The 6 top platforms and features for selling digital downloads online

Find the most important features to sell digital downloads on the internet. This guide explains the features you should find and the most the most popular websites to sell digital downloads.

The top ways to sell digital downloads that cater to different kinds of creators

If you are deciding on a place you will sell your digital downloads make sure to look for a tool that offers ease to use, functional customer support, marketing capabilities as well as low fees and reasonable cost.

• Shopify and Etsy are specifically designed to sell physical items, but they allow you to sell digital downloads too. Their digital product selling options are more limited.
• Gumroad provides a variety of features it allows the sale of a wide range of types of data without fee recurring. But the catch is that they charge high transaction fees for each sale.
• Easy Digital Downloads is a WordPress plugin that lets you offer products on your website. Even though it's absolutely free to install, you'll likely require additional extensions and integrations.
• It's easy to establish and permits you to make sales of any document without restrictions. It has advanced marketing capabilities integrated into the platform and our support is superb and fast - at least that's what our clients say about us.

Prior to launching the first of my digital products I was thinking that the most difficult part would be turning my thoughts into a quality product that would actually be wanted by people who bought it.

We do not want this to happen to you.

There are many places where you can sell digital downloads these days, but deciding the right software to use for your product could be as simple as a timer.

What are the reasons to sell digital downloads?

Digital downloads are files that can be purchased on the internet. As a creator digital downloads could be an attractive part of your product lineup.

Here are some reasons why selling digital downloads may work for you:

You don't have to deal the logistics of inventory and shipping. If making daily visits for the post office sound like your own personal nightmare, electronic products are the best way to go.

There are 6 things to be aware of in deciding on the best place to sell digital downloads online

However, some software platforms take things up a notch with advanced options, which is why it's essential to consider which software is most aligned with what you want to accomplish for the present and into the future.

Moving your products from one tool to the next is the same as going to the dentist. You can avoid the toothache by picking the tool that you feel is manageable yet also offers room to grow.

For making the process a bit easier, here are some things to consider:

Accessibility:First and foremost, the platform which you are selling digital downloads needs to be easy to access to you as the creator.

Functions:You're a multifaceted creator and you could want to offer different types of digital goods later on. Be on the lookout for platforms that don't restrict what kind of file you're able to upload.

Customer SupportIf your situation is similar to two-thirds of customers  who are looking for answers to any support issues within ten minutes of asking them. Selecting a firm with excellent customer support could save you from frustrating delays in the future.

Transaction charges:Transaction fees are a fraction of the sale that the platform keeps. They typically amount to 1 and 10% of the total cost of the transaction. Certain platforms may also charge listing fees and credit card processing fees and can quickly grow with each transaction.

Cost:Finally, we have to calculate the figures. But cheaper isn't always the best option, as lower-cost platforms usually include higher costs and extra costs.

We now know the characteristics to be looking for, let's compare some well-known options and see the way they compare.

For instance, the creator Emily Connors makes use of her website to offer the free digital downloads as well as offer live cohorts, on-demand courses, and 1:1 coaching packages.

Best of all, has a free plan. You can build your website and manage your community online, and make a sale of one digital download as well as one coaching item for at no cost.

Want to see for yourself? Sign up for a free account today.

Here are the advantages for using

The no-cost plan lets you make your first sale of digital files with no huge initial investment.

You can sell any type of digital download with unlimitable file sizes.

While we may think it's amazing, not every software is right for everyone. Here are some reasons why might not be the best choice for you:

The world is digital therefore, if you're trying to offer physical goods, a platform like Shopify or Etsy may be a better choice.

highlights

Accessibility: 5 out five. The creator-facing dashboard is clear and simple to navigate. Through our customizable onboarding procedure along with step-by-step instructional videos, you'll be able to list your items within a few hours.

Functionality: 5/5. With it, you are able to sell documents in almost any format, and there's no restriction on the size of files. It's yours to bundle your goods or offer them additional products, and set the price according to your preferences.

