Can I open-source Payhip?
YES · mature open-source replacementYes. Ghost (49k stars), Medusa (30k stars), CourseLit (1k stars) are mature open-source replacements for Payhip — self-host with docker and stop paying.
People still pay for Payhip because creators pay to outsource the dangerous and tedious parts around money, delivery, tax, and customer access. The recurring cost buys checkout, webhooks, tax, refunds, fraud, entitlements, storage, email, accessibility, backups, and customer support, not just the visible interface.
xpayment integration, EU and UK VAT handling, affiliates, courses, and hosted delivery
xmarketplace discovery
xtax remittance
xfraud operations
xadvanced course and community tooling
These projects already replace it, free.
CCourseLitCourses and downloadable products with payments and sales pages; the free route is a Docker deployment.open source↗GGhostPublishing platform with memberships and paid newsletters built in. The self-hosted answer to Substack taking 10% of your revenue.open source↗MMedusaHeadless commerce framework in Node.js — carts, orders, payments, fully customizable.open source↗What each one is, in full: Ghost · Medusa
all 3 open-source alternatives to Payhip →· no votes, no pay-to-list · just what's real
Payhip pricing
| plan | monthly | annual (per mo) | what you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| free forever | $0/workspace | $0/workspace | Unlimited products and revenue; 5% Payhip transaction fee. |
| plus | $29/workspace | — | Unlimited products and revenue; 2% Payhip transaction fee. |
| pro | $99/workspace | — | Unlimited products and revenue; 0% Payhip transaction fee. |
free tierUnlimited products and revenue with a 5% Payhip transaction fee
billingmonthly only, no annual plan
hidden costsStripe or PayPal processing fees apply on every plan in addition to Payhip's 5%/2%/0% platform fee.
verified 2026-08-14 · source ↗
Can I open-source Payhip?
Yes. CourseLit replaces Payhip today — self-host it on your own server or machine with no subscription. The full list of open-source alternatives is on this page.
How much does Payhip cost?
Payhip's pricing is usage-based or varies by plan · Official Plus monthly tier plus reduced transaction fee..
What do I lose by replacing Payhip?
Honestly: payment integration, EU and UK VAT handling, affiliates, courses, and hosted delivery; marketplace discovery; tax remittance; fraud operations; advanced course and community tooling. If any of those are load-bearing for you, keep paying.
Is there an open-source alternative to Payhip?
Yes: CourseLit (Courses and downloadable products with payments and sales pages; the free route is a Docker deployment.) Ghost (Publishing platform with memberships and paid newsletters built in. The self-hosted answer to Substack taking 10% of your revenue.) Medusa (Headless commerce framework in Node.js — carts, orders, payments, fully customizable.) All 3 curated open-source alternatives are at caniopensourceit.online/payhip/alternatives.