ChatGPT answers, unedited

For presets + short photography courses, I’d focus on platforms that let you upload files, deliver them automatically, and keep the storefront simple.

Payhip's free plan includes all features, unlimited products and unlimited revenue; you pay 5% per transaction plus Stripe/PayPal processing. It supports digital downloads and courses, and can even deliver free downloads as lead magnets. Payhip Payhip Help Center

Ko-fi is similarly straightforward: no monthly/listing fees, digital-product hosting, and a 5% fee when you make a sale, plus normal payment processing. Ko-fi

Fourthwall has no monthly fee, but its current free plan charges 5% on digital products; its Pro plan is $15/month and removes the digital-product fee. Fourthwall Fourthwall Creator

Gumroad is considerably more expensive for this use case: currently 10% + $0.50 on direct/profile sales, with 30% for sales through its Discover marketplace. Gumroad

What I'd choose for you

Start with Payhip. For a hobby photographer, it hits a particularly useful combination:

• Upload Lightroom presets, LUTs, PDFs, ZIP files, etc.
• Sell short courses from the same storefront.
• Start at $0/month.
• No artificial limit on the number of products.
• Create free preset/sample downloads to build an email list.
• Upgrade later only if the 5% transaction fee becomes more expensive than a monthly plan.

For example, you could have:

Free: "5 Favorite Lightroom Presets" → email signup
$9: "Moody Film Preset Pack"
$19: "Golden Hour Preset Collection"
$39: "Complete Lightroom Preset Bundle"
$29–59: "Shoot & Edit Better Photos" mini-course

One important distinction: "no platform fee" doesn't mean no fees at all. Even platforms advertising 0% platform fees generally still have Stripe/PayPal/card-processing fees. Payhip explicitly notes this, for example. Payhip

payhip.com · ko-fi.com · fourthwall.com

If you tell me roughly how many preset sales/month and course sales/month you expect, I can calculate the actual dollar cost of Payhip vs Ko-fi vs Fourthwall for your situation.

For a hobby photographer selling presets + short courses, I’d narrow it to these:

My pick: Payhip

Payhip's free plan gives you unlimited products and unlimited revenue, with a 5% transaction fee. It supports digital downloads and courses on the same account, so you could have:

• Lightroom preset packs — $9–$25
• Preset bundles — $29–$49
• A 60–90 minute photography course — $29–$79
• Free preset/sample as an email-list lead magnet

The free plan includes the same core features as its paid plans; the main difference is the transaction fee. You'd still pay Stripe/PayPal's normal payment-processing fee. payhip.com

Fourthwall is another interesting option if you care about having a more polished branded storefront. Its free plan has no monthly fee, hosts/delivers digital files, and currently charges 5% on digital products. Its Pro plan ($15/month) removes the digital-product fee. fourthwall.com

I'd skip Gumroad for your use case unless simplicity is your overriding priority: its current direct-sale fee is 10% + $0.50, before payment-processing costs. gumroad.com

One important distinction: there isn't really a platform with zero cost per sale unless you're willing to pay a monthly subscription or build your own checkout. Even "0% platform fee" options still generally have payment-processing fees.

If you tell me roughly how many preset/course sales you expect per month and your typical price ($10, $30, $75, etc.), I can calculate the actual take-home amount for Payhip vs Fourthwall vs a simple Shopify setup.

For a hobby photographer selling Lightroom presets, PDF guides, LUTs, and short courses, I’d focus on platforms with no monthly cost, digital-file delivery, and low transaction fees.

My pick: Payhip

For your particular setup, Payhip is probably the sweet spot. Its free plan includes unlimited products and unlimited revenue, while charging 5% per transaction, plus the normal Stripe/PayPal processing fee. Payhip

It also supports instant digital downloads, so you could sell things like:

• Lightroom .xmp preset packs
• Mobile Lightroom presets
• ZIP files containing presets + installation instructions
• PDF photography guides
• Video courses
• Bundles combining presets and courses

Payhip also lets you offer products for free, which is useful for a free preset/sample pack → email-list → paid preset bundle funnel. Payhip Help Center

Ko-fi is worth considering

ko-fi.com is particularly attractive if most of your sales will come from Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, or a photography blog. You can sell digital products directly from your shop and share individual product links. The free version charges 5% on shop sales; PayPal/Stripe processing fees are additional. Ko-fi Ko-fi Help

What I'd avoid for your goal

Gumroad is convenient, but its current direct-sale fee is 10% + $0.50, before applicable payment-processing costs. That's considerably more expensive once you're making regular preset sales. Gumroad Gumroad

Fourthwall has no monthly fee and supports ZIP/PDF digital products, but its standard digital-product fee is 5% (with different pricing on Pro). It's more compelling if you eventually want merch or a broader creator storefront. Fourthwall Fourthwall

Bottom line: I'd start with Payhip + Stripe, put your presets and mini-courses there, and link the store from your photography socials. You can start at $0/month and only incur fees when you actually sell.

For a hobby photographer selling Lightroom presets, LUTs, PDFs, and short video courses, I’d prioritize a platform with $0 monthly cost, automatic digital delivery, and low transaction fees.

My top picks

Payhip would be my first choice for you. Its free plan has all features, unlimited products and unlimited revenue, with a 5% transaction fee plus the normal PayPal/Stripe processing fee. It specifically supports selling photos/digital assets and delivering downloads. Payhip Payhip Payhip

Ko-fi is especially attractive if you already have an Instagram/TikTok audience. Its free shop lets you upload digital products and has a 5% fee on shop sales, while payments go directly to your PayPal or Stripe account. Ko-fi Ko-fi Help

Fourthwall is worth considering if you want a more polished storefront and might eventually sell prints, merch, or memberships alongside presets/courses. There's no monthly fee, and digital products carry a 5% fee; payment processing is additional. Fourthwall Fourthwall

I'd skip Gumroad for your use case unless its simplicity is particularly valuable to you. Its current direct-sale fee is 10% + $0.50, plus payment processing, which gets expensive on smaller preset/course purchases. Gumroad Gumroad

What I'd do

Start with Payhip Free:

Instagram/TikTok → Payhip product page → payment → automatic ZIP/PDF/video download

You could sell:

• Lightroom .xmp preset packs
• Mobile Lightroom presets
• Camera profiles/LUTs
• PDF guides
• Short recorded courses
• Bundles combining presets + mini-course

And because you're a hobby business, you don't have to commit to a monthly subscription until your sales volume makes the math worthwhile.

If you tell me roughly how much you plan to charge ($10 presets, $30 courses, etc.) and how many sales/month you expect, I can calculate the actual fees and tell you which platform leaves you with the most money.

Fourthwall is worth considering if you want a more polished storefront and might eventually sell prints, merch, or memberships alongside presets/courses. There's no monthly fee, and digital products carry a 5% fee; payment processing is additional. fourthwall.com fourthwall.com

I'd skip Gumroad for your use case unless its simplicity is particularly valuable to you. Its current direct-sale fee is 10% + $0.50, plus payment processing, which gets expensive on smaller preset/course purchases.

What I'd do

Start with Payhip Free:

Instagram/TikTok → Payhip product page → payment → automatic ZIP/PDF/video download

You could sell:

For a hobby photographer selling Lightroom presets + short video courses, I’d shortlist these:

My pick: Payhip

For your particular business, Payhip is probably the sweet spot. Its free plan has all features, unlimited products and unlimited revenue, with a 5% transaction fee; Stripe/PayPal processing fees are additional. It supports downloadable files and courses, and you can even offer free products as lead magnets. Payhip Payhip Help Center Payhip

That works nicely for something like:

• $9–15 preset pack → ZIP download
• $25–40 premium preset collection → ZIP + PDF installation guide
• $49–99 mini-course → hosted course + downloadable resources
• Free preset → email-list lead magnet

If you're only doing a handful of sales each month, the 5% fee is probably worth avoiding a monthly subscription.

One important distinction

If by "avoids platform fees" you mean literally 0% platform transaction fees, Payhip's free plan doesn't qualify. Its Pro plan is $99/month with 0% transaction fee. Payhip

Fourthwall currently charges 5% on digital products, but offers 0% digital-product fees on its Pro tier; there are still payment-processing fees. Fourthwall

I wouldn't choose Gumroad for your situation unless simplicity is more important than margin: its current direct-sale fee is 10% + $0.50 per transaction, plus payment processing. Gumroad

Bottom line: Start with Payhip Free. If you're eventually doing enough volume that 5% becomes painful, then compare paying $99/month for Payhip Pro against moving to another setup.

If you tell me roughly how many preset/course sales you expect per month and your typical price ($10, $30, $75, etc.), I can calculate the cheapest option for you.

For your mix of Lightroom presets + short photography courses, I’d look at Payhip first.

