The ThriveCart vs Payhip decision comes down to one trade-off: do you want to start free and pay a cut of every sale, or pay a flat price and keep more of your revenue as you grow?
Payhip is a free-to-start storefront for digital products that takes 5% of each sale on its free plan, while ThriveCart is a checkout and revenue platform that charges 0% in platform fees and gives you a full funnel toolkit. Both sell courses, memberships, and digital downloads, and both include built-in affiliate programs, so the real differences are fees, tax handling, and how much control you get over your sales funnel.
This guide compares both platforms on pricing, checkout, courses, affiliates, and tax, with real cost math so you can see where each one comes out cheaper.
ThriveCart vs Payhip Feature Comparison
| Feature Category | ThriveCart | Payhip |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Focus | Checkout, Funnel & Revenue Platform | Digital Product Storefront |
| Pricing Model | Lifetime Deal (One-Time) / Monthly Tier | Free plan + Paid Plans That Lower the Sales Fee |
| Platform Transaction Fee | 0% on every plan | 5% Free, 2% Plus, 0% Pro |
| Monthly Price | $47/mo ($37/mo annual) or $495 lifetime | $0, $29, or $99 |
| Order Bumps & Upsells | Bumps, 1-click upsells and downsells, A/B testing | Cross-sells and order bumps |
| Course Hosting | ThriveCart Academy, unlimited courses and students | Branded course player, drip, quizzes, certificates |
| Memberships | Subscriptions with retention tools | Unlimited tiers with dunning |
| Affiliate Management | Affiliate Center (Pro+, $87/mo), automated payouts | Built in on every plan, manual payouts |
| Tax and VAT | Calculated and collected; you remain seller of record | Payhip is seller of record for EU, UK, US, and Canada digital goods |
| Free Trial | 30 days | Free plan, no credit card needed |
What Is ThriveCart? (Checkout and Sales Funnels Overview)
ThriveCart is a fully hosted checkout platform built to help online entrepreneurs sell courses, coaching, SaaS, and digital products through high-converting checkout pages, order bumps, and upsell funnels, without needing separate hosting or plugins.
Its checkout runs as a hosted page, an embed, or a modal, and connects to Stripe, PayPal, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. ThriveCart also bundles course and community hosting into every plan through ThriveCart Academy, and charges 0% in platform transaction fees at every plan tier.
Where ThriveCart asks more of you is the starting cost and the tax side: there’s no free plan, and you remain the seller of record responsible for tax compliance.
Key Features of ThriveCart
- Checkout engine: Embedded or hosted checkout in modal, single-page, or multi-step layouts.
- Order bumps and one-click upsells and downsells: Increase average order value directly in the cart flow.
- Payment plans and subscriptions: Installment billing, recurring payments, and subscription retention tools.
- ThriveCart Academy: Unlimited courses and students, with community and video hosting bundled into every plan.
- A/B testing and cart abandonment recovery: Test checkout variations and win back lost sales.
- Built-in affiliate center: Recruit and manage affiliates and joint venture partners from the Pro+ plan.
- Tax and multi-currency tools: Automatic tax calculation and collection, optional remittance tools, and local-currency checkout.
- 0% platform transaction fees: No added fee from ThriveCart on top of your payment gateway, at every plan tier.
Get started with ThriveCart’s 30-day free trial →
What Is Payhip? (Digital Product Storefront Overview)
Payhip is an e-commerce platform for creators who sell digital downloads, online courses, memberships, and coaching, with a free plan that lets you start selling without paying anything upfront.
All three Payhip plans include unlimited products, unlimited revenue, and the full feature set. The only thing that changes between them is how much Payhip takes from each sale: 5% on the Free Forever plan, 2% on Plus at $29 a month, and 0% on Pro at $99 a month. Payment processor fees from Stripe or PayPal apply separately on every plan.
That makes Payhip an easy way to test a product with no commitment. The trade-off is that the fee grows with your sales, which is where a flat-priced platform starts to look better.
Key Features of Payhip
- Free Forever plan: Start selling with no credit card and no monthly cost.
- Branded checkout: Custom fields, a gifting option, and a store you can design.
- Cross-sells and order bumps: Offer related items at a discount at checkout.
- Abandoned cart recovery: Automated emails to customers who leave mid-checkout.
