Quick answer
On fees alone, the best platform to sell digital products with no monthly cost is Payhip's free plan: fees on a $20 download come to $1.88, against $2.35 on Etsy and $3.38 on Gumroad. Sellfy and Stan Store take 0% of each sale and charge a monthly plan instead, so with card fees of $0.88 a sale they cost less than Gumroad from 12 sales a month. Etsy costs more per sale than Payhip but shows your listings to its own shoppers, which helps when nobody knows your work yet.
Nation, an AI store builder, publishes this page. It is pre-launch, with a waitlist on withnation.ai, so it is not in the list or the fee example. See where Nation fits.
How we compared
The best platform to sell digital products depends on how many sales you make a month and who brings the buyers. With few sales, Payhip's free plan costs the least. From 12 sales a month at $20, Sellfy and Stan Store cost less than Gumroad, and with no audience yet, Etsy shows your listings to its own shoppers. Every platform here was checked against the same four criteria, and the list is not ranked.
- Fees on each sale Percentage and fixed fees on one download, including card processing, read from each platform's own fee page (or Stripe's, for Stripe's card rate) for a US seller.
- Fixed monthly cost What you pay in a month with no sales, at the plan a new seller would start on.
- Who brings the buyers Marketplaces show your product to their own shoppers. With an own store or a link-in-bio page, buyers come from you, unless the platform also runs a marketplace, as Gumroad and Payhip do.
- Limits and extra fees Sales caps, payout fees, tax handling and rules on what you may sell, which change the real cost.
Platforms to sell digital products at a glance
Each platform is shown at the plan a new seller would start on. The source and check date for every number are listed under each platform and at the end of the page.
What a $20 download costs in fees on each platform
Fees are easier to compare on one order than as percentages. Example: one $20 e-book, paid by card. Gumroad, the baseline here, charges 10% + $0.50 on that sale, and card processing adds 2.9% + $0.30.
- Sellfy $0.88 plus $29 a month Sellfy 0% $0, Card 2.9% + 30¢ $0.88
- Stan Store $0.88 plus $29/month Stan 0% $0, Stripe 2.9% + $0.30 $0.88
- Shopify $0.88 plus $39 a month Card 2.9% + 30¢ $0.88
- Payhip $1.88 no monthly plan on Free Forever Payhip 5% $1, Stripe 2.9% + 30¢ $0.88
- Etsy $2.35 no monthly plan Listing $0.20, Transaction 6.5% $1.30, Processing 3% + $0.25 $0.85
- Gumroad baseline $3.38 no monthly fee Gumroad 10% + $0.50 $2.50, Card 2.9% + $0.30 $0.88
Assumes a $20 digital product, a standard US card paid online, a buyer in the US, no tax, no discount, no refund, no ads and no currency conversion. Gumroad is a direct sale through your profile or a link; a sale through its Discover marketplace pays a flat 30% instead, which includes processing. Payhip is on its free plan and Sellfy is on Starter, both with Stripe's standard card rate. Stan Store is on Creator and Shopify on Basic with Shopify Payments. Stan Store's payout fee of 0.25% + $0.25 per payout (min. $1) is charged per payout, not per sale, so it is left out. Etsy's Offsite Ads fee (15% of an order that came from an Etsy ad) is left out because it applies only to those orders.
Gumroad and Payhip's free plan have no monthly fee, and Etsy Standard has none beyond listing fees. Sellfy, Stan Store and Shopify charge a monthly plan, and only card fees come off each sale. The table shows how many $20 sales a month each paid plan needs before the plan plus its card fees cost less than Gumroad's fees on the same sales.
Against Payhip's free plan, which takes less per sale than Gumroad, a paid plan needs more sales to break even. The count also assumes every sale would have happened anyway: a plan does not bring buyers by itself.
Each platform on the same criteria
Every platform gets the same five lines: price, fees per sale, what it is strong at, who it is best for and its main limit. The order is not a ranking: Gumroad comes first because it is the baseline in the fee example.
The baseline. Gumroad lets you sell digital products, e-books, courses, tutorials, and memberships from your profile or direct links, and new customers can also find you through its Discover marketplace.
- Price
- No monthly fee on any account.
- Fees per sale
- 10% + $0.50 on sales through your profile or direct links, plus card processing of 2.9% + $0.30. Sales found through Gumroad's Discover marketplace pay a flat 30% that includes processing. High-volume rate on direct sales: 5% + $0.50 after $20,000 in paid sales in a calendar month.
