Are you considering selling digital products online? Considering the increase in the number of people shopping online, it’s no wonder that the sale of digital goods has become more prevalent.
Whether you want to make money from the sale of ebooks, courses, or music files, there are plenty of platforms available in order to get started.
In this blog post, we’ll look at the 15 best platforms where you can sell digital products. We’ll cover things like ease of use and customization options as well as transaction fees and support.
Ready? Let’s dive in!
6 Things to Consider When Choosing a Platform to Sell Digital Products:
When selecting a platform to sell your digital goods, make sure to research the different features such as ease of use, pricing plans, payment processing, customization options, and customer support
1. Ease of use
When choosing a platform for digital sales, ease of use is crucial for both sellers and customers. A user-friendly interface ensures smooth transactions, building customer trust.
Platforms like Sellfy offer drag-n-drop editors for a seamless experience, along with features like enterprise sales, analytics, easy customization, and integrations with popular marketing tools, maintaining convenience.
2. Pricing plans and scalability options
When it comes to pricing plans and scalability, it’s always important to evaluate that before signing up for an e-commerce solution.
Pricing not only involves transaction fees but also potential startup and operational costs, while scalability ensures the platform can accommodate growth.
Platforms like Sellfy, Podia, and Shopify offer flexible pricing and scalability to fit diverse business needs. They also integrate with payment systems like PayPal, allowing secure transactions without extra third-party fees.
3. Payment processing and transaction fees
Another important advice is to be mindful of payment processing and transaction fees. Platforms like Etsy, Shopify, and PayPal have fees per sale, which can impact profits.
Always check the details to understand payment methods and associated costs. Alternatively, providers like Payhip offer zero transaction fees if using their in-house payment system, bypassing third-party solutions like PayPal or Stripe.
4. Customization options
Customization can be an extremely powerful tool for selling digital products effectively. Many platforms provide features like marketing automation, custom domains, discounts, live chat, and invoicing.
The aesthetics and functionality of your site can significantly influence sales. Sellfy, for instance, offers customizable carts and advanced analytics.
Meanwhile, Podia stands out for selling digital downloads, like online courses, due to its superior customization capabilities.
5. Integration with marketing and analytics tools
Incorporating marketing and analytics tools in a digital sales platform is invaluable. These tools enable tracking of user behavior, audience segmentation, and performance measurement.
Such data-driven insights empower marketers to refine campaigns and product offerings. With this knowledge, they can optimize strategies, boosting conversions and encouraging repeat purchases.
6. Customer support
Effective customer support is crucial for a digital product store. Inadequate support can deter purchases, leading to negative feedback or claims of scams.
Quality support boosts conversions by addressing issues promptly and clarifying doubts, streamlining the buying process. For sellers integrating features like email marketing, website building, or webinars, seamless system integration and technical guidance from the platform’s team are vital.
Platforms like Podia not only offer extensive customization but also provide robust customer service through various channels, ensuring 24/7 assistance.
Best Platforms to Sell Digital Products in 2023
To help you decide the best platform to sell your digital products, we have made a list of the best 15Â platforms, including Sellfy, Podia, and Shopify.
1. Sellfy
Type: All-In-One Solution
Sellfy is an established selling platform, popular amongst creators of digital products due to its easy setup and maintenance process. Sellers do not need a website; instead, they can drag elements from the list into the store setup page to create their own shop.
Then, add pricing plans and custom branding before launching your site in no time. As well as offering regular payment processing options like Paypal or Stripe for selling digital products with no transaction fees involved, Sellfy also offers print-on-demand capabilities and subscription-based plans for content creators.
Additionally, this platform integrates with various marketing tools such as Zapier to encourage sales growth while also providing access to analytics so that you can track your progress quickly.
