7 Payhip alternatives & the captive income (2026)

by Welly Mulia - February 11, 2026

The best Payhip alternatives in 2026 to sell digital products are CartMango, Gumroad, SendOwl, Easy Digital Downloads, ThriveCart, SamCart, and Sellfy. Each handles features and pricing differently.

Your Recurring Income, Held Captive

Payhip allows you to connect your own Stripe or PayPal, but that doesn’t change anything. Your recurring revenue is gone the moment you cancel.

You built those customer relationships. You did the marketing, ran the promos, answered the support tickets.

You earned that recurring income. But the platform treats it as its own.

This creates a dependency that goes beyond features. The platform controls your customers’ payment relationships, and your income depends on it. If the platform raises prices or changes terms, you either absorb the hit or lose your recurring revenue.

And Payhip isn’t the only one. If you want to sell on a platform like Payhip, know that Gumroad, SendOwl, SamCart, and Sellfy have the same problem. Leave any of them, and your recurring payments vanish.

As a creator selling online, this is the single biggest risk most people overlook. You’re building a business on a platform that allows you to sell, but won’t let you take what you built when you leave.

CartMango, Easy Digital Downloads, and ThriveCart are the three exceptions on this list. They let you keep your recurring revenue whether you stay or go.

That difference matters more than almost any feature comparison.

What to Check Before You Make the Switch

Before you pick a Payhip alternative, here are the key features I’d check first.

Does it keep your recurring payments? If you leave, do your customers’ payments stay with you, or does the platform keep them? This is the most important question for any digital downloads seller.

What does it actually cost? Look past the sticker price. Check for any transaction fee, revenue cap, or hidden charge.

Some platforms look affordable until you read the fine print.

Are your files protected? If a customer shares a download link, can anyone grab your product for free? Not every platform prevents this.

Is customer support real? Can you reach a human when something breaks, or are you stuck with chatbots and ignored tickets?

Can you start selling without a developer? You want signup to first sale in minutes, not weeks. Payment processing and payment gateways should work right away.

Does it connect to your tools? Check whether it works with Stripe, PayPal, and your email platform before you commit.

The best alternative to Payhip checks most of these boxes. CartMango is one option that does, but I’ll let the comparison table below do the talking.

Payhip Alternatives Compared: The Full Feature Breakdown

The table below compares 17 features across Payhip and seven alternatives for users to sell digital products online, from marketing features and pricing to support quality.

Every e-commerce platform on this list connects to Stripe and PayPal, so customers can pay with Apple Pay and Google Pay at checkout. Most also work with your marketing tools and email marketing platform.

