Six of the best platforms and features for selling digital downloads

Discover must-have features for selling digital downloads on the internet. This article explains what features to find and the most popular platforms to sell digital downloads.

TL;DR: The best marketplaces for selling digital downloads that cater to different kinds of creators

In determining where to market digital downloads, be sure to choose an application that is easy access, function, support, marketing features with minimal costs, as well as reasonably priced prices.

• Shopify and Etsy were designed to allow you to sell physical goods but allow the sale of digital downloads as well. The selling of digital products may be less limiting.
• Gumroad offers robust features, and allows you to sell a variety of types of data without fee recurring. However, they charge high transaction fees on each sale.
• Easy Digital Downloads is a WordPress plugin where you can sell your products directly from your site. Although it's completely free to use however, you'll probably need extensions and integrations.
• It's easy to establish it is easy to set up and lets you sell any type of files without any limitations. It has advanced marketing capabilities built into the platform, as well as our customer service and fast - at least that's what our clients say about us.

Before launching my first digital download I was thinking that the most difficult aspect would be turning the thoughts of my mind into an effective product would actually be wanted by people who bought it.

We don't want that to happen to you.

There are many places where you can sell digital downloads nowadays, however, deciding the best software for your products can be a timesink.

What are the reasons to sell digital downloads?

Digital downloads are the files that can be purchased on the internet. If you are a creator digital downloads could be an attractive element of your offering.

There are a few reasons selling digital downloads could make sense for you:

You don't have to deal with inventory or shipping. If your daily trip at the postoffice sound like your nightmare digital solutions are the best option to go.

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

But some platforms kick things up a notch with advanced features, so it's important to determine which platform best aligns with the goals you're hoping to achieve as of today, and also in the future.

Moving your items from one platform to another is about as fun as a trip to the dentist. Save your future self from pain by choosing an instrument that is easy to use yet also offers an opportunity to grow.

To make deciding a little simpler, here are a few features you should look for:

Accessibility:First and foremost, the platform which you are selling digital downloads should be easy to work with for you as the creator.

Functionality:You're a multifaceted creator So you may be tempted to provide different kinds of digital items in the future. Be on the lookout for platforms that don't restrict the kinds of files that you upload.

Customer SupportIf your situation is similar to more than two thirds of users  are, then you're expecting answers to your support questions within ten minutes of asking the question. Picking a company with excellent support for customers can save your from a frustrating delay later on.

Fees for transactions:Transaction fees are a fraction of the transaction that the platform retains. The fees typically range from 1-10% of the overall transaction price. Some platforms also charge listing fees as well as credit card processing charges that can add up with each sale.

Price:Finally, we have to analyze the numbers. It's true that cheaper may not be the best option, as lower-cost platforms usually come with higher charges and hidden costs.

Once we've identified the features to look for, let's compare some popular options to see how they stack up.

For example, creator Emily Conners makes use of her website to provide free digital downloads , and to sell live cohort programs or on-demand classes, along with 1-on-1 coaching packages.

The best part is that it comes with a free plan. It allows you to build your own website and manage your community online, and offer one download digital and one coaching program for free.

Want to see for yourself? Create your free account now.

Here are the advantages to using :

The plan for free makes it easy to offer your first digital download with no huge initial cost.

It is possible to sell any kind of digital download, with unlimitable file sizes.

Even though we think is pretty awesome, no software will be suitable for all. There are a few reasons that could not be the ideal selection for you.

We're digital all the way, so if you want to offer physical goods using a platform such as Shopify or Etsy could be the best fit.

highlights

Easy to enter: 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 out of 5. With , you can sell files in virtually any type of format and there's no limitation on file sizes. You are free to bundle your goods, offer them as an upsell, and charge them however you please.

Support Five stars out of five. Have you had a chat with our support team? If not, it's time to do so! Pop into the chat box located at the bottom of the page and introduce yourself. We have the most helpful quick, helpful, and friendly chat service in town.

Marketing 4.5 five stars. We designed our site to serve as the one-stop-shop for all your business needs, and marketing features are an important piece of that puzzle. You can prelaunch and presell products, distribute coupons and even build your own affiliate program from the box.

I've shaved half of a percentage off because we do not offer a marketplace feature, but this isn't necessary for every business as we allow you to easily develop your own brand of audience using our lead capture tools.

Fees for transactions: 4.5 out of 5. With , there no transaction costs for paid plans. Free plan users pay an average of 8% in transaction fees for sales of products.

The cost is kept low while you're just starting out. And you'll always have the option to increase and eliminate charges for transactions as your company grows.

In common with all platforms, there are also payment processor charges that aren't associated with . Stripe or PayPal are both charged a typical transaction cost of 2.9 percent plus 30C+ 30C. We also offer instant payouts to creators so you can have access to your funds quickly.

Cost: 's free plan offers a web site, an online community, one download, as well as a coaching program. The paid plans start at $39 -- $199/month.

