ChatGPT answers, unedited

Yes. For digital zines + music with pay-what-you-want (PWYW) pricing and optional extra support, I’d shortlist these:

Payhip

Payhip is particularly clean for what you're describing. You can enter 0+ to let someone download a zine/album for free while allowing them to pay any amount, or 5+ to establish a $5 minimum while letting them pay more. It explicitly supports this for digital products. Payhip Help Center Payhip Help Center

So you could have:

• Zine — $0+
• Album — $5+
• Back-catalog compilation — $10+
• A supporter choosing $25 simply pays $25

One caveat: Payhip notes that Stripe doesn't permit a pure donation/tip transaction without something being provided in return. For your use case that's probably fine because the payment is attached to an actual zine/music product. Payhip Help Center

Gumroad

Gumroad has an equally good PWYW implementation. You can set a minimum/suggested amount and let customers enter their own price. Setting the amount to $0 can make the product free while still allowing payment; Gumroad also has a separate tip/support product mechanism. Gumroad Gumroad

It's especially attractive if you're selling music because it is built around creators and digital products, and it supports direct links/embeds into your own site. Gumroad

The downside is fees: Gumroad currently charges 10% + $0.50 on direct/profile sales and 30% when a customer comes through its Discover marketplace. Gumroad

My recommendation

For an independent zine/music project, I'd start with Payhip if your priority is:

“Here's the work. Pay nothing if you can't; pay $5, $10, $20, whatever you think it's worth.”

I'd choose Gumroad if you also want a more mature creator storefront, audience/discovery features, memberships, and a dedicated tipping mechanism.

If you tell me whether you already have a website (e.g. WordPress, Squarespace, Webflow, or just a static site), I can also compare Payhip vs Gumroad vs Shopify specifically for embedding the checkout into your existing site.

For digital zines + music with pay-what-you-want pricing and optional donations, I’d shortlist these:

My pick: Payhip

Payhip is particularly well suited to what you're describing. You can set a digital product to:

• $5+ → $5 minimum, customer can pay more
• $0+ → free, but customers can voluntarily pay any amount

It explicitly supports PWYW for digital products, and Payhip even describes the feature as useful for donations. help.payhip.com

It's also specifically set up for selling music tracks and magazines/digital publications, with secure digital delivery. payhip.com

The current basic plan is $0/month with a 5% transaction fee; higher plans reduce that fee. payhip.comgumroad.com

Gumroad is a close second

Gumroad has a very straightforward PWYW implementation. You can specify a minimum price and a suggested price, so something like “$5 or more — suggested $10” works nicely. gumroad.com

The downside is cost: Gumroad currently charges 10% + $0.50 per direct transaction, versus Payhip's 5% on its free plan. payhip.comgumroad.com

Fourthwall if you're building a larger artist brand

Fourthwall is interesting if you eventually want zines + music + merch + memberships + tips in one storefront. It supports digital products and explicitly offers donations/tips. fourthwall.com

Bottom line: I'd start with Payhip for a small independent publishing/music project. It most directly matches the “here's the work, pay $5 minimum or whatever you can afford” model without requiring a complicated ecommerce setup.

If your desired model is specifically “free download + optional donation”, rather than “$5 minimum + pay more if you want,” I can also compare the best platforms for that exact flow.

Yes. For digital zines + music with pay-what-you-want pricing and optional donations, I’d look first at itch.io and Gumroad.

