Every Creator Platform Fee Explained: The Complete 2026 Database

By KnowYourCut · 12 min read · Updated February 10, 2026

Every Creator Platform Fee Explained: The Complete 2026 Database

What do creator platforms actually take from your sales? This database covers 20+ platforms with verified fee structures including platform commissions, payment processing, and hidden charges. Updated February 2026.

You just sold something for $100. Let's see what actually lands in your account.

Spoiler: it's never $100.

Every platform has its own cocktail of fees—platform cuts, payment processing, fixed charges, and sometimes sneaky extras that only appear in the fine print. I got tired of hunting through help docs and Reddit threads to find this stuff, so I built this database.

20+ platforms. Real numbers. Updated February 2026.

Quick Jump

Gumroad

Fee TypeAmount
Platform Fee (Direct)10% + $0.50/order
Payment Processing2.9% + $0.30
Discovery Sales30% flat (all-in)
The deal: Direct sales (your own traffic) cost 10% + $0.50 per order, plus separate payment processing. Discovery sales through Gumroad's marketplace take a flat 30%—but you're getting their audience. The $0.50 per-order fee hurts on low-priced items.

$20 sale example: $2.00 (10%) + $0.50 + $0.88 (processing) = $3.38 fees → You keep $16.62

→ Calculate your Gumroad earnings

Payhip

PlanPlatform FeeProcessing
Free5%2.9% + $0.30
Plus ($29/mo)2%2.9% + $0.30
Pro ($99/mo)0%2.9% + $0.30
The deal: No per-order fixed fees—just percentage-based. The free plan at 5% often beats Gumroad on low-priced items because there's no $0.50 charge.

$20 sale example (Free plan): $1.00 (5%) + $0.88 (processing) = $1.88 fees → You keep $18.12

→ Calculate your Payhip earnings

Etsy

Fee TypeUSUK
Listing Fee$0.20£0.16
Transaction Fee6.5%6.5%
Payment Processing3% + $0.254% + £0.20
Regulatory Fee0.3%0.3%
The deal: Etsy stacks fees like pancakes. Listing fee, transaction fee, payment processing—it adds up to ~10-15%. UK sellers pay higher processing but less on listings. Offsite Ads can add 12-15% more.

$20 sale example (US): $0.20 + $1.30 + $0.85 + $0.06 = $2.41 fees → You keep $17.59

→ Calculate your Etsy earnings

CGTrader

Sales ThresholdYour Royalty
$0 (Level 1)60%
$50+ (Level 2)61%
$300+ (Level 4)63%
$1k+ (Level 7)66%
$6k+ (Level 14)73%
$50k+ (Level 22)81%
$300k+ (Level 26)85%
The deal: 26-level system based on rolling 12-month sales (updated May 2025). Start at 60%, work your way to 85%. No payment processing fees charged to sellers.

$100 sale example (Level 1): $40 commission → You keep $60

→ Calculate your CGTrader earnings

TurboSquid

LevelYour RoyaltyNotes
Non-Exclusive40%Any seller
SquidGuild Clear50%$0-$150 lifetime
SquidGuild Bronze51%$150+
SquidGuild Gold54%$1.5k+
SquidGuild Diamond60%$10k+
+ Affiliate Bonus+20%SquidGuild only
The deal: Non-exclusive sellers get 40% royalty. Go exclusive through SquidGuild and work up to 60%, plus a potential 20% affiliate bonus = up to 80% total.

$100 sale example (Non-Exclusive): $60 commission → You keep $40

→ Calculate your TurboSquid earnings

Fab

Fee TypeAmount
Revenue Share88% (after processing)
Payment Processing2.9% + $0.30 (deducted first)
The deal: Epic Games' new marketplace. Processing is deducted first, then you get 88% of what's left. On a $100 sale: $100 - $3.20 = $96.80 × 88% = You keep $85.18

→ Calculate your Fab earnings

Unity Asset Store

Fee TypeAmount
Commission30%
Payment ProcessingIncluded
The deal: Standard 70/30 split. Payment processing included. Massive built-in audience of Unity developers.

$100 sale: $30 commission → You keep $70

→ Calculate your Unity earnings

Superhive

PlanCommissionPer-Order FeeProcessing
Free30%$0.49~5.5%
Pro ($49/mo)20%$0.49~5%
Ultimate ($199/mo)10%$0.49~4%
The deal: Formerly Blender Market. All plans have the $0.49 per-order fee—even paid plans. Free plan stacks fees heavily; paid plans reduce commission but keep the fixed fee.

$50 sale (Free): $15.00 + $0.49 + $2.75 = $18.24 fees → You keep $31.76

→ Calculate your Superhive earnings

Amazon

KDP (Ebooks)

Price RangeRoyaltyNotes
$2.99-$9.9970%Minus delivery cost (~$0.15/MB US)
Outside range35%Minus delivery cost

Appstore

ProgramYour Cut
Standard70%
Small Business (<$1M)80%
The deal: KDP's 70% royalty has a sweet spot. Hit $2.99-$9.99 and stay lean on file size. Appstore's Small Business Program bumps you to 80%.

→ Calculate your Amazon earnings

Creative Market

Fee TypeAmount
Commission50%
Payment ProcessingIncluded
The deal: Straight 50/50 split. High commission but strong discovery for design assets.