- Strong at
- Starting with no monthly cost, with sales tax collection and remittance handled by Gumroad as merchant of record.
- Best for
- Creators testing a first product, or selling to buyers in many countries.
- Limit
- The highest fee per sale in this list ($3.38 on a $20 sale), and a weekly, monthly or quarterly payout needs a balance of at least $100 USD.
A store builder whose free plan takes a 5% cut instead of a monthly fee. Payhip also runs a marketplace for digital products, with no additional fee for sales from the marketplace. A store needs at least $10 (USD) in total sales and a review before its products can be approved for it.
- Price
- Free Forever is $0/mo. Plus is $29/mo and Pro is $99/mo.
- Fees per sale
- Payhip takes 5% on Free Forever, 2% on Plus and 0% on Pro. Card processing: PayPal and Stripe standard rates, charged separately on all plans (no rate stated by Payhip). Stripe's standard US card rate is 2.9% + 30¢.
- Strong at
- The lowest fee per sale among the options with no monthly cost, and sales deposited to you immediately after a transaction. Unlimited products on every plan.
- Best for
- Creators who want their own store page and a smaller cut than Gumroad without a monthly plan.
- Limit
- The 5% cut on Free Forever applies to every sale, so at higher sales a paid plan can cost less. Plus is $29/mo with a 2% cut.
A paid store builder for creators with 0% transaction fees on every plan and email marketing built in.
- Price
- Starter is $29 a month, or $22 a month, billed yearly (save 25%). Every plan starts with a 14-day free trial.
- Fees per sale
- Sellfy takes 0%. PayPal or Stripe charge processing, typically 2.9% + 30¢.
- Strong at
- Email marketing in the same tool, with 2,000 credits a month on Starter, and product files up to 10GB on Starter.
- Best for
- Creators with steady monthly sales who want a store and an email list in one place.
- Limit
- Starter limit: Up to $10k in sales per year. Above that, Sellfy may charge a 2% overage fee on the revenue over the limit unless you upgrade to Business ($79 a month monthly, $59 a month yearly).
A creator store you share as one link. Stan's help center explains how to add your Stan Store link to your social media bios, and Stan says it is best used for selling and hosting digital products.
- Price
- Creator is $29/month or $300/year. Creator Pro is $99/month. New plans start with a trial of 14 days.
- Fees per sale
- Stan takes 0%. Stripe charges 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction for a US card. International customer fee, when the buyer is in another country: +1.5%. Payout fee: 0.25% + $0.25 per payout (min. $1).
- Strong at
- Selling from a social media profile, where the whole store sits behind the link in your bio.
- Best for
- Creators with a following who sell 12 or more $20 products a month.
- Limit
- No free plan, so the plan is due in months with no sales. A buyer paying by PayPal costs more: 3.49% + fixed fee.
A marketplace that shows your listings to its own shoppers. For downloads, Etsy accepts digital downloads of sellers’ original designs.
- Price
- There is no subscription fee on Etsy Standard. Etsy Plus is an optional plan at $10 a month.
- Fees per sale
- A 6.5% transaction fee and 3% + $0.25 processing on each order. Listing fees are $0.20 per listing, and a listing expires after 4 months.
- Strong at
- Shoppers who are already searching Etsy when you list.
- Best for
- Designers selling their own printables or templates who have no audience yet.
- Limit
- As downloads, Etsy accepts only digital downloads of sellers’ original designs. Offsite Ads take a standard 15% of an order that comes from one of Etsy's offsite ads, up to $100 per order.
A full online store builder. Shopify's Digital Products app, which is free, lets you add digital files or links to new or existing products.
- Price
- Basic plan $39 a month, or $29 a month billed yearly.
- Fees per sale
- Card processing of 2.9% + 30¢ on Basic with Shopify Payments, and no transaction fee with Shopify Payments. Another payment provider adds a 2% transaction fee on Basic.
- Strong at
- Selling digital and physical products from one store, with apps and themes.
- Best for
- Sellers who also ship physical goods, or who sell 16 or more $20 downloads a month.
- Limit
- The highest starting plan of the six ($39 a month for Basic, billed monthly), due in months with no sales.
Which one fits you
Nobody knows your work yet and you need shoppers to find it.
