Becoming an entrepreneur in ecommerce has never been more accessible. What’s more, the ability to sell digital products as well as physical goods has made getting started in online sales even easier.
Ebooks, digital art, graphics, podcasts, software, photos, online courses, subscriptions…selling intangible assets like these comes with quite a few benefits for e-merchants and their customers alike!
Of course, with all the possibilities out there today, deciding what kinds of items you’d like to offer on your online store can take some time. However, once you have a great product idea in mind, you’ll still have another important question to answer: what’s the best platform to sell your digital products?
In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the top platforms of today to guide you in choosing the right one for you and bring you one step closer to ecommerce success!
The best platforms to sell digital products
No matter what digital products you wish to sell, it’s important to note that there are a number of factors to think about when choosing a platform for your business.
What kind of budget do you have? How much time are you able and willing to devote to developing your business? Is your entrepreneurial adventure meant to be a side hustle or your main source of income?
Once you’ve answered these questions, you’ll be able to more easily determine which platform is best suited for your endeavor. Here’s our list of 13 platforms to consider to assist you with turning your entrepreneurial dreams into reality!
1. WiziShop
No matter if you’re new to the exciting world of ecommerce or have years of experience selling products online, using a first-rate platform can make all the difference in terms of how successful and enjoyable running your store is. If you’re looking for a
complete, all-in-one solution for selling digital and/or physical products, you’ll definitely want to check out the best ecommerce platform for a small business: WiziShop.
- Key features
To start, you’ll find an extensive array of design templates on the WiziShop platform, giving you the ability to build an online store that’s customized to suit your needs and that accurately reflects your brand. Furthermore, WiziShop stores are responsive to ensure an excellent rendering of your site regardless of what kind of screen your shoppers use when visiting it!
Another great advantage of using WiziShop to sell online is that our solution will be with you every step of the way of your ecommerce journey. There’s no need to worry if you’re launching your first ecommerce site and don’t have tons of experience with selling on the web.
As soon as you sign up on our platform, you’ll be able to access complimentary tutorials on a wide range of ecommerce topics. In addition, our Business Coaches, who undergo a significant amount of training, provide personalized assistance concerning any questions you may have about running your business and managing your website.
With more than 400 ecommerce tools already integrated at your disposal, you’ll have everything you need to optimize your conversions, including abandoned cart email follow-ups, customer reviews, customizable messaging, discounts and promo codes, a variety of payment and delivery solutions, and much more.
Finally, WiziShop is the most SEO-optimized solution on the market. This is important, as SEO is one of the best strategies for the long-term success of any website. Boasting 50+ powerful, user-friendly features designed to optimize your online store’s technical SEO, our solution helps you to climb the rankings on Google, giving you a leg up on the competition from the get-go!
- Pricing
Enjoy a 15-day free trial to get started on the WiziShop platform. Afterwards, you’ll have a variety of subscription options at your disposal, allowing you to select the option that best suits your needs.
Choose from the following plans: Standard, which starts at $27/month plus a fee of 2% of sales transactions; Pro, which starts at $77/month plus 1% of transactions; and Advanced, which starts at $297/month plus 0.5% of transactions.
There’s absolutely no strings attached to test the solution out, and your free trial gives you immediate access to all of WiziShop’s amazing features!
Create your online store - 15-day free trial
2. Etsy
Convenience is one of the main draws of selling on a marketplace like Etsy. If you don’t have loads of time to devote to your business, putting it in the hands of Etsy, which will take care of managing many aspects of your shop for you, can certainly be tempting.
It’s important to note, however, that this added convenience comes at a price, as you’ll see with the higher fees associated with selling on the platform.
- Key features
Etsy guides users through every step of the shop set-up process. Note that, generally, storefronts look very similar to other sellers’ storefronts on the platform, which makes it more difficult to get your brand to stand out from the crowd. However, Etsy recently released its Pattern tool, allowing users to create their own ecommerce sites for an extra monthly fee.
Another advantage of selling on this platform is its popularity. Business of Apps notes that Etsy had 96.3 million active users as of Q4 2021. This means that you’d have a built-in audience from the get-go.
