Teachable vs Gumroad: Which Is Better for Selling a Course?
Teachable is a course platform. Gumroad is a simple storefront for any digital product. You can sell a course on either, but the experience for you and your students is very different. Choose Teachable if you want a proper course with structured lessons and student tracking. Choose Gumroad if you want to sell a set of videos or files with no monthly bill.
Quick comparison
| Teachable | Gumroad | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | From $39 (Starter) | $0 |
| Fee per sale | 7.5% on Starter, 0% on Builder and up | 10% + 50¢ on direct sales |
| Marketplace sales | No marketplace | 30% via Discover |
| Product limits | 5, 10 or 50 by plan | None stated |
| Free option | 7-day trial | Free to start |
| Built for | Courses and coaching | Any digital download |
Prices checked on each pricing page, October 2026.
Pricing
Gumroad charges nothing per month. It keeps 10% plus 50 cents of each direct sale, and 30% when a buyer arrives through its Discover marketplace.
Teachable has three standard plans, billed monthly at $39 for Starter, $89 for Builder and $189 for Growth, with lower rates on annual billing. Starter still carries a 7.5% transaction fee. Builder and above have no transaction fee. Product limits are 5 on Starter, 10 on Builder and 50 on Growth. There is no free plan, only a 7-day trial.
Where the numbers cross
Compare Gumroad with Teachable Builder, since that is the first plan with no transaction fee. Gumroad costs roughly 10% of revenue. Builder costs $89 a month. Once you pass about $850 a month in sales, Builder is cheaper, before payment processing.
Teachable Starter is harder to recommend on price alone. You pay $39 a month and still give up 7.5%, which is close to Gumroad’s cut without the free entry.
Course experience
Teachable is ahead here. You organize content into sections and lessons, add quizzes, issue certificates, drip content over time and see how far each student has got. Students log in to a course area that looks and behaves like a school.
Gumroad delivers files and gated content to a buyer’s library. You can upload videos and PDFs and they will work, but there is no curriculum structure, quizzes or completion tracking.
Sales tax
Gumroad acts as merchant of record and handles sales tax collection and remittance worldwide at no extra cost. Teachable also offers tax handling when you use its own payment system. Check which payment setup applies to your country before you assume it is covered.
Finding buyers
Gumroad’s Discover marketplace can surface your product to people browsing the site, at the 30% rate. Teachable has no marketplace, so every student comes from your own audience.
Which should you choose?
- Choose Gumroad for a first product, a mini-course, or when sales are under roughly $850 a month.
- Choose Teachable for a flagship course where structure, completion and student experience matter, and step up to Builder as soon as sales justify it.
A common path is to validate the idea on Gumroad, then move to Teachable once the course sells.
Related: Teachable vs SamCart, Teachable competitors and Skillshare vs Teachable.
