Getly
Etsy and Payhip are two of the most common places a creator lands when they want to sell a printable, a template or an ebook. They are often compared as if they were the same kind of thing with different prices. They are not. Etsy is a marketplace: you rent a spot in a big shop that already has buyers searching it. Payhip is a store builder: you get your own checkout, and the buyers are the ones you send there. The fees follow from that difference, and so does the right choice.
All fees below were checked on the official Etsy Help Center and the official Payhip Help Center on 26 September 2026. Fees change; recheck them before you commit a catalogue to either.
What each one charges
Etsy charges in several small pieces:
- Listing fee: $0.20 per listing, paid whether or not it sells. A listing expires after 4 months, and renewing it costs another $0.20. When a listing set to auto-renew sells, it is renewed and you pay $0.20 again.
- Transaction fee: 6.5% of the order total.
- Payment processing fee: a set rate plus a percentage of the sale, and both vary by country.
- Offsite Ads: if a sale comes from an Etsy ad shown on another site, 15% of the order total, or 12% if you made at least $10,000 on Etsy in the past 365 days, capped at $100 per order.
- Other: a one-time shop set-up fee that varies by location, a 2.5% currency conversion fee if you list in a different currency from your bank account, and a regulatory operating fee for sellers in some countries.
Payhip charges one of three ways, and every plan has the same features:
- Free: $0 a month, 5% of each transaction on your Payhip site.
- Plus: $29 a month, 2% of each transaction.
- Pro: $99 a month, no transaction fee from Payhip.
On every Payhip plan, PayPal and Stripe still charge their own processing fees on top.
The fee math on a $10 download
A $10 file is a realistic test. On Getly, measured 26 September 2026, the median paid listing across 7,198 active listings costs $7.00, and 68.1% of paid listings cost $10 or less. Cheap files are where fixed fees hurt.
| Platform and plan | Platform fees on one $10 sale | Still to add |
|---|---|---|
| Etsy | $0.20 listing + $0.65 transaction = $0.85 | Processing (varies by country); Offsite Ads 15% or 12% if the sale came from one; renewal $0.20 when it sells |
| Payhip Free | $0.50 | PayPal or Stripe fee |
| Payhip Plus | $0.20 + $29 a month | PayPal or Stripe fee |
| Payhip Pro | $0 + $99 a month | PayPal or Stripe fee |
Two things stand out. On Etsy, the $0.20 renewal is charged again every time a listing sells with auto-renew on, so a popular $3 printable pays that fixed fee many times. And one Offsite Ads sale at 15% costs more than the transaction and listing fees combined.
On Payhip, the paid plans are a volume decision. Plus saves 3% against Free, so it pays for itself at about $967 of monthly revenue ($29 divided by 3%). Pro saves another 2% against Plus, so it beats Plus from about $3,500 a month ($70 divided by 2%). Below those lines the free plan is cheaper.
Where the buyers come from
This is the question that matters more than the fee table. Etsy's fees buy you a place in a marketplace people already search. A new shop with no audience can make a first sale there because a stranger typed the right words. That is what the listing fee, the transaction fee and the ads programme pay for.
Payhip's fees apply to transactions on your Payhip site. It is your store, with your branding and your checkout, and the traffic is yours to bring: a newsletter, a YouTube channel, a social account, your own website. For a creator who already has that audience, paying Etsy for discovery they do not need is money lost. For a creator who has none, a cheaper checkout with no visitors earns nothing.
| Question | Etsy | Payhip |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Marketplace with its own search | Your own store and checkout |
| Cost of an unsold listing | $0.20 every 4 months | Nothing |
| Main per-sale fee | 6.5% + processing | 5%, 2% or 0% by plan + processing |
| Monthly plan | Not required | Optional: $29 or $99 |
| Who brings buyers | Partly Etsy | You |
Where Getly fits, honestly
Getly is a third shape: a marketplace like Etsy, but only for digital products, with no listing fee and no monthly plan. The seller keeps 80% of each sale by default, 83%, 85% or 88% when the previous month's volume passes $500, $2,000 or $10,000, and 90% on sales that come from the seller's own link. At $10 that is $8.00 to the seller at the default rate, which is a bigger cut than Payhip's free plan takes. The trade is the same one Etsy makes: you pay a share for being on a shelf that buyers browse, not a fixed fee for every listing whether it sells or not.
Two practical differences are worth knowing before you choose. Buyers on Getly pay by PayPal or cryptocurrency; card payments are currently paused. Sellers are paid on the 1st and the 15th in USDT or USDC on BNB Smart Chain (from $5) or USDT on Tron (from $15), which works in countries where bank payouts from US platforms are hard to receive. Current rates are on the pricing page.
Choosing
Pick Etsy if you have no audience yet and your product is something Etsy shoppers already search for, such as printables and planners. Budget for renewals on your best sellers and read your Offsite Ads settings before your first sale.
Pick Payhip if you already bring your own buyers. Start on the free plan and move to Plus only when your monthly revenue passes about $967.
List on a digital marketplace as well if you want a second shelf without fixed costs. Something you can do today: add up last month's Etsy fees by type from your Payment account, including renewals and Offsite Ads, and divide by your revenue. That one percentage tells you which of these three shapes you are really paying for.
Frequently asked questions
Which is cheaper for a $10 digital download, Etsy or Payhip?
On Payhip's free plan the platform takes 5% ($0.50), plus the PayPal or Stripe fee. On Etsy you pay a $0.20 listing fee and a 6.5% transaction fee ($0.65), plus a payment processing fee that varies by country, and 15% or 12% more if the sale came through an Offsite Ad. Fees checked on both platforms' official pages on 26 September 2026.
When does a paid Payhip plan pay for itself?
Plus costs $29 a month and cuts the fee from 5% to 2%, so it breaks even at about $967 of monthly revenue. Pro costs $99 a month and removes Payhip's fee entirely, so it beats Plus from about $3,500 a month.
Does Etsy charge again when a listing expires?
Yes. An Etsy listing lasts 4 months and costs $0.20 to renew, and an auto-renewed sold listing costs another $0.20. A digital file that sells often renews often.
Where do buyers come from on each?
Etsy is a marketplace with its own search, so buyers can find a listing there. Payhip fees apply to sales on your own Payhip store, so traffic is yours to bring.
Where does Getly fit?
Getly is a marketplace for digital products only. There is no listing fee and no monthly plan; the seller keeps 80% by default, 83%, 85% or 88% on prior-month volume, and 90% on sales from their own link. Buyers pay by PayPal or crypto, and sellers are paid in USDT or USDC on the 1st and the 15th. Rates are on https://www.getly.store/pricing.
