Polar vs Gumroad vs Lemon Squeezy: Which Is the Best for Digital Products?

Summary

• Polar and Gumroad lets you start selling instantly with no approval delays

• Gumroad has built‑in reviews and public sales count

• Lemon Squeezy and Gumroad provides built-in tools for email and affiliate program

• Polar and Gumroad both support on-demand payouts once the minimum payout is met

• Gumroad and LemonSqueezy support PayPal, Polar does not (yet)

• Polar has built-in UTM tracking, while Gumroad and Lemon squeezy require Google Analytics

• Polar is growing fast in the developer and Framer template space

• Gumroad is well-known in the notion template space

• Polar & Gumroad has a mobile app, Lemon Squeezy do not

• Polar has the lowest fee compared to Lemon Squeezy and Gumroad

• Gumroad’s fee structure is higher than both

• Gumroad has a marketplace that helps boost product visibility

Why This Comparison Matters

Creators today care about more than just taking payments. Fees, payout speed, trust signals, analytics, and ease of launch all play a big role in choosing the right platform.

I’ve sold digital products and Framer templates using all three platforms at different stages.

None of them are bad.

They just solve different problems.

This comparison is meant to stay neutral and practical so you can decide what fits your workflow best.

My Background and Experience

I’ve been creating and selling Framer templates for a while now, and I needed a payment platform that just works without unnecessary friction or delays.

From January 2024 to August 2025, I used Lemon Squeezy to sell my Framer templates. The experience was mostly positive. The dashboard looked great, and the built-in tools like email marketing and affiliate tracking were definitely helpful.

In January 2025, I started building a dedicated store for a new set of Framer templates.

That’s when I hit my first roadblock.

I had to wait about a week for Lemon Squeezy to approve my account. During that time, I couldn’t launch or sell anything. To avoid holding off my release, I switched to Gumroad so I could start selling right away.

Gumroad worked well. It was easy to set up, and I liked the clean interface. But the fees felt a bit high. So once my Lemon Squeezy store was approved, I moved everything back over.

As my store grew and I started running more campaigns, I realized I needed something more from a Merchant of Record.

I was looking for one specific feature that neither Lemon Squeezy nor Gumroad could fully deliver. I wanted to know exactly where each sale came from, down to the campaign or ad that drove it.

That’s when I discovered Polar.

Polar had what I was looking for. It let me pass UTM parameters directly into each order, which made tracking and analyzing sales much easier.

That one feature helped me optimize my marketing, and it became the reason I switched again.

Polar vs Lemon Squeezy vs Gumroad Trends

Based on Google Trends over the past 5 years, Gumroad has consistently led in search interest worldwide compared to Lemon Squeezy and Polar. It’s been around longer and remains a well-known option among digital creators.

As of December 2025, Gumroad holds a noticeable lead with a search score of 50, while Lemon Squeezy trails with a score of 2 and Polar at less than 1.

That said, interest in both Polar and Lemon Squeezy has been gradually climbing, especially after Gumroad’s fee increases and the rise of new platforms targeting developers and indie makers.

While Gumroad still dominates in brand recognition, newer platforms like Polar are starting to attract attention in more niche communities.

If you're looking for something established with wide adoption, Gumroad leads the pack.

But if you're part of the new wave of creators who value control, speed, and customization, platforms like Polar and Lemon Squeezy are gaining momentum.

My Experience Using Gumroad

What I Like

Gumroad is simple and beginner‑friendly. The biggest advantage is trust.

It has a built‑in review system and displays total sales publicly, which helps convince new buyers. That social proof is hard to beat.

Gumroad also supports PayPal, and payouts can be triggered anytime once you reach the minimum payout threshold of $10.

Gumroad has a marketplace, but products are only listed if they meet certain requirements. According to Gumroad’s discovery guidelines, you need:

• Your payout settings must be filled in.

• Reach a balance of at least $10 USD from enough genuine sales (not self-purchases or asking your partner/housemates to buy your product).

• Be verified by Gumroad risk team in the risk review process, which can take on average 3 weeks after you pass the $10 threshold.

What Could Be Better

The biggest downside is fees. Compared to Polar and Lemon Squeezy, Gumroad takes a much larger cut, especially on the free plan.

As sales grow, the platform fee becomes harder to justify unless you rely heavily on marketplace discovery and reviews.

Gumroad takes a 10% platform fee on every sale. That’s before you even factor in payment processor fees like PayPal or card transactions.

They also charge 30% Per transaction when new customers find and buy from you through Gumroad discover marketplace.

You can view the full breakdown of Gumroad’s pricing here.

My Experience Using Lemon Squeezy

Lemon Squeezy looks great on the surface. It has a modern dashboard, simple setup flow, and built-in tools like email campaigns and affiliate tracking.

Here’s what worked and what didn’t for me.

What I Liked

• You can connect Google Analytics for UTM tracking

• Built-in affiliate program makes it easy to reward promoters

• Supports PayPal, which helps for international buyers

• Built-in email marketing with automation (but requires an upgrade)

• Automated payouts every 14th and 28th of the month

• Abandoned carts email

What Could Be Better

• You can’t start selling right away, you have to apply and wait for approval

• My approval took a week, putting my launch on hold

• The platform has seen very few updates since being acquired by Stripe

• Customer support is slow to respond, even for basic questions

• No mobile app

My Experience Using Polar

After delays with Lemon Squeezy, I gave Polar a shot, and here are my reviews:

What I Liked

• I started selling immediately, no approval needed up front

• Polar reviews your account only after your first sale, and you can still keep selling during that

• I can withdraw earnings anytime I want, no waiting for specific dates

• Native UTM tracking built into the orders

• They have a mobile app for sales notification and checking orders

• Support is fast, friendly, and actually helpful

• They’re constantly releasing new features and improvements

What Could Be Better

• Variants are treated as separate products, which makes it harder to manage licenses or product options

• No PayPal support yet

• Affiliate system requires third party software

• The dashboard feels more dev-oriented, not as polished as Lemon Squeezy

• No built-in email marketing, so you need to use a separate tool

Market Use Cases: Who Each Platform Is For

Gumroad is best if you:

• Want built‑in reviews and visible sales

• Rely on trust and social proof

• Want marketplace exposure

• Sell simple digital products

Lemon Squeezy is best if you:

• Need email marketing and affiliate tools in one place

• Want PayPal support

• Are okay with approval delays

Polar is best if you:

• Want to launch immediately

• Care about UTM tracking and analytics

• Prefer flexible payouts and lower fees

Comparing Polar, Lemon Squeezy, and Gumroad Fees

Polar has the lowest fee compared to Lemon Squeezy and Gumroad

Feature Comparison Table

Which One I Use Now

I currently use Polar for most Framer template sales because of tracking, payout flexibility, and speed.

That said, Lemon Squeezy still makes sense for creators who need built‑in marketing tools, and Gumroad is great if trust and reviews are your top priority.

Final Thoughts

There’s no single best platform for everyone.

Gumroad is great for trust and discovery.
Lemon Squeezy works well for marketing‑driven creators.
Polar is ideal for speed, tracking, and flexibility.

The right choice depends on how you sell and what you value most.