You can also take advantage of a number of marketing tools, such as Etsy Ads and the ability to create coupons and discount offers to attract customers, as well as stats to keep an eye on your shop’s performance. The marketplace’s Sell on Etsy app makes it easier for sellers to manage their operations on the go.
- Pricing
If you’re considering selling your digital creations on the Etsy marketplace, keep in mind that there are several fees to consider.
The platform charges a $0.20 listing fee for every product that you list, regardless of if it sells. For every item that you sell on Etsy, you’ll be charged a transaction fee of 6.5% of the product’s listing price plus the amount that you’ve charged for shipping (though you likely won’t be charging for shipping for digital goods). If you opt to use Etsy’s Pattern tool to create your own website, you’ll be charged an additional $15/month after a 30-day free trial.
3. Podia
Podia is an ecommerce platform that focuses on selling digital products rather than physical products. Users are able to create their own websites to sell intangible items like online courses, consultations, workshops, webinars, memberships, and one-off digital downloads such as audiobooks or ebooks. Subscribers can also benefit from numerous tools designed to facilitate the online selling process.
- Key features
With Podia, users are able to upload as many files and videos as they want. The platform supports up to 11 languages and 22 currencies, making it easier to go international with your business. In addition, it offers a variety of integrations, such as with YouTube Live and Zoom…especially helpful for entrepreneurs whose digital products focus on e-learning or involve video in one way or another.
- Pricing
E-merchants can test Podia at no charge for 14 days. After the 2-week trial period is finished, users can choose from several subscription plans, paid on either a yearly or monthly basis: Free ($0/month), Mover (starting at $33/month), Shaker (starting at $75/month), and Earthquaker (starting at $166/month). While the free option charges fees of 8% on transactions, the paid plans don’t include any transaction fees.
4. Digital Product Delivery (DPD)
DPD is a digital publishing platform for selling non-physical items like ebooks, software, music, and more. With an emphasis on convenience, the company provides a plethora of tools to help make selling digital products a breeze.
- Key features
Customers of DPD have the option to create multiple stores under a single account. Users also get to enjoy a number of third-party sales and marketing integrations, including Google Analytics, MailChimp, Sendy, GetResponse, Campaign Monitor, and others. Furthermore, when you update one of your digital products, the new version is automatically sent to shoppers who previously purchased the item to ensure an easy transition.
- Pricing
DPD offers a 30-day free trial to see if the solution is right for your unique needs. The company has several flat-rate plans available, none of which include commission fees. Options begin at $10/month for 1 GB of product space and 20 products and go all the way up to $280/month for 174 GB of product space and 3,500 products.
Considering offering subscriptions? If you sell subscriptions, DPD won’t charge you anything for the first 5 subscribers, but you’ll be charged $0.69/subscriber/month for subsequent subscribers.
5. Payhip
An ecommerce platform exclusively for digital products, Payhip offers a user-friendly solution for sellers looking to earn money from their non-physical creations. The platform is currently used by more than 130,000 sellers all over the world.
- Key features
Whether you’re selling digital downloads, online courses, or memberships, you’ll have access to a range of tools on Payhip to support your growing business.
Platform users can sell their products on their ecommerce site or embed the responsive checkout and shopping cart directly on their blog or social media pages for added flexibility. Payhip makes it possible to offer customers discounts, create mailing lists, and build your network with an affiliate system that encourages your buyers to promote your digital creations.
- Pricing
Payhip provides sellers with three different plans from which to choose, with all plans offering the same features and benefits. The Free Forever option comes with no subscription fees but a 5% fee on any sales. Next, Plus version includes a monthly fee of $29 plus 2% on sales. If you want to avoid paying any commissions on sales to the platform, you can opt for the Pro plan, with this subscription costing $99/month.
6. Teachable
With over 100,000 instructors currently on Teachable, the site is one of the most popular platforms for e-learning, catering to entrepreneurs looking to sell online courses and coaching services.
