Payhip vs. BooksOasis: Your Own Shop or a Bookstore With Readers?

Payhip and BooksOasis both let authors sell ebooks directly to readers and keep far more of each sale than big retailers pay. The similarity ends there. Payhip is a shop builder: you get your own storefront for any digital product, and readers mostly arrive because you sent them. BooksOasis is a bookstore: readers browse it looking for books, and you list yours among other independent authors' titles.

That makes this less a contest than a question of roles. Payhip is excellent for selling to an audience you've already built. BooksOasis adds a place where new readers can find you, with print editions beside the ebook. This guide compares fees, earnings, delivery, customer data, tax and discovery, with Payhip's pricing checked at its own page.

Both start with a good file. LiberScript exports a clean EPUB and a print-ready PDF, so the ebook you sell on Payhip and the editions you list on BooksOasis come from the same polished source.

At a glance: Payhip vs. BooksOasis

How Payhip charges

Payhip has three plans with the same features. The Free plan has no monthly fee and takes 5% of each sale. Plus costs $29 a month and takes 2%. Pro costs $99 a month and takes no transaction fee. On every plan, PayPal or Stripe charges its own processing fee as well, because payments go into your own PayPal or Stripe account.

For most authors starting out, the Free plan is the natural choice: nothing to pay until you sell. As monthly sales grow, the paid plans lower the percentage in exchange for a fixed monthly fee.

How BooksOasis charges

BooksOasis charges a flat yearly plan to list your books and takes no percentage of your price. Every ebook sale pays you 100% of the price, with no processing fee taken from your earnings. Print editions pay the price minus the printing cost and a handling fee of 30% of that printing cost, and the reader pays shipping at checkout.

What you keep on a $4.99 ebook

Per-sale figures before each plan's monthly or yearly fee. Processing rates vary by country and payment method.

Per sale, the difference is modest, and both keep far more than a typical retailer's share. The bigger differences lie elsewhere: who finds your book, what readers receive, and whether you can sell print without handling stock.

Discovery: the real difference

A Payhip shop is yours. That's its strength: your branding, your products, your customer list. It's also its limit: very few readers browse Payhip looking for their next book. Your sales come from the readers you bring, through your newsletter, website, social media and back matter.

BooksOasis is a store readers visit to find books. Your listing sits on genre shelves, in search results, on series pages, and in sections for new releases, pre-orders and books on sale. You'll still bring readers yourself, as on any store, but the store also puts your book in front of readers who have never heard of you.

What readers receive

Payhip delivers a file, usually an EPUB or PDF, which readers download and open in their own reading app or device. That's convenient for readers who want a file, though some will need help getting an EPUB onto their e-reader, and a file can be passed on.

BooksOasis readers read in the Oasis Reader app, which runs in any modern browser, can be installed like an app, and opens books offline once they're on the device. Their place, highlights and notes stay in step across phones, tablets and computers, and they can choose light, sepia or dark themes, text size, and page-flip or continuous-scroll reading. Books aren't handed out as files, which some authors prefer.

Print

Payhip supports physical products, but it doesn't print books. To sell paperbacks there, you'd buy stock, store it and post each order, or connect a separate print service. BooksOasis prints each paperback or hardcover on demand when a reader orders, in five common trim sizes, and the reader pays shipping. If your readers want print, BooksOasis handles it without any stock in your spare room.

Customer emails and your mailing list

Here Payhip has a clear advantage. Because it's your shop, you see your buyers and can connect your email service, so each sale can grow your list. Payhip also lets you set a product to $0 as a reader magnet, collecting an email address in exchange for a free download.

BooksOasis readers buy from BooksOasis, so you don't receive their email addresses. The way to bring them to your list is the same as on any store: back matter that invites readers to your newsletter, and an author page that shows all your books. If building a mailing list is your top priority, keep a Payhip shop or reader magnet alongside any store.

Tax

Payhip says it collects and remits EU and UK VAT on digital sales automatically, which removes a major headache for authors selling to European readers. On BooksOasis, the store takes the payment and handles the sale. Tax rules still vary by country, so check your own obligations with an accountant.

Beyond ebooks

Payhip is built for any digital creator. Every plan includes courses, memberships and coupons, so authors who also sell workbooks, courses or bonus material can run everything from one shop. BooksOasis focuses on books: ebooks, paperbacks and hardcovers, with series pages, pre-orders, promotional prices with start and end dates, author and imprint pages, and verified-purchase reviews.