Want to learn more about managing your business online using a platform like ? Come along to an interactive live demonstration to test it out:

Shopify

Shopify is an ecommerce giant and a household name in the creator world. Over 1.7 million companies utilize Shopify to manage their online shops and the creators who use Shopify have made more than $200 billion in sales.

The Shopify platform is well-known to sell physical items however, it is also possible to sell digital goods. Since its inception, Shopify has also added many international ecommerce features.

If you're an artist looking to sell digital or physical products to customers around the world, Shopify might be a great place to begin.

These are Shopify pros:

Shopify includes powerful marketing features as well as integrations with social media platforms.

Shopify has its own payment processor, Shopify Payments. It's simple to use and it's included with every plan, meaning you don't have to integrate with third-party processors when you don't want to.

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

These are the Shopify negatives:

Shopify's focus is on physical product sales. It has premium features that you will not require if your business is only selling digital goods.

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

The fee structure generally is intricate.

Shopify has features

Accessibility 3/5. Since Shopify was originally designed to be a platform to sell physical goods, you'll need to take more steps to market digital downloads. The site has videos that will guide you through how to add your items by using their Digital Downloads app, but it's not exactly the most user-friendly system.

Functionality: 3 out of 5. This time around, Shopify loses points because a lot of the functions are designed to sell physical items.

For selling digital downloads, the maximum file size for sale is 5 GB per file. You can only sell just one file for each product variation However, you can include multiple variants, such as different image resolutions or ebook formats. The product will require an ZIP file in order to incorporate multiple files into a single product.

Support: 3 out of 5. Shopify has 24/7 chat support, email help, and a support community that allows you to get assistance from other customers. But, many online reviews report slow response times by Support.

Marketing 5/5/5. Shopify is a standout when it comes to marketing. Their plans include a solid website builder where you can build your online store and create a blog.

The email marketing feature is built-in to eCommerce templates. Additionally, you can create coupons, gift cards and vouchers as well as display authentic customer reviews. The software also connects with social media platforms.

Fees for transactions: 2.5 out of 5. The Shopify fee structure is complex. It's difficult to determine exactly what your transaction and the processing fee for credit cards will be on a purchase.

There are no transaction fees on payments through the Shopify Payments service. But if you don't use Shopify Payments, there's a transaction fee for using another third-party processor.

If you also accept large credit cards you'll be charged an additional fee for credit cards on each purchase. These percentages change based on the type of plan you pick.

The basics of Shopify:

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

Transaction fee if not using Shopify Payments 2 percent

Shopify:

Credit card processing fee: 2.6% + $0.30

Transaction fee if not using Shopify Payments: 1%

Advanced Shopify:

Credit card processing fee: 2.4% + $0.30

Fee for transactions if you do not use Shopify Payments: 0.5%

Price: $29 -- $299/month. Shopify has three different plans. Pay the monthly fee as well as the fees listed in the previous paragraphs.

Etsy

Many shoppers use Etsy for hand-crafted and original merchandise. Etsy has a reputation as the place to buy custom antique, quirky, and vintage merchandise created by creators and small companies.

Etsy gets almost 400 million visitors per month , which is an enormous amount of attention on your items. They also have a robust marketplace where you can sell your products and get discovered by new customers.

Plus side:

Etsy is an established brand that will instil trust among buyers.

On your shop page, you are able to divide your items into categories that will help you organize your products and discoverability.

Etsy offers a user-friendly seller dashboard, where you can get reviews, contact customers, create coupons, and offer discount codes.

It's a great platform to sell items like designs, templates, presets and vectors, fonts, as well as creative items.

On the flip side:

Etsy is designed for selling physical products in addition to digital ones. Make sure to clearly state in your ads that your merchandise is digital, to avoid confusion.

Although being listed on Etsy's marketplace Etsy marketplace is an attractive perk, there's lots of competition, and products in popular categories could get hidden.

Etsy has many features

Accessibility The rating is 4/5. Etsy has adjusted to the world of digital products very well. It is possible to set up your store in a matter of hours, and adding items is as simple as filling out an online form to describe your product by uploading images for your items and then adding them to the site and pushing the publish button.

Functionality 3.0 out of 5. On Etsy, you can sell a wide variety of file types, but it is only possible to upload five files per product. The maximum file size is 20 MB for each file, this might be limiting to some creators.

Support 3 stars out of 5. One thing is that Etsy is a wonderful user community for creators where you can ask questions. Sellers are also able to access comprehensive help materials and a seller handbook.

However, Etsy support is only accessible via the email. Right now, there's an average turnaround of 1-2 days, which isn't great for requests that are urgent.

Marketing 5 out of 5. Etsy has some interesting marketing tools that are available to sellers. Although other platforms might have the ability to sell on a market, none of them have Etsy's presence. Etsy.

It can be a battle to the death however, it is possible to generate significant traffic towards your product. Actually, there are even third-party keyword research tools designed specifically for Etsy searches. Etsy additionally offers the option of advertising that sellers can avail.

