6 best options and features to sell digital downloads online

Find the most important features to sell digital downloads on the internet. This guide covers what to look for and the most popular websites to sell digital downloads.

The most effective ways to sell digital downloads to various types of creators

In determining where to market digital downloads, be sure to choose tools that offer ease of entry, functionality, support, marketing features, minimal fees, and reasonable prices.

• Shopify and Etsy were designed to allow you to sell physical items, but they allow the sale of digital downloads too. Their digital product selling options are more limited.
• Gumroad has a wide range of functions, it allows the sale of a wide range of different types of files with no annual fees. But the catch is that Gumroad charges high transaction costs per sale.
• Easy Digital Downloads is a WordPress plugin that lets you offer products on your site. Even though it's free to use, you'll likely need extensions and integrations.
• It is simple to setup it is easy to set up and lets you sell any type of file without limitations. There are advanced marketing features built into the platform, and we provide excellent support - or that's what our clients say about us.

When I launched my very first download digitally, I was thinking that the most difficult aspect would be turning the contents of my brain into a quality product that would actually be wanted by people who bought it.

We wouldn't like that for you.

There are numerous places you can sell digital downloads nowadays, however, deciding which software is best to sell your goods is a matter of a timesink.

Why should you sell digital downloads?

Digital downloads include files which are available through the web. If you are a creator digital downloads are a lucrative component of your portfolio.

Here are some reasons why selling digital downloads could make sense for you:

There is no need to worry with inventory or shipping. If making daily visits for the post office sound like your nightmare digital products are the way to go.

Six aspects to consider when you are deciding where to market digital downloads on the internet

However, some software platforms take things to the next level with sophisticated capabilities, and it's crucial to consider which software best aligns with the goals you hope to create as of today, and also in the near future.

Let's face it: migrating your products from one tool to another can be the same as going to the dentist. You can avoid suffering from toothache by selecting the tool that you feel is manageable and also allows you the room to grow.

In order to make the decision a bit easier, here are some things to consider:

Easy of EntryFirst and foremost, the website which you are selling digital downloads must be simple to use for you , as the creator.

Functions:You're a multifaceted creator So you may want to offer different types of digital items later on. Keep an eye out for platforms that don't restrict what kind of file that you upload.

Customer SupportIf your situation is similar to two-thirds of customers , you expect responses to support queries within ten minutes of asking the question. Selecting a business with great customer support could save you from frustrating delays later on.

Transaction charges:Transaction fees are a fraction of the purchase that the platform makes. They typically amount to 1-10% of the total cost of the transaction. Some platforms also add listing charges as well as processing fees for credit cards, which can really grow with each transaction.

Price:Finally, we have to calculate the figures. However, cheaper doesn't mean better since lower-cost platforms typically come with higher charges and extra costs.

Now that we know what features to look for, let's take a look at the most well-known options and see how they stack up.

For instance, the creator Emily Conners utilizes her website to offer free digital downloads and sell live cohort programs, on-demand courses, and one-on-one coaching programs.

Best of all, has the option of a no-cost plan. You can create your site and manage your community online and also make a sale of one digital download and one coaching program for free.

Are you ready to experience it for yourself? Sign up for a free account today.

These are some of the benefits of using :

The no-cost plan makes it easy to sell your first digital download without a huge upfront investment.

It is possible to sell any kind of digital download that has unlimited file sizes.

Although we believe it is an amazing program, it is not the case that every software can be right for everybody. Here are some reasons why might not be the best option for you.

Digital is the norm, so if you want to offer physical goods using a platform such as Shopify or Etsy could be the best fit.

highlights

Ease of entry: 5 out five. The creator-facing dashboard on the right is simple and clean to navigate. Through our customizable onboarding procedure and step-by-step instruction videos, you'll be able to list your items within a few seconds.

The functionality is 5 out of 5. With , you can sell documents in almost any type of format and there's no limitation on file sizes. You're free to bundle your products or offer them additional products, and set the price according to your preferences.

Support Five stars out of five. Have you met our support team yet? If not, you should! Go to the chatbox at the bottom of the page and introduce yourself. We have the most helpful, friendly, and speedy chat support in town.

Marketing 4.5 from 5. Our goal was to create a one-stop shop for all the needs of your company and features for marketing make up a significant piece of that puzzle. It is possible to prelaunch and sell products, distribute coupons or even create your own affiliate program from the box.

I've taken a half point off since we don't offer a marketplace feature although this isn't a requirement for every company as we make it easy to create your own fan base using our lead capture tools.

Transaction fees: 4.5 out of 5. With , there no transaction costs with paid plans. Users who are on a free plan pay an average of 8% in transaction fees on sales.

This keeps costs low when beginning your business, but you'll always have the option to upgrade and remove the transaction fee as your business grows.

Like most platforms, there's payment processor fees that are unassociated with . Stripe or PayPal charges a basic transaction cost of 2.9% + 30Cor. Additionally, we provide instant payments to creators so you can get your cash fast.

Cost: 's free plan comes with a website, an online community, one digital download, as well as a coaching program. Paid plans range from $39.90 to $199.99/month.