Using both

For many authors, the best answer is both, each doing what it's good at:

1. Format once in LiberScript, exporting an EPUB and a print PDF.
2. Use Payhip for reader magnets, bundles and bonus material for your own audience, collecting emails as you go.
3. List on BooksOasis so browsing readers can find you, with print editions beside the ebook.
4. Keep prices consistent between the two, and link both from your website and back matter.

Setting up each

A Payhip shop takes an afternoon. You create an account, connect PayPal or Stripe, upload your ebook file, write a product description and set a price. You can customise the shop's look, connect your email service and add discount codes. The shop is yours to promote: share the link in your newsletter, on your website and in your social profiles.

A BooksOasis listing takes a similar amount of time. You choose a plan, create the listing with its title, description, three to five genres and at least three search keywords, then add editions: the EPUB for the ebook, and an interior PDF and full-wrap cover for each print format. The dashboard quotes the printing cost and minimum price for each print edition, checks your files automatically and shows you the exact cover size and spine width. After a review, the book appears in the store.

Bundles, coupons and pricing

Payhip is flexible with offers: coupons, bundles of several products and pay-what-you-want pricing, all under your control. That makes it a good home for special offers to your newsletter, such as a box set of your first three books or a bonus short story.

BooksOasis lets you set a promotional price on any edition with a start and end date; readers see the regular price crossed out, and the book can appear in the store's On Sale banners. Readers can also buy several books from a series in one checkout. Keep your everyday list price the same in both places, and use each platform's offers for its own audience.

Three authors, three setups

A non-fiction author with a large newsletter sells the ebook and a companion workbook on Payhip, where every buyer joins the mailing list, and lists the book on BooksOasis so readers who don't know the author yet can find it, in print as well as ebook.

A new novelist with no audience yet starts on BooksOasis for discovery, with a paperback beside the ebook, and uses a free Payhip product as a reader magnet linked from the back of the book.

A series author keeps box sets and bonus stories on Payhip for superfans, offered to the newsletter at special prices, and lists every book on BooksOasis with a series page, so new readers can start at book one, follow the reading order and buy several books in one checkout when they're hooked.

Costs over a year

Suppose you sell 300 ebooks a year at $4.99 through each option. On Payhip Free, the 5% fee comes to about $75, with processing on top; there's no fixed fee. On BooksOasis Starter, the plan is $29.99 for the year, with nothing taken from each sale. At low volumes, Payhip Free costs less in fees; as sales grow, a flat plan catches up and overtakes a percentage. But the more important question is usually reach: sales you'd make only because a browsing reader found you are sales a shop alone wouldn't bring.

When Payhip fits better

• You already have an audience and want to sell to it directly.
• Building your mailing list is the priority.
• You sell courses, workbooks or memberships alongside books.
• Your readers want downloadable files.
• You want full control over your shop's design and branding.
• You want pay-what-you-want pricing or free downloads for a reader magnet.

When BooksOasis fits better

• You want readers who don't know you yet to find your books.
• You want paperbacks and hardcovers printed on demand.
• You want 100% of the ebook price with no processing fees.
• You want series pages, pre-orders and store promotions built in.

Frequently asked questions

How much does Payhip charge? Free: 5% per sale. Plus: $29 a month and 2%. Pro: $99 a month and no transaction fee. PayPal or Stripe processing applies on every plan.

How much does BooksOasis charge? $29.99 a year for 10 books, $179 for 100 and $599 for 500, with 100% of every ebook price paid to you.

Can I sell the same ebook on both? Yes. Neither requires exclusivity.

Does BooksOasis give me buyers' emails? No. Readers buy from BooksOasis. Use back matter and your own shop or reader magnet to grow your list.

Can Payhip print my paperback? No. Payhip sells physical products you ship yourself. BooksOasis prints paperbacks and hardcovers on demand.

Do LiberScript files work on both? Yes. LiberScript exports EPUB and PDF files you can sell on Payhip and list on BooksOasis, including print-ready PDFs for paperbacks and hardcovers.

More reading: Payhip alternatives, Payhip vs. Gumroad and Books.by vs. Payhip on the BooksOasis publisher site, and our selling books direct guide.

The bottom line

Payhip gives you your own shop, your customer list and a home for every digital product you make, for a small cut of each sale. BooksOasis gives you a bookstore with its own readers, print on demand and the full price of every ebook, for one flat yearly plan. Sell to your audience on Payhip, reach new readers on BooksOasis, and format once in LiberScript for both.