Best fit: Payhip

payhip.com offers a $0/month plan with unlimited products and revenue. The catch is a 5% platform fee per sale, plus the normal Stripe/PayPal processing fee. Its higher $99/month Pro plan removes the platform transaction fee entirely. Payhip Payhip

It fits your use case particularly well because it supports:

• Digital downloads — ZIP files containing presets, PDFs, LUTs, etc.
• Online courses — so you can host your short photography courses rather than just selling a video file. Payhip
• Free products/lead magnets — useful for giving away a small preset pack in exchange for an email address. Payhip Help Center
• Coupons, affiliates, email updates, pay-what-you-want pricing, and a storefront.
• Your own domain, if you want something like yourphotography.com/store. Payhip

How I'd compare the main options

Gumroad currently takes 10% + $0.50 on direct sales and 30% when the customer comes through its Discover marketplace, so I'd personally skip it for your situation unless its simplicity/audience is particularly valuable to you. Gumroad Gumroad

One important distinction

If by "avoids platform fees" you mean literally 0% platform commission, Payhip's free plan doesn't quite meet that requirement. Its Pro plan is $99/month with 0% platform transaction fee, though you still pay Stripe/PayPal processing. Payhip

For a hobby business, however, I'd start on the free Payhip plan rather than paying $99/month. At $1,000/month in sales, the 5% platform fee is only $50; the Pro plan wouldn't make economic sense yet.

My suggested setup: Instagram/your photography site → Payhip storefront → $15–30 preset packs + $39–99 mini-courses + one free preset as an email lead magnet.

If you tell me roughly how much you expect to sell per month (e.g. $200, $1,000, $3,000), I can calculate the cheapest setup and compare Payhip vs. a truly zero-platform-fee/self-hosted option.

Yes. For a hobby photographer selling Lightroom presets, LUTs, PDFs, video mini-courses, and other downloads, I’d prioritize platforms that let you start cheaply and don’t lock you into a monthly subscription.

My top picks

Payhip is probably the sweet spot. Its free plan gives you unlimited products and revenue, with a 5% Payhip transaction fee; you still pay the normal Stripe/PayPal processing fee. It explicitly supports photos/digital products, downloads, courses, bundles, memberships, coupons, and pay-what-you-want pricing. Payhip Payhip

The particularly nice part for a photographer is that you could structure it like:

• $9–15 — individual Lightroom preset pack
• $25–40 — themed preset bundle
• $49–99 — short photography course
• $99–149 — course + preset bundle
• Free — 3-preset sampler in exchange for an email address

Payhip can deliver free digital downloads immediately too, so you can use a free preset pack as a lead magnet. Payhip Help Center

If avoiding all platform fees is the goal

That's harder at the $0/month level. Payhip's $99/month Pro plan has no Payhip transaction fee, but Stripe/PayPal processing fees still apply. Payhip

For a hobby business, I wouldn't pay $99/month just to eliminate the 5% fee unless you're consistently doing substantial sales. At $1,000/month in sales, 5% is only $50, so the free plan makes more sense.

Why I wouldn't pick Gumroad first

Gumroad is very easy, but its current direct-sale fee is 10% + $0.50 per transaction, and marketplace/discovery sales can be 30%. Gumroad Gumroad

For inexpensive preset packs, that $0.50 + 10% can eat a surprisingly large chunk of your margin.

Lemon Squeezy is interesting

Lemon Squeezy charges 5% + $0.50, has no monthly ecommerce fee, supports digital downloads and courses, and acts as a merchant of record—which can make international sales-tax/VAT administration considerably easier. Lemon Squeezy Lemon Squeezy

That's attractive if you expect to sell internationally, but for a small photography side business, I'd start with Payhip because its pricing is simpler and the free plan is especially well suited to lots of small digital products.

My recommendation: start with Payhip + your own domain + Instagram/TikTok/Pinterest traffic. You can later move to a no-platform-fee setup once sales justify the extra complexity.

If you tell me roughly how much you expect to sell per month (e.g. $200, $1k, $5k) and whether your courses are downloadable videos or hosted lessons, I can compare the actual costs and recommend the cheapest setup.

For your mix of Lightroom presets + short photography courses, I’d shortlist these:

My pick: Payhip

payhip.com

Payhip's Free Forever plan is $0/month, gives you unlimited products and revenue, and takes 5% per transaction (plus Stripe/PayPal processing). Importantly, all features are available on the free plan. Payhip

That makes it particularly well suited to you: you could have:

• Preset packs — downloadable ZIP files
• Individual presets — inexpensive impulse purchases
• Mini-courses — hosted directly on Payhip
• Bundles — e.g. “Moody Film Presets + Editing Course”
• Free preset/sample — useful for building an email list; Payhip supports free digital products with instant downloads. Payhip Help Center

Ko-fi is worth considering

ko-fi.com

Ko-fi is especially nice if most of your sales come from Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, or your photography website. It has no listing/monthly fees, supports digital downloads, and charges 5% on shop sales. Ko-fi Ko-fi Help

One I'd avoid for your particular goal

Gumroad is wonderfully simple, but its current direct-sale fee is 10% + $0.50, before applicable payment processing. Gumroad Gumroad That's quite a chunk on, say, a $12 preset pack.

Bottom line: I'd start with Payhip Free, connect Stripe/PayPal, upload your preset ZIPs, and use its course functionality for your short courses. You can stay at $0/month until your sales volume justifies moving to a lower-fee paid tier.

Yes. For presets + short photography courses, I’d shortlist these:

My pick: Payhip

payhip.com is probably the best fit for a hobby photographer starting small. Its free plan has unlimited products and revenue, includes all features, supports digital downloads and courses, and takes 5% per sale (plus the normal Stripe/PayPal processing fee). Payhip Payhip

That means you could have:

• Preset packs — ZIP files containing XMP/DNG presets, installation guide, etc.
• Mini-courses — video lessons, PDFs, and downloadable resources.
• Free preset/guide — useful as an email-list lead magnet; Payhip supports free digital products and courses. Payhip Help Center
• A simple storefront you can link from Instagram, TikTok, your photography site, or your bio.

If minimizing platform fees is your #1 priority

Payhip eventually has a $99/mo Pro plan with 0% platform transaction fees. Payhip

But I wouldn't jump to that as a hobby seller. At 5%, you'd need roughly $1,980/month in sales before the $99 subscription starts making financial sense, ignoring payment-processing fees.

Lemon Squeezy is another interesting option: $0/month, 5% + $0.50 per transaction, with digital downloads and courses, and it acts as merchant of record for sales-tax/VAT handling. LemonSqueezy LemonSqueezy

I'd skip Gumroad for your use case unless its simplicity is particularly appealing—the current direct-sale fee is 10% + $0.50, substantially higher than Payhip. Gumroad

Bottom line: Start with Payhip Free. For a photographer selling, say, $15–$40 preset packs and $30–$100 mini-courses, it's hard to beat for low upfront cost and simplicity.

Yes. For a hobby photographer selling Lightroom presets, LUTs, PDFs, video mini-courses, and other downloads, I’d narrow it to these:

🥇 I'd choose Payhip

Payhip's free plan is $0/month with a 5% transaction fee, and it includes all features, unlimited products, and unlimited revenue. It supports both digital downloads and courses, so you could sell something like:

• $12 preset pack → automatic download
• $29 Lightroom preset bundle → automatic download
• $49 mini-course → course access
• $79 course + preset bundle → both together

PayPal/Stripe processing fees are additional. Payhip

payhip.com

🥈 Ko-fi is particularly nice for photographers

Ko-fi lets you upload digital products directly, has no listing fees or monthly fee, and takes 5% on shop sales. Payments go directly to your PayPal or Stripe account. It can also function as your tip jar, membership page, and commission page—which is useful if you're building a small photography audience rather than a traditional ecommerce business. Ko-fi Ko-fi Help

ko-fi.com

One I'd skip: Gumroad

It's wonderfully simple, but its current direct-sale fee is 10% + $0.50 per transaction, before payment-processing fees. For a $10 preset, that's a pretty significant chunk compared with Payhip/Ko-fi's 5%. Gumroad Gumroad

What about "no platform fees" entirely?

That's harder. No monthly fee + low transaction fee is probably the sweet spot unless you're willing to build your own storefront using something like WordPress + Stripe. Payment processors will generally still take their processing fee.

For your particular business, I'd start with Payhip + your own domain + Instagram/TikTok/Pinterest traffic. You can keep the setup extremely lightweight and avoid paying $30–$40/month before you know whether the presets/course business has traction.

If you tell me roughly how many preset packs you have, your typical price ($10/$20/$50), and whether the courses are video or PDF, I can compare the actual dollar fees for Payhip vs Ko-fi vs Gumroad at your expected sales volume.

Yes. For presets + short photography courses, I’d shortlist these:

🥇 My pick: Payhip

payhip.com is probably the best fit for what you're describing.

Its free plan is $0/month + 5% per sale, with unlimited products and revenue. It supports digital downloads, courses, bundles, memberships, coupons, and more. Payhip Payhip

For presets, you could upload a ZIP containing your .xmp, Lightroom Mobile presets, installation instructions, etc., and Payhip automatically delivers the files after purchase. It also specifically supports selling photos/digital products. Payhip Payhip

For your courses, Payhip can handle course access rather than simply giving someone a PDF/video download, which makes it considerably more useful if you want to grow beyond presets.

The important distinction: no platform can realistically give you zero fees at $0/month, because Stripe/PayPal/card processing still charges you. Payhip's platform fee is 5% on the free plan. Its Pro plan is $99/month with no Payhip transaction fee. Payhip

🥈 Ko-fi — great if you want something extremely simple

ko-fi.com is worth considering if your main business is Instagram/TikTok → product link → download.