Best fits

• itch.io — strongest fit for true PWYW

• You can set a product’s minimum price to $0, allowing people to download for free while optionally paying whatever they want. itch.io itch.io
• You can also set a minimum price, e.g. $5+, so customers choose to pay $5, $10, $25, etc.
• The checkout supports additional tip buttons, which is particularly nice for donations on top of the purchase. itch.io
• You can upload arbitrary files, so PDFs, MP3s, ZIPs, artwork, etc. work well. itch.io itself notes that it's still adjusting the platform for non-game content, though. itch.io
• Revenue sharing is configurable—you can set itch.io's share from 0% upward—plus Stripe/PayPal processing. itch.io
• gumroad.com — better if you want a conventional creator storefront

• It explicitly supports “pay what you want.”
• You can set a minimum amount, or set the product to $0 and let people pay voluntarily.
• You can specify a suggested amount, so, for example, the checkout can effectively say “Free — suggested $10” while allowing the buyer to enter another amount. Gumroad
• This is probably the cleaner choice if you're selling zines/music alongside other types of digital products and want a more conventional storefront.

What I'd choose

If your model is:

“Download the zine/album for free, pay what you can if you want, and optionally give extra support.”

I'd choose itch.io. Its entire payment model is unusually well aligned with that philosophy: free products can accept voluntary payments, and its checkout explicitly supports extra tips. itch.io itch.io

If instead you want:

“Here's our polished online shop where we sell zines, albums, bundles, and other digital goods.”

I'd lean Gumroad.

One caveat: if music is the primary product, you may also want to consider a music-specific platform such as Bandcamp, particularly if you care about artist/music discovery and fan-oriented features. The PWYW + donation requirement, however, makes itch.io unusually compelling.

If you tell me whether you want your own branded website vs. a marketplace, and roughly how many zines/albums you're selling, I can narrow this down to the best 2–3 options and compare fees, checkout, VAT/tax handling, downloads, and donation mechanics.

Yes. For digital zines + music with pay-what-you-want (PWYW) pricing and optional extra support, I’d shortlist these:

My pick: Payhip

Payhip is particularly well suited to what you're describing. Its PWYW syntax is extremely simple:

• $5+ → zine/music costs at least $5, but buyers can pay more.
• $0+ → completely free if they want, with the option to contribute anything.
• It supports digital files including PDFs and audio, and specifically markets PWYW for music and magazines. help.payhip.com
• You can also embed its checkout/cart into your existing website. payhip.com
• The free plan currently charges 5% per transaction, with paid plans reducing that to 2% or 0%. payhip.com

That makes a nice model like:

Zine — $5+
Suggested price: $10
“Pay what you can; paying more helps us make the next issue.”

And separately:

Support the project — $1 / $5 / $10 / custom

One caveat: Payhip notes that Stripe doesn't permit using its payment system for a pure donation/tip with nothing offered in return, so I'd structure the support option around the digital work/product rather than presenting it as a standalone charitable donation. help.payhip.compayhip.com

Gumroad is the closest alternative

Gumroad also has native PWYW: you can set a minimum price, or set it to $0 and let someone download for free while optionally paying more. It also lets you specify a suggested amount. gumroad.com

The big tradeoff is cost: Gumroad currently charges 10% + $0.50 on direct sales (and 30% when a customer comes through its Discover marketplace). gumroad.com

Ko-fi makes sense if "support us" is central

Ko-fi is excellent if you're building more of a fan/supporter hub around the zines and music. It supports digital products alongside one-time and monthly tips. Its free tier has 0% service fee on one-time tips, while shop sales are subject to its service fee; payments go directly through your connected PayPal/Stripe account. ko-fi.com

Bottom line: For a small independent zine/music project, I'd start with Payhip. It gives you the cleanest combination of free-or-PWYW downloads + minimum price + optional generosity + digital delivery without having to build a store.

If you tell me whether you already have a website (WordPress, Squarespace, etc.) and roughly how much you expect to sell per month, I can compare the actual fees and checkout experience of Payhip vs Gumroad vs Ko-fi for your setup.

Yes. For digital zines + music with pay-what-you-want pricing and optional donations, I’d shortlist these:

My pick: itch.io

itch.io creator pricing documentation

itch.io is unusually well suited to this model. You can set a zine or album at $0, while still letting someone voluntarily pay; or set a minimum such as $5+ and let customers choose a higher amount. Its checkout can also prompt buyers with additional tip amounts. itch.io

That makes something like:

Digital Zine — $0+
Pay what you can. If you'd like to support the project, $5 is suggested.

very straightforward.