- Courses and memberships: A branded course player and unlimited membership tiers.
- Built-in affiliate program: Recruit partners and set commissions by product.
- Automatic tax handling: Payhip acts as seller of record for digital goods in the EU, UK, US, and Canada.
- All features on every plan: You never have to upgrade to unlock a tool.
ThriveCart vs Payhip: Core Difference (Flat License vs. Pay-Per-Sale)
Payhip is built to be free to start and to lower its fee as your sales grow. You can launch a store today without spending a cent, and your costs rise only when you earn.
ThriveCart is built to maximize conversions and keep your fees at zero. You pay a flat license price, and every extra sale is yours to keep, minus your payment processor’s fee.
If you’re testing your first product, Payhip’s free plan removes the risk. If you’re already selling steadily and want funnels, upsells, and the lowest cost per sale, ThriveCart is the more direct fit.
ThriveCart vs Payhip Pricing Cost Compared
ThriveCart pricing:
- Standard: $47/month, or $37/month billed annually
- Pro+: $87/month, or $67/month billed annually (includes the Affiliate Center)
- $495 one-time lifetime license available for the Standard plan
- 0% platform transaction fees at every tier
- 30-day free trial
Payhip pricing (all plans include every feature):
- Free Forever: $0/month plus a 5% transaction fee
- Plus: $29/month plus a 2% transaction fee
- Pro: $99/month with 0% transaction fees
On both platforms, your payment processor’s fees apply on top, such as Stripe’s 2.9% + 30¢.
Where does each plan make sense?
Payhip’s own pricing has two break-even points. Plus beats Free once you pass about $967 in monthly sales, and Pro beats Plus once you pass $3,500 a month. That means Payhip’s cheapest plan depends on your sales volume.
See current ThriveCart plans and start your free trial →
ThriveCart vs Payhip: Checkout, Order Bumps, and Upsells Compared
ThriveCart is cart-first. Its checkout is a dedicated, conversion-focused engine with order bumps, one-click upsells and downsells, A/B testing, cart abandonment recovery, and payment plans built in. The Standard plan includes one bump, and Pro+ adds multiple bumps.
Payhip covers the essentials with a friendly checkout:
- Branded checkout: Design your checkout page, add custom fields to collect customer info, or enable a gifting option so buyers can purchase for someone else.
- Cross-sells and order bumps: Set trigger products so that when a customer adds a specific item to their cart, a pop-up or checkout bump offers a related item at a discount.
- Abandoned cart recovery: Payhip automatically emails customers who abandon their cart.
For core conversion tools, the two are closer than you might expect. ThriveCart goes further with one-click post-purchase upsells and downsells, A/B testing, and a wider funnel toolkit.
ThriveCart vs Payhip: Course Hosting and Memberships Compared
ThriveCart Academy is included on every plan, with unlimited courses and students, quizzes, certificates, and 100 GB of video storage on the Standard plan.
Payhip also includes native course and membership tools on every plan:
- Courses: A branded course player with lessons in video, text, quizzes, assignments, and surveys, plus completion certificates, student accounts, and a drip-feed schedule.
- Video hosting: Hosting video on Payhip requires a flat $5 per month, unless you link to an external host like YouTube or Vimeo.
- Memberships: Unlimited membership tiers with different access levels, weekly, monthly, or annual billing, free trials, and custom initial payments. When a payment fails, Payhip sends dunning emails automatically.
Both handle courses well. Payhip adds assignments and surveys, while ThriveCart bundles video storage and a community into the same plan.
ThriveCart vs Payhip: Affiliate Management Compared
Both platforms include a built-in affiliate program, so neither needs a separate tracking tool. The differences are the plan you need and how payouts work.
ThriveCart’s Affiliate Center is included from the Pro+ plan ($87/month). It offers granular commission controls, automated PayPal payouts with configurable delay rules, a choice between first-cookie and last-cookie attribution, second-tier affiliate networks, and in-dashboard promo assets.
Payhip’s affiliate program is available on every plan, including Free, but works more manually:
- Recruitment: Create a registration link from your dashboard (Marketing > Affiliates). Affiliates sign up with their profile and payment details and wait as “pending” until you approve them.
- Commissions: Once approved, you choose which products they can promote and set their commission percentage.
- Tracking: Payhip uses a 30-day last-touch cookie.