- Key features
Teachable offers various built-in features specifically aimed to complement e-learning digital products, like quizzes, badges, comments, and completion certifications. In addition, sellers can avail of numerous integrations, such as MailChimp, Google Analytics, Segment, Zapier, and others, to make running their businesses even easier.
What’s more, this solution permits you to offer your customers different payment plans, including free trials, installments, and subscription payments. Another bonus: the platform accepts payment in more than 130 currencies.
- Pricing
If you’re on the fence about using Teachable, you can take the platform for a test run via the Free plan. With this option, you can create one online course and enjoy some of the site’s tools with zero subscription fees. However, Teachable will charge $1 plus a 10% transaction fee for every sale.
The platform also has three paid subscription plans available, all of which allow for the creation of unlimited courses and can be billed monthly or annually. These subscriptions’ rates with annual billing amount to $29/month (plus a 5% fee on sales transactions) for Basic, $99/month (no transaction fees) for Pro, and $249/month (no transaction fees) for Business. As the subscription cost increases, the number of features made available to the user does as well.
7. Gumroad
The Gumroad ecommerce platform is especially targeted toward new online creators. You have the option to set up your online store on the platform itself or embed it on a site that you’ve already launched.
- Key features
This solution makes it possible to provide various payment alternatives, including recurring payments, (monthly, quarterly, biannually, annually, etc.) for memberships, for example, as well as payments in different currencies. If you sell a digital product that requires a license key, e.g., software, Gumroad can generate your license keys for you for added convenience.
What’s more, you’ll be able to offer multiple versions of a product, which can, for instance, help your ebook appeal to a greater number of consumers. Gumroad customers also have access to analytics to aid them in making decisions about their product offerings and business, say, for example, if they find that their online store isn’t selling as well as they’d hoped.
- Pricing
With Gumroad, there’s no monthly subscription fee to use the platform. In addition, the greater your earnings, the smaller percentage you pay in commission fees. Gumroad’s fees range from 9% ($0 in sales) to 2.9% ($1,000,000+ in sales). There’s also a charge of $0.30/transaction, regardless of the sale amount.
8. Squarespace
Website builder Squarespace offers an extensive range of templates so that users easily create ecommerce sites for selling all kinds of digital products. According to Backlinko, Squarespace had 3.79 subscribers around the world as of Q1 2021, representing an approximately 27% increase from its subscriber count in 2019.
- Key features
This platform aims to make it easy for users to build a professional website, regardless if they have any coding expertise, with a wide range of designs that work on desktop and mobile devices alike. Whether you want to sell digital downloads, services, or physical goods, Squarespace provides access to helpful tools like built-in tax compliance, discount codes, and marketing support for email campaigns, segment creation, and more.
- Pricing
Squarespace has four different plans available, which can be billed monthly or annually. These options start at $14/month for the Personal plan, $23/month for the Business plan, $27/month for the Basic Commerce plan, and $49/month for the Advanced Commerce plan. The only subscription that includes transaction fees is the Business option, which amounts to 3% of your sales.
9. Kajabi
Used by more than 50,000 people globally, Kajabi aids entrepreneurs in creating and selling online courses, coaching services, podcasts, and memberships. The site also offers the possibility to create an online storefront and benefit from a variety of tools to help your business grow.
- Key features
Kajabi allows for easy integration with trusted payment solutions PayPal and Stripe on your ecommerce site, ensuring that you get paid quickly and securely. In addition, the platform’s email marketing software makes it possible to create engaging email campaigns to attract and retain your customers. What’s more, your customers can download the Kajabi app to be able to check out their digital download purchases from wherever.
- Pricing
With Kajabi, you can avail of a 14-day free trial and then choose from several pricing choices, billed monthly or annually. These begin at $119/month for Basic, $159/month for Growth, and $319/month for Pro. Kajabi doesn’t charge users any commission fees for any of its plans.
10. Thinkific
Another platform geared toward e-learning digital products, Thinkific is a popular option for e-merchants who want to share their knowledge with the world and simultaneously earn a profit while doing so.
- Key features
No coding skills are required to create your online course on Thinkific. All it takes is a bit of drag-and-drop action! The platform permits different kinds of course content, including text, quizzes, Google Docs, video, and downloads.
