Platforms change pricing and features — verify on the provider’s official pages.
Gumroad is best for selling reusable digital products that can be delivered automatically, while Brillay is best for paid, one-to-one follower interaction such as questions, Personalized Videos, small services, tips, or Goals. Choose Gumroad for a packaged file you can resell; choose Brillay when followers are paying for your time, attention, or personal response. Custom Work lets you offer clearly scoped commissions and services: you set the price, the scope and the delivery time, and followers submit a brief and pay before you start. No monthly fee, you only pay a small platform fee when you get paid. 8% platform fee when a follower pays for work, 5% platform fee on tips and goals. Card processing is separate. Custom work for one person, priced per request, with the scope and the delivery window written down before the money moves.
How do Brillay and Gumroad compare at a glance?
| Dimension | Brillay | Gumroad |
|---|---|---|
| Core model | Get paid for Paid Questions, Personalized Videos, Custom Work, Tips, and Goals from one link (how it works) | Sell digital products, including e-books, courses, templates, memberships, and similar files |
| What the follower receives | A written reply, recorded video, completed small task, or acknowledgment of a tip or contribution | A downloadable or streamable product delivered automatically after purchase |
| Platform fee | 8% when a follower pays for work; 5% on tips and goals (Brillay pricing) | 10% + $0.50 per transaction on direct sales through your own profile or link; 30% per transaction on sales through Gumroad Discover (Gumroad pricing) |
| Payment processing | Stripe; typical US online-card pricing is about 2.9% + $0.30 in addition to Brillay’s platform fee (Stripe pricing) | Credit-card processing of about 2.9% + $0.30 applies in addition to the direct-sale fee; the 30% Discover rate includes processing (Gumroad Help Center — fees) |
| Monthly cost | No monthly fee | $0 per month with no recurring subscription fee (Gumroad pricing) |
| How money reaches you | Stripe; the creator completes Stripe onboarding and receives payouts through Stripe | Direct deposit or PayPal, with availability varying by country (Gumroad pricing) |
| Follower requirement | No follower minimum—you can start with a small audience and share the link yourself | A finished product can be listed regardless of whether buyers come from your audience or Gumroad Discover |
| Content needed before starting | No prebuilt digital product; the paid offer can be a written reply, Personalized Video, custom request, Tip, or Goal | A finished digital file, course, membership, or other product that can be packaged for resale |
| Delivery effort per sale | You make or send each order yourself by the delivery time you set | Low after setup: the same uploaded product can be delivered repeatedly |
| Best suited for | Creators whose followers want personal access, attention, or help | Creators who want to sell the same finished product repeatedly |
How much would you receive from a $10, $50, or $100 direct sale?
Using an illustrative US card-processing rate of 2.9% + $0.30, the estimated amounts after the listed fees are $8.61, $44.25, and $88.80 on Brillay, versus $7.91, $42.75, and $86.30 on direct Gumroad sales of $10, $50, and $100. These figures apply Brillay's 8% platform fee on paid work (tips and goals carry 5%), Gumroad's 10% + $0.50 direct-sale fee, and typical US Stripe card processing of 2.9% + $0.30.
The table below breaks down each fee separately using those same three sourced rates.
| Sale amount | Brillay fees | Brillay amount after listed fees | Gumroad direct-sale fees | Gumroad amount after listed fees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $10 | $0.80 platform + $0.59 processing = $1.39 | $8.61 | $1.50 platform + $0.59 processing = $2.09 | $7.91 |
| $50 | $4.00 platform + $1.75 processing = $5.75 | $44.25 | $5.50 platform + $1.75 processing = $7.25 | $42.75 |
| $100 | $8.00 platform + $3.20 processing = $11.20 | $88.80 | $10.50 platform + $3.20 processing = $13.70 | $86.30 |
Brillay's 8% platform fee on paid work is lower than Gumroad's 10% + $0.50 direct-sale fee at every transaction amount (Brillay pricing; Gumroad pricing). On a $25 sale, for example, Brillay's platform fee is $2.00 and Gumroad's direct-sale fee is $3.00. Beyond $25 the gap only widens: at $100, Brillay's 8% fee on a paid order is $8.00 against $10.50 under Gumroad's 10% + $0.50 direct-sale fee. None of these comparisons apply to Gumroad Discover sales, which carry a flat 30% fee that includes payment processing. Fees are only half the decision, though. Gumroad is the better choice when the thing you sell is finished before anyone buys it and every buyer downloads the same file — a template, an ebook, a course. Brillay is the better choice when there is nothing to download yet because the work is made after the follower asks: you publish the scope, price and delivery window, take the paid order, then do the work for that one person.