- Payouts: Payhip doesn’t pay affiliates for you. It sends a monthly PDF or CSV report with what each affiliate earned and their PayPal email, and you pay them manually through PayPal.
The practical difference: Payhip gives you affiliates for free but leaves the payout work to you. ThriveCart automates payouts and offers more advanced options, but only from Pro+.
ThriveCart vs Payhip: Tax and VAT Handling Compared
Tax is one of Payhip’s strongest points, and it’s worth understanding clearly.
Payhip: tax handled for you
For digital goods sold to consumers in the EU, UK, US, and Canada, Payhip acts as the seller of record. It detects the buyer’s location, calculates the tax, charges the buyer, and submits the tax to the right governments on a quarterly basis, so you don’t need to register for VAT in those regions. You can add tax on top of your price or include it inside your listed price. If you’re a VAT-registered seller who prefers to file your own taxes, you can turn the automated handling off.
ThriveCart: calculated and collected, with remittance tools
ThriveCart automatically calculates and collects sales tax, VAT, and GST at checkout on both Standard and Pro+, and provides tax reports and invoices. In fall 2026, it also launched optional integrated tax remittance features. ThriveCart is still not a merchant of record, so you remain the legal seller of record and ultimately responsible for tax compliance.
For sellers who want tax filing taken off their plate, especially for EU and UK sales, Payhip’s approach is simpler.
Ease of Use and Setup
Payhip is designed to be quick: you can sign up for free, upload a product, and start selling in minutes, with no credit card needed.
ThriveCart takes a bit longer to set up because it has more to configure, including funnels, bumps, and courses. It offers a 30-day free trial to explore it before you commit.
ThriveCart vs Payhip: The Real Cost
Because Payhip’s fee depends on your sales, the cheapest option changes as you grow. Here’s the monthly cost at three sales levels, using Payhip’s cheapest plan at each level and ThriveCart Standard on annual billing ($37/month):
- $500 in monthly sales: Payhip Free costs $25, versus ThriveCart at $37. Payhip is $12 cheaper.
- $2,000 in monthly sales: Payhip Plus costs $69 ($29 plus 2%), versus ThriveCart at $37. ThriveCart is $32 cheaper.
- $5,000 in monthly sales: Payhip Pro costs $99, versus ThriveCart at $37. ThriveCart is $62 cheaper, or $744 a year.
The break-even point is about $740 in monthly sales. Above that, ThriveCart Standard on annual billing costs less than any Payhip plan. On monthly billing ($47), the break-even is about $940.
If you need affiliates, compare ThriveCart Pro+ ($67/month billed annually, or $804 a year) with Payhip, where affiliates are included on every plan. ThriveCart Pro+ becomes cheaper than Payhip’s cheapest plan once you pass roughly $1,900 in monthly sales.
These comparisons leave out processor fees, which apply on both platforms, and the time you’d spend on tax filing with ThriveCart. ThriveCart also has a one-time $495 lifetime license, which Payhip has no equivalent for.
ThriveCart Pros and Cons
ThriveCart Pros
- 0% platform fees at every plan
- Lower cost once sales pass about $740 a month
- One-click upsells and downsells, A/B testing, and a wider funnel toolkit
- Automated affiliate payouts and multi-tier networks on Pro+
- Unlimited courses and students, plus video storage, in every plan
- Option of a one-time lifetime license
ThriveCart Cons
- No free plan, only a 30-day trial
- Affiliate Center requires the Pro+ plan
- You remain the seller of record for tax compliance
Payhip Pros and Cons
Payhip Pros
- Free to start, with no credit card
- Every feature included on every plan
- Affiliates available on every plan
- Automatic VAT and sales tax handling for the EU, UK, US, and Canada
- Quick setup with courses, memberships, and abandoned cart recovery
Payhip Cons
- 5% fee on the Free plan, 2% on Plus, plus processor fees
- Manual affiliate payouts through PayPal
- Video hosting costs an extra $5 a month unless you use YouTube or Vimeo
- Fewer funnel tools than ThriveCart
Who Should Use ThriveCart?
- Sellers with steady sales who want the lowest cost per sale
- Course creators and coaches who want funnels, upsells, downsells, and A/B testing
- Businesses that want automated affiliate payouts
- Anyone who wants the option of a one-time lifetime license
If that sounds like you, ThriveCart is worth a closer look.