It also supports bundles and individually priced bonus files, so you could do things like a free/low-cost zine with a higher-priced bonus PDF, soundtrack, or extra material. itch.io

One particularly nice feature: you control itch.io's revenue-share percentage, rather than being locked into a fixed platform percentage. itch.io

Gumroad — best if you want your own storefront

Gumroad

Gumroad explicitly supports PWYW: you can set a minimum amount and allow customers to pay more, and it also supports $0 products where customers can voluntarily contribute. gumroad.com

For example:

• Zine: $3+
• Album: $5+
• Free zine: $0+
• Suggested amount: $10

The major downside is the transaction fee: Gumroad currently charges 10% + $0.50 on direct sales, plus payment processing. gumroad.com That's fairly significant for inexpensive zines—especially if someone pays $1.

Bandcamp — strongest for music

Bandcamp

If the music is central and the zines are complementary, Bandcamp is worth considering because the entire experience is built around independent music, digital albums, downloads, fan support, and artist discovery.

For a project that's equally literary/art publication + music, though, I'd lean toward itch.io or Gumroad because you can present PDFs, audio, bonus files, and different kinds of digital products together.

What I'd choose for your use case

If you want one platform for everything → itch.io.

If you care most about having a clean, independent storefront → Gumroad.

If you're primarily releasing music and the zines are secondary → Bandcamp.

For a collective/publisher releasing lots of zines and albums, itch.io's $0+ / PWYW model is probably the closest match to “pay what you want, with optional donations” out of the box. itch.io

If you tell me whether you need your own domain, Apple/Spotify integration, mailing-list capture, discount codes, sales analytics, or multiple creators splitting revenue, I can narrow it down to the best 2–3 options.

Yes. For digital zines + music, I’d shortlist these:

My pick: itch.io

For your specific model, itch.io is probably the strongest match. You can set a zine or album to $0 or Donate, letting people download it free while optionally contributing, or set a minimum such as $5+ and let buyers choose a higher amount. itch.io

It also has a particularly nice checkout experience for this model: buyers can enter their own amount, and itch.io can show tip buttons encouraging an additional contribution. itch.io

For example:

• Digital zine: Free / pay what you want
• Suggested contribution: $5
• Minimum: $0
• Album: $7+
• Deluxe album + bonus tracks: $12+
• Supporter tier: $25+

You can also use individually priced files for bonus material, although itch.io recommends using the project's main minimum price rather than file pricing as your primary pricing mechanism. itch.io

When I'd choose Gumroad instead

If you want something that feels more like a conventional storefront attached to your own brand, Gumroad is arguably easier. Its PWYW feature lets you set a minimum price and allow customers to enter their own amount; you can also set a suggested amount. gumroad.com

So $5+, with $10 suggested, is straightforward.

Gumroad is also explicitly designed for digital products and supports musicians, writers, and digital creators. gumroad.com

Bottom line:

• Community/indie/artist-oriented + genuinely free downloads + donations → itch.io
• Polished standalone digital storefront → Gumroad
• Donation/supporter community first, products second → Ko-fi

If you tell me whether you want your own domain/branding, email collection, subscriptions, and/or physical zines later, I can narrow this down to the best 1–2 options.

