CodeCanyon alternative: sell your scripts and source code direct
The problem“Envato keeps half of my item price. Can I sell the same script myself, from where I live?”
The best CodeCanyon alternative for most authors is your own checkout, next to your listing. Envato's Market Author Terms (last revised 1 July 2026) say you sell on a non-exclusive basis, so you can sell the same script, source code zip or template on your own site. AgentaOS is the official seller of each direct sale, handles the buyer's VAT, and pays you to your own bank in 86 countries, including countries Stripe doesn't serve.
What does CodeCanyon take, and what do you keep direct?
- Envato's author fee is "always 50%" of your item price, after a fixed buyer fee ($5 for a CodeCanyon PHP script). Source: Envato, Introduction to Earnings and Fixed Buyer Fees.
- AgentaOS charges 4.5% + €0.50 per sale and €0 a month (pricing).
- On a $59 PHP script: $27.00 to you on CodeCanyon, $55.84 after payment fees on a direct sale (EEA card).
Who is this for?
Script and template authors who already sell on CodeCanyon, ThemeForest or a similar marketplace, and live in a country Stripe doesn't serve: for example N. Macedonia, Serbia or Albania. You can sell as an individual. No company abroad is needed.
What can you sell direct, and what not?
This fits downloads: PHP and JavaScript scripts, app source code zips, HTML and UI templates, and other files a buyer downloads once.
Plainly: AgentaOS does not issue license keys or push auto-updates. After payment, the buyer goes to your download page, and your backend can get a signed webhook for each paid order. If your item needs a license key that the software checks, or one-click updates inside WordPress, you need a tool that does that.
Not allowed under our Terms: custom or per-client work (for example "I will install and customise this script for you") and physical goods.
What does a $59 sale leave you: marketplace vs direct?
| $59 PHP script, regular license | Sold on CodeCanyon | Sold direct with AgentaOS |
|---|---|---|
| Buyer pays | $59.00 | $59.00 |
| Platform keeps first | $5.00 fixed buyer fee | none |
| Fee on the rest | 50% author fee on the $54.00 item price = $27.00 | 4.5% + $0.50 = $3.16 (EEA card) |
| You receive | $27.00, before any withholding tax | $55.84 (EEA card) or $54.96 (card from outside the EEA, +1.5%) |
| Who handles EU VAT | Envato | AgentaOS, as the seller |
| Who brings the buyer | The marketplace search | You: your demo site, docs, list, social |
Sources: Envato Introduction to Earnings, Fixed Buyer Fees and VAT for Envato Market; AgentaOS pricing and every fee. Checked 8 November 2026. Payment fees only. A sale with no VAT added; when VAT is added, our fee applies to the full amount charged (Terms, section 6). On a sale in dollars, the fixed part is charged as $0.50 (Terms, section 6: "The fixed amount is charged in the sale's currency").
Honestly: the marketplace finds buyers for you, and that is worth something. A direct sale only happens when you bring the buyer. So for most items, keeping the listing and adding a direct checkout makes more sense than leaving.
What happens when a buyer pays you direct?
- The buyer clicks your buy link and pays by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay, from any of 190+ countries.
- AgentaOS is the official seller. It takes the payment, adds the buyer's VAT or sales tax where it is due, sends the buyer an invoice in its own name, and handles refunds and card disputes.
- The buyer's browser goes to your download page, the Success URL you set. Your backend can also get a signed webhook for each paid order.
- You get the sale price minus 4.5% + €0.50, paid to your own bank in EUR or USD.
You don't register for VAT in other countries, and you don't need a company abroad. You keep doing the part only you can do: the code, the docs, the support and the updates.
Should you leave CodeCanyon?
Not by default. Your listing keeps working as a shop window: buyers find you through marketplace search and can keep buying there. What changes is that a buyer who already found you, on your demo site, in your docs or through your support replies, can now buy from you at a price you set.
A simple way to start: pick one item that already sells, add a direct checkout for it, and compare a month of both.
How do you sell your scripts direct, step by step?
- Read Envato's current terms for your items. The Market Author Terms say Market items are non-exclusive. Check what they say about links and promotion on your item page before you add anything there.
- Check you can get paid where you live. Open your country's page. AgentaOS pays out in EUR or USD to your own bank in 86 countries.
- Package the download. One zip per version: source code, install guide, changelog, and the version number in the file name. Put it on a thank-you page that is not in your site menu.
- Create the product. In AgentaOS, add a name, a price in EUR or USD and the type One-time. Under After payment, click + Redirect buyers after payment and enter your download page as the Success URL (payment links docs).
- Set your direct price. Decide if it matches your listing or adds something, such as longer support. AgentaOS adds the buyer's VAT where it is due.
- Put the buy link where your buyers already are. Your demo site, your docs, your README, your support portal, your newsletter.
- Ship updates by email. Keep each buyer's email and order. When you release a new version, email them a fresh download link.
Checklist before your first direct sale
- ✓Envato's Market Author Terms read; no item-page rule broken by your link
- ✓Your country is on our country list
- ✓Item is a ready-made download, not per-client work
- ✓No license key needed (or you have a separate tool for it)
- ✓Zip includes source, docs, changelog and version number
- ✓Download page set as the Success URL
- ✓Direct price chosen; you know what a $59 sale leaves you
- ✓Buy link on your demo site, docs and README
- ✓A plan for emailing updates to past buyers
Change how you sell. Grow revenue 4×.
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Related questions
Can I sell my CodeCanyon item on my own site?
Envato's Market Author Terms, last revised 1 July 2026, say you sell on a non-exclusive basis and "retain the ability to sell your Items on other websites". Read the full terms for your items before you start.
How much does CodeCanyon take per sale?
Envato first keeps a fixed buyer fee ($5 for a PHP script), then an author fee of 50% of the item price. On a $59 PHP script, you receive $27.00 before any withholding tax.
Does AgentaOS issue license keys or auto-updates?
No. The buyer is sent to your download page and you get a signed webhook for each paid order. If your item needs license keys or one-click updates, use a tool that offers them.
Can I sell scripts direct from N. Macedonia or Serbia?
Yes. Both are countries Stripe doesn't serve for sellers. AgentaOS pays out in EUR or USD to your own bank in 86 countries, including N. Macedonia and Serbia. You can sell as an individual, with no company needed.
Who handles VAT on a direct sale?
AgentaOS does. It is the official seller of each sale, so it adds the buyer's VAT or sales tax where it is due and issues the invoice in its own name. That tax is not yours to file.
What lands in your bank?
Enter your price. See what you keep after the payment fee, in euros or dollars.
€0 account, no cardSell as an individual or a company