Hey friend! I‘ve been building websites and selling online for over 15 years, so I‘ve tested all of the top platforms for selling digital goods.
In this guide, I‘ll compare the 7 best options based on market share, capabilities, and value. My goal is to help you make an informed decision on which solution fits your business needs and budget.
Selling digital products is a smart way to earn income online – you can sell ebooks, online courses, software, photography, graphics templates, and more! But first, you need the right platform to accept payments, deliver your digital files, and manage customers.
Contents
Why You Need a Digital Products Platform
A proper platform provides everything required to run your online business smoothly:
- Payments – Easily accept credit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, etc. This enables global sales.
- Delivery – Let customers securely access digital product downloads from their account dashboard.
- Accounts – Give customers a personalized account to access purchases and track orders.
- Subscriptions – Offer recurring billing and drip content delivery. This creates predictable revenue.
- Courses – Add video lessons, quizzes, discussions, and gated content to engage learners.
- Integration – Display and sell products seamlessly from your website or marketing funnel.
Building these features yourself requires considerable development resources. The right platform delivers everything you need out of the box to scale up sales and growth.
The 7 Best Digital Products Platforms
Based on market adoption, capabilities, and value, these platforms stand out for selling digital goods and content online:
1. Easy Digital Downloads
With over 600,000 active installs, Easy Digital Downloads is the #1 plugin for selling digital products on WordPress.
EDD lets you quickly create a customized online store to sell ebooks, PDFs, courses, photography, audio files, software, and more.
You get a slick shopping cart, extensive payment options, discounts, bundles, and subscription options.
EDD seamlessly integrates with WordPress themes and plugins. There are also hundreds of free and premium add-ons available.
Pros
- Free, open source plugin with giant community
- Simple setup and easy-to-use interface
- Flexible payment options including PayPal, Stripe, and more
- Control access to downloads
- In-depth sales and earnings reporting
- Huge library of extensions
Cons
- Requires self-hosting with WordPress
- Add-ons increase cost over time
- Limited shopping experience compared to dedicated platforms
Pricing
The core EDD plugin is free. Premium add-ons start at $49 per year. Support packages range from $99-$299 annually.
Ideal for: Selling digital files from WordPress.
2. MemberPress
MemberPress powers over 37,000 membership sites with its WordPress plugin. It lets you sell subscriptions for access to courses, content, downloads, forums, and more.
Flexible membership structures, segments, protected content areas, and dripping feed published material to subscribers over time.
The drag-and-drop course builder helps you create online courses with video lessons, quizzes, and assignments.
Pros
- Integrates subscriptions into WordPress
- Sell courses or access with flexibility
- Unlimited membership levels
- Free trials and coupon codes
- Reporting on sales and membership data
Cons
- Requires WordPress hosting
- Complex with learning curve
- Mostly for subscriptions
Pricing
Plans start at $199 per year. Add-ons are available for payment gateways, email marketing, and more.
Ideal for: Selling subscriptions and memberships.
3. WooCommerce
With 5+ million active installs, WooCommerce is the top self-hosted eCommerce platform. The free plugin transforms any WordPress site into a customized online store.
Use WooCommerce to sell physical products, digital downloads, memberships, bookings, and subscriptions. Extend functionality with thousands of plugins.
It‘s the most flexible option with powerful features – but requires more development work and maintenance.
Pros
- Free, open-source plugin
- Giant ecosystem of extensions
- Complete design flexibility and control
- Scales to enterprise-level stores
- Sell both physical and digital
Cons
- Steep learning curve
- Hosting and development overhead
- Add-on costs accumulate
Pricing
The core plugin is free. Premium extensions range from free to hundreds of dollars per year. Self-hosting required.
Ideal for: A full-featured online store selling diverse products.
4. Shopify
Shopify is the most user-friendly all-in-one ecommerce platform. Over 1,000,000 businesses use Shopify for their online stores.
The hosted solution means Shopify handles security, speed, uptime, and maintenance for you. Just choose a template, add products, and sell across sales channels.
Shopify supports selling physical goods, digital downloads, and services. Expand functionality with the Shopify App Store.
Pros
- Easy to set up with no hosting needed
- Optimized storefront on any device
- Hundreds of template options
- Robust features even at low tiers
- 24/7 support and decades of ecommerce expertise
Cons
- Transaction fees on payment gateways
- Less flexibility and app costs add up
- No native WordPress integration
Pricing
Plans from $29 to $299 per month. 2.9% + 30¢ transaction fees apply for most gateways.
Ideal for: Selling any type of product without managing servers or code.
5. Gumroad
Gumroad focuses specifically on creators selling digital products directly to fans and followers. Over 42,000 sellers use the platform.
It provides simple, lightweight tools optimized for selling ebooks, courses, videos, photos, design templates, software, and similar digital content.
Add products and customize pricing, bundles, subscriptions, promos, taxes, and delivery in a few clicks. Embed payment forms anywhere or send custom links.
Gumroad handles delivery of digital files and tangible products. The clean interface keeps seller distractions to a minimum.
Pros
- Extremely easy setup and use
- 8.5% + 30¢ fees
- Embeddable payment forms
- Handles digital delivery
- Simple, distraction-free dashboard
Cons
- Very limited features
- No native storefront
- Made for creators, not enterprises
Pricing
8.5% + 30¢ per transaction. 3.5% for subscriptions after first payment. No monthly fees.
Ideal for: Selling creative digital products directly to fans.
6. Teachable
Teachable is built specifically for selling online courses. Over 75,000 instructors use the platform to sell over 125,000 online courses.
The easy course creator lets you upload lessons, organize curriculum, add quizzes, discussions, and dripped content without coding.
Customize the course webpage, pricing, bundles, coupons, and more. Teachable also handles video hosting and student management.
Pros
- Course focused features
- Simple course creator tool
- Custom sales pages
- Detailed student analytics
- Affiliate program to promote courses
Cons
- Made for online courses only
- Monthly fees + sales commissions
Pricing
The free plan allows unlimited students and courses. Paid plans from $29 to $149 per month with extra fees per transaction.
Ideal for: Selling online video courses and lessons.
7. SendOwl
SendOwl aims to make selling digital goods simple for bootstrapped entrepreneurs. Around 50,000 sellers use the platform.
You get the core features needed to sell and deliver ebooks, online courses, photos, music, templates, and software.
The simple interface lets you create products, customize checkout, manage customers, and view analytics without complexity or bloat.
Flexible pricing plans and competitive fees make SendOwl worth considering.
Pros
- Simple, intuitive interface
- Affordable pricing
- PayPal supported
- Automatic tax calculations
- Basic analytics and reports
Cons
- Light on advanced features
- Few customization options
Pricing
Plans from $12 to $49 per month. 2.9% + 30¢ transaction fees.
Ideal for: Selling digital files and goods easily and affordably.
How Do You Pick the Right Platform?
Choosing the best digital product platform depends on your business model, technical skills, and budget.
For selling ebooks and digital files, Easy Digital Downloads on WordPress can‘t be beat in my opinion. It balances power and ease of use.
For subscription access, online courses, and membership sites, MemberPress or Teachable are great options.
If you want maximum design flexibility and advanced store features, WooCommerce is the way to go.
For quick, hassle-free setup without needing to manage code or hosting, Shopify makes the process extremely easy. It‘s great for beginners.
Take some time to review the key differences between these seven platforms. Determine what‘s most important for your product lineup, business goals, and technical abilities.
Selling digital goods online is more achievable than ever thanks to these powerful platforms. The right one will get your online business up and running in no time.
Let me know if you have any other questions!