It has no monthly or listing fees and charges 5% on shop sales, plus payment-processing fees. You can upload digital products directly, and free accounts currently allow up to 600 shop items and 25 GB of asset storage, with individual assets up to 2 GB. Ko-fi Ko-fi Help

That's plenty for preset packs and reasonably sized photography courses.

❌ I wouldn't choose Gumroad for your situation

gumroad.com is wonderfully easy, but its current direct-sale fee is 10% + $0.50 per transaction, before payment-processing costs; marketplace/discovery sales are 30%. Gumroad Gumroad

For a $15 preset pack, that difference adds up quickly.

What I'd do in your shoes

I'd start with Payhip Free:

Instagram/TikTok → Payhip storefront → preset/course → automatic delivery

You could structure it as:

• $9–15 — individual preset packs
• $25–40 — themed preset bundle
• $49–99 — short photography course
• $99–149 — course + preset bundle
• Free — "5 Lightroom Presets" lead magnet to build an email list

Payhip also lets you make digital products completely free, so you can use a free preset pack as a lead magnet. Payhip Help Center

Bottom line: Start with Payhip unless you primarily want a lightweight "tip jar + shop" presence, in which case Ko-fi is excellent. I would skip Gumroad if minimizing fees is one of your priorities.

If you tell me roughly how many preset sales/month you expect and what you'd charge for your courses, I can calculate the actual monthly cost/profit difference between Payhip, Ko-fi, Gumroad, and a couple of other options.

For your courses, Payhip can handle course access rather than simply giving someone a PDF/video download, which makes it considerably more useful if you want to grow beyond presets.

The important distinction: no platform can realistically give you zero fees at $0/month, because Stripe/PayPal/card processing still charges you. Payhip's platform fee is 5% on the free plan. Its Pro plan is $99/month with no Payhip transaction fee. Payhip

🥈 Ko-fi — great if you want something extremely simple

ko-fi.com is worth considering if your main business is Instagram/TikTok → product link → download.

It has no monthly or listing fees and charges 5% on shop sales, plus payment-processing fees. You can upload digital products directly, and free accounts currently allow up to 600 shop items and 25 GB of asset storage, with individual assets up to 2 GB. ko-fi.com help.ko-fi.com

That's plenty for preset packs and reasonably sized photography courses.

❌ I wouldn't choose Gumroad for your situation

gumroad.com is wonderfully easy, but its current direct-sale fee is 10% + $0.50 per transaction, before payment-processing costs; marketplace/discovery sales are 30%.

For a $15 preset pack, that difference adds up quickly.

What I'd do in your shoes

I'd start with Payhip Free:

Instagram/TikTok → Payhip storefront → preset/course → automatic delivery

For your mix of Lightroom presets + short photography courses, I’d shortlist these:

My pick: Payhip

payhip.com

Payhip's free plan gives you unlimited products and unlimited revenue, with a 5% transaction fee. It supports digital downloads and courses, and you still pay the normal Stripe/PayPal processing fee. Payhip Payhip

For a photographer, that means you could have:

• $19 preset pack → automatic download after purchase
• $39 Lightroom preset bundle → ZIP download
• $49 mini-course → hosted course
• $99 preset + course bundle
• Free preset/sample → email-list lead magnet

Payhip also lets you sell free digital products with immediate downloads. Payhip Help Center

Ko-fi is a close second

ko-fi.com

Ko-fi is particularly nice if most of your customers come from Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, or your photography community. There's no monthly or listing fee, and shop sales have a 5% service fee. Digital files can be uploaded directly and delivered to buyers. Ko-fi Ko-fi Help

One advantage: payments go directly to your PayPal/Stripe account rather than sitting in a platform balance. Ko-fi Help

I wouldn't choose Gumroad for your goal

gumroad.com

It's extremely easy to use, but its current direct-sale fee is 10% + $0.50 per transaction, before payment-processing considerations. Gumroad Gumroad That's a lot for a hobby business selling relatively inexpensive presets.

Bottom line: Start with Payhip Free. You get a real storefront, automatic digital delivery, courses, unlimited products, and no monthly bill. Once you're consistently doing enough sales, you can compare the 5% plan against a 0%-fee paid plan.

If you tell me roughly how many preset/course sales you expect per month and your typical price ($15, $30, $50, etc.), I can calculate which platform leaves you with the most money.

Yes. For a hobby photographer selling presets + short digital courses, I’d narrow it to these:

My pick: Payhip

For your particular setup, Payhip is probably the sweet spot. Its free plan has all features, unlimited products and unlimited revenue, with a 5% transaction fee. You still pay the normal Stripe/PayPal processing fee. It supports common downloadable file types, making it well suited to Lightroom presets packaged as ZIP files. Payhip Payhip

You could structure it as:

• $9–19 preset packs
• $29–59 mini-courses
• Bundle: preset pack + course
• Free preset/sample in exchange for an email address
• Your Instagram/TikTok/website links directly to your Payhip products

If minimizing fees is the priority

Ko-fi is also compelling. There's no monthly fee, digital products can be uploaded directly, and shop sales have a 5% service fee on the free setup, plus payment processing. Ko-fi Help Ko-fi

Fourthwall is worth considering if you eventually want a more branded creator storefront. It has no monthly fee; its current documentation says digital products are 5%, with a Pro option that removes the digital-product platform fee. Payment processing is still separate. Fourthwall Creator Fourthwall

I wouldn't choose Gumroad if your main goal is avoiding fees: direct sales currently cost 10% + $0.50, before applicable payment-processing costs. Gumroad

Bottom line: Start with Payhip. It's inexpensive, handles the actual file delivery, and you don't need to build a full ecommerce website just to sell a handful of preset packs and courses.

If you tell me roughly how many presets/courses you expect to sell per month and their typical price ($10, $30, $50, etc.), I can calculate the actual take-home amount on Payhip vs Ko-fi vs Gumroad.

For a hobby photographer selling presets (ZIP/LR templates), LUTs, PDFs, and short courses, I’d focus on platforms that:

• have no monthly fee
• deliver digital files automatically
• let you embed links in Instagram/YouTube/your website
• don’t take a huge cut of every sale

Here are the strongest options:

SurcoPay SurcoPay## My picks for your use case

1. Best overall: Payhip

Payhip is probably the closest fit for a preset + course creator.

Good for:

• Lightroom presets
• Photoshop actions
• editing guides
• video lessons
• bundles
• coupons/discounts
• customer downloads after purchase

The free plan is designed for creators who don’t want upfront costs, though it charges a percentage per sale. SurcoPay

2. Simplest launch: Gumroad

Gumroad is great if you just want to upload a preset pack tonight and put a link in your bio.

Pros:

• very little setup
• familiar checkout
• handles file delivery

Cons:

• the fee is relatively high compared with some alternatives. AstroLink

3. Best if Instagram is your main audience: Ko-fi

Ko-fi works well if people already follow your photography and you want a simple “support me + buy presets” page. SurcoPay

A low-cost setup I’d use as a hobby photographer

• Store: Payhip
• Traffic: Instagram + Pinterest + YouTube Shorts/TikTok
• Email list: free newsletter tool (capture buyers and fans)
• Freebie: “5 free Lightroom presets” to build an audience
• Paid products: - $5–15 preset packs
• $20–50 editing mini-course
• $75+ bundle (presets + course + workflow guide)

I’d avoid paying for Shopify/Kajabi/etc. until you’re consistently making enough sales that the monthly fee is cheaper than transaction fees.

One important thing: if you sell internationally, consider whether you want the platform to handle sales tax/VAT. Merchant-of-record platforms such as Lemon Squeezy can be attractive for that reason, while platforms where you connect your own payment processor give you more direct control. SurcoPay

For your exact niche, I’d start with Payhip + a strong Instagram/Pinterest funnel, and only move to a full storefront once you have repeat sales.

For a hobby photographer selling Lightroom presets + short photography courses, I’d narrow it to these:

🥇 My pick: Payhip

payhip.com

Payhip's Free Forever plan is $0/month with a 5% transaction fee, and it includes unlimited products and revenue. You still pay Stripe/PayPal processing fees, but there isn't another monthly platform charge. Payhip

For you, that means you could have:

• Preset packs — upload a ZIP containing your .xmp/DNG files, installation PDF, etc.
• Mini-courses — Payhip supports courses, so you don't necessarily need a separate course platform.
• Free preset — use it as an email-list lead magnet; Payhip supports free digital products with immediate downloads. Payhip Help Center
• Bundles — e.g. Moody Presets + Editing Mini-Course.
• Your own storefront/link rather than relying on a marketplace.

Payhip also explicitly supports photo and video products and offers features like coupons, affiliates, and pay-what-you-want pricing. Payhip Payhip

🥈 Ko-fi if you want something really simple

ko-fi.com

Ko-fi is appealing if most of your sales will come from Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, or your existing photography audience. Its shop handles digital downloads, has no listing/monthly fees, and takes 5% on shop sales. Ko-fi Ko-fi Help

I'd choose Ko-fi if your business is primarily:

"Here's my photography → here's my preset → buy it."

I'd choose Payhip if you want to build a more substantial preset + course business.

One I'd skip: Gumroad

Gumroad is extremely easy, but its current direct-sale fee is 10% + $0.50, and Discover marketplace sales are 30%. Gumroad

For a $15 preset, for example, the $0.50 component makes the fee particularly noticeable. You can get essentially the same basic digital-product functionality elsewhere for considerably less.

