With just one click now, people of the world can go through a range of products, whether it be any particular course of any particular subject or service, ebooks, games, etc. It is up to the creator of the product if they want to sell the product at a rate or for free to the customers.
Both Gumroad and Podia act as alternatives to each other. But a seller should look at each with thorough research before start selling their products or services on either of the sites. This is an important decision as it can really make or break your business as it is very vital to advertise the right product to the right audience.
Gumroad vs Podia
The main difference between Gumroad and Podia is that Gumroad has a limited number of features on the website and is more basic than Podia. On the other hand, Gumroad not only has better landing pages but other features like bundles, upsells as well.
Gumroad is an online website that sellers digital downloads to customers made by different sellers. The seller has to give out a certain percentage of commission to the company from their sale unless the product that they are selling is free for customers.
Podia is an online network where one can start a business or emphasize it, they have two packages, and unlike giving out commission, the seller has to choose one of the two packages and then pay the amount accordingly on a monthly basis.
Comparison Table Between Gumroad and Podia
| Parameters of Comparison | Gumroad | Podia |
| Year of discovery | 2011 | 2014 |
| Discoverd by | Sahil Lavingia | Spencer Fry |
| Commission by company | Takes commission on every purchase. | No commission. |
| Support | Do not provide 24/7 customer service | Podia provides 24/7 live support to its users. |
| Free version | Gumroad has a free version available. | Podia gives out a two-week free trial of the site but after that time period, one has to choose between their two packages that the company offers. |
What is Gumroad?
The Company Gumroad was started in 2011 by its founder and now owner, Sahil Lavingia. The idea was formed in his mind when he wanted to sell a photorealistic icon he had made but found trouble when he couldn’t easily find a place to sell it.
It is used by various people workings in various fields, whether they be an artist or designer, anyone. It acts as a brochure for someone’s work as they can display whatever the product s that they want to put on sale. Not only digital services, but one can sell physical yon Gumroad as well.The creator can be paid via his or her bank account or via PayPal.
Now, Gumroad is not only limited to electronic items only. People can sell rentals, physical products, pre-orders, membership products as well. The company takes out money from every sale that is made on the site. The only exceptions are when the products are free for the customers.
What is Podia?
The company was started in 2014, where sellers can sell digital products like ebooks, apps, courses, memberships, etc., to people. It is a very easy process and doesn’t take a lot of technical skills, making it easier for the sellers.
Podia is known to be an all-in-one platform, where all the tools are already there set to be used by the seller. A creator is given three main components that they can use to make their course: Content, Settings, and Pricing. The platform is designed to empower creators, and it cannot support on its own without them.
There are two types of “packages” on the platform: First, a “Mover package” and then the second “Shaker package”. The Mover package is cheaper than the Shaker package, but it provides fewer services to the creator.
Main Differences Between Gumroad and Podia
- Podia comparatively has better landing pages than Gumroad. Gumroad will have certain facts about the product whereas, on a product on Podia, there is much larger spaces to describe the product.
- Gumroad does not provide 24×7 support to its users, while on the other hand, Podia does provide 24/7 live support.
- Podia is expensive than Gumroad. The pricing of Podia is almost triple of Gumroad. And then more for the Mover package.
- Gumroad gives a free version of the site to its customers. They can choose to stay on it with a commission cut on every purchase. In comparison, Podia gives a free trial for a period of two weeks to the customers, not a free version of the site.
- Gumroad does not currently have custom storefronts available on its website, making it pretty basic. While, Podia has this feature along with other things like upsells, bundles as well. Upsells are a great way to increase the number of products purchase and can really help the creator build a brand faster.
- Gumroad provides only a single type of package for the sellers, that is, the creator one. Podia, in comparison, provides the option to choose from two packages, a Mover package and a Shaker package. The mover package is cheaper, and the shaker package is expensive as it provides more tools to the creator.
Conclusion
Both of these sites: Gumroad and Podia, are a big help for people who want to sell their courses/ products online. They have made it easier for people to show their talent and creativity. Customers overview the products based on their needs and interests and then choose the one that they think is the best for them.
One should thoroughly seek in-depth research and analyze the process and how these online selling websites work before choosing the one that they think would be the best. The reason is simple, it makes the person choose the right plan for their path of business.
References
- https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4842-2829-6_7
- https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=sJNqDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR3&dq=info:YDw1B9Lg0CAJ:scholar.google.com/&ots=I95yj9Z4U9&sig=OIiVEduBNMbfCSeqWuwakKxQFkA