Yes. For digital zines + music with pay-what-you-want pricing and optional support, I’d shortlist these:

My pick: Ko-fi

Ko-fi is particularly close to what you're describing. For a digital zine, you can set a minimum price and enable “Pay what you want,” so someone could pay $5, $10, $25, etc. help.ko-fi.com

It also has separate one-time tips, memberships, and a digital-product shop, so you can structure the experience as:

Zine — $5 minimum
Pay $5, $10, $20, or whatever you want
[Download]

Want to support the project further? [Leave a tip]

Ko-fi's current standard pricing is 5% on Shop sales with no monthly fee; one-time tips can be 0% service fee if you opt out of its Contributor model, though payment-processor fees still apply. help.ko-fi.com

Gumroad

Gumroad is probably the simplest if you primarily want a professional digital-download storefront. Its PWYW feature lets you set a minimum—for example, $3—and customers can enter any higher amount. You can also set a suggested amount. gumroad.com

The downside is cost: Gumroad currently charges 10% + $0.50 per direct transaction, with a higher fee for sales through its Discover marketplace. gumroad.com

itch.io

If your zines/music are particularly DIY, experimental, indie, or arts-community oriented, itch.io is worth serious consideration. PWYW is essentially built into its commerce model: you can set the minimum to $0, and buyers can voluntarily pay more. It also explicitly supports donations. itch.io

What I'd choose

• Ko-fi → if you want shop + donations + community/supporter relationship in one place.
• Gumroad → if you want a straightforward digital storefront and don't mind the higher transaction fee.
• itch.io → if your audience is already comfortable with indie/art/creative marketplaces.

For zines + music specifically, I'd lean Ko-fi if you want your own creator-support ecosystem, or Gumroad if the priority is making the checkout/download experience feel like a conventional digital store.

Yes. For digital zines + music, the strongest fits are:

My pick: Ko-fi

For your particular model, Ko-fi is probably the closest match. Its Shop supports digital products and lets you turn on “Pay what you want”, where you establish a minimum price and customers can pay more. It also has separate tipping/support functionality, so you can combine sales and donations in one place. help.ko-fi.com

For example:

• Zine #1 — $3 minimum, pay what you want
• Album — $5 minimum, pay what you want
• Free sampler — $0 + optional tip
• Support the project — any amount

Ko-fi's Shop has no listing fee and currently charges a 5% service fee on Shop sales, in addition to payment-processing fees. ko-fi.com

Gumroad is the other strong choice

Gumroad's PWYW implementation is particularly straightforward: you can set a minimum, and buyers can enter a higher amount. You can even set the minimum to $0, allowing someone to download for free while giving them the option to pay. gumroad.com

The downside is cost: Gumroad currently charges 10% + $0.50 on direct/profile sales, plus payment processing; marketplace-discovery sales are 30%. gumroad.com

If music is a major part of this: Bandcamp

I'd seriously consider Bandcamp alongside your zine storefront if music is important. Its “let fans pay more if they want” model is native to the platform, and Bandcamp says fans pay above the minimum frequently. It also supports additional contributions/tips. get.bandcamp.help

And itch.io is surprisingly good for zines

If your zines are aimed at an indie/art/comics/game-adjacent audience, itch.io has an unusually good PWYW model. You can set the minimum to $0 and explicitly let people donate, or establish a minimum and accept anything above it. itch.io

Bottom line:

• One storefront for everything → Ko-fi
• Best polished digital-product checkout → Gumroad
• Best music platform → Bandcamp
• Best indie/experimental zine ecosystem → itch.io

If you tell me whether you want $0/free downloads with optional support or a mandatory minimum price with optional extra donation, I can narrow this down to the best 1–2 options and compare fees, tax handling, branding, and checkout experience.

Yes. For digital zines + music with pay-what-you-want (PWYW) pricing and optional support, I’d shortlist Payhip, Gumroad, and Ko-fi.

