Fees and take-home
Payhip Fee Calculator
Estimate what Payhip leaves after platform fees, optional Stripe or PayPal processing, and monthly plan cost. Payhip's pricing page lists Free, Plus, and Pro platform fees separately from PayPal or Stripe fees, so this calculator keeps those layers visible.
Formula
- Gross revenue = Order total * Number of transactions
- Payhip platform fee = Gross revenue * plan rate
- Payment processing fee = (Order total * processor percent + processor fixed fee) * Number of transactions for positive-value orders; $0 for zero-value orders
- Monthly plan cost = $0 for Free, $29 for Plus, $99 for Pro
- Total fees = Payhip platform fee + Payment processing fee + Monthly plan cost
- Net take-home = Gross revenue - Total fees
- Effective fee rate = Total fees / Gross revenue * 100
When does upgrading pay off?
Compare a full month at the same sales volume and payment method. These are platform-cost break-even points, not sales targets:
- Free to Plus: about $966.67 monthly gross. The $29 monthly charge is offset by a 3-percentage-point fee saving: $29 / (5% - 2%).
- Plus to Pro: $3,500 monthly gross. The extra $70 monthly charge is offset by a 2-percentage-point saving: ($99 - $29) / 2%.
At the exact break-even point, the two plans cost the same. Free and Pro also tie at $1,980, but Plus is cheaper than both there.
Check the size of the saving: subtract the cheaper plan's Total fees from your selected plan's Total fees in the table. At $1,000 monthly gross, Plus saves only $1 over Free. Try a slower month too; a small estimated saving is not a reason to rush an upgrade.
Try the $1,000/month example. These comparisons include full monthly charges, not the bill for switching partway through a month.
Save this scenario, then recheck
- Share copies a setup link. Paste it into a private note or bookmark the current address after editing. If the button says Copy URL, copy the address bar manually.
- Copy copies a summary of today's result. Keep that text alongside the date if you want a record of the estimate you saw.
- Reopen the setup link and try a lower and a higher monthly sales estimate before choosing a plan. The link saves non-default inputs, not a locked historical fee schedule; future defaults or fee updates can change results.
Share carefully: a setup URL can expose order amount, transaction count and plan or processor choices. Anyone with the link can read those inputs. Browser history, synced notes or the service receiving the link may store them. Use fictional numbers when sharing publicly.
Examples
- At $29 and 100 transactions on Payhip Free with Stripe US card processing, gross revenue is $2,900 and estimated total fees are $259.10.
- At $100 and 10 transactions in a month, Free costs $50 in platform fees and Plus costs $49 including its monthly charge. Plus saves only $1 that month; the same processing fee cancels out of the comparison.
- Payhip Pro can be better at high sales volume, but at lower volume the monthly cost can outweigh the platform-fee savings.
When to use this calculator
- Choose between Payhip Free, Plus, and Pro for a digital product launch.
- Compare Payhip against Gumroad, Lemon Squeezy, Stripe direct, or PayPal.
- Estimate how much Stripe or PayPal processing changes the apparent Payhip platform fee.
Common mistakes
- Comparing only Payhip's platform percentage while ignoring Stripe or PayPal processing fees.
- Upgrading to Pro too early; the monthly plan cost needs enough volume to pay for itself.
- Assuming VAT handling means every tax, currency, refund, or chargeback scenario is fully modeled.
Frequently asked questions
What are Payhip's current fees?
Payhip has three public plans: Free, Plus, and Pro. The Free plan has no monthly plan cost but a higher Payhip transaction fee. Plus has a monthly plan cost and a lower Payhip transaction fee. Pro has a higher monthly plan cost and no Payhip platform transaction fee. PayPal and Stripe still charge their own processing fees on all plans, so this calculator models Payhip fees and payment processing as separate layers.
Does Payhip include Stripe or PayPal processing fees?
No. Payhip's pricing page says PayPal and Stripe still charge standard rates once they complete a transaction. This calculator defaults to a Stripe US domestic card estimate, but you can switch to PayPal Checkout or exclude processing if you want to isolate Payhip's own platform fee.
Which Payhip plan should I choose?
For a full month with the same payment method, Free and Plus break even at about $966.67 gross sales; Plus and Pro break even at $3,500. At the exact boundary the two plans tie. Compare Total fees for all three plans: at $1,000 gross, Plus saves only $1 over Free. Test a slower month before upgrading. These are cost comparisons, not sales forecasts or prorated switching bills.
Why does the calculator include monthly plan cost?
The monthly plan cost is part of what you pocket from the month. If you sell one product, it may look like a small line item; if you sell many products, you may want to allocate the monthly cost across the whole store instead. This calculator treats the full monthly plan cost as part of this scenario so the plan comparison is conservative.
Does Payhip handle VAT or sales tax?
Payhip states that it is compliant to collect and remit EU VAT and UK VAT automatically, and it lets sellers set up other taxes. This calculator does not model tax collection, tax remittance, buyer tax, or tax-inclusive pricing. It estimates seller fee layers only.
How does Payhip compare with Gumroad?
Payhip can be cheaper than Gumroad at many volumes, especially on paid plans, but Payhip's platform fee is only one layer. You still need Stripe or PayPal processing. Gumroad has a simpler direct fee and a much higher Discover marketplace fee. Compare platform fee, payment processing, discovery, checkout workflow, and tax handling before switching.
Should I use Payhip Pro immediately?
Not necessarily. Although Free and Pro have equal platform costs at $1,980 monthly gross, Plus is cheaper than both at that volume. Pro only catches up with Plus at $3,500 in this full-month comparison. Use your expected sales and compare all three plans rather than comparing only Free and Pro.
Does this calculator include refunds or chargebacks?
No. Refunds, disputes, chargebacks, and any non-returned processor fees are not included in this Payhip fee estimate. Use the Refund Impact Calculator to model what refunds do to your take-home after you choose a platform fee scenario.
Related calculators
Sources and assumptions
- Payhip Free: platform fee on each sale, no monthly plan cost.
- Payhip Plus: lower platform fee plus a monthly plan cost.
- Payhip Pro: no Payhip platform transaction fee, but a higher monthly plan cost.
- Use one full month of successful paid orders in USD. Enter a typical order total, or the average paid order value when amounts vary. This is an estimate, not a per-transaction rounded payout ledger.
- The plan comparison uses the same sales and processor for all three plans, including a full monthly plan cost. It does not calculate mid-month switching, prorated bills, or refunds of plan charges.
- Processing examples: Stripe US domestic online cards 2.9% + $0.30; US domestic PayPal Checkout in USD 3.49% + $0.49. Other regions, methods, negotiated rates, and recurring-billing extras are not modeled. Zero-value orders incur no modeled transaction fees; paid-plan monthly costs still apply.
- VAT, sales tax, currency conversion, disputes, chargebacks, refunds, and marketplace-specific costs are not modeled here.
Rates checked:
Last updated:
This calculator separates Payhip's own platform fee from payment processing because Payhip's pricing page says PayPal and Stripe still charge standard rates. Use the plan comparison table to see when Plus or Pro beats Free for your current volume.