What about "zero platform fees"?

If by "avoids platform fees" you mean literally 0%, Payhip has that too—but only on its $99/month Pro plan. Payhip

For a hobby business, I wouldn't pay $99/month until your sales volume makes the math work. At modest sales, 5% + payment processing on Payhip is probably the sweet spot.

My suggested setup: Payhip + a free preset as your lead magnet + 3–5 paid preset packs + 1 inexpensive mini-course. You can keep the whole thing very lightweight until you know there's demand.

For a hobby photographer selling presets + short video/PDF courses, I’d prioritize low/no monthly cost, automatic digital delivery, and low transaction fees.

*Fourthwall's current site says 5% for digital products, with 0% on its Pro plan; payment processing still applies. Fourthwall Fourthwall

My pick: Payhip

payhip.com is probably the sweet spot for you. Its free plan is genuinely $0/month, includes all features, unlimited products and unlimited revenue, and takes 5% per transaction. Stripe/PayPal processing fees are additional. Payhip

That works particularly well for things like:

• Lightroom presets (.xmp, .dng, .lrtemplate)
• Preset bundles/collections
• PDF guides
• Video courses
• ZIP files containing multiple downloads
• Free sample presets to build an email list

The important distinction is that “no platform fee” usually doesn't mean zero fees. Even if the storefront takes 0%, Stripe/PayPal will generally still charge payment processing.

Ko-fi is a close second

ko-fi.com is especially appealing if you're already building an audience on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, etc. You can link directly to individual products, and it supports uploaded digital products. Its shop has no listing fee and takes 5% on sales, with payments going directly to PayPal/Stripe. Ko-fi Ko-fi Help

What I'd avoid for your use case

I'd probably skip Gumroad unless you particularly value its ecosystem. Its current direct-sale fee is 10% + $0.50 per transaction, plus payment processing. Gumroad Gumroad

For a $15 preset pack, that difference adds up quickly.

Bottom line: Start with Payhip if you want a straightforward mini-store for presets and courses. Use Ko-fi if your business is more creator/community-oriented and you want tips, memberships, commissions, and products together.

If you tell me roughly what you expect to charge for your presets (e.g. $9–$29) and courses (e.g. $29–$99), I can compare the actual take-home amount on Payhip vs. Ko-fi vs. Gumroad at your likely sales volume.

For a hobby photography business selling presets + short courses, I’d shortlist these:

My pick: Payhip

Payhip's free plan gives you unlimited products and unlimited revenue, with a 5% transaction fee. Importantly for you, it supports digital downloads and courses on the same platform, so you can sell things like:

• Lightroom preset ZIPs
• Mobile presets
• Before/after editing guides
• Video mini-courses
• Preset + course bundles
• Free presets as email-list lead magnets

It also supports most file types and immediate downloads. Payhip Payhip Help Center Payhip

If you eventually have enough sales, its $99/month Pro plan has 0% Payhip transaction fees (you'd still pay Stripe/PayPal processing fees). Payhip

One important distinction

If by "avoids platform fees" you mean literally 0% platform fee from day one, these aren't quite that. Payment processors such as Stripe/PayPal will still charge processing fees.

Payhip is attractive because you can start at $0/month, then move to 2% or eventually 0% platform fees as your sales justify the subscription. Payhip

Lemon Squeezy is another strong choice if you care about having the platform handle sales tax/VAT as merchant of record. It charges 5% + $0.50 per transaction, with no monthly ecommerce fee, and supports both digital downloads and courses. lemonsqueezy.com docs.lemonsqueezy.com

I'd put Gumroad third for your use case: it's extremely easy, but its direct-sale fee is currently 10% + $0.50, making it considerably more expensive once you're making regular sales. gumroad.com

Bottom line: Start with Payhip Free. For a photographer with a relatively small catalog and occasional preset/course sales, it's probably the best balance of $0 upfront + downloads + courses + simple storefront.

For a hobby photographer selling Lightroom presets, LUTs, PDFs, and short video courses, I’d prioritize low/no monthly cost + automatic file delivery + low transaction fees.

My top picks

Payhip's free plan gives you unlimited products and unlimited revenue, with a 5% transaction fee; Stripe/PayPal processing fees are additional. Payhip

Ko-fi also has no monthly fee and charges 5% on shop sales, with PayPal/Stripe processing on top. Ko-fi Help

Fourthwall has no monthly fee and supports secure digital downloads. Its current published pricing indicates a 5% digital-product fee, plus payment processing; Pro can reduce the digital-product platform fee to 0%. Fourthwall Fourthwall Creator

Gumroad is convenient, but its current direct-sale fee is 10% + $0.50, before applicable payment-processing considerations, so I'd generally skip it for inexpensive presets. Gumroad Gumroad

What I'd choose for you

Start with Payhip. It's probably the sweet spot for your situation: you can upload a preset ZIP, create a product page, take payment, and have the customer receive the download automatically without paying a monthly subscription.

For example, if you sell a $15 preset pack, Payhip's platform cut is only $0.75, before payment processing. That's substantially better than Gumroad's $2.00 platform fee on the same sale.

I'd structure the store something like:

• $9–15: individual preset packs
• $25–40: themed preset bundles
• $49–99: preset + mini-course bundle
• $19–49: short photography courses
• $99+: larger "complete editing" course/bundle

One important distinction: "no platform fee" doesn't mean no fees at all. Stripe/PayPal will generally still take their payment-processing fee. The realistic goal is no monthly fee + minimal platform cut + automatic delivery.

If you tell me roughly how many sales/month you expect (e.g. 10, 50, 100) and your typical preset/course price, I can calculate which platform leaves you with the most money.

Fourthwall has no monthly fee and supports secure digital downloads. Its current published pricing indicates a 5% digital-product fee, plus payment processing; Pro can reduce the digital-product platform fee to 0%.

Gumroad is convenient, but its current direct-sale fee is 10% + $0.50, before applicable payment-processing considerations, so I'd generally skip it for inexpensive presets.

What I'd choose for you

For a hobby photographer selling Lightroom presets + short photography courses, I’d narrow it to Payhip, Ko-fi, and Lemon Squeezy.

🥇 My pick: Payhip

Payhip's Free Forever plan is $0/month with a 5% transaction fee, unlimited products, and unlimited revenue. You still pay Stripe/PayPal's normal processing fees. Payhip Payhip

That fits your use case particularly well because you can sell:

• Lightroom presets as downloadable ZIP files
• PDF guides
• Video courses
• Bundles such as "50 Presets + Editing Course"
• Free presets as lead magnets
• Discount/coupon offers

Payhip also supports courses, bundles, memberships, and coaching on the free plan, rather than locking those behind a higher tier. Payhip Help Center

The big advantage for a photographer is that you can start with essentially $0 upfront and only pay when you make a sale.

🥈 Ko-fi if you already have followers

ko-fi.com is particularly nice if most of your customers will come from Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, or your photography website.

It has no listing or monthly fees, supports digital downloads, and charges 5% on shop sales on its free setup, plus the normal payment processor fee. Payments go directly to your PayPal or Stripe account. Ko-fi Ko-fi Help

It's also nice if you want one page combining presets + courses + tips + memberships + photography commissions.

🥉 Lemon Squeezy if you hate dealing with sales tax

Lemon Squeezy charges 5% + $0.50 per transaction, with no monthly ecommerce fee. It supports digital downloads and courses and acts as the merchant of record, handling sales-tax/VAT obligations. LemonSqueezy Lemon Squeezy Docs

That's compelling if you're selling internationally and don't want to think much about tax compliance.

The downside for inexpensive presets is the $0.50 fixed fee. On a $10 preset, that's significant.

What I'd actually do

For your situation, I'd start with Payhip:

Instagram/website → Payhip product page → checkout → automatic preset download

Then create:

• $9–15 individual preset packs
• $25–40 larger preset bundles
• $29–79 short courses
• A free mini preset in exchange for an email address
• Occasional bundles combining presets + course

I wouldn't use Gumroad unless you specifically want its ecosystem. Its current direct-sale fee is 10% + $0.50, substantially higher than Payhip's 5% on the free plan. Gumroad Gumroad

Bottom line: If "free to start + low fees + automatic downloads + courses" is your priority, Payhip is probably the best fit. If you're more community/Instagram-oriented, Ko-fi is a very good alternative.

If you tell me roughly how much you expect to charge for presets/courses and how many sales you expect per month, I can calculate the actual fees for Payhip vs Ko-fi vs Lemon Squeezy and tell you which one would leave you the most money.

🥉 Lemon Squeezy if you hate dealing with sales tax

Lemon Squeezy charges 5% + $0.50 per transaction, with no monthly ecommerce fee. It supports digital downloads and courses and acts as the merchant of record, handling sales-tax/VAT obligations. lemonsqueezy.com docs.lemonsqueezy.com

That's compelling if you're selling internationally and don't want to think much about tax compliance.

The downside for inexpensive presets is the $0.50 fixed fee. On a $10 preset, that's significant.

What I'd actually do

For your situation, I'd start with Payhip:

Instagram/website → Payhip product page → checkout → automatic preset download

Then create:

Yes. For a hobby photographer selling Lightroom presets, downloadable photo resources, and short courses, I’d focus on platforms that have no monthly cost and low/no platform transaction fees.

