Fee-first verdict
Gumroad wins the first few sales. Teachable wins when the course becomes a system.
Gumroad charges 10% plus $0.50 on a direct sale before processing and has no subscription. Teachable Starter costs $29 per month on annual billing plus 7.5% of sales. At a $100 price, Starter becomes slightly cheaper at ten monthly sales.
That uses an annual subscription commitment of $348 for Starter ($828 for Builder), not a $29 monthly invoice. Regular monthly Starter is $39 plus 7.5%: 13 sales tie Gumroad and 14 cost less. Annual Starter needs 117 sales across the year to cost less; 116 ties. Compare the whole-year assumptions before treating a budget saving as cash saved.
The cost and crossover tables assume no refunds. Standard Gumroad refunds return its fee on the refunded portion; Stripe Connect refunds retain Gumroad and processing fees. Official PayPal Connect articles conflict on whether Gumroad returns its own fee. Treat the both-fees-retained PayPal example as a conservative assumption, not a confirmed account outcome. See the conflicting sources and fictional refund-route examples and verify the other platform's policy and each fee layer separately.
Published pricing
The entry options both use variable fees—but only one has a subscription
| Option | Subscription | Platform charge | Important condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gumroad direct sale | $0 | 10% + $0.50; later eligible sales after $20,000/month use 5% + $0.50 | Processing is additional; threshold resets monthly |
| Gumroad Discover | $0 | 30% per sale | Processing is included |
| Teachable Starter | $29/month billed annually | 7.5% | Usage rules depend on the school's policy date; confirm product allowances. |
| Teachable Builder | $69/month billed annually | 0% | Affiliate tools; verify the current school-specific usage policy |
Originally checked August 26, 2026; subscription commitments and Gumroad fee math rechecked October 4. This scoped check is not a full cross-platform audit. Normal payment processing, refunds, taxes, chargebacks, and currency conversion are separate.
Original break-even math
On an annual budget, Teachable Starter catches Gumroad at ten monthly $100 sales
Gumroad costs $10.50 per $100 direct sale. Teachable Starter costs $29 plus $7.50 per sale. The difference disappears at roughly 9.7 sales, making Starter slightly cheaper from the tenth sale.
This example remains far below Gumroad's $20,000 monthly high-volume threshold. Later eligible Gumroad sales after that point use a lower 5% percentage rate, but the threshold does not change the ten-sale comparison shown here.
| Monthly sales | Monthly gross | Gumroad direct fees | Teachable Starter | Teachable Builder |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | $500 | $52.50 | $66.50 | $69 |
| 10 | $1,000 | $105 | $104 | $69 |
| 30 | $3,000 | $315 | $254 | $69 |
Builder is already cheapest in the ten- and thirty-sale examples. Within Teachable, Builder overtakes Starter above about $533 in monthly gross revenue on annual billing because it removes the 7.5% base platform fee. Regular monthly Builder is $89; its $50 difference from Starter ties at $666.67 of monthly gross and is cheaper above it, before payment and usage costs.
Product experience
Gumroad sells access; Teachable manages more of the student journey
Gumroad may fit when
- You want the fastest path to a paid validation.
- The course is simple enough for basic content delivery.
- You sell downloads alongside the course.
- A fixed monthly expense would add unnecessary risk.
Teachable may fit when
- The learner experience needs more structure.
- Student apps and eligible course/sales tools matter; native certificates need Growth.
- You plan to grow a catalog rather than validate one file.
- The available payment and payout route works for your account.
Migration trigger
Move for a better business system—not only a one-dollar fee difference
At ten $100 sales in the annual-budget model, Starter is only $1 cheaper than Gumroad before processing. That is not enough to justify migration by itself. Move when structured learning, branded delivery, student management, and the next sales tools are worth the operational change.
Check whether Gumroad's included learner access already meets the job before adding a subscription. The acceptance check separates file access, practice, assessment and completion without promising that a paid platform improves outcomes.
Official sources and next step
Check current limits, then model the complete launch
Official source links are direct and non-affiliate. The separate Teachable offer below is an affiliate link.
Teachable changed its usage policy on September 3, 2026. Check the new-school, legacy-school, and product-allowance distinctions before budgeting capacity.
Affiliate offer
Does Teachable fit your course business?
Check current plans, payment eligibility, and the tools your course needs before committing.
Affiliate disclosure: if you purchase through this link, CourseProfit Lab may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
Affiliate link. Eligibility, pricing, attribution, and commission decisions are controlled by Teachable and PartnerStack.