Support Rating: 5/5. Have you had a chat with our support team? If not, then you must! Pop into the chat box at the bottom of the page and say hello. We provide the best, friendly, and speedy chat support in town.

Marketing 4.5 from 5. We designed our site to serve as the one-stop-shop for all your business needs, and marketing features make up a significant piece of that puzzle. Prelaunch and presell items, offer coupons and even build your own affiliate program straight out of the box.

I've taken half a percent off as we don't have a marketplace function although this isn't a requirement for every business as we help you build your own audience through our lead capture tools.

Fees for transactions: 4.5 out of 5. With , there no transaction costs with paid plans. Free plan users pay an 8percent transaction fee on sales.

It keeps the costs down when you're just starting out. And it's always possible to improve and reduce charges for transactions as your company grows.

As with most platforms, there's payment processing fees that are not associated with . Stripe or PayPal charges a basic transaction fee of 2.9% + 30C+ 30C. Also, we offer immediate payouts to creators so you can have access to your funds quickly.

Price: 's free plan includes a website, online community, a digital download, and one coaching product. Plans that are paid range from $39 -- $199/month.

Do you want to know more about how to run your business online using a platform like ? Join us for a live demo to check it out:

Shopify

Shopify is an online retailer and is a well-known name in the world of creators. Over 1.7 million organizations make use of Shopify for their online shops and the creators who use the platform have generated over $200 billion in sales.

The Shopify platform is well-known to sell physical items however, it is also possible to offer digital products. In recent years, Shopify has also added numerous international features to its e-commerce platform.

If you're a creator who wants to sell digital or physical products to customers all over the world, Shopify might be a great place to begin.

These are Shopify benefits:

Shopify comes with powerful marketing tools as well as integrations with various social media platforms.

Shopify is its own payment processor, Shopify Payments. It's easy to use and is included in the entire plan so that it's not necessary to connect with third-party processors if you do not want to.

Create beautiful website designs, with storefronts that can be customized and even storefronts.

And here are the Shopify negatives:

Shopify's primary focus is physical product sales. There are premium features you will not require if your business is only providing digital items.

If you don't use Shopify Payments, there are additional charges that are in addition to the monthly subscription price.

The fee structure, in general, is complex.

Shopify offers

Accessibility is 3/5. As Shopify was initially designed for the purpose of selling physical items, you'll need to take extra steps to sell digital downloads. The site has videos that will guide you through how to add your products using the Digital Downloads app, but it's not exactly the most user-friendly method.

Functionality: 3 out of 5. This time around, Shopify loses points because most of its functionality is designed for selling physical products.

When selling digital downloads, the maximum file size for sale is 5GB for each file. The seller can only offer one file per product variant, but it's possible to incorporate multiple variations, like diverse resolutions of images, or ebook formats. The product will require a ZIP file if you want to include multiple files in one product.

Support: 3 out of five. Shopify offers 24/7 chat support, 24/7 email assistance, as well as a forum that allows you to get assistance from other customers. There are many online reviews that have complained about slow responses for Support.

Marketing Five out of five. Shopify shines in their marketing capabilities. They offer a robust site builder, which lets you create your own storefront as well as create a blog.

The email marketing feature is built-in to ecommerce templates, and you can create gift cards, issue coupons as well as display authentic feedback from customers. They also integrate with social media websites.

Fees for transactions: 2.5 out of 5. The Shopify fees structure is complicated. It's hard to know exactly what your transaction and the processing fee for credit cards are for a purchase.

There's no transaction fee on payments via the Shopify Payments service. If you don't utilize Shopify Payments, there's a charge for transactions made through another third-party processor.

Additionally, if you use the major credit card, you'll be charged an additional fee for credit cards per purchase. The percentages vary based on which plan you select.

