Selling digital products is one of the highest-margin businesses you can run online. But the platform you choose affects your fees, your customer experience, and how much you actually keep. Here are the top platforms ranked on what matters most to creators.
1. Gumroad — Best for starting out
Zero monthly fee. Gumroad takes a flat 10% transaction fee on free accounts (drops to lower rates if you’ve made significant lifetime sales). You can list products, accept payments, and deliver digital files the same day you sign up. The built-in discovery through Gumroad’s marketplace adds bonus organic traffic. Best for: creators just starting, side income products, low-volume digital sales.
2. WooCommerce + Hostinger — Best for full ownership
If you want to own your store completely and keep more revenue, WooCommerce on your own Hostinger-hosted WordPress site is the gold standard. No transaction fees beyond payment processing (2.9% + $0.30 via Stripe). Full control over design, customer data, upsells, and email integration. Higher setup cost but dramatically lower long-term fees. Best for: serious stores, high-volume sales, businesses that want to own their infrastructure.
3. Etsy — Best for organic discovery
Etsy’s marketplace sends buyers to you without any marketing effort. Listing fee is $0.20 per item, transaction fee is 6.5% of sale price. Digital downloads are a natural fit — once a listing is live, it requires zero fulfillment. Strong for printables, templates, patterns, and creative digital goods. Best for: visual and creative digital products, sellers who want marketplace exposure without running their own site.
4. Payhip — Best free alternative to Gumroad
Similar to Gumroad but with a 5% transaction fee on the free plan (vs. Gumroad’s 10%). PDF stamping for protection, coupon codes, upsells, and affiliate management all included free. Less marketplace traffic than Gumroad or Etsy, but lower fees make it worth considering as a secondary storefront.
5. Teachable — Best for courses
If your digital product is a course or membership, Teachable is purpose-built for structured learning. Student progress tracking, video hosting, quizzes, and completion certificates. The free plan takes a transaction fee; paid plans start at $39/mo with no transaction fees. Best for: video courses, cohort programs, membership communities with structured content.
6. Lemon Squeezy — Best for SaaS and software
Built for software products and subscriptions. Handles licensing keys, SaaS billing, VAT/tax compliance globally, and subscription management. 5% + $0.50 per transaction. If you’re selling software tools, plugins, or anything requiring licensing, Lemon Squeezy is purpose-built for it.
Which platform should you use?
- First digital product: Gumroad or Payhip — zero friction to start
- Printables and creative templates: Etsy for discovery + WooCommerce for your owned channel
- Serious store at scale: WooCommerce on Hostinger for full ownership and lowest long-term fees
- Courses: Teachable or Podia
- Software and SaaS: Lemon Squeezy
Most serious digital product creators end up running both an owned WooCommerce store and an Etsy shop — capturing direct traffic on their own site and discovery traffic from Etsy’s marketplace. The two channels compound each other.