
  3. Gumroad Help: Stripe Connect
  4. Gumroad Help: how purchases work for customers
  5. Gumroad Help: external integrations (Discord)
  6. Gumroad features
  7. Gumroad prohibited products

Sell digital products the moment they're ready

Storefront, checkout, instant delivery and fraud checks in one place, from ShopFast. Buyers pay your own accounts or crypto wallet, and ShopFast takes no cut of those sales.