Feature	Payhip	CartMango	Gumroad	SendOwl	Easy Digital Downloads	ThriveCart	SamCart	Sellfy
Do your recurring payments survive if you leave?	❌ Recurring revenue is lost when you leave, even with your own Stripe / PayPal connected	✅ You keep all recurring payments	❌ Recurring revenue is lost when you leave	❌ Recurring revenue is lost when you leave, even with your own Stripe / PayPal connected	✅ You keep all recurring payments	✅ You keep all recurring payments	❌ Recurring revenue is lost when you leave: Stripe fixed-term subscriptions All PayPal and non-Stripe subscriptions Still lost even with your own Stripe / PayPal connected	❌ Recurring revenue is lost when you leave, even with your own Stripe / PayPal connected
Is it truly free? (Stripe / PayPal fees apply across all platforms)	❌ 5% per sale (free plan). $29/mo + 2% per sale (Plus plan). $99/mo, 0% fees (Pro plan).	✅ Yes, offers free access with zero monthly fees and 0% commission. All built-in features included (free until 2027).	❌ 10% + $0.50 per sale	❌ $39/mo for up to $833/mo in revenue $87/mo for up to $3,000/mo in revenue $159/mo for up to $8,333/mo in revenue	❌ Personal: $99.50/yr Extended: $199.50/yr Professional: $299.50/yr All Access: $499.50/yr	❌ $495 one-time for the base plan. $295/yr extra for additional features. $195 extra for the LMS.	❌ $79/mo for up to $3,000/mo in revenue. $219/mo for up to $10,000/mo in revenue. $849/mo for up to $100,000/mo in revenue.	❌ $29/mo for up to $833/mo in revenue. $79/mo for up to $4,166/mo in revenue. $159/mo for up to $16,666/mo in revenue.
Online courses (LMS)	✅ Yes, built-in	❌ Not yet (planned)	❌ No	❌ No	❌ No	✅ Yes, for an extra $195	✅ Yes	❌ No
Post-purchase funnels to boost your sales (upsells and downsells)	❌ No upsell or downsell support	✅ Yes	⚠️ Upsells work but no conditional downsells (can’t show a different offer only when the buyer declines the first upsell)	⚠️ Only 1 upsell allowed, and turning on order bumps disables it. Strictly one or the other. No downsells.	✅ On Professional plan and above ($299.50 – $499.50/yr)	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	❌ No upsell or downsell support
How good is customer support?	Responsive email support with generally positive feedback, but no live chat.	Founder-led personal support, no chatbots, no live chat. Average response time is 2 hours 16 minutes.	❌ Poor support with AI chatbots. User feedback posts removed and emails ignored (source).	⚠️ Generally good service, no live chat. In 2025, hundreds of customers pushed back against the 3x – 10x price increase (source 1, source 2).	No live chat but solid support. Standard support on Personal and Extended plans ($99.50 – $199.50/yr). Premium support on Professional and AI Access plans ($299.50 – $499.50/yr).	Many user reports of poor support and deleted feedback posts in the official Facebook group.	$19/mo extra for live support: Monday through Friday, 9-5 CT.	Generally fast and helpful for common issues, no live chat. Mixed feedback when problems turn more technical or complex.
Buy now, pay later (BNPL) for your customers	❌ Not true BNPL: Payhip’s installment plans send payments to you over time, not upfront. You carry the risk if customers stop paying before they finish.	✅	❌ Not true BNPL: Gumroad also sends installment payments to you over time, not upfront. You carry the risk if customers bail before they’re done.	✅	✅	✅	✅	⚠️ Only through PayPal Pay Later. No well-known BNPL providers like Klarna, Affirm, or Afterpay.
Order bumps	✅	✅	✅	⚠️ Turning on order bumps disables upsells	✅	✅	✅	⚠️ Only on Business and Premium plans.
Subscription billing (with free trial and setup fee support)	⚠️ Subscriptions only work through Stripe, not PayPal. You can’t sell subscriptions to customers who pay with PayPal.	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	⚠️ No free trial or setup fee support. Standard subscriptions only.
Coupon codes and discounts	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
Fast checkout page	❌	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
Guest checkout (no account needed)	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
Instant payouts to your Stripe / PayPal (no holds)	✅	✅	❌ 7-day hold, and some sellers report much longer waits without a clear explanation (source).	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
Are your downloads safe if links get shared?	✅ Links are protected	✅ Links are protected	✅ Links are protected	✅ Links are protected	❌ Downloads can be pirated because links are not protected	✅ Links are protected	✅ Links are protected	✅ Links are protected
Third-party connections	✅ Works with WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, Weebly, Shopify, Calendly, Zoom, Bookvault, AdSense, chat, mailing lists, and Zapier. Easy to add to your existing website.	⚠️ Few native connections, but Make.com gives access to 3,000+ apps. Current native: Stripe, PayPal, Kit, ActiveCampaign, Beehiiv, BirdSend, with more on the way.	⚠️ Native: only Discord and Circle for community / membership access. Everything else needs Zapier.	✅ Connects to Shopify and Square, plus direct email links to Mailchimp, Kit, and ActiveCampaign. Works with Zapier, Make, Pabbly, and webhooks.	✅ Connects to Stripe, PayPal, Mailchimp, Kit, ActiveCampaign, Dropbox, Amazon S3, Zapier (needs Extended plan, $199.50/yr).	✅ Connects to leading email, membership, fulfillment, analytics, webinar, and payment tools, plus Zapier for thousands of third-party apps.	✅ Plugs directly into HighLevel, iContact, Shopify, Slack, Digital Access Pass, and more. Thousands more via Zapier.	⚠️ Few native connections: mainly analytics and ad pixels (Google Analytics, Facebook/X ads, Google Merchant Center). Zapier opens access to thousands of external apps.
Affiliate marketing program	✅	❌ Not yet (coming soon)	✅	❌ No	⚠️ Yes, for an extra $295/yr	✅ Yes	✅	✅
Best suited for	Creators who want simple EU and UK VAT handling and easy setup. Watch for per-sale fees that climb as revenue grows.	Solo digital creators who don’t want recurring revenue held hostage. Instant setup, human support, and zero platform fees (free until 2027).	Creators who want a quick, no-monthly-fee way to start and don’t mind giving up 10% of every sale. No advanced funnels or deep customization.	Creators who want to sell digital downloads securely but don’t need advanced funnels. Pricey for the feature set (revenue caps, only 1 upsell, upsells can’t coexist with order bumps).	WordPress users who sell physical and digital products including digital downloads, like ebooks, software, and physical merchandise.	Creators who prefer paying once upfront rather than monthly fees for most features (not all), and can handle less responsive support.	Higher-budget creators who want a full ecommerce feature set, whether or not they use all of it.	Creators who want an all-in-one online store for digital products, subscriptions, and physical products through print-on-demand. No post-purchase funnel support.
Free migration support	❌ No free migration	✅ Free migration included	❌ No free migration	❌ No free migration	❌ No free migration	❌ No free migration	❌ No free migration	⚠️ Full migration only on the priciest Premium plan. Other plans get limited migration help.

Here are the links for each platform: Payhip, CartMango, Gumroad, SendOwl, Easy Digital Downloads, ThriveCart, SamCart, Sellfy.

CartMango: For Sellers Who Want to Keep What They Earn

Full disclosure: you’re reading this on CartMango’s blog, so I want to be upfront about what we do well and where we fall short.