Pros
- Low fees
- Easy to use
- Global reach
- No limits on file size or type
- Flexible payment options
Cons
- Limited features
- Smaller buyer base
- Less brand recognition
Pricing:
- Starter: $19/mo (up to $10k in sales per year)
- Business: $49/mo (up to $50k in sales per year)
- Premium: $99/mo (up to $200k in sales per year)
Free Trial: 14 Days
Check Out Sellfy2. Podia
Type: All-In-One Solution
Podia is an all-in-one platform for selling digital products and building an audience with features like emerging customer profiles, custom domains, exclusive membership options, analytics integration, automated email campaigns, and more.
Launched in 2016, Podia stands out as a top platform, particularly for course creators. The platform shines at its unmatched customization options such as creating multiple teachers within one account, and setting up subscription plans or payment agreements (where available).
Furthermore, its library of easy-to-use customizable themes allows educators to put together visually attractive pages quickly. Moreover, the built-in affiliate system promotes your courses without much effort from the user’s end.
Additionally, it offers two unique elements: a pre-enrollment feature which helps drive early sales when launching a new product, and a drip content feature that gradually releases paid content over time consisting of videos, worksheets, and other resources.
Pros
- Easy to use
- All-in-one platform
- Supports most digital products
- Great value for money
Cons
- No mobile app
- Limited customization options
- Lack of advanced features
Pricing:
- Free plan: $0 per month, 7% transaction fees, 1 download
- Mover plan: $33 per month, no transaction fees, unlimited downloads
- Shaker plan: $75 per month, no transaction fees, unlimited downloads, affiliate system
3. Shopify
Type: All-In-One Solution
Shopify is a popular e-commerce platform used by many online sellers to sell products ranging from tangible to non-tangible products. It provides various features like easy setup, customizable design themes, and payment gateways enabling businesses of all sizes to quickly set up and start selling.
Compared to other platforms for selling digital products, Shopify offers an extensive range of options when it comes to customizing the look & feel of your store. It also shines at setting up how customer transactions are processed and ensures that all payments are made securely.
With Shopify’s efficient order management tools, even complex orders will be placed simply within seconds followed by an automated inventory tracking system. That helps you save time on managing and tracking withdrawals every day!
Also, it abundantly integrates with marketing and analytics tools such as Google Analytics or MailChimp providing very useful insights about customers’ behavior allowing you to more accurately target and grow them over time.
Pros
- Large and engaged buyer base
- Easy to use
- Built-in marketing tools
- Global reach
- Wide range of features and integrations
- Secure and reliable platform
Cons
- Higher fees than some other platforms
- Limited customization options
- No built-in audience
Pricing:
- Basic Shopify: $39 per month
- Shopify: $105 per month
- Advanced Shopify: $399 per month
Free Trial: 3 Days
Check Out Shopify4. Etsy
Type: Marketplace
Etsy is a standout platform for selling digital downloads. It boasts over 95 million active buyers, many of whom are on the hunt for unique digital items.
The platform is straightforward for both buyers, who can shop with ease, and sellers, who can list their products effortlessly.
Etsy’s built-in tools, such as SEO and social media integration, enhance product visibility. Its global reach ensures that digital goods can be purchased from any corner of the world.
Selling on Etsy comes with minimal overhead costs, eliminating concerns about production or shipping. Moreover, it offers a consistent income stream; once a product is listed, it can sell repeatedly.
For optimal success on Etsy, it’s essential to choose a niche, maintain high product quality, craft clear descriptions, utilize relevant keywords, and promote extensively.
Pros
- Large and engaged buyer base
- Easy to use
- Built-in marketing tools
- Global reach
- Low overhead costs
- Passive income potential
Cons
- Fees on sales
- Competition from other sellers
- Limited customization options for listings
- No way to sell digital products directly to customers (must be sold through the Etsy platform)
Pricing:
Here is a quick list of Etsy pricing:
- Listing fee:Â $0.20 per listing
- Transaction fee:Â 5% of the sale price, plus $0.25
- Payment processing fee:Â 3% + $0.25 per transaction (for payments made through PayPal)
Also read: How To Sell Digital Downloads on Etsy
Check Out Etsy5. Gumroad
Type: Integration/Marketplace
Gumroad is an eCommerce platform specialized for helping creators sell digital products directly to their customers. Founded in 2011 by Sahil Lavingia, it allows creatives to share their works and make money from them easily and quickly.