Who is Brillay best for?
If followers keep asking for birthday videos or personal help—or supporters want to tip or fund a project—Brillay lets you put a clear price or goal behind that support instead of asking for donations in every post. Instead of sorting unpaid requests in your DMs, set one price and one clearly defined delivery on your Brillay page; a Personalized Video is one video, and a custom request ends after one defined delivery.
It also fits creators who have not made—and may not want to make—a course, PDF, template, or other reusable product. A creator can define an offer, price, and delivery time for work they already know how to perform rather than building a separate digital product first.
Followers pay upfront; you can decline a request. That means the work starts from an order that is already paid and already scoped, not from a promise to pay later.
See how paid requests work for the complete model, or explore the individual offers: Paid Questions, Personalized Videos, Custom Work, Tips, and Goals.
You share your Brillay page, and the follower orders straight from it — paying by card as a guest, with no account to create between deciding and paying.
Who is Gumroad best for?
Gumroad is best for creators who have made—or plan to make—a digital product that can be delivered repeatedly without redoing the core work for every buyer: e-books, video courses, memberships, and similar files, per Gumroad's own product description (Gumroad features).
Once a file is uploaded and priced, Gumroad can deliver that same product automatically after each purchase. That repeatable delivery is Gumroad’s central advantage over a model in which every paid request requires individual fulfillment.
Gumroad also acts as merchant of record and handles sales-tax collection and remittance worldwide on transactions made through its platform, at no additional charge beyond its listed transaction fees. Brillay's published pricing lists an 8% platform fee when a follower pays for work and a 5% platform fee on tips and goals, and does not describe a merchant-of-record tax service.
Gumroad also operates its Discover marketplace, which can surface a creator’s listing to buyers who do not already follow them (Gumroad Discover). Discover sales carry a 30% transaction fee, compared with 10% + $0.50 plus processing for direct sales through a creator’s profile or link (Gumroad pricing).
Brillay is the other shape: the follower arrives from the bio link you already have and orders on your own page, so the audience you brought never has to go looking for you inside a marketplace.
Can you use Brillay and Gumroad together?
Yes. Because Brillay's platform fee is 8% when a follower pays for work and 5% on tips and goals, while Gumroad charges 10% + $0.50 only on direct product sales, the two fee structures apply to separate transaction types and do not overlap when a creator runs both.
A musician could sell a sample pack on Gumroad while accepting Personalized Videos and Tips on Brillay. A coach could sell a course on Gumroad and use Brillay for Paid Questions with one written reply. A photographer could sell presets on Gumroad and offer custom photo-editing services through Brillay's Custom Work offer.
The practical distinction is simple: use Gumroad for something packaged once and delivered repeatedly; use Brillay for something a follower is paying you personally to answer, record, or do.
Frequently asked questions
What is the main difference between Brillay and Gumroad?
Gumroad sells reusable digital products such as e-books, courses, templates, and preset packs. Brillay lets followers pay you for Paid Questions with a written reply, Personalized Videos, Custom Work, Tips, and Goals that you personally deliver.
Gumroad is the better fit when the value is in a file or product that can be delivered automatically. Brillay is the better fit when the value is in the creator’s personal time, attention, or response.
Which platform takes a smaller cut?
It depends on the transaction amount and how the Gumroad buyer finds the product. Gumroad charges 10% + $0.50 for direct sales and 30% for Discover sales.
Before payment processing, Brillay's 8% fee when a follower pays for work is lower than Gumroad's 10% + $0.50 direct fee at every positive transaction amount (Brillay pricing; Gumroad pricing). Tips and goals on Brillay carry a 5% fee. Typical US card processing of 2.9% + $0.30 applies separately, on top of either platform fee, on both Brillay and Gumroad direct sales (Stripe pricing).
Can I use Brillay and Gumroad together?
Yes. A creator can use Gumroad for products that should be delivered automatically and Brillay for requests that require personal fulfillment. For example, a fitness creator could sell a workout program on Gumroad and accept paid form-check questions on Brillay.
Which should I choose to reach buyers beyond my existing audience?
Gumroad has the advantage because its Discover marketplace can show a listing to people who do not already follow you. Discover charges 30% per transaction, including processing (Gumroad pricing).
Brillay's workflow is based on creators sharing their Brillay page with an existing or independently reached audience.
Are you ready to try Brillay?
If what your followers actually want is you — an answer, a Personalized Video, a small favor, a tip, or help funding something you're working on — create a free Brillay link.