Gumroad vs Teachable: Where Should You Sell Your Digital Products?

Gumroad is a simple online store where creators can sell digital and physical items, like music, ebooks, and more. It’s easy to use but charges high fees and lacks some advanced features.

Teachable focus on online courses. It lets creators build and edit courses, design pages, and include quizzes. It also has options to make money through different payment levels and an affiliate program.

Which platform is better for you, Gumroad or Teachable? It depends on what you need and what you want to achieve.

Read the full article for a detailed comparison of both platforms, including prices, features, email marketing, and fees.

Pricing Comparison

Gumroad

Gumroad lets you start selling without a listing fee. However, it takes a cut from your sales. For the first $1,000 in sales, Gumroad charges 9% plus 30 cents per sale. After that, for the next $1,000, the fee drops to 7% plus 30 cents.

For all sales over $2,000, the fee is 5% plus 30 cents per sale. Gumroad also has a special plan called “Gumroad Discover” for $10 per month, which gives you more tools like customizable product pages and better tracking of your sales.

Teachable

Teachable has several pricing plans. There’s a free plan which is quite basic, letting you host one course with limited options.

The Basic plan costs $29 per month and offers unlimited courses, more customizable templates, and tools for email marketing. The Pro plan at $99 per month adds more features like detailed analytics and graded quizzes.

The top-tier Business plan costs $249 per month, offering the most customization and options like importing many students at once. Teachable also charges extra fees on sales: 5% on the free plan, 2.9% plus 30 cents on the Basic and Pro plans, and none on the Business plan unless an affiliate sells your course, in which case it’s 5%.

Winner: If you want lower upfront costs and simpler pricing, Gumroad might suit you better.

But if you’re looking for a platform that supports extensive course offerings and deep customization, Teachable’s higher tiers, despite the initial cost, offer significant value with more features and lower transaction fees as you scale.

Product Type Comparison

Gumroad

Gumroad helps creators sell simple items like ebooks, audiobooks, templates, tutorials, and music. It’s good for those who want to sell just a few digital products each month.

Gumroad also lets you sell physical items, making it a flexible option for sellers of both digital and physical goods. Its straightforward setup makes it easy for beginners or those with smaller sales volumes.

Teachable

Teachable is made for those who want to create and sell detailed online courses. This platform allows for building courses with lessons, quizzes, and student interactions. It also supports coaching, digital downloads, memberships, and creating online communities.

Teachable is a full-service platform for creators who want to provide a variety of learning options and services.

Winner:

If you need a simple tool for selling a few products, Gumroad is the better choice. However, if your goal is to create comprehensive courses and you need many customization options to build a professional brand, Teachable is the superior option.

Customization Options for Gumroad and Teachable

Gumroad

Gumroad offers basic customization for the checkout experience and product pages. Its design focuses on simplicity and ease of use, serving creators who prefer a straightforward approach to selling digital products.

The customization options are limited, they are sufficient for those not looking for complex configurations.

Teachable

Teachable provides more in-depth customization features for course websites, including the ability to use custom domains, apply unique branding, and write CSS code for precise design control.

Teachable allows for the creation of customized sales and product pages, as well as integration with third-party software. These capabilities enable creators to establish a fully branded and tailored learning environment.

Email Marketing Comparison for Gumroad and Teachable

Gumroad

Gumroad incorporates a built-in feature for email marketing, allowing creators to build an email list from scratch or import an existing one. Creators can use this feature to send automated messages about product updates, new releases, and promotional events directly to their audience.

Teachable

Teachable supports email automation and also provides integration with leading email marketing platforms like Mailchimp, ConvertKit, and AWeber.

Final Verdict

Choosing between Gumroad and Teachable depends on your needs. If you want something easy and straightforward, Gumroad is perfect. It’s simple and covers basic selling needs well.

If you’re planning to create detailed courses and want more control over your website, Teachable is the way to go. It has more features for customization and can handle complex requirements.

In short, pick Gumroad for selling simple items quickly. Choose Teachable if you want to offer in-depth courses and need a professional setup.