It gives them a competitive advantage by cutting out intermediaries. The user-friendly interface makes it easy for anyone, even those with limited web design skills, to start selling digital products on the platform.
Gumroad also doesn’t charge anything when starting up; there are no monthly fees either. Additionally, sellers using Gumroad benefit from its integrations with many third-party marketing tools that help build better reachability.
Pros
- Easy to use
- Clean and simple checkout process
- No transaction fees
- Supports a variety of digital products
- Good customer support
Cons
- Higher fees than some other platforms (10% on all sales)
- Limited customization options
- Smaller buyer base than some other platforms
Pricing:
Gumroad charges no listing fees but takes 10% transaction fees.
Check Out Gumroad6. EasyDigitalDownloads
Type: Integration
EasyDigitalDownloads is one of the best platforms to sell digital products. It offers an array of features for online selling, making it easy and straightforward to use. EasyDigitalDownloads allows users to set up payment processing with integrated PayPal and Stripe options as well as other payment gateways through extensions.
And with additional features like custom checkout pages, discount codes, comprehensive reporting analytics, advanced subscription options, and more – you have all the tools necessary for successful digital product sales from a single interface.
WPForms also recommends using EasyDigitalDownloads as a source for successfully selling downloads on the website due to its versatility and ease of use – making it one of the top choices for e-commerce platforms in 2023 and beyond!
Pros
- Self-hosted platform
- Flexible and customizable
- Powerful features
- Community support
Cons
- Self-hosting required
- Can be complex to set up and use
- Plugins and add-ons can be expensive
Pricing:
- Personal Plan: $99.50 per year
- Extended Plan: $199.50 per year
- Professional Plan: $299.50 per year
- All Access Pass: $499.50 per year
7. Amazon KDP
Type: Marketplace
Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) offers a lucrative avenue for authors to self-publish and sell digital products like ebooks, low-content books, and audiobooks.
With KDP, authors gain access to a global audience spanning over 200 countries, ensuring expansive reach. The platform promises up to 70% royalties, making it financially appealing.
Its user-friendly interface, complemented by a suite of comprehensive tools, aids authors in publishing, promoting, and selling their works.
From fiction to academic texts, the range of digital products on KDP is vast. By ensuring quality content, professional covers, and strategic keyword usage, authors can optimize their sales and thrive on this platform.
Pros
- Global reach
- High royalties
- Easy-to-use platform
- Comprehensive tools and resources
- Low overhead costs
- Passive income potential
Cons
- Competition is high
- It can take time to build a following
- You need to invest in marketing and promotion
- You need to produce high-quality content
- Amazon takes a cut of your sales
Pricing:
Amazon does not charge any listing fees, but it an take anywhere from 30% to 70% from your product sales.
Check Out Amazon KDP8. Thinkific
Type: All-In-One Solution
Thinkific is a highly regarded platform for selling digital products, particularly those related to knowledge and education. It’s renowned as one of the leading products on the market for helping creators sell online courses, learning products, and webinars.
Thinkific offers four pricing plans that range from hinges on pricing features such as access levels, product hosting, integrations, and more. These include the free startup plan designed mainly for small operations right up to the Premium Plus package which best suits bigger businesses with needs in terms of scalability storage space etc.
What makes Thinkific especially attractive is its comprehensive suite of tools. It provides customers with everything needed to build, guide, market, promote, and secure sales, including tax management within their store.
Additionally, it tracks analytics and integrates third-party marketing automation strategies, offering insights into customer behavior, monitoring progress reports, and providing goal-setting and collaboration options.
No wonder it’s considered one of the best platforms out there for creating dynamic robust e-learning experiences.