Etsy
Etsy shows listings to its own shoppers. You pay for that in fees: $2.35 on a $20 sale, against $1.88 on Payhip's free plan.
You sell a few downloads a month and want the lowest cost.
Payhip Free Forever
No monthly fee, and fees of $1.88 on a $20 sale, the lowest of the options with no monthly plan.
You sell to buyers in many countries and do not want to handle sales tax.
Gumroad
As merchant of record, Gumroad handles sales tax collection and remittance where it has tax obligations. The cost is the highest fee per sale here, $3.38.
You sell from Instagram or TikTok and make 12 or more $20 sales a month.
Stan Store
A link-in-bio store that takes 0% of each sale, so at that volume the plan costs less than Gumroad's fees.
You make steady sales and want a store with email marketing.
Sellfy
0% transaction fees and 2,000 email credits a month on Starter. Starter limit: Up to $10k in sales per year.
You sell physical products too.
Shopify
One store for both, on a plan of $39 a month. Shopify's Digital Products app is free.
Where Nation fits
Nation
Category: an AI store builder
Nation says one description of what you make builds the store, then agents handle orders, customers and delivery and run ads, content and social posts, with you approving the work. Because pricing is not announced yet, it is not compared on fees here.
Limits today
- Status: pre-launch, with a waitlist on withnation.ai.
- Pricing and fees: not announced yet.
- Shopper marketplace: no shopper marketplace has been announced.
- Track record: no independent reviews or public stores yet.
Nation publishes this page. Nation is not ranked here and will not be added to the list or the fee example until signup is public and pricing is published.
Describe what you makeDisclosure and method
Nation, an AI store builder, publishes this page. Nation is not ranked here and will not be added to the comparison until signup is public and pricing is published.
The list covers six platforms a US seller can use to sell digital products: Gumroad's creator storefront, three own-store builders (Payhip, Sellfy and Shopify), Stan Store's link-in-bio page and the Etsy marketplace. No platform paid to be included, and none of the links are affiliate links.
Every fee was read on the platform's own pricing, help or fee page, or on Stripe's pricing page for Stripe's card rate, on 2 Oct 2026 or later. Each platform's section names its source, and the full list is below.
Questions about platforms to sell digital products
What is the best platform to sell digital products?
The best platform to sell digital products depends on your monthly sales and on who brings the buyers. With few sales, Payhip's free plan and Gumroad cost nothing a month, and fees on a $20 sale come to $1.88 and $3.38. From 12 sales a month, Sellfy or Stan Store cost less than Gumroad. Etsy suits sellers with no audience yet.
Which platform to sell digital products has the lowest fees?
Among platforms to sell digital products with no monthly fee, Payhip's free plan has the lowest fees: $1.88 on a $20 sale, against $2.35 on Etsy and $3.38 on Gumroad. On Sellfy, Stan Store and Shopify only card processing comes off the sale, $0.88, but their starting plans cost $29 a month to $39 a month.
Is Payhip cheaper than Gumroad for digital products?
Payhip's free plan costs less than Gumroad per sale. Payhip takes 5% plus Stripe or PayPal fees, which comes to $1.88 on a $20 sale with Stripe. Gumroad takes 10% + $0.50 plus card processing, $3.38 on the same sale. In return, Gumroad handles sales tax collection and remittance as merchant of record.
Can you sell digital products on Etsy?
You can sell digital products on Etsy if they are your own work: Etsy accepts digital downloads of sellers’ original designs. Listing fees are $0.20 per listing, and a sale pays a 6.5% transaction fee plus 3% + $0.25 processing, $2.35 on a $20 sale with the listing fee. In return, Etsy shows the listing to shoppers already searching there.
Can you sell digital products on Shopify?
You can sell digital products on Shopify with its Digital Products app, which is free. Shopify Basic costs $39 a month, and card processing with Shopify Payments is 2.9% + 30¢, or $0.88 on a $20 sale. Against Gumroad's fees the plan pays for itself from 16 sales a month. Shopify suits sellers who also ship physical goods.
Is Nation a platform to sell digital products?
Nation is not compared as a platform to sell digital products on this page. It is an AI store builder, pre-launch, with a waitlist on withnation.ai, and its pricing is not announced yet. Because no shopper marketplace has been announced, it would sit with the own-store builders rather than the marketplaces. Nation will be added once signup is public and pricing is published.