Growing an audience
Running the business
Both cover digital products & storefronts. Here is what separates them on price, billing, what you can take with you, and coverage.
| Amazon KDP | Gumroad | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | Free |
| Pricing model | Free | Free |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Billing | Usage-based | Usage-based |
| Free trial | Not stated | Not stated |
| API | Not stated | Not stated |
| Data export | Not stated | Not stated |
| Their cut | 30% of what you earn | 10% of what you earn |
| Runs on | Not stated | Not stated |
| Covers | Self-Publishing, Digital Products & Storefronts | Digital Products & Storefronts, Monetization & Payments |
| Works with | Nothing in particular | Nothing in particular |
| Founded | Not listed | Not listed |
| Reader rating | No reviews yet | No reviews yet |
| Live deals | None right now | None right now |
Self-publish to Kindle and keep 70 percent
Kindle Direct Publishing is the shortest route from a finished manuscript to a book somebody can buy, and the audience on the other side of it is the reason most self-published authors start here. Publishing costs nothing. The royalty band is the thing to read before setting a price, because it changes what you earn by half.
Our note
The price band is the decision, not the cover. Pricing at $14.99 instead of $12.99 cuts the royalty rate in half, and a lot of first books are priced into the wrong side of it by accident.
Only on this side
Sell digital products with almost no setup
Gumroad is the fastest way to put a file behind a payment link. No store to build, no plan to choose, and a flat 10 percent on every sale. That rate is high once you are doing real volume, which is when people usually leave.
Our note
Start here, and do the arithmetic every quarter. The moment 10 percent is more than a competitor's monthly fee plus a lower rate, move. Until then nothing is simpler.
Only on this side
Ratings are the average of reviews readers left. The facts are stated by each tool’s own listing and are not verified by CloutStack. How we make money.