My pick: Payhip

Payhip is particularly well suited to what you're describing. You can literally enter:

• 0+ → people can download for free but choose to pay whatever they want
• 5+ → $5 minimum, with the option to pay more

That's built into its product pricing, including digital products. Payhip specifically supports audio files and documents, and automatically delivers digital downloads after purchase. help.payhip.com

Its current pricing is $0/month + 5% per transaction, with paid plans at $29/month + 2% or $99/month with no Payhip transaction fee; payment-processor fees still apply. payhip.com

Gumroad is also a strong choice

Gumroad has a very similar PWYW feature. You can set a minimum amount and let buyers enter a higher amount, or set the minimum to $0 so the product can effectively be free. It also lets you specify a suggested amount, which is nice for encouraging generosity. gumroad.com

The major downside is cost: Gumroad currently charges 10% + $0.50 per transaction on sales through your own Gumroad storefront, before payment-processing costs. gumroad.com

Ko-fi makes sense if "support us" is central

Ko-fi is especially good if you want the storefront to feel more like "download our work and support the artists" than a conventional shop. It supports tips as well as selling digital products. Its free option has 0% service fee on one-time tips, while shop sales generally have a 5% service fee on the free/contributor setup, plus payment processing. shop.ko-fi.com

For your particular model, I'd rank them:

1. Payhip — best combination of PWYW + digital downloads + low fees
2. Gumroad — easiest recognizable creator-store experience, but considerably higher fees
3. Ko-fi — best if donations/support are as important as the actual sales

One important distinction: if by "optional donations" you mean someone buys a $5 zine and then gets a separate "add $10 to support us" field at checkout, that's a somewhat different requirement from PWYW. Payhip/Gumroad's native PWYW handles the latter very well; a separate donation/tip add-on may require a different checkout setup.

If you tell me whether you want $0 downloads + optional donation, $5 minimum + tip, or fixed price + separate tip, I can narrow this down to the best 2–3 options and compare their checkout experience and fees.

Yes. For digital zines + music with pay-what-you-want (PWYW) pricing and optional extra support, I’d shortlist these:

Best overall: Payhip

Payhip

Payhip is probably the closest fit for what you described. You can set a digital product to $5+, meaning $5 minimum but customers can voluntarily pay more, or $0+ for completely free access with optional payment. It supports digital files including PDFs and audio. help.payhip.com

Its current pricing is free + 5% transaction fee, with paid plans reducing the transaction fee to 2% or 0%. payhip.com

Example setup:

• Zine: $5+
• Album: $10+
• Free sampler: $0+
• Customer enters $25 → receives the download → you receive the extra support.

Best if donations/community support are central: Ko-fi

Ko-fi

Ko-fi is especially attractive if you want both a shop and a separate tipping/donation mechanism. Its Shop supports digital downloads and lets you enable PWYW above your stated minimum. help.ko-fi.com

You can also receive one-time tips, memberships, and sell products from the same creator page. help.ko-fi.com Ko-fi says its service fee is 0–5% depending on the payment type/settings, plus payment-processor fees. ko-fi.com

Good, but more expensive: Gumroad

Gumroad

Gumroad has a very straightforward PWYW feature: you can specify a minimum amount and optionally show a suggested price. It also supports genuinely free products with optional payment. gumroad.com

The downside is the current fee: 10% + $0.50 per transaction, plus payment processing, for sales through your own Gumroad storefront. gumroad.com

My recommendation

For an independent zine/music project, I'd choose Payhip if the priority is selling downloadable work, and Ko-fi if the priority is building a supporter/community model around the work.

If your ideal checkout is specifically “This zine is $5 minimum → pay $5, $10, $20, or whatever you want → optional tip/donation → instant PDF download”, Payhip is the cleanest match based on its current PWYW implementation. help.payhip.com

For digital zines + music with true pay-what-you-want pricing and optional support, I’d shortlist these:

My recommendation: Payhip

Payhip lets you enter 0+ for a product, meaning customers can download it for free but choose to pay any amount. Or you can use 5+, for example, to establish a $5 minimum while allowing people to pay more. It explicitly supports PWYW for digital products. help.payhip.com

That's a particularly clean model for your use case:

Zine #12 — $0+
Download free, or pay what feels fair.

