Comparison

Spawned vs Gumroad Pricing Guide: A Clear Financial Comparison

This guide breaks down the cost structures of Spawned, a Solana token launchpad, and Gumroad, a traditional digital product marketplace. For creators in the crypto space, the fee models, upfront costs, and long-term revenue potential are fundamentally different. Understanding these differences is key to choosing the right platform for your project.

TL;DR

•Spawned charges a 0.1 SOL (~$20) launch fee, while Gumroad takes a 10% cut of every sale plus payment processing fees.
•Spawned creators earn 0.30% on every token trade; Gumroad creators keep roughly 90% of product sales after fees.
•Spawned includes an AI website builder, saving $29-99/month compared to standalone services.
•Spawned offers holder rewards (0.30%) and post-graduation fees (1%), creating ongoing community incentives.
•For crypto-native projects and community tokens, Spawned's model is more aligned; for static digital products, Gumroad is standard.

Quick Comparison

Spawned charges a 0.1 SOL (~$20) launch fee, while Gumroad takes a 10% cut of every sale plus payment processing fees.

Spawned creators earn 0.30% on every token trade; Gumroad creators keep roughly 90% of product sales after fees.

Spawned includes an AI website builder, saving $29-99/month compared to standalone services.

Spawned offers holder rewards (0.30%) and post-graduation fees (1%), creating ongoing community incentives.

For crypto-native projects and community tokens, Spawned's model is more aligned; for static digital products, Gumroad is standard.

Head-to-Head Fee Comparison: Spawned vs Gumroad

Spawned uses a low upfront, trade-volume-based model, while Gumroad employs a high-percentage cut on direct sales.

The core financial models of these platforms serve different creator economies. Here’s a direct breakdown of their costs.

Spawned (Solana Launchpad)

Launch Fee: 0.1 SOL (approximately $20 at time of writing). One-time cost to create and launch your token.
Creator Revenue: 0.30% fee on every secondary market trade of your token. This is ongoing revenue as your token gains liquidity.
Holder Rewards: 0.30% of trades are distributed to token holders, incentivizing long-term holding.
Post-Graduation: After leaving the launchpad, a 1% perpetual fee applies via Solana's Token-2022 standard.
AI Website Builder: Included at no extra monthly charge (value: $29-99/month if purchased separately).

Gumroad (Digital Marketplace)

Transaction Fee: 10% flat fee on every product sale.
Payment Processing: Additional fees from Stripe or PayPal (typically ~2.9% + $0.30 per transaction).
No Launch/Listing Fee: You can list a product for free.
No Built-in Website Builder: You need to market your Gumroad page externally or build your own site.

For a deeper look at how launchpads structure fees, see our launchpad comparison hub.

When Spawned's Pricing Model Makes Financial Sense

Spawned is purpose-built for a specific type of creator project. Choose Spawned if:

You are launching a community or creator token with expected secondary market trading volume. The 0.30% creator fee scales with your token's success.
You want to reward your community holders directly through the 0.30% holder reward mechanism.
You need a professional website to support your project. The included AI builder eliminates a recurring $29-99/month expense.
Your project has a long-term vision where the 1% post-graduation fee is a fair trade for the initial launchpad liquidity and tools.
You prefer transparent, low upfront costs (0.1 SOL) rather than losing 10%+ of every sale immediately.

When Gumroad is the Better Financial Choice

Gumroad dominates a different market. Its pricing is standard and acceptable when:

You are selling static digital products like ebooks, courses, software, or templates with no token or community tokenomics.
Your product has a high price point; a 10% fee may be simpler than managing tokenomics for a one-time sale.
You want access to Gumroad's existing buyer marketplace, though discovery is limited.
You don't need a website builder and already have your own marketing funnel and site.
Your audience is not crypto-native and prefers traditional credit card payments.

Total Cost of Ownership: A Practical Example

Let's compare a hypothetical creator, Alex, launching a $10,000 project.

Scenario with Gumroad: Alex sells a digital course for $100 to 100 customers. Gumroad takes 10% ($10 per sale), and payment processing takes ~$3.20. Alex nets about $86.80 per sale, or $8,680 total. To market this, Alex likely pays for a website builder separately ($40/month).

