Gumroad sells products; a wall displays support. The real trade is over who holds the money. Gumroad takes it, becomes the merchant of record, and absorbs global sales tax in exchange. A wall pays you directly, so the money is yours from the moment it is charged — which also makes the tax yours. Which of those you want depends on whether you sell internationally.
| SponsoredBy | Gumroad | |
|---|---|---|
| What it’s for | Public sponsorship. People fund work that stays free, and get credit for it. | Selling digital products and downloads directly to buyers. |
| Are supporters public? | Yes. Every backer gets a plaque with their name, tier and how long they’ve backed you — or stays anonymous by choice. | Not a buyer list. What is public is star ratings and written reviews carrying the reviewer’s name — but only from buyers who chose to leave one, and creators can turn ratings off. Sales counts are off by default. |
| Who holds the money | You do. Every backing is paid into your own Stripe account; we never hold it. | Gumroad holds it and pays out on a schedule, with a $100 minimum balance. Gumroad is the merchant of record and handles sales tax and VAT worldwide. |
| Cost | Free plan takes 10%. Pro is $29/mo and takes 5%; Max is $49/mo and takes 3%. Stripe’s processing is separate. | No monthly fee. 10% + 50¢ per sale through your own links, with payment processing charged separately on top; 30% for sales that come through their Discover marketplace, which does include processing. |
Gumroad figures were read from their own pricing page in August 2026. Pricing changes — check theirs before deciding.
You are selling files or courses, especially internationally, and you want the tax burden handled.
You want to be funded for work you give away, and you want the money to land in your own account.
Plenty of creators run both. A wall doesn’t ask you to move anything — it’s a link you add.
A wall takes a few minutes to set up, costs nothing on the free plan, and doesn’t replace anything.