Pros
- Easy to use
- Comprehensive features
- Global reach
- Good customer support
Cons
- Higher fees than some other platforms
- Limited customization options
- Not as well-known as some other platforms
Pricing:
- Free plan: 1 course, 1 community, 2 spaces for community
- Basic plan: $36 per month, unlimited courses, 1 community, 5 spaces for community
- Pro plan: $74 per month, unlimited courses, 1 community, 10 spaces for community
- Premier plan: $149 per month, unlimited courses, 3 communities, 20 spaces for community
9. E-junkie
Type: Integration
E-junkie is a popular choice for effortlessly selling digital marketing products. The platform is user-friendly, facilitating quick digital product sales.
It offers diverse pricing plans, ensuring scalability as businesses expand. With low transaction fees and a customizable product page interface, it ensures an engaging shopping experience tailored to customer needs.
Furthermore, E-junkie’s integration with marketing tools and analytics simplifies trend identification. For any queries or platform-related issues, their responsive customer service is always at hand.
Pros
- Low fees
- Easy to use
- Global reach
- No limits on file size or type
- Flexible payment options
Cons
- Limited features
- Smaller buyer base
- Less brand recognition
Pricing:
- $8 per month: 10 products, 200 MB download file storage
- $10 per month: 40 products, 2 GB download file storage
- $20 per month: 150 products, 8 GB download file storage
- $40 per month: unlimited products, unlimited download file storage
Free Trial: 14 Days
Check Out E-junkie10. Teachable
Type: All-In-One Solution
Teachable is another website for selling digital products related to knowledge and educational resources. It enables content creators in various fields of expertise to create their own courses and share them with others.
With Teachable you can create your own customizable digital products such as online classes, course websites, stand-alone training materials, lecture notes, or any other type of learning resource.
Moreover, it makes it easy to reach potential customers worldwide by integrating with different e-commerce platforms like PayPal or Stripe that process payments quickly and securely.
Plus, Teachable provides advanced customization features such as the addition of quizzes and surveys which allow content creators to tailor their learning experience according to specific requirements.
To add further ease of use for both content creators and learners alike – Teachable also offers built-in analytics tools allowing users to monitor engagement levels throughout their courses and make improvements when needed.
Pros
- Easy to use
- Comprehensive features
- Global reach
- Good customer support
- Built-in payment processing
Cons
- Higher fees than some other platforms
- Limited customization options
- No free plan
Pricing:
- Free plan: Limited features, 1 published product, 1%-10% transaction fee
- Basic plan: $39 per month, 5 published products, 5% transaction fee
- Pro plan: $119 per month, 50 published products, 0% transaction fee
- Business plan: $199 per month, 200 published products, 0% transaction fee, priority support
11. FastSpring
Type: Integration
FastSpring is a powerful eCommerce platform that enables companies to manage online sales of digital products or services. Specifically designed for selling digital downloads, FastSpring boasts of an enhanced shopping cart and secured payment processing system to facilitate safe transactions online.
It is one of the top platforms to sell digital products in 2023 due its customizable pricing plans, integration with analytics and marketing tools, and transaction fees that can be adjusted according to business needs.
Additionally, it offers customer support which streamlines the setup process for Beginners who want to join the world of selling digital downloads without any technical difficulty.
Pros
- Global reach
- Comprehensive features
- Flexible payment options
- Good customer support
Cons
- Higher fees than some other platforms
- Limited customization options
- Can be complex to set up and use
Pricing:
FastSpring has 2 pricing options:
- 8.9% fee of the total transaction value of the transaction.
- 5.9% fee of the total transaction value, plus 95 cents for each
12. ClickBank
Type: Marketplace
ClickBank, established in 1998, is a leading platform for selling digital products in 2023. While it initially offered only digital products, it expanded to physical goods in 2014 with its Sign-up Marketplace.
The platform primarily emphasizes low-cost information products, such as eBooks, software, and educational materials. Many affiliate marketers promote these products on their platforms or websites.
ClickBank’s user-friendly interface has made it a preferred choice for affiliate marketing. Although its focus on low-priced items often results in lower commissions compared to other marketplaces, its flexibility in payment processing fees makes it an attractive option for entrepreneurs and brands selling digital products online.
