How Gumroad and Kartra compare
Gumroad is selling without ceremony. Upload a file, set a price, share a link, and Gumroad handles checkout, delivery, VAT, memberships, pay-what-you-want, discount codes, and customer emails, taking a cut only when you sell. For creators who want to sell today and not think about infrastructure, it remains the easy answer.
Kartra is the operator's all-in-one. Checkouts with one-time, recurring, or installment pricing, email and SMS campaigns that react to what a lead does, membership portals for courses, calendars with paid bookings, a helpdesk with tickets and a wiki, and split tests on up to four page versions. If you run offers, sequences, and a member area as one machine and want the analytics to match, Kartra was built for exactly that.
Where they are different
Gumroad
- Gumroad is a storefront with a profile.
- Gumroad emails customers about products.
- Gumroad has no inbox or bookings.
Kartra
- Kartra pages are campaign pages first.
- Kartra has blog page templates and a WordPress push, not a blog engine.
- Kartra's helpdesk takes tickets from a forwarded support address on Growth and up.
Choose Gumroad when you sell downloads or memberships and want zero setup and no monthly fee.
Choose Kartra when you sell through checkouts and sequences, deliver inside memberships, and want a helpdesk, affiliates, SMS, and split testing wired to the same lead record.
Compare features
What's on Gumroad and Kartra
A check means that capability is available. Gumroad and Kartra are marked only when the offer is comparable, not the same product.
Site and brand
- Workspace siteGumroad: IncludedKartra: Included
- Custom domainGumroad: IncludedKartra: Included
- Theme and fontsGumroad: IncludedKartra: Included
Public content
- Shop pagesGumroad: IncludedKartra: Included
Audience and email
- AudienceGumroad: IncludedKartra: Included
- Marketing emailsGumroad: IncludedKartra: Included
- Campaign workflowsGumroad: IncludedKartra: Included
Messaging
- Built-in chatGumroad: Not includedKartra: Included
- Messaging CenterGumroad: Not includedKartra: Included
Commerce
- Shop paymentsGumroad: IncludedKartra: Included
- Orders and fulfillmentGumroad: IncludedKartra: Included
- Scheduling and bookingsLink to external scheduling available on Starter.Gumroad: Not includedKartra: Included
Team
- Admin usersGumroad: IncludedKartra: Included
- AI AssistantGumroad: IncludedKartra: Included
* Note: This table does not capture every feature of Gumroad or Kartra, and is not intended as a comprehensive list. We keep this page current, but Gumroad or Kartra may add or remove features that are not shown here.
Gumroad vs Kartra pricing
Compare plans, prices, and what it costs to get started.
Gumroad
Current plans and prices
See what Gumroad charges on their pricing page.
Kartra
Current plans and prices
See what Kartra charges on their pricing page.
Cardel: An alternative to
Gumroad and Kartra
You don't pay until you publish.
Cardel provides a home for your craft. Share and sell your work, grow your audience, and bring your community together on a site of your own.
Common questions
Is Cardel an alternative to Gumroad or Kartra?
Cardel is a home for your craft: a site of your own with a blog, newsletter, shop, community, and one inbox. It can replace Gumroad or Kartra when you want your work, audience, and sales in one place. The feature list on this page shows where Gumroad and Kartra are marked.
Can I use Cardel with Gumroad or Kartra?
Yes. Cardel pages can link out to other products, so you can keep Gumroad or Kartra for what it does best and bring the rest of your work to Cardel.
How much does Cardel cost compared with Gumroad and Kartra?
You don't pay for Cardel until you publish. Choose Starter, Pro, or Studio when your site goes live. Gumroad and Kartra set their own prices, so check their pricing pages on this page for current plans.
How do I switch from Gumroad or Kartra to Cardel?
Start with Build Your Site, set up your home, and bring your work over at your own pace. You do not have to move everything on day one.