Who Should Use Payhip?
- New creators who want to test a product with no upfront cost
- Sellers with low monthly sales who prefer paying only per sale
- Creators selling digital goods to the EU and UK who want VAT handled for them
- Anyone who wants every feature unlocked from day one
ThriveCart vs Payhip Alternatives
If neither platform feels like the right fit, these alternatives are worth a look.
Podia
Podia is an all-in-one creator platform with a website, courses, community, and email marketing built in.
Best for: Creators who want one simple hub for their whole online business.
Want the full breakdown? Read our ThriveCart vs Podia comparison.
Lemon Squeezy
Lemon Squeezy is a merchant of record platform that handles global sales tax and VAT for you, in exchange for a per-sale fee.
Best for: Software, SaaS, and digital product sellers with a global audience who want tax compliance handled for them.
Want the full breakdown? Read our ThriveCart vs Lemon Squeezy comparison.
Systeme.io
Systeme.io is an all-in-one marketing platform that combines funnels, email marketing, course hosting, and a built-in affiliate program, with a free plan to start.
Best for: Beginners and budget-conscious sellers who want funnels, email, and courses in one place.
Want the full breakdown? Read our Systeme.io vs ThriveCart comparison.
SamCart
SamCart is a premium, conversion-focused checkout platform with AI tools, a courses app, and upsell tools on its Pro plan.
Best for: Course creators and coaches who want a polished checkout experience.
Want the full breakdown? Read our ThriveCart vs SamCart comparison.
Final Verdict on ThriveCart vs Payhip
Choose ThriveCart if you already have steady sales and want 0% platform fees, a stronger funnel toolkit with upsells, downsells, and A/B testing, unlimited course hosting, and the option of a one-time lifetime license.
Choose Payhip if you’re testing your first products, have low monthly sales, or sell digital goods to EU and UK customers and want VAT filing handled for you.
The decision follows your sales volume. Below about $740 a month, Payhip’s free plan costs less. Above it, ThriveCart’s flat pricing wins, and the gap widens as you grow.
FAQs About ThriveCart vs Payhip
Is ThriveCart better than Payhip?
It depends on your sales volume and needs. Payhip is better for starting free and for sellers who want VAT handled automatically. ThriveCart is better once your sales pass about $740 a month, or if you want more funnel tools and automated affiliate payouts.
Is Payhip really free?
Yes. Payhip’s Free Forever plan costs $0 a month, requires no credit card, and includes all features. It charges a 5% fee on each sale instead, plus your payment processor’s fees.
How much does Payhip charge per sale?
Payhip charges 5% on the Free plan, 2% on the Plus plan ($29/month), and 0% on the Pro plan ($99/month). Stripe or PayPal processing fees apply on top of every plan.
Does ThriveCart charge transaction fees?
No. ThriveCart charges 0% in platform transaction fees at every plan tier. You only pay your payment gateway’s standard rate, such as Stripe’s 2.9% + 30¢.
Which is cheaper, ThriveCart or Payhip?
Payhip is cheaper at very low sales, below about $740 a month. Above that, ThriveCart Standard on annual billing costs less than any Payhip plan, and the gap grows with your sales.
Does Payhip have affiliate management?
Yes, on every plan. Affiliates sign up through a registration link, you approve them and set commissions, and tracking uses a 30-day last-touch cookie. Payouts are manual: Payhip gives you a monthly report and you pay affiliates through PayPal.
Does Payhip handle VAT?
Yes. For digital goods sold to consumers in the EU, UK, US, and Canada, Payhip acts as the seller of record, collects the tax, and remits it to governments quarterly. You can turn this off if you’re VAT-registered and prefer to file your own taxes.
Can I host courses on both platforms?
Yes. ThriveCart Academy is included on every plan with unlimited courses and students. Payhip also includes a branded course player, but video hosting on Payhip costs $5 a month unless you use YouTube or Vimeo.
Is there a free trial for ThriveCart or Payhip?
ThriveCart offers a 30-day free trial on its monthly plans. Payhip doesn’t need a trial, since its Free Forever plan lets you sell with no credit card.
Ready to try it? Start your ThriveCart free trial and see how the checkout and funnels work for your offer.