Gumroad is a beloved, stable, and affiliate-friendly platform that many creators use to sell digital products. But integrating its checkout into your own website isn’t always as flexible as it first appears—especially when you're working with multiple pricing options. Here's a breakdown of the available methods, their limitations, and a practical workaround we discovered along the way.
1. Overlay (Popup) Integration – Fast but Limited
Gumroad’s overlay (popup) checkout is easy to embed and keeps the visitor on your site, which is great for UX. However:
If a product has multiple prices (e.g., monthly vs. yearly subscriptions), you can’t predefine which price the popup should open with.
The official recommendation is to create separate products for each pricing tier.
This breaks affiliate logic: Gumroad affiliates won’t manage multiple product links for the same offer.
You also can’t set different commission rates per price, so if a unified affiliate payout doesn’t work for you, this option falls short.
2. Redirect to Gumroad Checkout Page – More Flexible, Weaker UX
The second option is to redirect users to Gumroad’s external checkout page instead of using a popup:
The visitor leaves your site, which may hurt conversion.
According to Gumroad’s documentation, you can’t use separate CTA buttons on your site that link directly to different prices—they suggest using a landing page instead.
3. The Workaround – Custom CTA Buttons for Each Price Tier
There’s a lesser-known but effective workaround:
In the Gumroad popup, each price option has a unique “Add to cart” URL with different parameters.
You can copy these URLs and use them as target links for your own CTA buttons.
This way, users can click “Monthly Plan” or “Yearly Plan” on your site and be taken directly to the correct checkout page.
This approach:
Preserves single-product affiliate logic
Avoids creating multiple products
Supports conversion-optimized button placement
Delivers a cleaner UX with fewer clicks
Summary – We Love It, But Know What to Watch For
Gumroad’s official recommendations don’t always align with real-world needs—especially if you’re working with affiliate partners or building a conversion-focused UX.
The workaround above helps bridge those gaps, letting you keep the benefits of Gumroad—affiliate system, marketplace exposure, reliable infrastructure—without compromising your site’s user experience.
https://gumroad.com/checkout?product=PRODUCTID&option=kHms8n6ZHl_liT8YLpqCHA%3D%3D&recurrence=monthly&quantity=1&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.yourwebsite.com%2F