Transaction fees 2/5. There are a couple of fees you should be aware of in selling items on Etsy. In the beginning, you'll have to pay a $0.20 listing fee for each item you list in your shop. Each listing is active for four months , or until it's sold.

If you're selling a product that you sell, you'll be charged a five% transaction fee in addition to a 3 percent plus $0.25 transaction processing fee.

Price 10 dollars per month for free. Setting up the Etsy shop is completely free however, it will cost $0.20 for listing products and additional transaction fees.

Simple Digital Downloads

It's specifically designed for selling digital items, however, it requires some extra lifting in order to provide the same capabilities similar to other systems on this list.

On the upside:

EDD can be a great choice if you have an existing WordPress website and to keep your product inside the WordPress community.

It's also a great choice for users who need advanced customizations, but keep in mind that you'll need to feel comfortable with writing code and working with.

On the downside:

For all the functions you need to sell digital downloads you'll have to use extensions and integrations with other products.

The additional extensions and integrations might have their own costs and technical issues.

Easy Digital Downloads feature

Ease of entry 3/5. If you're comfortable with WordPress and have previously uploaded plugins previously making the switch to EDD will go just like usual. If you've never used WordPress, this wouldn't be the best tool since you'd have to learn two new interfaces.

Functionality Quality: 3 out of 5. With EDD the ability to sell any type of file that you upload to WordPress. It gives you a broad selection, however be aware of the bandwidth you use for your website if you intend to market large items.

As we've mentioned, EDD is able to be integrated with other tools from third parties to provide more capabilities. It's extremely customizable, however, managing many systems can be difficult.

It's typically best for those who want to construct and run their own setup for selling. Building blocks are great however the issue is are you willing to complete the work?

Support: 2 out five. EDD provides customer service via a ticket system, and there's no live chat. Priority support is available only on higher-tiered plans.

Another thing to consider is that if you have problems with the integration, you may need to contact their support in addition. It can result in frustrating and tense conversations.

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

With extensions, you are able to flesh out your marketing suite by including affiliates, emails review, star reviews as well as cross-selling and upselling However, some of these features are only offered on premium plans.

The first step is to have first a WordPress site, which is provided with hosting and domain charges. There are also fees associated with any premium integrations you plan to use.

Price of $999 per year. The basic EDD plugin is free. If you'd like more tools then you'll have to purchase them separately and upgrade to a more expensive package to get all the features.

Gumroad

Gumroad is an online platform on which creators sell digital downloads of all sizes and shapes. Over the past decade, Gumroad creators have collectively achieved over $500 million in revenue from online-based goods.

It's easy to use and has become a preferred choice among makers However, is it really the right choice for you? Let's look into the advantages and disadvantages.

This is where Gumroad excels:

Gumroad allows you to get started as well as you are able to sell virtually any product imaginable, including physical products if you so decide to.

The service is free to anyone to use. You'll only be charged transaction fees in the event that you've made a sale. This is nice if you're not sure about selling digital products and want to test before you commit to a paid tool.

Creators are able to use Gumroad Discover an online marketplace in which prospective customers can find the products you offer.

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 difficult to make an ordinary sales page and you don't have a website builder.

While it might be free to sign up, it is expensive to pay transaction charges per sale. This is fine when you're just starting out but as you scale the business, this could take away your profits.

Gumroad includes

Ease of entry Rating: 4/5. Setting up products using Gumroad is easy and intuitive. The first time you publish a product in a matter of minutes, and you'll have everything you need to begin selling.

Functionality: 4.5 out of 5. With Gumroad it is possible to sell digital and physical files, memberships, product variations, and rentals. You can also choose a release date for your product, sell key codes for licenses if you're selling software and also make subscriptions available for sale.

For paid products There's a size limit of 16 GB. In the case of free items the limit for file size is 250MB. Each product can include any number of files that you like.

Customer Support 2.5 out of 5. Gumroad has a resource library that includes helpful videos and articles. There's the absence of live chat and phone support, so the most effective option to reach them to inquire about specific issues is via their email address.

Marketing Rating: 4/5. Marketing: 4 out of 5. Gumroad's affiliate system shines. If you're planning to implement affiliate marketing in conjunction with your product, Gumroad lets you set the affiliate marketing system for you at no cost by using their straightforward method.

Gumroad offers a variety of integrations, allowing you to join your marketing and email tools, as well as the Zapier integration.

Transaction fees: 2.5 out of 5. With transaction fees ranging between 9% and 2.9 percent and up, this is the part that Gumroad loses the most points. The cost of transactions is lower the more you sell, however 9% is still a steep price for newer creators. Additionally, you pay the $0.30 charge for every sale.

Gumroad offers weekly cash payouts so the amount you've crossed the $10 USD threshold.

Price: Free and Fees. There's no recurring monthly cost, however, there are transaction charges depending on the number of annual revenue.

What are the most important things to consider in determining where to market digital downloads

All creators are unique. That's why it's nice to have choices when choosing the software that will run your company.

If you have a secure digital download service on your side, you'll be on your way to a more well-rounded product line and a plethora of earning opportunities.