We are in the era of digitalization, where it’s never been easier to create an online business from scratch and coast along the road to financial freedom.
One of the quickest and simplest ways to achieve this is through creating a passive revenue stream – which you can do by selling digital downloads. Whether you already have a brilliantly niche idea for a digital product or you’re simply dipping your toes in the digital marketplace, anyone can learn how to successfully sell digital downloads.
One of the most important decisions you’ll make when building your online business is determining where to sell digital downloads… the platform you choose will impact how you market your digital products, your exposure to your target audience, and the amount of sales you make.
In this comprehensive guide, you’ll learn where to sell digital downloads online, the best platforms for selling digital downloads, and where to sell digital downloads besides Etsy so you can maximize your sales potential.
Ready to find the perfect platform to showcase your digital downloads? Let’s get started:
- Why should you sell digital downloads?
- Popular digital downloads categories
- Importance of choosing the right platform
- Factors to consider when choosing a platform
- Audience and niche focus
- Pricing and fees
- Features and customization options
- Best platforms for selling digital downloads
- Alternative marketplaces for digital downloads
- Key takeaways
- FAQs
Related: What is a Digital Product: Understanding the Basics for 2024
Why should you sell digital downloads?
In the digital eCommerce market, the number of users is expected to amount to a whopping 4.79 billion by 2028. The demand for digital products is only increasing, so it’s time to meet consumers where they are already at.
Selling digital downloads is the best way to break into the digital commerce market as there is minimal investment with overhead and production costs, if any. Digital downloads can be relatively quick to create and simple to distribute – all you need is knowledge in your niche area, the means to create an excellent product, and a platform to market and sell your digital downloads on.
Remember, that when creating digital downloads (and any digital product) make sure they avoid copyright infringement and abide by copyright protection policies. It’s a good practice to regularly go over any legal considerations when creating your own unique digital downloads.
With few barriers to entry, selling digital downloads online is an enticing way to make money either as your full-time gig or as a lucrative side-hustle.
Here is a list of some of the most popular digital download categories that are trending now. Our pro tip is to choose a category that you’re interested in and get super specific on your niche area of expertise within that category. This will help you stand out against your competitors and therefore increase the demand for your product.
Top digital download categories:
- Online courses and ebooks
- PDF files and guides
- Software and web-based applications
- Digital art (fonts, graphics, photography, and videos)
- Templates, spreadsheets, and planners
These categories are only the tip of the iceberg. For example, if your niche is travel you can sell travel guides or packing checklists that people can download for their upcoming trip. There are thousands of possibilities for digital downloads that you can sell within these categories – simply choose something you’re passionate about and start conducting market research for your product.
Now that we’ve touched on some of the digital downloads you can sell online, let’s address the elephant in the room: where to sell digital downloads.
This is one of the most important steps in creating your online business, as choosing how and where to sell digital downloads will set your business up for success in the long run. You’ll want to make sure you have a reliable hosting site that is both secure and well-managed, and that it accommodates your business-specific needs.
Choosing where to sell your digital downloads will also determine whether you need to put more effort into marketing and attracting customers to your products or if you want a platform with a built-in user base such as Etsy (there are pros and cons to both, which we will touch on more later).
Lots of small business owners gravitate towards digital marketplaces, which is an eCommerce site where multiple sellers can list their digital products for sale. These sites host a range of niche product categories that cater to different interests. On the other end of the spectrum there are self-hosted platforms that give you more control over the layout and features you can offer, however without the built-in audience.
Next we’ll dive into some key considerations to take into account when looking at where to sell digital downloads online. If you are looking at where to sell digital downloads besides Etsy, we’ll also break down the best alternative marketplaces.
Related: Selling Digital Products on Etsy: A Comprehensive Guide to Digital Success
Factors to consider when choosing a platform
To maximize your sales potential from selling digital downloads, carefully think about what your business needs now and in the future in order to successfully grow over time.
Consider these key factors when choosing the best platform for selling digital downloads:
With an online marketplace that has a pre-existing audience, you’ll have access to a TON of customers looking for digital downloads in your niche area. This is a huge plus, as it means that you don’t have to drive customers to your site as you would with a self-hosted platform.