Are you interested in learning more about running your business online using a platform like ? Join us for an interactive live demonstration to test it out.

Shopify

Shopify is an e-commerce giant as well as a household name within the world of creators. Over 1.7 million businesses use Shopify for their online shops and its creators on Shopify have made more than $200 billion in sales.

The Shopify platform is well-known in the world of selling physical products however, it is also possible to sell digital products. Recently, Shopify has also added numerous international features to its e-commerce platform.

If you're a creator who wants to sell digital or physical items to buyers around the world, Shopify might be a good place to start.

Below are some of the Shopify pros:

Shopify comes with powerful marketing tools and integrates seamlessly with various social media platforms.

Shopify has their own processor for payments, Shopify Payments. It's simple to use and is included in all plans, so you do not have to join with third-party processors when you do not want to.

You can create beautiful web pages, storefronts that are customizable and beautiful.

And here are the Shopify cons:

Shopify is oriented toward physical product sales. There are premium features you won't need if you're only offering digital products.

If you do not use Shopify Payments, there are additional charges that are that are in addition to your month-long subscription cost.

The fee structure can be described as complicated.

Shopify offers

Ease of entry: 3 out of 5. As Shopify was initially designed for selling physical products, you'll need to take more steps to market digital downloads. They have videos that walk you through how to add your products through the Digital Downloads app, but it's not the easiest system.

Functionality 3/5. Again, Shopify loses points because most of its functionality is designed for selling physical products.

To sell digital downloads the maximum size of the file is 5GB for each file. You can only sell one file per product variant However, you can incorporate multiple variations, like different image resolutions and ebook formats. You'll need to use a ZIP file if you want to include multiple files in a single product.

Support: 3 out of five. Shopify provides 24/7 chat support, email help, and a support community in which you can seek help from other users. However, many reviews online mention slow response times for Support.

Marketing 5/5/5. Shopify is a standout in the marketing department. The plans they offer include a great web-based builder that lets you set up your storefront and create a blog.

There's built-in email marketing with eCommerce templates. Additionally, you can create gift cards, issue coupons and show real-life feedback from customers. The software also connects with social media platforms.

Transaction fees: 2.5 out of 5. The Shopify fee structure is complex. It's hard to know exactly how much your transaction as well as charges for processing credit cards are on purchases.

There's no transaction fee for transactions made via the Shopify Payments platform. But if you don't use Shopify Payments, there's a charge for transactions made through an external payment processor.

If you also accept large credit cards you'll pay a credit card fee per purchase. The amount of these percentages will change depending on which plan you select.

Basic Shopify:

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

Charge for transaction if you don't use Shopify Payments 2.2%

Shopify:

Processing fee for credit cards: 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

Charge for transaction if you don't use Shopify Payments: 0.5%

Price: $29 -- $299/month. Shopify offers three plans. You'll pay the monthly rate plus the costs mentioned below.

Etsy

Millions of shoppers turn to Etsy for exclusive and unique items. Etsy is known for being the place to buy custom, vintage, and quirky merchandise created by creators as well as small-scale businesses.

Etsy receives nearly 400 million monthly visitors , which is an enormous amount of attention on your products. They also have a robust marketplace that allows you to sell your goods and be noticed by prospective customers.

On the plus side:

Etsy is an established brand that helps to build trust with consumers.

Your shop's page is where you can divide your products in categories to facilitate organization and discoverability.

Etsy has an intuitive seller dashboard that lets you receive reviews, message customers, create coupons, and offer discount codes.

It's a great location to market items such as art, templates, presets and vectors, fonts, and creative pieces.

The other side is:

Etsy is designed to allow sellers to sell physical items in addition to digital ones. It is important to specify in your ads that your merchandise is digital, to avoid confusion.

While being listed in Etsy's marketplace Etsy marketplace can be a great benefit, it's not without competitors, and items with a lot of popularity could be lost.

Etsy features

Accessibility: 4 out of 5. Etsy has adjusted to the world of digital products very well. You can set up your shop within a couple of hours and adding items can be as easy as filling out the description form by uploading images for your items by dragging the images onto the website, then pressing the publish button.

Functionality 3/5. On Etsy it is possible to sell many different kinds of files, however it is only possible to upload up to five files per item. There is a limit of 20 MB for each file, this might limit some artists.

Support 3.0 out of 5. One thing is that Etsy offers a fantastic user community for creators where you can inquire about issues. Sellers can also access extensive help documentation as well as a handbook for sellers.

However, Etsy support is only accessible via emails. There's currently an average turnaround of 1-2 days however, this isn't ideal for requests that are urgent.

Marketing Rating: 4/5. Etsy has some attractive marketing features for sellers. While some platforms could offer a marketplace, none have the reach of Etsy.

There is a lot of competition, but it's possible to bring in serious customers to your products. Actually, there are third-party keyword research tools which are specifically designed to cater to Etsy searches. Etsy additionally offers the option of advertising available to sellers.

Transaction fees: 2 out of 5. There are a few fees to know about when selling your products on Etsy. The first is an $0.20 listing fee for each item you list in your shop. Every listing will be active for a period of four months or until it's sold.