Pros
- Large audience of potential buyers
- Easy-to-use platform
- High commission rates
- Affiliate network in place
Cons
- High fees
- Strict product approval process
- Difficult to get approved as a vendor
- Competition from other vendors
Pricing:
- Listing fee: $49.95
- Transaction fee:Â 7.5% + $1 per sale
- Affiliate commission:Â 50-75% of the sale price
13. SendOwl
Type: Integration
SendOwl is one of the top platforms for selling digital products. It provides a secure, reliable, and user-friendly platform to easily set up an online store and start selling digital goods.
Its modern and responsive checkout options provide customers with fast purchases and seamless subscription plans. With support for multiple languages and currencies, users from different countries can access the interface without any trouble too.
Additionally, SendOwl’s customizable features allow brands to personalize their stores according to their preferences as well as integrate marketing tools like email automation onto it.
Pros
- Easy to use
- Flexible pricing options
- Good customer support
- No transaction fees on regular sales
Cons
- Higher fees on recurring payments
- Limited customization options
- Not ideal for selling physical products
Pricing:
- Starter: 3 months free, then $9, 5% pre-order management fee, 10 GB of storage.
- Growth: $15 per month, $0.33 pre-order management fee, 100 GB of storage.
- Pro: $39 per month, $0.17 pre-order management fee, 200 GB of storage.
Free Trial: 14 Days
Check Out SendOwl14. PayLoadz
Type: Integration
PayLoadz is a great platform for selling digital products online. It provides everything you need to get started with quickly launching your own sales page and selling various digital products, such as photographs, logo concepts, eBooks, video games, and more.
PayLoadz offers several pricing plans that are quite flexible; enabling users to craft their own scalability options they deem fit for the size of their business. Additionally, one does not have to be tech-savvy to use this platform as it’s easy to set up and navigate through its features.
Furthermore, it comes integrated with marketing tools which allows users to easily track conversions as well as customer support should you encounter any problems along the way.
All transactions on PayLoadz are also secure due to its reliable payment processing engine and for extra protection, all purchases come with a money-back guarantee.
Pros
- Easy to use
- Flexible pricing options
- No transaction fees
- Good customer support
Cons
- Limited customization options
- Not as well-known as some other platforms
- No built-in payment processing
Pricing:
- Basic Plan: $0 per month, 30% per transaction
- Pro Plan: $29 per month, 2.9% + $0.29 per transaction
Free Trial: 1$ for 14 Days
Check Out Payloadz15. Creative Market
Type: Marketplace
Creative Market is a platform where artists and creators can showcase and sell their unique designs, photos, fonts, videos, music, and other digital products.
Creative Market has more than 10,000+ artists who have uploaded thousands of high-quality and interesting creations to the marketplace – so buyers are spoilt for choice! This makes it an attractive option for those looking to make some money from selling their own digital products.
Aside from having a wide customer base available on the platform already, Creative Market also offers customization options as well as integration with marketing tools that make it easy to reach customers and measure performance.
With built-in features like these and competitive pricing plans that don’t charge extra fees or commissions on transactions, it’s clear why Creative Market ranks among the top platforms recommended for selling digital products online.
Pros
- Large audience of potential buyers
- High-quality products
- Curated marketplace
- Easy to use
Cons
- High commission rate (50%)
- Limited customization options
- Can be difficult to get approved as a vendor
Pricing:
Creative Market also charges a listing fee of $0.50 per order. It also takes a 50% commission on all sales.
Check Out Creative MarketConclusion
Choosing the right platform to sell your digital products is an important step when creating and running a successful online business.
There are several platforms available, ranging from established marketplaces like Etsy and Amazon KDP to prominent all-in-one solutions like Sellfy or Shopify, each with its own set of features and characteristics that suit different types of companies.
Depending on what type of product you are selling and how big you want your store to be, it pays off to do some research before deciding which platform works best for your needs.
This comprehensive guide has delved into the top 15 platforms of 2023, providing insights to help you make an informed decision.
As the digital marketplace continues to evolve, staying updated and leveraging the right platform can set the foundation for your success.