The honest comparison
PeerSocket vs Shopify: why we locked our fee at 5.5% + 50¢
Most ecommerce platforms make money three ways at once: monthly rent, transaction fees, and paid add-ons. PeerSocket was built by a creator who got tired of doing that math. One rate, everything included, written into the platform's doctrine: it can go down, it can never go up.
| PeerSocket | Shopify | Sellfy | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost to sell | $19.97/mo (Founders: $9.99/mo locked forever) | From $39/mo — features gated behind higher tiers | From $29/mo — limits by tier |
| Fee per sale | 5.5% + 50¢ ALL-IN — card processing included | ~2.9% + 30¢ card fees ON TOP of the subscription | 0% platform fee, but card fees + subscription still apply |
| Can fees rise? | Locked doctrine: the rate can only go DOWN via promos | Prices have risen repeatedly over the years | Tier limits push you to upgrade as you grow |
| Payouts | Direct to YOUR Stripe — money never touches us | Shopify Payments or gateways with extra fees | Via connected processors |
| Setup time | Under an hour — claim, pay, publish | Days: theme, apps, configuration | Hours |
| Digital delivery | Built-in: ebooks, fonts, apps, subscriptions | Requires apps (often paid) | Built-in |
| Marketplace discovery | Free: every product appears in the shared mall + AI concierge | None — you bring 100% of traffic | None |
| Customer accounts required | No — buyers pay and unlock instantly | Yes for many flows | Optional |
Competitor pricing as published on their sites, 2026. Always verify current rates. Shopify and Sellfy are trademarks of their respective owners; comparison provided for information.
The math on a $20 digital product
On PeerSocket: $20.00 − ($1.10 + $0.50) = $18.40 to you, card processing already paid. On a $39/mo platform you'd need to clear the subscription first — your first ~2 sales of every month belong to the platform before you earn a cent.
Instant setup, custom storefronts, direct creator sales
Claim a numbered socket, connect your own Stripe, publish. Your storefront lives at peersocket.com/s/your-name, your products also appear in the shared marketplace, and every sale pays directly into your bank account. No hidden fees. No hostage revenue. No platform between you and your customer's trust.