My top picks

Payhip would be my first choice for you. Its free plan has unlimited products and revenue, supports digital downloads and courses, and charges 5% per sale plus your normal PayPal/Stripe processing fee. Payhip Payhip

It also specifically supports selling photos and digital prints, so presets packaged as ZIP files are a natural fit. Payhip Payhip

Ko-fi is attractive if most of your customers come from Instagram/TikTok and you want a simple creator page alongside your shop. Its Shop supports digital files, and the free tier charges 5% on shop sales; payment-processing fees still apply. Ko-fi Ko-fi Help

I would skip Gumroad for a low-volume hobby business unless you particularly like its interface. Its current direct-sale fee is 10% + $0.50, substantially higher than Payhip/Ko-fi. Gumroad

One important distinction

If by "avoids platform fees" you mean literally 0% platform fee, Payhip's Pro plan is $99/month with 0% transaction fees, while Ko-fi Gold is $12/month with 0% service fees. Payhip Ko-fi

For a hobby photographer, though, I'd start at $0/month and accept the 5% fee. You'd need roughly $2,000/month in sales before Payhip's $29/month Plus plan (2% fee) starts becoming more attractive than the free plan.

My setup recommendation:
Instagram/TikTok → Payhip storefront → preset ZIP + installation PDF → automated download → optional mini-course.

That gives you a very inexpensive setup without having to build a website or pay Shopify-level monthly costs.

If your goal is $0/month, direct sales, downloadable files, and low fees, I’d shortlist these:

My pick: Payhip

For a photographer selling Lightroom presets + mini-courses, Payhip is probably the sweet spot. Its free plan has all features, unlimited products and unlimited revenue, with a 5% transaction fee; Stripe/PayPal processing fees are additional. Payhip Payhip

It specifically supports photo sales and digital prints, and you can upload files for customers to download after purchase. Payhip Payhip

The nice part is that you could structure it like:

• Preset packs: $9–$29
• Preset bundle: $39–$59
• 30–60 minute mini-course: $19–$49
• Preset + course bundle: $49–$79
• Free preset → email signup → paid bundle

Ko-fi is worth considering

If most of your audience comes from Instagram/TikTok and you want a simple “link in bio” storefront, Ko-fi is excellent. It has no monthly/listing fees, supports digital products, and charges 5% on shop sales on the free setup. Payments go directly to your PayPal/Stripe account. Ko-fi Help Ko-fi

One important distinction

If by “avoids platform fees” you mean literally 0%, the options above don't quite achieve that on their free tiers. Payhip and Ko-fi are low-fee, not zero-fee. Payhip's $99/month Pro plan removes its platform transaction fee, while Ko-fi Gold is $12/month with 0% service fee, though payment-processing fees still apply. Payhip Ko-fi

For your particular business, I'd start with Payhip. You can launch without paying anything upfront, sell both presets and courses from the same storefront, and only incur fees when you actually make a sale.

payhip.com

For your mix of Lightroom presets + short photography courses, I’d shortlist these:

My pick: Payhip

Payhip's free plan gives you unlimited products and unlimited revenue for $0/month, with a 5% transaction fee. It supports digital downloads and proper online courses, including video, files, quizzes, assignments and drip content. Payhip Payhip

That's particularly good for presets because you can sell a ZIP containing your .xmp/preset files and have customers download them after purchase. It also supports secure/unique download links and download limits. Payhip

The important caveat: no platform can really mean "zero fees" unless you're paying a monthly subscription or handling payments yourself. Payhip's 5% is in addition to Stripe/PayPal's normal processing fees. Its $99/month Pro plan removes Payhip's transaction fee, so you can switch once sales justify it. Payhip

Ko-fi is worth considering

ko-fi.com is attractive if you want something that feels more like a photographer's creator page + shop. It has no monthly fee, supports digital products/downloads, and charges 5% on shop sales; payments go directly to your PayPal or Stripe account. Ko-fi Help Ko-fi Help

I'd choose Ko-fi if your business is mostly presets + occasional mini-products + tips/memberships, rather than a growing catalog of structured courses.

I'd skip Gumroad for your goal

Gumroad is very easy to use, but its current direct-sale fee is 10% + $0.50 per transaction, on top of payment processing; marketplace/discovery sales are 30%. Gumroad Gumroad

So if you're already bringing customers from Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, or your photography website, Payhip gives you substantially better economics.

Bottom line: Start with Payhip's free plan. Put your presets there, add your short courses as you develop them, and drive traffic from your social/portfolio site. You can stay at $0/month until your sales volume makes the 2% or 0%-fee plans worthwhile. Payhip

If you tell me roughly how much you expect to charge for a preset pack and course (e.g. $15 presets / $49 course), I can compare the actual take-home per sale across Payhip, Ko-fi, Gumroad, and a simple Stripe setup.

For a hobby photographer selling presets + short courses, I’d shortlist these:

🥇 I'd pick Payhip

Payhip's free plan is $0/month with a 5% transaction fee, and it includes all features, unlimited products, and unlimited revenue. It supports digital downloads and courses, so you can sell Lightroom presets as ZIP files and put your short courses on the same storefront. Payhip Payhip

It also lets you offer free downloads—useful for a free preset/mini-guide as an email-list lead magnet—and buyers can download digital products immediately after purchase. Payhip Help Center

Once you're doing enough volume, its $29/month Plus plan drops the platform fee to 2%, while Pro is $99/month with 0% platform fees. Payhip

🥈 Ko-fi is a good alternative

ko-fi.com is particularly nice if your photography business is built around Instagram/social followers. You can sell digital files directly from your page, with no listing or monthly fees and a 5% shop fee, plus normal PayPal/Stripe processing. Ko-fi Ko-fi Help

Its advantage is that you can combine presets + courses/content + tips + memberships in one creator page. Ko-fi

What I'd avoid for your particular goal

Gumroad is wonderfully simple, but its current direct-sale fee is 10% + $0.50 per transaction, before applicable payment-processing fees. Gumroad Gumroad

So, for example, on a $20 preset:

• Payhip: $1 platform fee + payment processing
• Ko-fi: $1 platform fee + payment processing
• Gumroad: $2.50 platform fee + payment processing

Bottom line: Start with Payhip if you want a tiny storefront specifically for presets and courses. Use Ko-fi if you want the storefront to feel more like a creator/community page. Both let you avoid a recurring subscription while you're testing whether the photography side business takes off.

Payhip's free plan is $0/month with a 5% transaction fee, and it includes all features, unlimited products, and unlimited revenue. It supports digital downloads and courses, so you can sell Lightroom presets as ZIP files and put your short courses on the same storefront. Payhip Payhip

It also lets you offer free downloads—useful for a free preset/mini-guide as an email-list lead magnet—and buyers can download digital products immediately after purchase. Payhip Help Center

Once you're doing enough volume, its $29/month Plus plan drops the platform fee to 2%, while Pro is $99/month with 0% platform fees. Payhip

🥈 Ko-fi is a good alternative

ko-fi.com is particularly nice if your photography business is built around Instagram/social followers. You can sell digital files directly from your page, with no listing or monthly fees and a 5% shop fee, plus normal PayPal/Stripe processing.

Its advantage is that you can combine presets + courses/content + tips + memberships in one creator page.

What I'd avoid for your particular goal

Yes. For a hobby photographer selling Lightroom presets, LUTs, PDF guides, and short video courses, I’d narrow it to these:

🥇 I'd pick Payhip

Payhip's free plan is $0/month with a 5% transaction fee, and it includes unlimited products and revenue. It supports digital downloads, video, PDFs, courses, bundles, memberships, and other digital products. Payhip Payhip

That's particularly good for your setup because you could have:

• $19 preset pack → downloadable ZIP
• $39–59 preset bundle → multiple ZIPs
• $15 photography guide → PDF
• $49 short course → hosted course/video
• Free preset/sample → email-list lead magnet

Payhip also specifically supports selling photos/digital prints and offers coupons, affiliates, pay-what-you-want pricing, and email updates. Payhip Payhip

The important distinction: no platform fee at all is hard to get on a free plan. Payhip's 5% is on top of the normal Stripe/PayPal processing fee. Payhip

🥈 Ko-fi is excellent if you're social-first

ko-fi.com lets you sell digital downloads with no monthly or listing fee, but takes 5% on shop sales on its free setup, plus payment-processing fees. Ko-fi Ko-fi Help

I'd choose Ko-fi if most of your customers are coming from Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, or a photography community, because you can essentially use it as a simple storefront attached to your creator profile.

Why I wouldn't start with Gumroad

Gumroad is very easy to use, but its current direct-sale fee is 10% + $0.50 per transaction, before applicable payment-processing costs; marketplace/discovery sales are 30%. Gumroad Gumroad

For inexpensive presets, that fixed $0.50 becomes particularly painful. On a $10 preset, for example, the $0.50 alone is 5% of the sale.

One interesting alternative: Fourthwall

Fourthwall's pricing materials show no monthly fee and 3% on digital products, with payment processing on top. Fourthwall It's worth considering if you eventually want to sell prints, merch, presets, and other creator products from one storefront.