Basic Shopify:

The processing cost for credit card transactions: 2.9% + $0.30

Fee for transactions if you do not use Shopify Payments: 2%

Shopify:

The processing cost for credit card transactions: 2.6% + $0.30

Transaction fee if not using Shopify Payments: 1%

Advanced Shopify:

The processing cost for credit card transactions: 2.4% + $0.30

Transaction fee if not using Shopify Payments: 0.5%

Price: $29 -- $299/month. Shopify offers three plans. Pay the monthly fee as well as the fees mentioned above.

Etsy

Many shoppers use Etsy to buy exclusive and unique merchandise. Etsy is well-known as the site to purchase custom as well as vintage and unique items created by individuals and small companies.

Etsy receives nearly 400 million monthly visitors  this is a lot of eyeballs on your products. They also have a robust marketplace that allows you to sell your products and get discovered by new buyers.

The positive side is:

Etsy is a well-known brand name, which will instil trust among customers.

On your shop page, you can divide your products in categories to facilitate organization and easy access.

Etsy offers a user-friendly seller dashboard where you can get reviews, contact customers, design coupons and even offer discounts.

It's a great place to sell things like templates, presets, artwork as well as vectors, fonts and other creative works.

The other side is:

Etsy is designed to allow sellers to sell physical items and digital products. Be sure to state clearly on your listing that the merchandise is digital, to avoid confusion.

While being listed in Etsy's marketplace Etsy marketplace is a nice bonus, it's also a lot of competition, and products in popular categories could get hidden.

Etsy offers

Accessibility The rating is 4/5. Etsy has adjusted to the digital product space well. The process of setting up an store in a matter of hours, and adding products is as simple as filling in a description form, uploading your product images and then adding them to the site clicking the"publish" button.

Functionality 3.0 out of 5. With Etsy it is possible to sell various kinds of files, however it is only possible to upload five files per product. There is a limit of 20 MB for each document, this may restrict some creators.

Support 3.0 out five. One thing is that Etsy offers a fantastic creator community that allows you to ask questions. Sellers can also access comprehensive help materials as well as a guide for sellers.

However, Etsy support is only contactable via the email. At present, they have a 1-2 day turnaround time however, this isn't ideal for requests that are urgent.

Marketing Rating: 4/5. Etsy has some attractive marketing features for sellers. While other platforms may offer the ability to sell on a market, none of them have the reach of Etsy.

The competition can be fierce However, you can drive serious traffic to your website and products. In fact, there are even third-party keyword research tools which are specifically designed to cater to Etsy searches. Etsy also has optional advertising for sellers.

Transaction fees 2/5. There are a few fees to know about when selling your products on Etsy. First, you'll pay the $0.20 cost for listing each item in your shop. Every listing will be active for four months or until it is sold.

When you sell a product and you pay for a 5 per cent transaction fee in addition to a 3% + $0.25 payment processing cost.

Price 10 dollars per month for free. Setting up an Etsy shop is free, however, it will cost $0.20 to sell the product and extra transaction costs.

Simple Digital Downloads

It's specially designed to sell digital products, but it needs some additional lifting in order to provide the same capabilities like the other options on this list.

The upside is:

EDD is an excellent choice if you have an WordPress website , and you want to maintain your products in the WordPress community.

This can also be a perfect fit for people who want more advanced customizations. However, keep in mind that you'll need to be comfortable writing code and working with.

On the downside:

For all the functions you require to market digital downloads you'll have add extensions or connections to other software.

The additional extensions and integrations might have their own costs as well as technical problems.

Simple Digital Downloads comes with features

Accessibility: 3 out of 5. If you're familiar using WordPress and have already uploaded plugins in the past, setting up EDD will be business like normal. If you've never used WordPress, this wouldn't be the ideal tool, as you'd have to learn two new interfaces.

Functionality Quality: 3 out of five. In EDD the ability to sell any type of file that you upload onto WordPress. It gives you a broad range, but be mindful of your bandwidth on your host when you plan to market large items.

