Choose Payhip when its revenue-based entry plan and selling features fit your launch. Consider Sellfy when a fixed subscription, its storefront and print-on-demand options match your business. For downloads, compare the annual sales allowance as well as the monthly price: unlimited products does not mean unlimited sales on every plan.
This comparison is for creators choosing where to sell finished files or a mixed catalog. Neither a low headline price nor a long feature list tells you what happens when a successful product takes you over an annual threshold.
Compare each vendor's own plan terms
Payhip pricing lists Free at $0/month plus 5%, Plus at $29/month plus 2%, and Pro at $99/month with no platform transaction fee. It lists unlimited products and revenue on those plans. Payment-processing charges remain separate.
Sellfy pricing lists no platform transaction fees and unlimited products, but annual sales ceilings of $10,000 on Starter, $50,000 on Business and $200,000 on Premium. Its plans include downloads, subscriptions and merchandise. Confirm the actual monthly or annual subscription offer and what happens if your sales exceed its threshold.
We deliberately use a quoted Sellfy subscription amount as a worksheet input rather than copy a price from another vendor's comparison. The headline, billing period and displayed checkout must agree before you make a cost decision.
Two annual sales scenarios
Assume a fictional creator sells downloads with an average order value of $20, evenly across a year. Case A has forty orders each month; Case B has fifty. These are hypothetical sales, not observed creator results. Figures below exclude processing, taxes, refunds, currency conversion and optional services.
| Annual model | Case A | Case B |
|---|---|---|
| Orders | 40 × 12 = 480 | 50 × 12 = 600 |
| Sales | 480 × $20 = $9,600 | 600 × $20 = $12,000 |
| Payhip Free platform fee | $9,600 × 5% = $480 | $12,000 × 5% = $600 |
| Payhip Plus platform cost | $348 + $192 = $540 | $348 + $240 = $588 |
| Payhip Pro platform cost | $99 × 12 = $1,188 | $99 × 12 = $1,188 |
| Sellfy sales ceiling to check | Within Starter's published $10,000 ceiling | Above Starter; check Business or vendor guidance |
At Case A's steady sales, Payhip Free costs less in platform fees than Plus under these assumptions. At Case B, Plus is $12 lower over the year. That small difference is not proof that an upgrade is worthwhile for every seller; timing and your actual monthly sales matter.
For Sellfy, write S = the annual subscription actually offered for the eligible plan. Compare S with $480 in Case A or $588 in Case B, then add the separate processing and operational costs. Do not use a Starter quote for Case B simply because both cases have the same catalog size.
Reproduce the model with your annual sales forecast, a quieter year and a stronger year. If you sell only in some months, calculate monthly platform choices explicitly rather than treating a seasonal business as steady revenue.
Choose by what you deliver
A download business needs the correct file version delivered to the paid buyer, sensible access rules and support for lost links. A print-on-demand catalog also needs production, shipping, returns and a margin after fulfillment costs. A course needs a learning experience, rather than just delivery of a ZIP file.
| Requirement | What to verify in the purchase decision |
|---|---|
| Finished files only | Accepted files, delivery, access controls and buyer support |
| Files plus printed merchandise | Production and shipping charges, returns and usable margin |
| Courses or coaching | Actual learning or session workflow, not just a payment button |
| Taxes on sales | What the platform collects/remits, where, and what remains your duty |
Sellfy explicitly offers print-on-demand in its product navigation. If that is essential, price the actual product and fulfillment route before replacing it with a download tool. Payhip's pricing page describes tax-handling services for specified jurisdictions. Do not assume that service transfers with your files to another platform, or that every seller obligation disappears.
Where a simpler PayRequest workflow fits
If your next job is to sell a finished file with payment and automatic delivery, also evaluate PayRequest digital products. Its digital-product documentation describes purchase-specific download links, expiry and download limits. Check your intended file, account and provider before launch.
This is not a claim that PayRequest replaces Sellfy print-on-demand production, Payhip's course environment or either vendor's tax services. Choose the selling environment you actually require, then decide whether a more focused workflow is sufficient.
PayRequest pricing currently lists Free at €0/month plus a 2% standard platform fee, Premium at €5/month and Business at €20/month. Active paid access removes the standard platform fee; provider charges and commission-payment exceptions remain separate. The euro plans are not converted into the dollar worksheet above, and no universal cheapest-provider claim is made.
Move one product before moving your buyers
Use one current product as an acceptance sample. Save its file version, price, sales description, delivery terms and obligations to earlier buyers. Prepare the replacement offer and confirm what a paid buyer receives before replacing the public sales link.
Keep earlier download access and refund responsibilities intact. Exported customer details do not automatically recreate old download permissions or subscription consent. A small catalog can still have a large archive of buyer commitments.
Use the article CTA to create an account and prepare one paid download. Compare that complete workflow with your Payhip or Sellfy requirements before migrating the catalog.
Editorial note: prepared with AI assistance; official sources reviewed on 5 November 2026. The cover is illustrative. Revenue, order volumes and calculations are hypothetical and reproducible, not a live selling test or customer income claim.