Payhip's free plan currently has no monthly fee, with a 5% transaction fee, while paid plans reduce or eliminate that platform fee. payhip.com

Gumroad is also very good

Gumroad has a dedicated “Allow customers to pay what they want” setting. You can specify both a minimum and a suggested amount. With a $0 product, customers can enter zero or voluntarily pay more. help.payhip.compayhip.comgumroad.comitch.ioitch.io

I'd pick Gumroad if you value a familiar, polished digital-product checkout more than having a highly customized storefront.

itch.io is surprisingly compelling for zines/music

Although it's known primarily for games, itch.io explicitly supports comics, soundtracks, and other non-game content. Its pricing system is fundamentally pay-what-you-want: you can set the minimum to $0, let people download for free, and give them an opportunity to pay you. itch.io

It also has tip buttons at checkout, bundles, sales, and an unusually flexible revenue-sharing model where you choose how much of your sales goes to itch.io. itch.io

So I'd rank them:

1. Payhip — best if you want a conventional storefront for your zines/music.
2. itch.io — best if your work has an indie/DIY/creative-community audience and you want PWYW to be central to the experience.
3. Gumroad — best if you want the simplest familiar digital-sales workflow.

One caveat: if by “optional donations” you mean a completely separate donation button unrelated to a purchase, rather than “pay more than the product's minimum,” the platform choice gets a little different. Payhip, for example, notes that Stripe doesn't permit simply using its platform for tips/donations without something being offered in return. help.payhip.com

If you tell me whether you want your own branded storefront vs. a marketplace/community site, I can narrow this to the best 1–2 options and compare fees, checkout, email collection, DRM/downloads, and music-specific features.

Yes. For digital zines + music with pay-what-you-want (PWYW) pricing and optional extra support, I’d shortlist these:

My pick: Payhip

Payhip is particularly well matched to what you're describing. You can set a product to $5+, meaning $5 is the minimum but customers can pay more, or $0+, allowing them to download it free and optionally pay whatever they want. Payhip explicitly supports digital products including audio and ebooks/PDFs. help.payhip.com

Its current pricing is $0/month + 5% transaction fee on the free plan, with paid plans reducing the transaction fee. payhip.com

So you could structure your catalog like:

• Zine #1 — $3+
• Album/EP — $5+
• Back catalog zine — $0+
• Support the project — $5+ (with a small digital thank-you file, if appropriate)

One caveat: Payhip notes that Stripe doesn't permit using its payment system for a bare donation/tip without something being offered in return. help.payhip.comhelp.ko-fi.comgumroad.com

Ko-fi is arguably even better for the "support us" side

Ko-fi Shop combines a digital shop with tips, memberships, and other creator-support features. Its Shop supports digital products and has a Pay What You Want option that lets buyers pay more than the listed minimum. help.ko-fi.com

That makes Ko-fi attractive if your model is less "online bookstore" and more independent artists asking their audience to support the work. The standard Shop fee is currently 5%, with no listing or monthly fee. ko-fi.com

Gumroad

Gumroad also has a very clean PWYW implementation: you can set a minimum, a suggested amount, or $0 for free access with optional payment. gumroad.com The downside is cost: Gumroad currently charges 10% + $0.50 per transaction for sales through your own Gumroad storefront, before applicable processing/tax costs. gumroad.com

Bottom line: I'd choose Payhip if you want a proper storefront for a growing zine/music catalog, and Ko-fi if the primary goal is building a supporter community around the work. For your particular combination of digital goods + PWYW + optional generosity, Payhip is probably the strongest starting point.

Yes. For digital zines + music with pay-what-you-want pricing and optional extra support, I’d shortlist these:

1. Payhip — probably the best fit

Payhip

Payhip has native PWYW pricing for digital products. You can set, for example:

• $0+ → customer can download for free or pay whatever they want
• $5+ → $5 minimum, with the option to contribute more

It supports digital files including PDFs and audio/music, and automatically delivers downloads after purchase. help.payhip.com

This makes it particularly nice for a zine like: “Pay $5, $10, $20—or whatever you can afford.”