We've already mentioned that EDD is able to be integrated with additional tools developed by third-party companies for greater features. It's extremely customizable, however, managing multiple systems is complicated.

Essentially, it's best for someone who wants to build and maintain their own setup for selling. Building blocks can be useful but the real question is: do you want to do the building?

Support: 2 out 5. EDD offers customer support through a ticket system, and there's no live chat. Priority customer support is available on higher-tiered plans.

One thing to keep in mind is that, if you encounter issues with your integration, you may need to reach out to their support team in addition. It can result in frustrating and tense conversations.

Marketing: 2.5 out of 5. Out of the box, EDD offers coupons and discounts. It also has a an excellent shopping cart function.

With extensions, you are able to expand your marketing tools by including affiliates, emails, star reviews Cross-selling, upselling and cross-selling However, some of these integrations will only be offered on premium plans.

In the beginning, you'll have to create a WordPress website, which comes with hosting and domain charges. There are also fees associated with the premium integrations that you intend to use.

Cost of $999 per year. The base EDD plugin is completely free. If you'd like more tools however, you'll need to buy them separately and upgrade to a more expensive plan to gain full-features.

Gumroad

Gumroad is an online platform on which creators sell digital downloads of all dimensions and shapes. In the last decade, Gumroad creators have collectively earned over $500 million selling online-based goods.

It's user-friendly and is a favorite choice for creators But is it your best option? Let's dive into the pros and cons.

This is the place where Gumroad excels:

Gumroad is a simple way to get started, and you can sell almost any type of product imaginable, including physical items if you choose.

It's free for everyone to use; you'll only be charged transaction fees when you sell. This is great if still on the fence about selling digital goods and would like to experiment before committing to a paid instrument.

Creators have access to Gumroad Discover, a marketplace where prospective buyers can search for your items.

Here are a few Gumroad cons:

There's a limited amount of customization options on your product pages as well as checkout pages. It's not easy to design an ordinary sales page and there's no website builder.

Although it's free to sign upfor the service, you'll be charged a high amount on each sale. This can be fine when beginning out, but as you scale your business, it can eat away at your earnings.

Gumroad includes

Accessibility Ease of entry: 4/5. Making your product available on Gumroad is simple and easy. You can publish your first listing in just a few minutes, and you'll have everything you need to begin selling.

Function: 4.5 out of 5. With Gumroad, you can sell physical and digital products, as well as, memberships, product variations as well as rentals. You can also choose a release date for your product, sell the keys to license if selling software, and make subscriptions available for sale.

If you purchase paid-for products There's a size limit of 16GB. For free products, the file size limit is 250 MB. Every product is able to include as many files as you'd like.

Support: 2.5 five out of 5. Gumroad's library is filled with helpful articles and videos. The company has lost points due to neither live chat nor telephone support. The ideal option to reach them with specific questions is to use their contact form.

Marketing Four out of five. Marketing: 4 out of 5. Gumroad's affiliate program shines. If you are planning to utilize affiliate marketing to promote your products, Gumroad lets you set the affiliate marketing system for you at no cost with their easy-to-use method.

Gumroad offers a variety of integrations that allow you to connect your email marketing tools, as well as a Zapier integration.

Transaction charges: 2.5 out of 5. With transaction fees ranging between 9% and 2.9 percent in this area, it is in which Gumroad loses the most points. It is true that the cost of transactions is lower when you make more sales, but 9% is quite high for the new creators. Also, you have to have to pay the $0.30 charge for every purchase.

Gumroad provides weekly payments as the amount you've crossed the $10,000 USD minimum.

Cost: No and Fees. There's no recurring monthly price, but the fees for transactions will be depending on the number of per-year sales.

What should you look out for before deciding on where to sell digital downloads

All creators are unique. It's why it's good to have choices when choosing the software that will run your business.

With a reliable and secure digital download service on your support, you'll soon be on your way to a more well-rounded product line and endless earning potential.