My recommendation for you: start with Payhip Free. It gives you the best combination of low upfront cost, downloadable files, courses, and room to grow without paying for a website immediately. Once your sales volume gets high enough, its $29/month Plus plan drops the platform fee from 5% to 2%, and $99/month Pro eliminates it. Payhip

If you tell me roughly how many preset/course sales you expect per month and your typical price ($10, $20, $50, etc.), I can calculate which platform would actually leave you with the most money.

For a hobby photographer selling Lightroom presets + short photography courses, I’d shortlist these:

My pick: Payhip

Payhip's free plan gives you unlimited products and unlimited revenue, with a 5% transaction fee. It supports digital files, courses, bundles and memberships, and customers can download digital products after purchase. payhip.comhelp.payhip.com

That's a particularly good fit for presets because you can sell something like:

• $12 — Lightroom preset pack
• $19 — 20-preset bundle + PDF guide
• $29 — preset collection + mini video course
• $49 — complete beginner photography mini-course

You can also offer a free preset as a lead magnet; Payhip supports free digital products and collects the customer's email address. payhip.comhelp.payhip.com

See Payhip's pricing

Ko-fi is the other one I'd seriously consider

Ko-fi Shop lets you upload digital products directly, has no listing/monthly fee on the free tier, and charges 5% on shop sales plus normal payment-processing fees. ko-fi.com

Its advantage for a photographer is that you can combine presets + courses/tutorials + tips + memberships on one creator page. If you eventually reach the point where $12/month is worthwhile, Ko-fi Gold has 0% service fees. ko-fi.compayhip.com

See Ko-fi's pricing

One important distinction

If by "avoids platform fees" you mean literally 0%, the realistic choices change:

• Ko-fi Gold: $12/mo, 0% platform fee
• Payhip Pro: $99/mo, 0% transaction fee
• But Stripe/PayPal processing fees still apply. ko-fi.compayhip.com

For a hobby business, I wouldn't pay either subscription initially. I'd start with Payhip's free plan, get your first 20–50 sales, and only then reconsider the economics.

If you tell me roughly what you expect to charge for your presets ($10–$30?) and courses ($30–$100?), I can compare Payhip vs Ko-fi vs Gumroad and show you exactly how much you'd keep at $500, $1,000, and $5,000/month.

For your mix of Lightroom presets + short photography courses, I’d shortlist these:

My pick: Payhip

For a hobby photographer, Payhip is probably the sweet spot. Its free plan has no monthly charge, unlimited products and unlimited revenue, with a 5% transaction fee. It supports digital files and specifically markets the platform for selling photos/digital products. Payhip Payhip

You could structure it as:

• Preset packs — ZIP containing .xmp files + installation PDF
• Mini courses — downloadable video lessons, PDFs, worksheets, or links to hosted videos
• Bundles — e.g. Golden Hour Presets + Editing Mini-Course
• Free preset — use it as an email-list lead magnet
• Pay-what-you-want products for small freebies or tip-style offerings

One important distinction: “no platform fee” doesn't necessarily mean zero fees overall. Payhip's Pro plan eliminates its transaction fee at $99/month, but Stripe/PayPal processing fees still apply. Payhip

Ko-fi is worth considering

ko-fi.com is particularly attractive if most of your customers come from Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, or your photography site. You can sell digital downloads with no listing or monthly fee, but sales carry a 5% Ko-fi fee plus normal payment-processing fees. Ko-fi Ko-fi Help

Ko-fi also pays directly into your PayPal/Stripe account rather than holding payouts. Ko-fi Help

What I'd do in your situation

I'd start with Payhip Free. At your stage, paying $0/month while testing which presets/courses actually sell is more valuable than optimizing for a theoretical 0% fee.

If you eventually reach roughly $2,000+/month in sales, then it's worth comparing Payhip's $29/month Plus plan (2% fee) against staying on Free. At about $2,000/month, the Plus plan saves roughly $31/month in platform fees, before considering payment processing. Payhip's current plans are $0/5%, $29/2%, and $99/0%. Payhip

If you tell me roughly how many presets/courses you expect to sell per month and their price range, I can work out the cheapest setup—including the point where each platform becomes worthwhile.

For your use case—Lightroom presets + downloadable short photography courses—I’d shortlist these:

• payhip.com — best overall. Free plan is $0/month + 5% per sale, with unlimited products and revenue. It supports digital downloads and explicitly supports selling photos/digital assets. Stripe/PayPal processing fees are additional. Payhip Payhip Payhip
• ko-fi.com — best if you already have an audience on Instagram/YouTube. No listing or monthly fees, 5% per sale, and you can upload digital products for automatic delivery. Payments go directly to your PayPal/Stripe account. Ko-fi Ko-fi Help
• gumroad.com — easiest, but expensive. No monthly fee and excellent for digital products/courses, but direct sales cost 10% + $0.50, plus payment processing; marketplace/discovery sales are 30%. Gumroad Gumroad

What I'd choose

Start with Payhip. At your stage, the free plan gives you essentially everything you need without a monthly commitment. You could have:

• Preset pack — $15–30
• Lightroom mobile preset bundle — $20–40
• Mini course — $39–79
• Presets + course bundle — $59–99
• Free preset as an email-list lead magnet

If you're specifically trying to get as close to zero platform fees as possible, Payhip's $99/month Pro plan has 0% transaction fees, while the free plan is probably the better starting point until sales justify upgrading. Payhip

One important distinction: none of these are literally fee-free—you'll generally still have Stripe/PayPal/card-processing fees. Payhip and Ko-fi are much closer to what you're asking for than Gumroad.

If you tell me roughly how many sales/month you expect and your typical preset/course price, I can calculate which platform leaves you with the most money.

For a hobby photography business selling presets + short courses, I’d narrow it to these:

My pick: Payhip

For your use case, Payhip is probably the sweet spot. Its free plan is $0/month with a 5% transaction fee, unlimited products and unlimited revenue. You still pay the normal Stripe/PayPal processing fee. Payhip Payhip

It supports digital files, so you could sell:

• Lightroom presets (.xmp, .dng, etc.) in ZIP downloads
• Photoshop actions
• PDF cheat sheets
• Video lessons
• Short photography courses
• Bundles combining presets + videos + PDFs

It also has coupons, affiliates, customer updates, and other useful selling features on the free plan. Payhip

Ko-fi is worth considering

ko-fi.com is particularly attractive if most of your sales come from Instagram/TikTok/YouTube and you want a simple link-in-bio storefront.

Its free plan charges 5% on shop sales, has no listing fees, and automatically delivers digital files to buyers. Free accounts can currently have up to 600 products, with up to 2 GB per item and 25 GB of asset storage. Ko-fi Ko-fi Help

The big advantage is that payments go directly to your PayPal or Stripe account rather than being held by Ko-fi. Ko-fi

One I'd skip: Gumroad

Gumroad is extremely easy and handles tax collection as a merchant of record, but its current direct-sale fee is 10% + $0.50 per transaction, before payment-processing costs. Gumroad Gumroad

For inexpensive preset packs, that $0.50 fixed fee plus 10% can eat a surprisingly large chunk of your margin.

Example: On a $15 preset pack, Gumroad's platform fee alone is $2.00, whereas Payhip's is $0.75.

The interesting option: Fourthwall

Fourthwall currently lists 3% on digital products, with no monthly fee, plus card processing. Fourthwall That's attractive if you're building a more polished creator brand and may eventually sell prints, merch, or other physical products alongside presets.

Bottom line: I'd start with Payhip. It's inexpensive enough for a hobby business, gives you a proper storefront, handles automatic downloads, and leaves you room to expand into courses. If you primarily sell through social media and want something extremely lightweight, Ko-fi is my second choice.

If you tell me roughly how much you expect to charge for a preset pack ($10, $20, $30) and your course ($30, $50, $100+), I can compare the actual take-home amount on Payhip vs Ko-fi vs Gumroad vs Fourthwall.

For a hobby photographer selling presets + short courses, I’d narrow it to Payhip, Ko-fi, and Fourthwall. The catch is that essentially no platform gives you literally zero fees on free/low-cost plans—payment processors still take their cut.

🥇 I'd pick Payhip

For your specific business, Payhip is probably the sweet spot. Its free plan is $0/month, gives you unlimited products and revenue, and charges 5% per transaction, plus the normal PayPal/Stripe processing fee. payhip.com

More importantly, it handles the things you're actually selling:

• Lightroom presets → sell as downloadable ZIP files
• Preset bundles → downloadable digital products
• PDF guides → downloadable products
• Short courses → Payhip supports courses
• Free preset/sample → useful as an email-list lead magnet; Payhip supports free digital downloads. help.payhip.com
• Coupons/discounts and affiliates → useful once you start promoting your presets

The nice part is that you don't need to build a separate website initially.

🥈 Ko-fi if you want ultra-simple

Ko-fi Shop is particularly attractive if most of your traffic comes from Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, etc. You can upload digital products directly and share a product/shop link. There's no monthly or listing fee, with a 5% fee on shop sales. ko-fi.com

I'd choose Ko-fi if your model is basically:

Instagram → “link in bio” → preset → checkout → automatic download

rather than building a substantial course business.

🥉 Fourthwall

Fourthwall is worth considering if you want your store to feel more like a real photography brand website. It has no monthly fee and supports digital downloads including ZIP files and PDFs. Its current published pricing says 5% for digital products, although Fourthwall's pricing materials have shown different digital rates in different places, so I'd verify the rate displayed when you sign up. fourthwall.com

I wouldn't choose Gumroad for this

Gumroad is extremely easy, but its current direct-sale fee is 10% + $0.50 per transaction, on top of payment processing. gumroad.com

That gets painful for photography products. For example, on a $15 preset, a 10% + $0.50 platform fee is already $2.00 before payment processing.

