madethis vs gumroad: which is better for selling digital products?

If you're researching where to sell digital products, you've probably come across both MadeThis and Gumroad. They're both popular options for independent creators, and on the surface they look similar.

I've used both seriously — Gumroad for about eight months, then MadeThis after. Here's my honest comparison.

Quick Overview

Gumroad has been around since 2011. It's one of the most well-known platforms for indie creators and has a large existing user base. Simple to set up, handles payment and delivery, and has a marketplace component called Gumroad Discover.

MadeThis is a newer platform built around an AI-powered co-founder concept. It handles the same core functions — product listings, checkout, digital delivery — but adds AI business tools built into the platform itself.

Feature-by-Feature Comparison

Fees

Gumroad: Free plan takes 10% of each transaction. Paid plan ($10/month) reduces the cut to 0% on transactions but you pay the monthly fee.

MadeThis: Free to start, with a transaction fee. Monthly plans available as revenue grows.

Winner: Similar at low volume. MadeThis becomes more favorable as monthly revenue grows.

Ease of Setup

Both are genuinely easy to set up. I had my first product live on Gumroad in about 30 minutes. MadeThis was similar.

Winner: Tie.

Product Pages

This is where I notice a real difference.

Gumroad product pages are functional but minimal. You get a product image, a title, a description box, and a price. That's about it.

MadeThis product pages are cleaner, look better on mobile, and feel more like a proper storefront. The presentation inspires more confidence in first-time buyers who don't know me yet.

Winner: MadeThis, meaningfully.

Built-in Traffic / Discovery

Gumroad: Has Gumroad Discover — a marketplace section where buyers can browse products. This can generate some organic sales for well-performing products. It's not a flood of traffic, but it's something.

MadeThis: No built-in marketplace. You drive all your own traffic.

Winner: Gumroad for early-stage creators who have no existing traffic.

AI Tools

Gumroad: None built in.

MadeThis: The AI co-founder is a meaningful differentiator. It can help you with product ideas, writing descriptions, pricing strategy, and thinking through your business model. This is especially useful for beginners who are figuring things out solo.

Winner: MadeThis, clearly.

Analytics

Gumroad: Basic analytics — sales, revenue, views per product.

MadeThis: Similar baseline analytics.

Winner: Tie (both are adequate but neither is deep).

Customer Email Ownership

Gumroad: You can access buyer emails and export them.

MadeThis: You own your customer data and can build your list from it.

Winner: Tie — both let you own the relationship.

When I'd Choose Each One

Choose Gumroad if:

• You're testing your very first product and want the simplest possible setup
• You want any organic discovery component while building your own audience
• You already know what you're building and don't need platform guidance

Choose MadeThis if:

• You're building a serious digital product business over the long term
• You want a cleaner storefront that converts better
• You'd benefit from the AI co-founder for product development and business strategy
• You're comfortable driving your own traffic through content and SEO

My honest take: I started on Gumroad, which was fine for proving the model. I moved to MadeThis when I wanted to build something more substantial, and the product page quality and AI tools made a real difference in how I operate.

The One Thing That Matters Most

Neither platform will drive significant traffic to your products. You're responsible for that on both.

The difference is what happens when someone arrives at your product page. MadeThis gives you a better canvas for making that impression and converting a visitor to a buyer.

If traffic is your bottleneck (it usually is early on), focus most of your energy there — not on which platform you're on. Both will handle the transaction.

Practical Takeaway

Both platforms are legitimate. Gumroad is simpler to start; MadeThis is better for building a real business.

If I were starting today, I'd go straight to MadeThis. The AI co-founder is genuinely useful for beginners, the product pages convert better, and it's free to start — so there's no cost to trying it first.

Browse my digital products at /products, or read more about how I use MadeThis as my primary platform at /copilot.