CartMango is a platform for selling digital products, coaching, and courses. It’s completely free in 2026 (and stays that way until 2027) with zero transaction fees.

You get access to all features from day one. You can sell digital products and subscriptions, use post-purchase funnels, BNPL, and coupon codes.

Support responds in 2 hours 16 minutes on average. You keep your recurring payments if you leave. CartMango includes free migration from your current platform.

The goal is to help you reach customers and boost your sales without extra complexity. Built-in marketing features cover the basics.

Where we fall short: we have limited native connections (Make.com bridges the gap with 3,000+ apps). We don’t have a built-in LMS yet. Affiliate management is not live yet.

We built CartMango for solo digital creators who want simplicity. If you need deep customization or a massive app store, it’s probably not the right fit. And that’s OK.

Claim your CartMango account free →

A Closer Look at the Other Six Options

Gumroad

Gumroad takes 10% of every sale plus $0.50 per transaction. There are no monthly fees, which makes it a user-friendly way to start quickly. But that 10% adds up fast.

Setup takes minutes. You get a simple digital product page, and Gumroad handles all payment processing as the merchant of record. It works with tools like Zapier, Discord, and Circle.

The downsides: support is mostly AI chatbots, payout holds average 7 days (some sellers report longer), and you lose all recurring payments if you leave. No advanced funnel support and no deep customization.

Best for: creators who want speed and simplicity and are OK giving up 10% of revenue.

This is the link for Gumroad.

SendOwl

SendOwl charges between $39 and $159 per month, with revenue caps on each tier. It’s a popular alternative for creators who need protected file delivery.

The platform handles digital delivery well, with features like expiring download links and PDF stamping. It connects to Shopify, Mailchimp, Kit, and Zapier.

The problems: SendOwl raised prices by 3x to 10x in 2025, and many customers couldn’t leave because the platform locks in recurring payments. You only get one upsell, and order bumps disable it. No downsells.

Best for: creators focused on file protection who don’t need advanced funnels.

This is the link for SendOwl.

Easy Digital Downloads

Easy Digital Downloads (EDD) is a WordPress plugin. Plans range from $99.50 to $499.50 per year. The platform offers a range of features for WordPress users who want to sell digital and physical products.

If you already run a WordPress site, EDD fits right in. You can sell online courses through third-party LMS plugins, plus ebooks, software licenses, and physical merchandise.

The catch: you need a self-hosted WordPress site. That means handling hosting, SSL, security patches, and plugin conflicts on your own. EDD does not protect download links from sharing.

You do keep recurring payments if you leave. That’s a real advantage.

Best for: WordPress users who sell both digital goods and merchandise.

This is the link for Easy Digital Downloads.

ThriveCart

Getting ThriveCart costs $495 as a one-time payment. Affiliate management adds $295/yr, and LMS access is $195 extra. No monthly fees after that.

The platform includes one-click upsells, downsells, order bumps, subscriptions, BNPL, and coupons. You can offer memberships and courses through the built-in LMS. It could be the best fit if you prefer paying once.

The downsides: support has a poor reputation, with many users reporting deleted feedback in the official Facebook group. No free migration.

thrivecart customer support review trustpilot 1

You keep recurring payments if you leave. That’s one area where ThriveCart gets it right.

Best for: creators who prefer a one-time payment over monthly fees.

This is the link for ThriveCart.

SamCart

SamCart starts at $79/mo and goes up to $849/mo, with revenue caps on every tier. It has the necessary features for a full ecommerce operation: upsells, downsells, order bumps, BNPL, subscriptions, and affiliate management.

The user-friendly interface makes setup straightforward. It connects to Shopify, HighLevel, Slack, and thousands more apps via Zapier. These cover most business needs.

The problems: live support costs an extra $19/mo. Recurring payments are partially lost if you leave (Stripe fixed-term and all PayPal subscriptions stay behind).

Best for: higher-budget creators who want a complete feature set.

This is the link for SamCart.

Sellfy

If you consider alternatives that combine digital and physical products in one place, Sellfy is worth a look. Plans range from $29 to $159/mo with revenue caps.

You can create an online store for digital goods, subscriptions, and print-on-demand merchandise. It’s one of the few alternative platforms that bundles POD into the same dashboard. You can customize your storefront without code.

The weaknesses: no post-purchase upsells or downsells, limited BNPL (PayPal Pay Later only), subscriptions don’t support trial periods or setup fees, and recurring payments vanish if you leave.

Best for: creators who want digital, subscription, and POD products in a single store.

This is the link for Sellfy.

Which Payhip Alternative Is the Best Fit?

There are many alternatives to choose from. The table and mini-reviews above cover the top Payhip alternatives in detail, so you can compare features and make an informed decision. Which Payhip alternatives in 2026 work best depends on the features that suit your business needs.

Here are all the links: Payhip, CartMango, Gumroad, SendOwl, Easy Digital Downloads, ThriveCart, SamCart, Sellfy.

CartMango is built for creators who want to reach customers directly and keep things simple. If you need deep customization or a massive app marketplace, it’s probably not for you. And that’s okay.