Keep in mind that while you may not have to drive customers to your products with an online marketplace, you’ll still want to market your digital downloads with SEO and keyword research to stand out from your competitors. Some marketplaces provide more marketing exposure for an extra cost.
To gain exposure and therefore sales with your own platform, you’ll want to build up an audience for your digital downloads through social media marketing with platforms like Instagram and TikTok. Our pro tip is to conduct audience market research to find out how you can hook and reel in loyal customers.
If you choose to sell your digital downloads on an online marketplace, you’ll typically need to pay a fee to list your products. Once you’ve listed your products, there may also be transaction fees and payment processing fees – on top of payment gateway fees – to be wary of, as these can add up. You’ll also receive payouts on the marketplace’s timeline instead of your own.
One of the perks of having your own website or self-hosted platform is that you get to keep 100% of the profits you earn. While there is still a cost for running your own site, this fee is usually a lot lower in the long run once you drive up sales.
Established online marketplaces like Amazon and Etsy typically don’t offer many features or customization options for businesses to play around with – you’ll have to follow their branding and guidelines. This can be great if you don’t want to spend a lot of time designing an online storefront.
Having your own website will grant you the freedom to be as creative as you’d like with your digital product store. Platforms that help you create your own website, such as Thinkific, will often have drag-and-drop templates that you can use to create a professional landing page for your digital downloads quickly.
Get your free business plan guide and template for your digital product business!Free Digital Product Business Plan Guide and Template
Look out for self-hosted platforms that include built-in marketing and eCommerce features that help streamline the process of selling and promoting digital products. All-in-one platforms where you can create, market, and sell your digital downloads with different apps and tools will allow you to efficiently grow and scale your online business without any hassle.
Related:
Best platforms for selling digital downloads
Now that you know what to expect or look for in an online marketplace or self-hosted website, let’s dive right into the best platforms out there for selling digital downloads.
We’ll provide options for where to sell digital downloads besides Etsy and compare the best platforms for selling digital downloads, so that you can choose the right one for your business.
| Platform | Pros | Cons |
| Gumroad |
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| Shopify |
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| Sellfy |
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| Payhip |
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| Thinkific |
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| Redbubble |
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| Creative Market |
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| Easy Digital Downloads |
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| SendOwl |
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| Teachable |
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Gumroad was created to help creators just getting started in the digital product space experiment with different ideas and formats.
With gumroad, you’ll have access to an existing marketplace that is steadily growing. They also offer multiple creator resources for those looking for more inspiration. Not only can you sell digital downloads, but you can also sell memberships, SaaS subscriptions, and almost any other product using Gumroad.
Since Gumroad has a built-in user base, there are limited customization options. However, they don’t have any monthly charges and take a flat rate of 10% off of each sale.
Shopify is one of the most popular eCommerce platforms, offering some of the best features (such as free plug-ins) for customizing your storefront. You have the freedom to design your page exactly how you want, or choose from one of Shopify’s ready made templates.
Shopify’s most basic plan for solo entrepreneurs starts out at $37/month, however they do offer a very generous free trial where you receive one month for $1.
Sellfy is a hosting platform that offers all the features you need in one tool. You have the freedom to sell your digital downloads however you want – you can create your own storefront (using your own domain) or embed Sellfy’s cart on your preferred platform.
Sellfy is highly customizable with built-in marketing tools. Everything is included in this platform, making it a desirable choice when deciding where to sell digital downloads. They offer a 14-day free trial for creators looking to try it out.
Payhip is another great option that’s simple and straightforward for those just starting to sell digital downloads. It’s an all-in-one platform where you can start, scale, and manage all of your business needs.
You can create your store the way you want, whether that is customizing your own website and domain or embedding Payhip’s feature onto another website.
Payhip has a solid pricing structure with a free forever plan, only taking 5% of each transaction (you will still need to pay Stripe/Paypal transaction fees). Their transaction fee goes all the way down to zero with their different pricing options.
Thinkific (hey, that’s us!) makes it easy to create and maximize your earning potential and get results fast with Digital Downloads on Thinkific. You can offer anything from eBooks, guides, templates, and more to attract new leads, engage new audiences, and quickly boost your revenue.
