Payhip Fee Calculator: Free vs Plus vs Pro Fees, Processing Costs & What You Keep (2026 Guide)
Picture this: you launch your ebook on Payhip, watch the sales roll in at $19.99 each, and celebrate your first $1,000 revenue milestone. Then the payout hits, and reality bites—fees have quietly claimed nearly 10% of every sale. How much does Payhip charge? As of August 2026, it depends on your plan: Free plan adds 5% per transaction with $0 monthly; Plus drops to 2% for $29/month; Pro eliminates it at 0% for $99/month. Add separate Stripe or PayPal processing fees (typically 2.9% + $0.30), and your true take-home shrinks further.
This Payhip fee calculator from Smart Sellers Tool cuts through the fog. Built for seller decisions with instant transparent math, it models per-sale deductions to reveal what you keep. Rates evolve—verify latest at Payhip's pricing page. Let's break it down, example by example, so you price smarter and profit more.
What the Payhip Fee Calculator Actually Models
The Payhip fee calculator focuses on per-sale reality: input revenue, select plan, tweak processing rates and fixed fees, add product costs. It spits out Payhip's cut, processing total, effective fee percentage, and net before overhead. Methodology: Payhip % of revenue + processing (% of revenue + fixed per sale). Profit margin follows after subtracting editable product costs.
What it skips intentionally: monthly plan fees (volume matters for that), taxes/VAT (Payhip handles collection in some regions), affiliate payouts (extra 10-30% commissions). Zero in on transaction truth first, then layer in the rest with our full suite.
Payhip Fees Explained: Platform vs Processing
Payhip fees split cleanly: platform transaction percentage (plan-dependent), plus buyer payment processing. Platform: Free 5%, Plus 2%, Pro 0%. Processing? Stripe averages 2.9% + $0.30 USD; PayPal similar or higher internationally. Editable in the calculator for your setup.
That fixed $0.30 stings low-price sales—a $5 digital template loses 6% to it alone. Bundles or courses smooth this: sell five $5 items as one $25 pack, fixed fee hits once. Quantity discounts? Payhip passes some through, but model conservatively.
Free vs Plus vs Pro: When Upgrading Pays
Free suits starters under $1,000 monthly revenue. Plus saves 3 percentage points versus Free; break-even at ~$967 ($29 / 0.03). Scale to $3,000+? Pro shines, saving 5 points over Free (break-even ~$1,980) or 2 over Plus (~$3,500, covering $70 net monthly delta).
Per-sale calcs exclude monthlies—use our Payhip margin calculator for volume scenarios. Pro unlocks extras like custom domains, but fees drive the math.
Worked Example: $19.99 Ebook Sale
Sale: $19.99 ebook. Assumptions: Stripe 2.9% + $0.30, zero product cost.
- Free: Payhip 5% = $1.00. Processing: 2.9% ($0.58) + $0.30 = $0.88. Total fees $1.88. Net: $18.11. Effective fee: 9.4%.
- Plus: Payhip 2% = $0.40 + $0.88 = $1.28. Net: $18.71. Effective: 6.4%.
- Pro: Payhip 0% + $0.88 = $0.88. Net: $19.11. Effective: 4.4%.
Pro nets $1 extra per sale over Free. At 100 sales? $100 more, minus $99 monthly—barely pays. Ramp to 200: clear winner.
Low-Price Drag and Why Bundles Help
$5 template on Free: Payhip $0.25 + processing $0.145 + $0.30 = $0.695. Effective 13.9%.
$20 course module: Payhip $1.00 + $0.58 + $0.30 = $1.88. Effective 9.4%.
Bundle four $5 items into $20? One transaction, fees drop to ~9%. Payhip supports this seamlessly for templates, ebooks.
Digital Products, Courses, Memberships: Cost Nuances
Ebooks, templates: true zero COGS. Courses/memberships add hosting (~$0.10-1/sale equivalent), support time. Edit into calculator's product cost field.
VAT/taxes: Payhip collects in EU/UK per settings—not in fee model. US sales? Buyer handles. Focus fees first.
From Fee to True Profit: The Calculator Workflow
- Plug revenue into Payhip fee calculator. Tweak plan/processing.
- Add product costs for margin.
- Scale up? Hit Payhip profit calculator for marketing/ads.
- Test prices: Payhip pricing calculator.
- Compare plans at volume: Payhip margin calculator.
- Forecast launch: Payhip break-even calculator.
All link from our Payhip hub.
Common Pitfalls
- Forgetting monthlies inflate per-sale nets.
- Ignoring fixed $0.30 on cheap items.
- Assuming uniform 2.9%+30c—PayPal varies.
- Overlooking 10-30% affiliate cuts.
- Skipping taxes—Payhip aids, but verify.
Assumptions & Sources
Dated August 19, 2026. Payhip: official pricing. Stripe/PayPal: standard US rates, editable. No taxes/affiliates modeled. Product costs user-defined. No income guarantees—your results vary.
FAQ
How much does Payhip take per sale?
Platform: 5% Free, 2% Plus, 0% Pro. Plus processing ~3-4%.
Does Payhip fee include PayPal/Stripe?
No—separate. Calculator splits them.
What is effective fee on $5 product?
Free: ~14%; Pro: ~10%. Fixed fees dominate.
When does Plus pay vs Free?
~$1,000 monthly revenue.
When does Pro pay?
~$2,000 vs Free, $3,500 vs Plus.
Do I need to add VAT or monthly plan?
Fees exclude both—add manually for totals. Payhip collects VAT optionally.
Ready to Calculate Your Keep?
Plug in your numbers at the Payhip fee calculator. Explore the full Payhip hub for profit tools. Sell smarter—keep more.