Gumroad vs Teachable: Where Should You Sell Your Digital Products?
If you’re a creator, coach, or online educator looking to sell digital products or courses, chances are you’ve heard of Gumroad and Teachable. They’re both well-known platforms, but they serve slightly different needs—and choosing the right one can save you a lot of headaches down the road.
So let’s break it down. No fluff. Just a helpful, side-by-side look at what each platform offers so you can pick the one that fits you best.
Pricing: What Will It Cost You?
Let’s start with the big one—how much are you going to pay?
Gumroad
Gumroad is all about simplicity. There are no monthly fees to get started. Instead, they take a percentage of each sale:
- 9% + $0.30 per sale for your first $1,000 in revenue.
- Then it drops to 7% + $0.30 for the next $1,000.
- And once you’ve made over $2,000? You’re down to 5% + $0.30 per sale.
If you want a few extra perks, there’s a $10/month “Gumroad Discover” plan, which gives you access to better analytics and lets you get featured in their marketplace.
This is a great option if you’re just starting out and want to avoid paying upfront.
Teachable
Teachable, on the other hand, works like a more traditional SaaS tool with tiered pricing:
- Free Plan: One course, basic features, 5% transaction fee.
- Basic Plan ($29/month): Unlimited courses, email marketing tools, 2.9% + $0.30 transaction fee.
- Pro Plan ($99/month): Includes graded quizzes, affiliate marketing, advanced reporting.
- Business Plan ($249/month): Built for scale—bulk enrollments, custom user roles, priority support, and more.
Some plans still charge transaction fees, especially if an affiliate is involved.
Verdict:
If you’re looking for the lowest risk, Gumroad is a no-brainer. You don’t pay unless you sell. But if you’re building a serious online course business and want access to deeper tools, Teachable is worth the investment.
What Can You Sell?
This is where things really start to differ.
Gumroad
Gumroad is designed for selling almost anything digital. Think ebooks, music, design templates, videos, PDFs, icons—you name it. You can even sell physical products, though the fulfillment is on you.
It’s quick to set up and perfect for creators who just want to upload a file, set a price, and start selling.
Teachable
Teachable is all about courses and coaching. It’s built from the ground up for educators and infopreneurs. You can:
- Create full online courses with video, text, quizzes, and PDFs.
- Offer coaching programs.
- Sell subscriptions or one-time products.
- Build a student dashboard and drip lessons over time.
It’s much more of an “online school” vibe.
Verdict:
If you’re launching a digital product store or just testing the waters, Gumroad is super easy and flexible. But if you want to create structured learning experiences or offer multiple courses with student interaction, Teachable wins.
Customization & Branding
How much control do you have over how everything looks?
Gumroad
Gumroad keeps it simple and clean. You can add your own logo, tweak the colors a bit, and write your own product descriptions—but that’s about it.
There’s no full control over layout or themes, and you’ll be using Gumroad-hosted pages (unless you embed buy buttons on your own site).
But hey, if minimalism is your vibe, this might be all you need.
Teachable
This is where Teachable shines. You get:
- Your own custom domain (like
courses.yoursite.com) - Customizable templates
- Access to your course site’s backend for CSS edits
- Branding tools for a cohesive look and feel
You can essentially build an entire course website that feels like your brand. Great if you’re trying to look professional or build long-term trust.
Verdict:
Want something fast and low-effort? Gumroad. Want to build a custom branded learning experience? Teachable.
Email Marketing
Email is still king when it comes to selling online, so this one matters more than you might think.
Gumroad
Gumroad includes basic email marketing tools built right in. You can:
- Collect emails from customers
- Send out product updates or newsletters
- Segment based on product or audience behavior
It’s surprisingly decent for basic communication, especially if you’re managing a small list.
Teachable
Teachable lets you:
- Send automatic course welcome emails and follow-ups
- Trigger emails based on student behavior (e.g. “Didn’t finish Lesson 2”)
- Integrate with third-party email tools like ConvertKit, Mailchimp, or AWeber
So if you’re running a sophisticated marketing funnel, you’ll probably want Teachable + a dedicated email tool.
Verdict:
Gumroad’s built-in email is fine for casual updates. Teachable is better if you want automation and serious student engagement.
Integrations & Features
This one’s all about how the platform plays with the rest of your tech stack.
Gumroad
Gumroad is lightweight and doesn’t offer a huge list of integrations. But you can:
- Embed Gumroad buttons on your website
- Use Zapier for automations
- Access basic analytics and customer info
You don’t get deep control, but you get enough to track your sales and connect to tools like Google Sheets or Notion via Zapier.
Teachable
Teachable has more robust built-in features:
- Built-in affiliate program management
- Drip content scheduling
- Student feedback surveys
- Integration with Zapier, Segment, ConvertKit, and more
- Mobile app for students
If your course business is your main business, Teachable gives you the tools to grow it like one.
Verdict:
Gumroad is simple and effective. Teachable is more powerful and flexible.
Learning Curve
Gumroad
You can literally go from idea to live product in 10 minutes. Upload, price, and publish. Boom—you’re done. It’s that easy.
Teachable
There’s more to learn, but it’s not overwhelming. Teachable walks you through setting up your school, uploading content, customizing your site, and launching.
You’ll probably spend a day or two getting everything ready, but the payoff is a pro-level experience for your students.
Verdict:
Gumroad is like using a calculator. Teachable is like using a spreadsheet. One is fast and simple, the other is powerful once you know how to use it.
Final Verdict: Which Should You Choose?
Here’s the TL;DR:
| Feature | Gumroad | Teachable |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Monthly plans |
| Best For | Selling digital goods (ebooks, art, music) | Building online courses and coaching |
| Customization | Basic | Advanced |
| Email Tools | Built-in basics | Advanced automation |
| Learning Curve | Very low | Moderate |
| Scalability | Simple store | Full-blown online school |
Choose Gumroad if:
- You’re a creator selling a few digital products.
- You want the easiest setup and lowest upfront cost.
- You don’t need advanced course features or a custom domain.
Choose Teachable if:
- You’re building an online course business.
- You want to offer a polished, branded experience.
- You’re ready to invest time and money in long-term growth.
At the end of the day, both are solid choices. You just need to pick the one that matches where you are—and where you’re going.