My recommendation: start with Payhip's free plan. Put your presets there, offer a free mini preset/sample to build an email list, and use its course functionality when you're ready to sell your short courses. You can upgrade later if your sales volume makes the lower transaction fee worthwhile.

If you tell me roughly what you charge for presets ($10? $20? $40?) and courses ($30? $100?), I can compare the actual take-home amount on Payhip vs Ko-fi vs Fourthwall at your expected sales volume.

For a hobby photographer selling Lightroom presets + short courses, I’d prioritize low/no monthly cost, digital downloads, simple checkout, and low transaction fees.

My pick: Payhip

Payhip is probably the sweet spot for you. Its free plan is $0/month, includes all features and unlimited products/revenue, and charges 5% per transaction. It supports digital products and courses, and you still pay the normal PayPal/Stripe processing fee. payhip.com

So you could have:

• Preset pack: $15–25
• Premium preset bundle: $35–50
• Mini course: $29–79
• Free preset: as an email-list lead magnet
• Your Instagram/TikTok → Payhip product page → automatic download

The big advantage is that you don't need to pay $20–$50/month before you've proven people will buy.

Ko-fi is worth considering

If your business is more "photographer + creator + community," Ko-fi is attractive. Its Shop supports digital products, has no listing fees or monthly charge, and takes 5% on Shop sales on the free setup. Payments go directly to PayPal or Stripe. ko-fi.com

I'd choose Ko-fi if you also want tips, memberships, commissions, and behind-the-scenes content alongside your presets.

One important distinction

If by "avoids platform fees" you mean literally 0% platform fee, the free options above don't quite do that. Payhip and Ko-fi take 5%; Lemon Squeezy takes 5% + $0.50. payhip.comwww.lemonsqueezy.com

Payhip's $99/month Pro plan eliminates its transaction fee, but that only makes sense once you're doing substantial volume. payhip.comwww.lemonsqueezy.com

For your situation, I'd start with Payhip. It's inexpensive enough that you can test your presets and course without committing to a monthly SaaS bill, while still giving you a proper storefront and automatic digital delivery.

If you tell me roughly what you expect to charge for presets/courses and how many sales you expect per month, I can calculate which platform would actually leave you with the most money.

For a hobby photographer selling presets + short courses, I’d narrow it to these:

My pick: Payhip

Payhip's free plan gives you unlimited products and unlimited revenue, with a 5% transaction fee. It specifically supports selling photos/digital products, and buyers can download digital files immediately. It also supports courses, bundles, memberships, coupons, and pay-what-you-want pricing. payhip.com

That's a particularly good fit for something like:

• $15 Lightroom preset pack
• $29 "Moody Portraits" preset collection
• $49 60-minute photography mini-course
• Free preset → email signup → paid preset/course

The catch is that "avoids platform fees" and "free" aren't quite the same thing. Payhip's free tier takes 5% per sale, plus the normal Stripe/PayPal processing fee. Its $99/month Pro plan eliminates Payhip's transaction fee, but that's probably excessive for a hobby business until you're doing substantial volume. payhip.com

Why I'd probably skip Gumroad

Gumroad is very easy, but its current fee is 10% + $0.50 per transaction for sales through your profile/direct links, and 30% when customers discover you through its marketplace. gumroad.com

So a $20 preset sale can lose a surprisingly large chunk to fees.

When Lemon Squeezy wins

Lemon Squeezy charges 5% + $0.50 per transaction, with no monthly ecommerce fee. It supports digital downloads and courses, and—importantly for a small creator—it acts as merchant of record, handling sales-tax/VAT collection and remittance. www.lemonsqueezy.com

That's attractive if you expect international customers and don't want to think much about digital-sales tax.

Bottom line: I'd start with Payhip. It's probably the sweet spot for a hobby photographer: inexpensive, downloadable products, courses, simple storefront, and enough room to grow without paying a monthly subscription. payhip.com

If you tell me roughly how much you expect to charge for presets/courses and how many sales you expect per month, I can also calculate which platform would leave you with the most money.

For a hobby photographer selling presets + short courses, I’d shortlist these:

My pick: Payhip

For your situation, Payhip's free plan is probably the sweet spot. It gives you unlimited products and revenue, supports downloadable files, and includes courses and memberships; the tradeoff is a 5% Payhip transaction fee, plus Stripe/PayPal's normal processing fee. payhip.com

That means you could have:

• Preset packs → ZIP files containing XMP/DNG/LUTs, etc.
• Mini courses → hosted course content + downloadable PDFs/videos/resources
• Bundles → e.g. "Moody Lightroom Presets + 45-minute Editing Course"
• Free preset/sample → useful for building an email list; Payhip supports free digital products with immediate downloads. help.payhip.com
• Your own Instagram/website links pointing directly to your Payhip checkout.

One important distinction

If by "avoids platform fees" you mean literally 0%, the free options don't really accomplish that.

Payhip reaches 0% platform fee at $99/month, while Lemon Squeezy charges 5% + $0.50 per transaction. payhip.com

Gumroad is considerably worse on fees for your use case: 10% + $0.50 on direct sales, and 30% if the customer comes through its Discover marketplace. gumroad.com

So I'd think about it this way:

Starting out / occasional sales → Payhip Free
Growing sales + want tax administration handled → Lemon Squeezy
Consistently doing enough volume to justify $99/mo → Payhip Pro

One caveat: no platform can eliminate payment-processing costs entirely unless you're handling payments yourself. Payhip explicitly notes that Stripe/PayPal fees still apply even on its 0%-platform-fee plan. payhip.com

If you tell me roughly how much you expect to make per month (e.g. $200, $1k, $3k), I can calculate which platform leaves you with the most money after fees.

For a hobby photographer selling Lightroom presets + short photography courses, I’d shortlist these:

🥇 My pick: Payhip

Payhip is probably the best fit for you.

Its free plan is $0/month, unlimited products and unlimited revenue, with a 5% transaction fee. It also supports digital downloads, including multiple files, with files up to 5 GB each. payhip.com

For your setup, you could have:

• $15–30 preset packs → automatic ZIP download
• $5–15 mini guides → PDF download
• $29–79 short courses → hosted course
• Free preset/sample → email-list lead magnet
• Bundles → e.g. “Presets + Editing Mini-Course”

Payhip also lets you use pay-what-you-want pricing, which could work nicely for a free sample preset ($0+) or inexpensive beginner resource. help.payhip.com

🥈 Ko-fi if you want something very simple

Ko-fi is particularly nice if most of your sales will come from Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, or your photography website. It has no monthly/listing fee, supports digital products, and sends payments directly to your PayPal or Stripe account. Shop sales have a 5% service fee on the free plan. ko-fi.com

It's more of a creator/supporter hub than a dedicated course platform, though.

💰 If your priority is zero platform percentage

Payhip eventually has a $99/month Pro plan with 0% platform transaction fees, while Ko-fi Gold is $12/month with 0% service fees. Payment processor fees still apply to both. payhip.com

For a hobby business, I'd start free rather than paying monthly.

For comparison, Gumroad's current direct-sale fee is 10% + $0.50, making it considerably more expensive for lower-priced presets. gumroad.com

Bottom line: Start with Payhip Free. It gives you the best combination of preset downloads + courses + storefront + no monthly cost, and you can move to a lower-fee plan only if sales become substantial. payhip.com

If you tell me roughly how much you expect to charge for presets/courses and how many sales you expect per month, I can calculate the actual fees for Payhip vs Ko-fi vs Fourthwall and tell you which is cheapest.

For a hobby photographer selling Lightroom presets + short video/PDF courses, I’d shortlist these:

🥇 My pick: Payhip

Payhip

Payhip's free plan gives you unlimited products and unlimited revenue for $0/month, with a 5% transaction fee plus the normal Stripe/PayPal processing fee. It supports digital downloads and courses, so you could sell things like:

• Lightroom preset ZIPs
• Camera profiles
• PDF guides
• Short video courses
• Preset + course bundles
• Free sample presets for email-list building

payhip.com

The big advantage is that you don't have to pay a monthly subscription just to get started.

🥈 Ko-fi — great if you're already on social media

Ko-fi

Ko-fi is particularly attractive for a hobby creator because you can combine tips, digital products, memberships and commissions in one place. Its shop has no listing fees and charges 5% when you make a sale; digital files can be uploaded directly. ko-fi.com

I'd choose Ko-fi if your Instagram/TikTok/YouTube audience is the primary way people will discover your presets.

🥉 Fourthwall — nicest if you want a real storefront

Fourthwall

Fourthwall lets you create a customizable storefront and sell digital products such as ZIP files and PDFs. Its current published information says digital products have a 5% fee on the free offering (with 0% available through Pro), plus payment processing. payhip.comko-fi.comfourthwall.com

It's more attractive if you eventually want to add prints, merch or other physical photography products alongside your presets.

I'd skip Gumroad for your use case

Gumroad

It's extremely easy to use, but its current direct-sale fee is 10% + $0.50 per transaction, before applicable payment-processing costs. gumroad.com

For a $10 preset, that fixed $0.50 matters quite a bit.