Scenario with Spawned: Alex launches a creator token for 0.1 SOL ($20). He uses the AI website builder to create his project hub (saving $40/month). He sells initial token allocations for 50 SOL (approx $10,000). Once trading begins, if the token reaches $100,000 in monthly trade volume, Alex earns 0.30% creator fees, or $300 per month ongoing. Holders also earn rewards, strengthening the community.

The models are incomparable directly—one is a sales fee, the other is a launchpad into an asset economy. For more on token economics, visit our glossary on airdrops.

The Final Verdict: Which Platform Wins on Price?

The 'winner' depends entirely on what you're creating.

For crypto creators building token-based projects and communities, Spawned offers superior long-term value and alignment.

Gumroad's 10% + processing fees are a significant drain on revenue for digital product sales, but they are the industry standard for that model. However, for the emerging world of creator tokens and community economies, Spawned's model is fundamentally more attractive. The low $20 launch fee, included website builder, and potential for ongoing revenue from token trading (0.30%) create a structure where the platform's success is tied to your token's success. You are not giving up a large chunk of every sale; instead, you're paying for infrastructure that enables a new type of asset.

Choose Spawned if you are crypto-native and building a token project. Choose Gumroad if you are selling traditional digital downloads to a non-crypto audience. For those exploring other crypto-native tools, see how we compare to Alchemy for developer infrastructure.

Next Steps: Getting Started on the Right Platform

Decision made? Here's how to proceed.

Follow these steps to make your decision and take action:

Define Your Project: Is it a digital product (ebook, course) or a crypto asset/community token? This is the most critical question.
Calculate Potential Fees: For a product, model Gumroad's 10% + ~3% fees. For a token, model Spawned's 0.1 SOL cost and potential 0.30% earnings based on estimated trade volume.
Assess Your Needs: Do you need a website? Spawned includes it; with Gumroad, you'll need to build and host one separately.
Understand Your Audience: Are they comfortable with crypto wallets and trading, or do they expect a simple checkout page?
Launch: If you choose Spawned, gather 0.1 SOL and start your launch. If you choose Gumroad, create an account and list your product.

Ready to Launch Your Token with Transparent Pricing?

If you're building the future of creator economies with tokens, Spawned's pricing is designed for you. Pay a simple 0.1 SOL launch fee, keep your website builder costs at $0, and earn sustainable revenue from your token's growth. Start your launch today and build with a platform aligned with your success.

Launch Your Token on Spawned

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Frequently Asked Questions

It depends on your project type. For a traditional digital product sold once, Gumroad's 10% fee might be simpler, though costly. For a creator token expected to trade on secondary markets, Spawned's low 0.1 SOL launch fee and 0.30% ongoing creator revenue can be far more financially efficient in the long run, especially when you factor in the free AI website builder.

The biggest cost isn't hidden—it's the 10% transaction fee on every sale, plus payment processor fees (~2.9% + $0.30). For a $50 product, you lose over $6.50 immediately. Additionally, you likely need a separate website and marketing funnel to drive traffic to your Gumroad page, which adds monthly costs and effort.

Yes, the 0.30% creator revenue fee applies to every secondary market trade of your token for as long as it exists on the launchpad. After your token 'graduates' to full independence, a 1% fee applies via Solana's Token-2022 standard, which supports ongoing project development.

Not directly in the same way. Spawned is for launching Solana tokens. You could create a token that grants access to a community, product, or service, but the mechanism is different from Gumroad's instant digital download for fiat currency. Spawned facilitates creating a crypto asset that can have utility, not just a direct file sale.

You likely wouldn't. Spawned is specifically for token launches. If you are selling ebooks, videos, or software downloads without a tokenized component, a platform like Gumroad, despite its fees, is the appropriate tool for the job. Trying to force a non-token product onto a launchpad would add unnecessary complexity.

They are fundamentally different. Spawned's 0.30% holder reward is automatically distributed to all token holders proportionally, incentivizing everyone to hold and support the token's ecosystem. Gumroad's affiliate program pays a specific commission to individuals who refer a sale. One is a broad, automated community incentive; the other is a targeted marketing referral program.

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