$100 sale: $50 commission → You keep $50

→ Calculate your Creative Market earnings

Cults3D

Fee TypeAmount
Commission20%
Payment ProcessingIncluded
The deal: 80% royalty for 3D printable models. All processing included in that 20%.

$50 sale: $10 commission → You keep $40

→ Calculate your Cults3D earnings

Daz 3D

Fee TypeAmount
Commission50%
Payment ProcessingIncluded
The deal: 50/50 split. Niche but dedicated audience for 3D character assets.

$100 sale: $50 commission → You keep $50

→ Calculate your Daz 3D earnings

Thinkific

Fee TypeAmount
Platform Fee0%
Payment Processing~2.9% + $0.30
Monthly Plans$49-$499/month
The deal: Zero platform commission. You're paying monthly for the infrastructure, then just Stripe/PayPal processing on sales.

→ Calculate your Thinkific earnings

Sellfy

Fee TypeAmount
Platform Fee0%
Payment Processing~2.9% + $0.30
Monthly Plans$29-$189/month
The deal: Same model as Thinkific—monthly subscription, 0% platform cut, just processing fees.

→ Calculate your Sellfy earnings

Stripe Direct

Fee TypeAmount
Domestic Online2.9% + $0.30
International Cards+1%
The deal: Not a marketplace—just the payment processor. Requires your own website and integration.

$100 sale: $3.20 processing → You keep $96.80

→ Calculate your Stripe earnings

Patreon

Fee TypeAmount
Platform Fee10%
Payment Processing2.9% + $0.30
The deal: 10% platform fee for new creators (after Aug 2025). Legacy creators may have 5-8% rates. Processing on top.

$20/month patron: $2.00 + $0.88 = $2.88 fees → You keep $17.12

→ Calculate your Patreon earnings

Substack

Fee TypeAmount
Platform Fee10% on paid
Payment Processing2.9% + $0.30
The deal: Free newsletters cost nothing. Paid subscriptions take 10% plus Stripe processing.

→ Calculate your Substack earnings

Ko-fi

PlanCommissionProcessing
Free5% (shop/memberships)2.9% + $0.30
Gold ($12/mo)0%2.9% + $0.30
The deal: Free plan takes 5% on shop and memberships (tips are always 0%). Gold plan ($12/month) drops platform fees to 0%—do the math on your volume.

$20 sale (Free): $1.00 + $0.88 = $1.88 fees → You keep $18.12

→ Calculate your Ko-fi earnings

Shopify

Fee TypeAmount
Platform Commission0%
Payment Processing2.9% + $0.30
Monthly Plans$29-$299/month
The deal: Full e-commerce platform. Monthly fee, zero commission, just processing. Requires Digital Downloads app for digital products.

→ Calculate your Shopify earnings

Beehiiv

Fee TypeAmount
Platform Fee0%
Payment Processing2.9% + $0.30
Free PlanUp to 2,500 subscribers
The deal: Newsletter platform with 0% commission on digital products (launched Nov 2025). Free up to 2,500 subs.

→ Calculate your Beehiiv earnings

Quick Comparison Table

Platform$20 Sale NetBest For
Ko-fi (Free)$18.12Tips, small shops
Payhip (Free)$18.12Digital products
Etsy (US)$17.59Crafts, printables
Stripe Direct$19.12*Own website
Patreon$17.12Memberships
Gumroad$16.62Digital products
CGTrader (L1)$12.003D models
Creative Market$10.00Design assets
*Stripe requires your own website infrastructure

What This Actually Means

Here's the thing nobody tells you: the cheapest platform isn't always the best platform.

A 50% commission on Creative Market might earn you more than 10% on Gumroad if Creative Market's discovery sends you 10x the customers.

That's why I built the KnowYourCut calculator—to see what you actually take home after ALL the fees, not just the headline number.

Stop guessing. Start calculating.

→ Try the free calculator

FAQ

Related Reading

{{faq}}
[
{
"question": "Which platform has the lowest fees?",
"answer": "For digital products, Payhip Free (5%) and Ko-fi Free (5%) have the lowest platform fees. Stripe Direct (2.9% + $0.30) is cheapest overall but requires your own website."
},
{
"question": "Which platform is best for 3D models?",
"answer": "CGTrader offers up to 85% royalty for top sellers. Fab (88% after processing) is competitive for Unreal Engine assets. TurboSquid can reach 80% with SquidGuild and affiliate bonuses."
},
{
"question": "Is Gumroad or Payhip cheaper?",
"answer": "Payhip is cheaper for most price points. Gumroad's $0.50 per-order fee makes it expensive for items under $20. On a $20 sale, Payhip keeps $18.12 vs Gumroad's $16.62."
},
{
"question": "Do all platforms charge payment processing?",
"answer": "Most do. Some platforms (CGTrader, TurboSquid, Creative Market, Unity) include processing in their commission. Others (Gumroad direct, Ko-fi, Payhip) charge it separately."
},
{
"question": "Which platform is best for memberships?",
"answer": "Patreon is the established leader for memberships. Ko-fi Gold ($12/mo for 0% fees) is cheaper for smaller creators. Substack works well for newsletter-based memberships."
}
]

View interactive version on KnowYourCut →