One caveat: Payhip notes that Stripe doesn't allow a pure donation/tip transaction without something being offered in return. So structure the extra amount as part of the purchase price/support for the digital work rather than as a standalone donation. help.payhip.comwoocommerce.com

2. Gumroad — excellent for creator-oriented sales

Gumroad

Gumroad also has native “pay what you want” pricing. You can specify a minimum and a suggested amount, and customers can enter a higher price. It can even allow $0 access when configured appropriately. gumroad.com

I'd choose Gumroad if you also care about its broader creator ecosystem and simple product pages.

3. Ko-fi — strongest if “support us” is central

Ko-fi

Ko-fi's shop supports digital downloads and has a Pay What You Want option where customers can pay above your specified minimum. help.ko-fi.com

It's especially attractive if your model is less “online store” and more “here's our work, support the project if you like it.”

4. WooCommerce — best for a fully owned storefront

WooCommerce

If you already have WordPress, WooCommerce can do this through its Open Price extension, which supports minimum prices and contribution/donation-style pricing. woocommerce.com

It's much more customizable, but substantially more setup and maintenance than Payhip/Gumroad/Ko-fi.

My recommendation: Start with Payhip if you want a straightforward storefront for both zines and music. Its 0+ / 5+ model maps almost exactly to what you're describing, and you can embed its checkout into your own website if you want the store to feel like part of your site. payhip.com

If you tell me whether you already have a website (WordPress, Squarespace, etc.) and whether you want customers to be able to download for $0, I can narrow this down to the best 1–2 options and compare their fees.

Yes. For digital zines + music with pay-what-you-want (PWYW) pricing and optional extra support, I’d shortlist these:

My pick: Payhip

Payhip is probably the cleanest fit if you want your own little storefront.

You can literally set:

• $0+ → download for free, but the buyer can voluntarily pay any amount.
• $5+ → $5 minimum, with the option to pay $7, $10, $25, etc.

Payhip explicitly supports PWYW for digital products, including audio and PDFs, and automatically delivers the files after purchase. help.payhip.com

Its free plan currently has no monthly fee and a 5% transaction fee; paid plans reduce or eliminate that platform fee. payhip.com

If "support us" is a major part of the experience: Ko-fi

Ko-fi Shop is especially attractive for an artist/collective because it combines a digital shop with separate one-time tips. Its shop supports digital files and lets you enable "Pay what you want" so buyers can pay more than your minimum. help.ko-fi.com

So you could have:

Zine #12 — $5+
Download the PDF. Pay $5 minimum, or more if you'd like to support the project.

Album — $8+
FLAC + MP3 download.

Support the collective — Tip
Give $3 / $10 / $25 / custom amount.

That last distinction—purchasing a thing vs. simply tipping the creators—makes Ko-fi particularly compelling.

Gumroad

Gumroad also handles this nicely. Its PWYW feature lets you set a minimum and a suggested amount; setting the amount to $0 allows a product to be downloaded for free while giving customers the opportunity to pay. gumroad.com

I'd choose Gumroad if you care more about a conventional digital-product storefront than about having a broader "support the artist" ecosystem.

itch.io is worth considering for zines/music

itch.io has unusually good PWYW mechanics for independent creative work. A product can have a minimum price and buyers can pay above it; it also supports $0 or Donate, where someone can skip payment and download for free. itch.io

It also has an open revenue-sharing model where you choose what percentage of sales goes to itch.io. itch.io

For an indie zine/music project, I'd rank them:

1. Payhip — best overall storefront
2. Ko-fi — best if tips/support are central to your model
3. itch.io — best if your audience overlaps with indie games/art/experimental culture
4. Gumroad — simplest established digital-product option

If you tell me whether you want $0 downloads + optional donations, a minimum price + "pay more", or both, I can narrow this down to the best 1–2 options and compare their fees, checkout customization, email collection, and ability to embed the shop on your own site.