Payhip vs Shopify: Cost and Fees Calculator
Enter your volumes to compare estimated monthly costs and fees for Payhip and Shopify across the selling types both offer, using published US pricing.
Selling online (eCommerce)
Estimates combine processing fees and monthly subscriptions on the plans noted above. One-time hardware, setup, and add-ons are excluded. Rates are published or typical US pricing as of mid-2026 and may have changed.
How the Payhip vs Shopify calculator works, and how the two compare
Payhip is a lightweight platform for selling digital downloads, courses, and physical goods. Payhip's free plan charges a 5% platform fee plus PayPal or Stripe processing (about 7.9% + $0.30 combined); paid plans at $29 and $99 per month cut the platform fee to 2% and 0%. Shopify is the leading dedicated eCommerce platform in the US, which also sells in person through Shopify POS. Shopify Basic is $39 per month at 2.9% + $0.30 online with Shopify Payments (Grow $105 at 2.7% + $0.30); in-person processing is 2.6% + $0.10 with POS Lite included in every plan, and POS Pro adds $89 per month per location.
How they are similar: Where they overlap: both Payhip and Shopify cover selling online, which is what this calculator compares. They also share the same commercial model: both operate as a subscription platform where you pay a monthly plan plus payment processing. In both cases the bill is driven by a percentage of each sale plus any fixed per-transaction fee, which is why your average transaction size changes the effective rate as much as the headline percentage does.
How they differ: Only Shopify offers in-person card readers and a full POS system, so that side of the business is not part of this comparison. Payhip undercuts Gumroad at every tier and handles EU VAT on digital goods, making it one of the cheapest starts for digital sellers. Shopify's strength is depth and ecosystem: the largest app store in commerce and true omnichannel selling, but third-party gateways trigger an extra 0.6% to 2% fee and app costs creep up at scale.
Assumptions used in this calculator
- Payhip is modeled on: Free plan: 5% platform fee plus processing (about 7.9% + $0.30); paid plans lower the platform fee.
- Shopify is modeled on: Basic $39 per month, 2.9% + $0.30 online with Shopify Payments.
- Rates are published or typical US pricing as of mid-2026 and change often; quote-based providers are modeled at representative rates. Always confirm current pricing with the provider.
- One-time hardware, setup, add-on apps, keyed-in transactions, international cards, and chargeback fees are excluded from the monthly figures.