In addition, you can design your own website on the platform and take advantage of a large number of branding and customization options.
- Pricing
E-merchants are invited to test out Thinkific at no charge with the platform’s Free plan. This subscription grants access to a limited number of Thinkific’s features and allows you to create a limited number of courses.
Similar to other platforms, Thinkific’s paid subscription options can be paid on a monthly or a yearly basis. They allow for an unlimited number of courses and are priced as follows for yearly billing: $39/month for the Basic plan, $79/month for the Pro plan, and $399/month for the Premier plan. Thinkific doesn’t charge users transaction fees, regardless of the plan chosen.
11. MemberPress
Different from other ecommerce solutions mentioned in this article, MemberPress is a WordPress plugin that sellers can add to their own websites to be able to sell memberships. Ideal for users looking to offer subscriptions to their online-course content or other types of digital downloads, this plugin is especially beneficial if you have an existing WordPress that you’d like to monetize.
- Key features
Besides making it possible to offer memberships on your website, MemberPress aims to ensure that managing those memberships is simple. For example, you can choose what kind of content your customers have access to, such as pages, feeds, blog posts, categories, files, etc. This tool also features in-depth integration options with Stripe, PayPal, MailChimp, and more, and it provides access to helpful analytics to aid you in determining your best-performing content.
- Pricing
When signing up with MemberPress, you’ll find that you can choose from three different plans: Basic at $179/year for use on one site, Plus at $299/year for up to two sites, and Pro at $399/year for up to five sites.
12. SendOwl
SendOwl is an add-on solution designed to assist people with existing websites or social media pages with selling online. Created for sellers of all backgrounds and experience levels and businesses of all sizes, this platform allows for the selling of digital products, subscriptions, memberships, and tangible goods.
- Key features
Supporting multiple languages and currencies and allowing for flexible payment choices, SendOwl’s responsive checkout helps to make the purchasing process as seamless as possible. It also provides users with several tools to boost sales, like cart abandonment emails, one-click upsells, discounts and promo codes, and more. The platform’s advanced reporting and analytics make it easier to keep track of how well your online store is progressing.
- Pricing
SendOwl offers e-merchants a 30-day free trial. After the month-long test period is up, there are several subscriptions from which to choose: Standard at $15/month, Premium at $24/month, and Business at $39/month. The platform also has a very basic option available for $9/month, though its accompanying features are quite limited.
13. Easy Digital DownloadsAnother plugin available for use with WordPress sites, Easy Digital Downloads is simple to set up and use. It’s currently the online-selling solution in place for 50,000 website owners across the globe.
- Key features
Easy Digital Downloads functions as a CRM in a WordPress dashboard and allows users to add buttons like “Buy now” and “Add to cart” directly to their WordPress websites in just a few clicks. The plugin permits e-merchants to avail of various flexible payment solutions for their businesses, including Stripe, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and PayPal. It also offers customizable discount codes, detailed customer management, and analytics that can be viewed directly in the dashboard.
- Pricing
Although Easy Digital Downloads doesn’t supply a free trial in the same way as some of the other solutions in this article do, the company does offer a 14-day money-back guarantee. This means that if you create your account on the platform and find that you aren’t satisfied with it, the solution will refund your money if you reach out within 14 days of signing up.
As far as payment plans go, you’ll have four different choices with Easy Digital Downloads: Personal Pass ($99.50/year), Extended Pass ($199.50/year), Professional Pass ($299.50/year), and All Access Pass ($499.50/year).
Conclusion
The ability to sell digital products creates a whole new opportunity for today’s ecommerce entrepreneurs. When it comes time to choose your platform for selling your intangible creations, be sure to consider your options carefully. Remember that many of the platforms on this list offer free trials, allowing you to test the waters before committing to a subscription.
As a reminder, with WiziShop, you’ll have 15 days to give the SEO-powered ecommerce solution a try and discover all the powerful features that can help you to sell digital products and succeed in online sales.
Why not check WiziShop out today?
Create your online store - 15-day free trial
