Payhip alternatives: 3 open-source picks
These 3 Payhip alternatives replace it for $0, led by CourseLit, Ghost and Medusa. All 3 are open source. License, stars and last commit checked by hand on 2026-08-29. No trials, no crippled tiers.
Courses and downloadable products with payments and sales pages; the free route is a Docker deployment.
Publishing platform with memberships and paid newsletters built in. The self-hosted answer to Substack taking 10% of your revenue.
licenseMIT
runsyour server
setupnot verified by us yet — check the repo README
facts verified 2026-08-29
Headless commerce framework in Node.js — carts, orders, payments, fully customizable.
licenseMIT
runsyour server
setupnot verified by us yet — check the repo README
facts verified 2026-08-29
What each one is, in full: Ghost · Medusa
last updated 2026-08-29 · no votes, no pay-to-list · just what's real
the usual suspects · recommended everywhere, rejected here
MedusaA headless shop does not supply the ready-made course and download experience Payhip combines.
MoodleCourses are excellent; the simple digital-download storefront is missing.
VvvebIt sells downloads well, but it is not a lesson, quiz and progress-tracking course platform.
how to choose a Payhip alternative
Most proven
Ghost, with 49,000 GitHub stars — the largest community of the 3, which usually means more answers when something breaks.
what you give up by leaving Payhip
- payment integration, EU and UK VAT handling, affiliates, courses, and hosted delivery
- marketplace discovery
- tax remittance
- fraud operations
- advanced course and community tooling
None of the picks above covers all of it. The full verdict says which gaps matter.
Payhip alternatives at a glance
| tool | license | running it | platforms | stars | active |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CourseLit | open source | docker to self-host | web, self-hosted | 1,200 | 2026-07 |
| Ghost | MIT | docker to self-host | self-hosted, web | 49,000 | 2026-08 |
| Medusa | MIT | docker to self-host | self-hosted, web | 30,000 | 2026-08 |
why people still pay for Payhip
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.
questions about switching from Payhip
Is there an open-source alternative to Payhip?
Yes: CourseLit, Ghost, Medusa. Every tool on this page is open source: no trials, no crippled tiers.
Can open source really replace Payhip?
Our verdict is YES. Ghost (49k stars), Medusa (30k stars), CourseLit (1k stars) are mature open-source replacements for Payhip — self-host with docker and stop paying. The full verdict, and what you give up by switching, is at caniopensourceit.online/payhip.
What is the most popular open-source Payhip alternative?
By GitHub stars, Ghost (49,000). Medusa is next with 30,000.