Bottom line: Start with Payhip. It gives you the best combination of $0 upfront + downloads + courses + low fees + room to grow. If your sales are mostly impulse purchases from Instagram, I'd seriously consider Ko-fi instead.

If you tell me roughly whether your presets are $5, $10, $20+ and whether your courses are video, PDF, or hosted lessons, I can also compare the actual take-home amount per sale across these platforms.

For your use case—presets + short photography courses + downloadable files—I’d shortlist these:

My pick: Payhip

Payhip's free plan is $0/month + 5% per sale, with unlimited products and revenue. It supports digital downloads and also has native courses, bundles, memberships and coaching, which makes it particularly well suited to your combination of presets and mini-courses. payhip.com

For example, you could have:

• $15 preset pack → customer automatically downloads the ZIP
• $29 Lightroom/Photoshop mini-course → hosted course with lessons
• $49 bundle → preset pack + course
• Free preset → email-capture lead magnet; Payhip supports free digital downloads and collects the buyer's email. help.payhip.com

The important caveat: "no platform fee" usually doesn't mean zero fees altogether. Payment processors such as Stripe/PayPal still charge their processing fees. Payhip's own platform fee can eventually reach 0% on its $99/month Pro plan, but you'd need enough sales for that subscription to make sense. payhip.com

Ko-fi is another attractive option if you mainly want a lightweight storefront attached to your Instagram/TikTok/website. It charges 5% on shop sales and supports uploaded digital products. ko-fi.com

I'd skip Gumroad for this particular business unless its simplicity is worth the cost: its current direct-sale fee is 10% + $0.50 per transaction, before payment processing. gumroad.com

Bottom line: Start with Payhip. It's probably the closest match to "I want my own little photography shop, sell ZIP presets and courses, and avoid a monthly bill/platform taking a huge cut."

For a hobby photographer selling presets + short courses, I’d narrow it to these:

My pick: Payhip. Its free plan has unlimited products and revenue, supports digital downloads, courses, bundles and memberships, and charges 5% per transaction plus the normal PayPal/Stripe processing fee. payhip.com

For your use case, you could have:

• Preset packs → ZIP downloads
• Mini courses → hosted course + downloadable worksheets/presets
• Free Lightroom preset → $0 lead magnet
• Bundles → course + presets together
• Your Instagram/TikTok bio → one Payhip storefront link

Ko-fi is also attractive if you're primarily building through social media: it has no listing or monthly fees, supports digital products, and takes 5% when you make a sale. ko-fi.com

One important distinction: “no platform fee” doesn't usually mean zero fees altogether. Payment processors such as Stripe/PayPal still charge processing fees. Payhip explicitly notes this, for example. payhip.com

If your priority is the absolute lowest fees, Payhip's $99/month Pro plan has 0% platform transaction fees, but for a hobby business I'd stay on the free plan until sales justify upgrading. payhip.com

I would choose Payhip over Gumroad for you: Gumroad currently charges 10% + $0.50 per direct transaction, on top of payment processing, which gets painful on inexpensive preset packs. gumroad.com

Yes. For a hobby photographer selling Lightroom presets + short photography courses, I’d shortlist these:

My pick: Payhip

For your particular mix, Payhip is probably the strongest fit. Its free plan is $0/month, gives you unlimited products and revenue, and charges 5% per sale. You still pay normal Stripe/PayPal processing fees. payhip.com

More importantly, it supports both digital downloads and courses, so you could have:

• Moody Film Presets — $19
• Golden Hour Preset Pack — $15
• Complete Lightroom Preset Bundle — $39
• How to Edit Natural-Light Portraits — $29
• Photography Basics: 5 Short Lessons — $49

You can upload preset ZIP files for immediate delivery, while courses can contain video lessons and other material. Payhip also supports coupons, email marketing, memberships, and a store builder. payhip.com

One particularly nice feature: you can offer a free preset as a lead magnet, collect the buyer's email, and then market your paid presets/course to them. help.payhip.com

Ko-fi is worth considering

Ko-fi is excellent if you want something more like "my creator page + tip jar + shop" than a dedicated course business.

Its shop supports digital files, including large assets: free users currently get up to 25 GB of storage and 2 GB per item, which is plenty for most preset ZIPs and course materials. help.ko-fi.com

The catch is that shop sales have a 5% service fee on the free/standard setup, plus payment processing. Ko-fi Gold is currently $12/month with 0% service fee, so it becomes interesting once you're doing enough sales to justify the subscription. ko-fi.com

The important distinction

If by "avoids platform fees" you mean literally 0%, the free options generally don't give you that. You're still going to have payment-processing fees, and platforms like Payhip/Ko-fi charge a service fee on their free tiers.

For a small photography business, though, I'd prioritize no monthly fee over chasing 0%:

Start with Payhip → $0/month + 5% per sale → upgrade only when sales justify it.

For example, at $1,000/month in sales, the Payhip platform fee is about $50, whereas a $29/month plan with 2% would be about $20 in platform fees, before payment processing. payhip.compayhip.comko-fi.com

If you tell me roughly how many preset sales/month you expect and what you want to charge for your courses, I can work out which platform is cheapest for you at your expected revenue.

Yes. For presets + short photography courses, I’d prioritize platforms that let you sell files/courses directly without forcing you into a full ecommerce subscription.

My shortlist

\*Payment-processing fees can still apply.

🥇 I'd pick Payhip

For your particular business, Payhip is probably the sweet spot. Its free plan is $0/month with a 5% transaction fee, and it includes all features, unlimited products and unlimited revenue. It specifically supports selling digital assets and photography, as well as courses. payhip.com

That means you could have:

• Preset packs — ZIP files containing Lightroom/ACR presets
• Individual presets — lower-priced impulse purchases
• Short courses — video lessons + PDFs/downloadable resources
• Bundles — e.g. "Moody Lightroom Presets + Editing Course"
• Free preset/sample — useful for building an email list
• Coupons and affiliate/referral features as you grow

Payhip also allows immediate downloads for digital products, so you don't have to manually email files after a purchase. help.payhip.com

The important distinction is that "no platform fee" doesn't mean no fees at all: PayPal/Stripe still charge their payment-processing fees. payhip.com

If avoiding platform fees is your #1 priority

Payhip eventually has a $99/month Pro plan with 0% transaction fee. Its Plus plan is $29/month + 2%. payhip.com

So I'd actually start free and switch plans only once your sales justify it.

For example, at $500/month in sales, 5% is $25, so paying $29/month to save that 3 percentage points doesn't make sense yet. At $2,000/month, the 5% fee is $100, so the $29 Plus plan becomes much more attractive.

One I'd skip: Gumroad

It's very easy to use, but its current direct-sale fee is 10% + $0.50 per transaction, on top of payment processing. gumroad.com For inexpensive preset packs, that can eat a surprisingly large chunk of your margin.

Bottom line: Start with Payhip Free. It's particularly well matched to a photographer selling downloadable presets and small educational products without wanting to pay for a full website/ecommerce stack. payhip.com

If you tell me roughly what you expect to charge for presets ($10? $30?) and courses ($50? $150?) and how many sales/month you expect, I can calculate which platform leaves you with the most money after fees.

For a hobby photographer selling presets + short courses, I’d shortlist these:

🥇 I'd pick Payhip

For your particular setup, Payhip is probably the sweet spot. Its free plan has no monthly charge, unlimited products and unlimited revenue, with a 5% transaction fee plus the normal PayPal/Stripe processing fee. payhip.com

You can sell:

• Lightroom presets as downloadable ZIP/DNG files
• preset bundles
• PDF guides
• video courses
• course bundles/memberships
• free lead magnets to build an email list

It also supports embedded checkout, coupons, affiliates and pay-what-you-want pricing. payhip.com

The important distinction: "no platform fee" and "no fees" aren't the same thing. Virtually all of these services still have payment-processing costs. Payhip's free tier takes 5% on top of those processor fees.

If you really want to minimize platform fees

Payhip's Pro plan is $99/month with 0% transaction fee, so you don't want that until your sales volume justifies it. payhip.com

For example, at $500/month in sales, paying 5% = $25, so the free plan makes much more sense. At $2,000/month, 5% = $100, making the $99 plan roughly break-even before considering payment-processing fees.

Ko-fi is another very attractive low-cost option. Its shop has no listing/monthly fees and charges 5% when you make a sale; it supports direct digital downloads and sends payments directly to your PayPal or Stripe account. ko-fi.com It's particularly nice if your Instagram/TikTok audience already knows you and you want "buy presets + tip me + commissions" all in one place.

I'd skip Gumroad for this use case unless you specifically want its ecosystem/discovery. Its current direct-sale fee is 10% + $0.50, before certain other processing costs, which is a pretty big haircut for inexpensive preset packs. gumroad.com

Lemon Squeezy is worth considering if selling internationally is important. It's 5% + $0.50, but it acts as the merchant of record and handles sales-tax/VAT obligations, which can be valuable as you grow. payhip.comwww.lemonsqueezy.com

My recommendation: start with Payhip Free, put your presets there, make one inexpensive $10–20 starter course, and use Instagram/TikTok/Pinterest to drive traffic to your Payhip store. You can move to the 0%-fee plan only once sales volume warrants it.