This is a great all-in-one platform where you can sell digital downloads as standalone products or as add-ons to your existing offerings. You can also use the power of AI to create customizable landing pages that highlight your unique genius and naturally sell your digital downloads, with no marketing expertise required.
Thinkific will help you diversify your income streams and earn more money – with less effort. With no transaction fees on any plan, the Basic plan starts at $36/month and includes a variety of different features.
Alternative marketplaces for digital downloads
The above platforms are some of the most popular places to sell any kind of digital download. We have also created a list of equally great platforms that are more niche and specific to the type of digital download you are selling.
Redbubble is a global marketplace where you can upload and sell your original designs for print-on-demand. While not technically a digital download, it’s the same concept for artists who want to showcase their talents.
Redbubble has an extensive product catalog of over 70 products – from clothing to wall art to masks and mugs – along with 40 million monthly site visitors.
They’ve introduced account tiers based on the design you upload, and their platform is free with no upfront costs.
Creative Market allows you to open up a shop in their existing marketplace with a built-in audience, and supports a wide range of unique, niche digital products. From custom fonts to graphics, templates, and themes, you can sell any type of digital download and gain access to a community of loyal customers.
While there are no initial setup fees, Creative Market charges 40% in transaction fees.
Easy Digital Downloads provides a reliable and customizable platform that powers online stores all over the world. It’s the best digital eCommerce plugin for WordPress, and creators can sell eBooks, plugins, images, along with any type of digital file. This platform also has a huge variety of integrations and powerful analytic tools to help grow your small business.
Personal plans start at $99/year that come with a range of different features. They also offer other paid plans to suit all your business needs.
SendOwl is one of the easiest platforms for beginners, and offers a wide range of features that make them stand out from other marketplaces. You can sell your digital downloads from anywhere, whether it’s your own website, through social media, payment links, and more. They offer features such as ‘pay-what-you-want’ pricing and ‘tip jar,’ while helping you increase orders and convert more sales. They also prioritize making sure your content is safe and secure.
SendOwl is unique as they are based in the cloud, and not on your server like other eCommerce softwares. Their pricing plan starts at $18/month, although they offer a seven day free trial and then $1/month for two months.
Teachable is a large marketplace that allows creators to sell their online courses and educational content. They offer a ton of customizable tools and themes for you to easily create and sell a wide range of digital downloads.
Teachable has a generous free plan where it’s $1 plus a 10% transaction fee for each sale. They also offer other monthly plans with lower transaction fees that include more features and tools.
Related: 11 Best Gumroad Alternatives for Selling Your Digital Products
Key takeaways
Creating and selling digital downloads is easier than you may think – it all comes down to picking the best platform to call home for your digital products.
Choosing between an existing marketplace or your own self-hosted platform will determine how you create, market, and sell your digital downloads, so choose wisely! We recommend trying out all of the free plans or free trials above and then pick the platform that best suits your business needs.
Ready to start creating digital downloads? Try Thinkific for free today.
FAQs
Do I need to pay to list my digital downloads on these platforms?
Many of the platforms listed above offer free listings, however some charge transaction fees. Make sure to thoroughly review the pricing/fee structures of each platform before choosing one.
Can I sell different types of digital downloads on these platforms?
Yes, absolutely! Most platforms support various types of digital downloads, including ebooks, music, artwork, templates, and more. Some platforms cater to more niche types of digital products, such as online courses. Ensure that your platform is compatible with your products before committing to one.
How do I receive payments from sales?
Payments are typically processed through the platform’s payment system or an integration, such as Paypal or Stripe (platforms will specify if they support this). Earnings are transferred to your designated bank account or payment processor account according to the platform’s payout schedule.
Can I sell digital downloads internationally?
Yes, most platforms support international sales. This allows you to market your digital downloads to a global audience. However, be aware of any additional tax or legal implications associated with selling digital products in different countries.
Can I sell exclusive rights to my digital downloads?
Some platforms may offer options for selling exclusive rights or licenses to your digital downloads. Be sure to check the platform’s licensing options and terms to understand your rights as a seller.
