Easy Digital Downloads vs Gumroad (2026): Which Pays Better?

Both are popular digital product & checkout platforms. Here is how Easy Digital Downloads and Gumroad stack up on requirements, what you keep, payout terms, strengths and weaknesses, and which one we would pick.

Easy Digital Downloads

WordPress plugin for selling digital products and software licences on your own site, free core plus paid extensions from $99.50/yr.

7.6 /10

Pricing: Free plan, paid from $99/mo

Pros

Own your store on WordPress with no per-sale revenue share to EDD
Software licensing, recurring payments and an affiliate integration via extensions
14-day money-back guarantee and a free Lite core plugin to start

Cons

You maintain the WordPress site, hosting and updates yourself
Subscriptions, licensing and affiliates all require paid extensions; tax handling needs an add-on

Visit Easy Digital Downloads ↗

Gumroad

The simplest way to sell digital products and memberships; merchant of record, 10% flat fee, no monthly cost.

8.4 /10

Pricing: Free

Pros

Live in minutes with checkout, file delivery, licence keys and a discover marketplace
Handles VAT and US sales tax as merchant of record

Cons

10% is expensive past a few thousand dollars a month
Limited design control and email tools

Visit Gumroad ↗

Easy Digital Downloads vs Gumroad at a glance

	Easy Digital Downloads	Gumroad
Editor score	7.6 / 10	8.4 / 10
Pricing model	Freemium	Free
Starting price	$99/mo	Free
Web rank	#120k	#2.8k
Minimum traffic	None	None
Revenue share / fee	Free Lite core; paid EDD Pass from $99.50/yr intro (Personal, 1 site) up to $499.50/yr intro (All Access, 3 sites), full price $199-$999/yr; no per-sale cut, only your payment gateway's fee	10% + payment fees per sale (merchant of record)
Commission	–	–
Payout	Paid out via your connected gateway (Stripe, PayPal, etc.), not by EDD directly	Weekly (Fridays)
Methods served	digital products, saas subscriptions	digital products, memberships subscriptions
Niches accepted	General, Tech & SaaS, Finance & Insurance, Health & Supplements, Gaming & Esports, E-commerce & Retail	General, Tech & SaaS, Finance & Insurance, Health & Supplements, Gaming & Esports, E-commerce & Retail
Reader upvotes	0	0
Best for	wordpress, digital downloads, licensing	digital products, merchant of record, memberships

Our pick

Gumroad edges it with a score of 8.4 versus 7.6. Gumroad is the better fit if you value: live in minutes with checkout, file delivery, licence keys and a discover marketplace, handles vat and us sales tax as merchant of record. Choose Easy Digital Downloads instead if you need: own your store on wordpress with no per-sale revenue share to edd, software licensing, recurring payments and an affiliate integration via extensions.