Payhip offers tiered pricing from 5% per sale to $99/mo with a user-friendly interface for selling digital products. SamCart is an advanced shopping cart with upsells and funnels but charges high monthly fees starting at $79/mo. Both platforms hold your recurring payments hostage if you leave.
The Recurring Revenue Handcuffs
You spend months building a membership. People sign up. They pay you every month through secure payment processing. The revenue compounds. It feels like progress.
Then you decide to switch platforms.
Both Payhip and SamCart let you connect your own Stripe or PayPal account. That sounds like ownership. It isn’t.
If you leave either e-commerce platform, your recurring revenue stops. Your customers’ subscriptions are automatically canceled. The payment connection was always theirs, not yours.
This is the subscription hostage problem. You do the work to earn customers. You convince them to commit to a monthly payment. But the billing relationship lives inside the platform. Leave, and you start over.
Think about what that means for your online business. Every subscriber you gain is one more reason you can’t leave. The platform didn’t earn those customers. You did. But they hold the keys to how you receive payments.
What to Look for in a Cart That Won’t Hold You Hostage
When you compare Payhip vs SamCart or any other ecommerce tool, start with one question: what happens to your paying subscribers if you leave?
A cart that respects your business should let you keep recurring payments. Your Stripe or PayPal account should own the billing relationship directly. If you switch platforms, your subscribers keep paying you without interruption.
Beyond that, look for:
- Protected download links so you can securely sell without piracy concerns
- Responsive customer service from real humans
- Transparent pricing with no surprise fees
- Simple setup that doesn’t require a week of tutorials
CartMango was built around these principles. You keep your recurring payments because the billing relationship lives in your Stripe or PayPal, not in CartMango’s system. The platform is free until 2027 with zero commission. And the support team responds personally, not through a chatbot.
Payhip vs SamCart vs CartMango
Here’s a comparison chart showing how these three platforms stack up for selling digital products:
| Feature | Payhip | SamCart | CartMango |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keep recurring payments if you leave? | ❌ Subscriptions end when you leave, even with your own Stripe/PayPal connected | ❌ Subscriptions end when you leave, even with your own Stripe/PayPal connected | ✅ Your recurring revenue stays with you |
| Platform fees | ❌ 5% per sale (free plan). $29/mo plus 2% (Plus tier). $99/mo with 0% (Pro tier). | ❌ $79/mo up to $3k revenue. $219/mo up to $10k revenue. $849/mo up to $100k revenue. | ✅ Zero monthly fees, zero commission. All features included (through 2027). |
| Learning management system (LMS) | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ Coming later |
| Upsell and downsells after purchase | ❌ Not available | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Customer support | Email support with good reviews, no live chat option | $19/mo additional for live support: weekdays 9-5 CT | Founder responds personally, no bots, no live chat. Usually within 1 hour. |
| Buy now, pay later (BNPL) | ❌ Payhip’s payment plans pay you gradually, not upfront. Risk of lost revenue if buyers stop paying. | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Order bumps | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Subscription support | ⚠️ Only works with Stripe. PayPal customers cannot subscribe. | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Coupons and discounts | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Fast checkout experience | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Guest checkout (no login needed) | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Direct payout to your account | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Protected download links | ✅ Links are secured | ✅ Links are secured | ✅ Links are secured |
| Integration options | ✅ WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, Weebly, Shopify, Calendly, Zoom, Bookvault, AdSense, mailing lists, Zapier | ✅ HighLevel, iContact, Shopify, Slack, Digital Access Pass, plus thousands via Zapier | ⚠️ Fewer native options, but Make.com connects 3,000+ apps. Native: Kit, ActiveCampaign, Beehiiv, BirdSend. More soon. |
| Affiliate management | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ Coming soon |
| Best for | Creators wanting simple VAT handling and quick setup. Watch the per-sale fees as volume grows. | Established creators comfortable paying premium prices for a complete toolkit, even if half goes unused. | Solo digital creators who refuse to let platforms hold their recurring revenue hostage. Instant setup, human support, zero fees until 2027. |
| Free migration help | ❌ No | ❌ No | ✅ Included |
These are the links for each platform: Payhip, SamCart, CartMango.
CartMango Is Not For Everyone
CartMango isn’t trying to be an all-in-one solution to sell everything. It’s built for solo digital creators selling digital downloads, online courses, memberships, and coaching.
If you need a built-in LMS right now, CartMango isn’t ready for you. If you need dozens of native integrations, you’ll rely on Make.com to fill the gaps. If you need affiliate management today, it’s still in development.
But if you’re a creator who wants to:
- Own your subscriber relationships completely
- Pay zero platform fees while you grow
- Get human support when something breaks
- Set up a customizable checkout page in minutes, not days
Then CartMango fits. It’s not about having the most marketing tools. It’s about having the right ones without giving up control of your revenue.
Payhip: Simple Setup with Hidden Costs
Payhip built its reputation on being beginner-friendly. You can start to sell digital products like ebooks, templates, design assets, and online courses within minutes. The user-friendly interface is clean. Global VAT handling is automatic, which helps when selling internationally.
