2026-10-13
Quay vs Gumroad when the buyer should get the file on the receipt.
Gumroad and Quay both sell a digital file to someone who does not need an account. They part ways on who holds the payout, what the platform keeps, and whether the receipt itself opens the files.
What Gumroad’s buyer does
Gumroad’s help center, read 13 Oct 2026, says a buyer can pay without an account. The receipt email carries a link to the content. A library of past purchases needs a Gumroad account on the same email. The product page can also show the content again when Gumroad recognizes that buyer.
In this billing mode the buy button leaves Quay. The receipt described below is for an order Quay itself checked out. A pasted Stripe Payment Link, PayPal, Gumroad, or Square link does not create that receipt.
The published Gumroad fee
Gumroad’s pricing page, read 28 Sep 2026, charges 10% + $0.50 on a direct sale and 30% when a new customer buys through Discover. Gumroad does not charge a monthly fee on that pricing page.
On this server Studio is $29.00 a month. You keep the sale and collect it on your own checkout link. Quay does not add a percent, and Quay does not email a file for that outside payment.
Why a seller would pick Quay
Pick Quay in this mode when you already collect payment somewhere else and want a public product page that stays up while the Studio month is active. You do not get Gumroad Discover. Quay will not send you strangers, and it will not deliver the file.
A new store’s download link lasts 72 hours and allows 5 downloads, unless the store or the product sets a stricter cap. Each file save counts as one download. The seller can resend or reset the link from the order. A refund revokes the link and any license key. Files have to be 20 MB or smaller. There is no custom domain, no PDF stamp, and no EU VAT filing.
When Gumroad is the better fit
Stay if you want Discover to bring new buyers, a mobile app library, or a buyer account that holds every purchase. Quay is a counter you send people to. It is not a catalog strangers browse.