If you're selling a product, you'll pay a 5 percent transaction fee, along with a% + $0.25 payment processing fee.

Price 10 dollars per month for free. Setting up the Etsy shop is absolutely free however, it will cost $0.20 to list the product and additional transaction fees.

Simple Digital Downloads

It's specially designed to sell digital goods, however it will require some work to achieve the same functions as some of the other options on this list.

On the upside:

EDD is an excellent alternative if you already own an existing WordPress website , and you want to maintain your products within the WordPress environment.

It's also a great choice for users who need more advanced customizations. However, keep in mind that you'll need to have a good understanding of writing code and working with.

To the negative:

In order to get the features you require to market digital downloads you'll have to make use of extensions as well as integrations with other products.

Additional enhancements and integrations may have their own costs as well as technical problems.

Easy Digital Downloads feature

Ease of entry 3.5% ease of entry. If you're familiar using WordPress and have uploaded plugins in the past the process of setting up EDD will go just like usual. If you've never worked with WordPress, this wouldn't be the most effective tool as you'll be required to learn two brand new interfaces.

Functionality: 3 out of five. With EDD the ability to sell any file you can upload onto WordPress. This gives you a wide choice, however, be aware of the bandwidth you use for your website if you intend to offer large-scale products.

As we've mentioned, EDD can be connected with third-party tools for more features. It's highly customizable, but managing multiple systems is difficult.

In essence, this is the best option for someone who wants to construct and run their own sales setup. The building blocks are good however the issue is would you like to build the building?

Support: 2 5. EDD offers customer support through an online ticketing system. However, there's no live chat. Priority support is only available on higher-tiered plans.

A different thing to think about is that, if you encounter issues with your integration, you might need to contact their support also. This can lead to frustrating back-and-forth conversations.

Marketing: 2.5 out of 5. In the box, EDD offers coupons and discounts. They also have a the ability to shop online.

By utilizing extensions, you'll be able to extend your marketing options by including affiliates, emails review, star reviews, cross-selling, and upselling However, some of these features are only accessible on plans with higher tiers.

The first step is to set up an existing WordPress site, which is provided with domain and hosting charges. You'll also have fees for any integrations with premium pricing you want to use.

Price: Free -- $999/year. The basic EDD plugin is free. If you'd like to add more features however, you'll need to pay for them separately and upgrade to a premium package to get all the features.

Gumroad

Gumroad is a platform where creators can sell digital downloads of all sizes and shapes. Since its inception Gumroad's creators have achieved over $500 million in revenue from online-based products.

It's user-friendly and is a favorite choice for creators, but is it the right choice for you? We'll look at the pros and cons.

This is an area where Gumroad shines:

Gumroad makes it easy to start with selling pretty much any kind of item you can think of, even physical goods if you choose.

The service is free to everyone to use; you'll only be charged transaction charges if you make a sale. This is nice if you're not sure about selling digital goods and would like to experiment before committing to using a premium tool.

Creators have access to Gumroad Discover an online marketplace in which potential customers are able to find your items.

Here are some Gumroad cons:

The customization options aren't as extensive for your product pages and checkout pages. It's tough to create a traditional sales page, and there's no website builder.

While it might be free to sign upfor the service, you'll be charged a high amount for each transaction. This can be fine when just starting out but when you get bigger, it could seriously reduce your income.

Gumroad has

Easy to use: 4 out of 5. Setting up products on Gumroad is simple and easy. It's possible to publish your first product in a matter of seconds, and then you'll be ready to start selling.

The functionality: 4.5 out of 5. With Gumroad, you can sell physical and digital products, as well as such as memberships, variations of products rental and variations. Additionally, you can choose a release date for your items, provide license keys if you're selling software, or sell subscriptions.

In the case of paid items the file size limit of 16GB. For free products, the file size limit is 250MB. The product may contain any number of files that you want.

Support: 2.5 out of 5. Gumroad's library is filled with helpful articles and videos. The company has lost points due to no live chat or telephone support. The ideal way to get in touch with specific questions is to use their contact form.

Marketing Four out of five. In the marketing department, Gumroad's affiliate system shines. If you're planning to implement affiliate marketing to promote your products, Gumroad lets you set the affiliate marketing system for you at no cost by using their straightforward method.

Gumroad also has a handful of integrations that allow you to connect your email marketing tools along with an integration with Zapier.

Transaction fees: 2.5 out of 5. With transaction fees ranging from 9% to 2.9 percent and up, this is the part that Gumroad loses the most points. The transaction fee rate is lower when you make more sales, but 9% is an expensive price for younger creators. You also have to pay a $0.30 fee on each purchase.

Gumroad offers weekly cash payouts so when you've reached a minimum of $10 USD.

Cost: No plus fees. There's no recurring monthly cost, however, the fees for transactions will be depending on the number of annual transactions.

What to look for when deciding where to sell digital downloads

All creators are unique. It's why it's good to be able to choose what software will power your enterprise.

With a reliable digital download service on your side, you'll get to an expanded product range as well as endless earnings potential.