What Payhip offers
- Built-in LMS for hosting online courses
- Order bumps at checkout
- Integrate with WordPress, Wix, Shopify, and more
- Zapier connection for email marketing platforms
- Affiliate program management
- Digital downloads with protected links
Payhip also handles physical products if you want to ship merchandise alongside your digital goods.
Payhip pricing structure
Payhip’s free plan charges a 5% transaction fee. That’s on top of Stripe or PayPal processing fees.
The Plus plan costs $29/mo and drops the fee to 2% per sale. The Pro plan at $99/mo removes the transaction fee entirely.
The limitations
Payhip doesn’t support upsells or downsells after purchase. If a customer buys your ebook, you can’t offer them a course on the next page through a sales page funnel.
The BNPL option pays you over time as the customer pays. If they stop paying, you lose that revenue. It’s not true buy now, pay later.
Subscriptions only work with Stripe. If your customer prefers PayPal, they can’t subscribe to your membership.
Best for
Payhip works for creators who want quick setup, automatic VAT handling, and don’t mind the per-sale fees when starting out. Once you’re doing $2,000/mo or more, those fees add up fast.
This is the link for Payhip.
SamCart: Feature-Rich but Expensive
SamCart positions itself as the checkout page builder for serious creators. SamCart’s feature list is long: one-click upsells, order bumps, A/B testing, affiliate center, and a built-in course platform with landing pages.
What SamCart offers
- Full funnel capabilities with upsells and downsells
- Built-in LMS for courses
- True BNPL through integrations
- Customization options for checkout page templates
- Landing pages for your sales page needs
- Affiliate management and marketing tools
- CRM integration options to automate your workflow
SamCart pricing structure
SamCart’s Launch plan costs $79/mo for up to $3,000 in monthly revenue. Go past that and you’re forced to upgrade.
The Grow plan runs $219/mo for up to $10,000/mo revenue. Scale costs $849/mo and handles up to $100,000/mo.
Live customer service costs an extra $19/mo on top of your plan.
The limitations
The pricing hits hard for creators just starting to sell digital products. $79/mo before you’ve made your first sale is a steep bet. When comparing SamCart vs Payhip, cost is usually the first concern.
Revenue caps mean your costs scale with your success. Do well, pay more. That’s the opposite of what most creators want.
And like Payhip, your recurring payments don’t survive a platform switch. Build a membership, leave SamCart, lose those paying subscribers.
Best for
SamCart fits creators who need advanced funnel features and are already profitable enough to absorb the monthly cost. If you’re making $10k/mo and want every cart feature available, SamCart probably delivers. If you’re earlier in your journey, the cost is hard to justify.
This is the link for SamCart.
What You’ll Actually Pay Each Month
Here’s what each platform costs at different revenue levels. All calculations include Stripe/PayPal processing fees (2.9% + $0.30 per transaction) assuming a $50 average order.
| Monthly Revenue | Payhip | SamCart | CartMango |
|---|---|---|---|
| $1,000/mo (20 orders) | $50 fee + $35 processing = $85 | $79 + $35 = $114 | $0 + $35 = $35 (save $50-79/mo, $600-948/yr) |
| $5,000/mo (100 orders) | $100 fee + $175 = $275 | $79 + $175 = $254 | $0 + $175 = $175 (save $79-100/mo, $948-1,200/yr) |
| $10,000/mo (200 orders) | $99 + $350 = $449 | $219 + $350 = $569 | $0 + $350 = $350 (save $99-219/mo, $1,188-2,628/yr) |
| $50,000/mo (1000 orders) | $99 + $1,750 = $1,849 | $849 + $1,750 = $2,599 | $0 + $1,750 = $1,750 (save $99-849/mo, $1,188-10,188/yr) |
At $1,000/mo revenue, Payhip’s free plan with 5% transaction fee costs you $50 in platform fees alone. SamCart’s $79 minimum hits even harder. CartMango costs nothing beyond payment processing.
Payhip vs SamCart vs CartMango: Which One Fits?
These are the links for each platform: Payhip, SamCart, CartMango.
Choose Payhip if:
- You’re okay with losing recurring revenue upon leaving
- You want the simplest possible setup for your e-commerce site
- Global VAT handling matters to you
- You’re okay with per-transaction fees early on
- You don’t need upsells or funnels
Choose SamCart if:
- You’re okay with losing recurring revenue upon leaving
- You’re already profitable and can absorb $79+/mo
- You need advanced funnel features and A/B testing
- Having an advaced, complex cart matters more than cost
- You’re selling internationally at high volume
Choose CartMango if:
- You refuse to let a platform hold your recurring revenue hostage
- You want zero platform fees while building your online business
- You prefer human support over chatbots
- You’re a solo digital creator who values simplicity over feature bloat
The core question when you compare Payhip vs SamCart is ownership. Both platforms lock you in through your paying subscribers. CartMango doesn’t. If keeping control of what you build matters, that’s where to start.
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