6 best websites and features to market digital downloads online

Learn about the essential features you need to have for selling digital downloads online. This guide explains the features you should find and the most the most popular websites to sell digital downloads.

TL;DR: The best platforms for selling digital downloads for different types of creators

In determining where you will sell your digital downloads be sure to choose a tool that offers ease to use, functional support, marketing features as well as low fees and reasonably priced costs.

• Shopify and Etsy are designed for selling physical items, but they allow sellers to offer digital downloads too. They offer selling digital goods, but the 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 fee recurring. The catch is that they charge high transaction charges on each sale.
• Easy Digital Downloads is a WordPress plugin that lets you offer products on your website. While it's totally absolutely free to install, you'll likely require extensions or integrations.
• It is simple to setup and permits you to offer any kind of files without any limitations. There are advanced marketing features integrated into the platform and our support is superb and fast - at least that's what our customers have to say.

When I launched my very first download digitally I thought that the toughest task would be to turn my thoughts into something that customers actually wanted to purchase.

We do not want this to happen to you.

There are a variety of places you can sell digital downloads these days, but deciding the right software to use to sell your goods is a matter of a timesink.

What are the reasons to sell digital downloads?

Digital downloads include files that can be purchased through the web. For creators, digital downloads can be an extremely profitable element of your offering.

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

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

Six aspects to consider when you are deciding where to market digital downloads online

Some platforms, however, take it higher with more advanced capabilities, and it's crucial to determine which platform is most aligned with what you're hoping to achieve for the present and into the near future.

Moving your items from one platform to another is about like a trip to the dentist. You can avoid the toothache by picking the tool that you feel is manageable but also gives you room to grow.

To make deciding a little simpler, here are a few qualities to look out for:

Ease of Entry:First and most importantly, the site which you are selling digital downloads must be simple to use for you , as the creator.

Functionality:You're a multifaceted creator, so you might like to sell different types of digital products down the road. Be on the lookout for platforms that don't limit what kind of file you're able to upload.

Helpline:If you're like two-thirds of customers , you expect answers to your support questions within ten minutes of you asking them. Picking a company with excellent support for customers can save you from frustrating delays further on.

Fees for transactions:Transaction fees are a tiny percentage of every purchase that the platform makes. They typically amount to 1-10% of the overall cost of the transaction. There are some platforms that charge listing fees as well as processing fees for credit cards and can quickly increase with every sale.

Price:Finally, we have to analyze the numbers. But cheaper isn't always the best option, as lower-cost platforms usually come with higher charges and cost-cutting features.

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

For example, creator Emily Conners uses her site to offer free digital downloads , and to sell live cohort programs, on-demand courses, and one-on-one coaching programs.

Best of all, has an affordable plan. It allows you to build your own website and manage your community online, and sell one digital download and one coaching program for free.

Are you ready to experience it for yourself? Register your free account now.

Here are the pros for 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 unlimited file sizes.

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

Digital is the norm, so if you want to market physical items using a platform such as Shopify or Etsy may be a better option.

features

Accessibility: 5 out five. The creator-facing dashboard on is clean and easy to use. Through our customizable onboarding procedure and step-by-step instruction videos, you'll have your products listed within a few seconds.

Functionality: 5/5. With it, you are able to sell files in virtually any formats, with no limitation on file sizes. It's yours to bundle your products and offer them for an upsell, and charge them however you please.

Support Five stars out of five. Have you met our support team? If not, it's time to do so! Go to the chatbox on the bottom of our page and introduce yourself. Our chat support is the most efficient, friendly, and speedy chat service in town.

Marketing: 4.5 from 5. We built to be an all-in-one solution for your business needs, and marketing features constitute a crucial part of that. Prelaunch and presell products, issue coupons, and even build your own affiliate program straight out of the box.

I've shaved half of a percent off as we don't have a marketplace function however this feature isn't required for all businesses We help you create your own fan base using our lead-capture tools.

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

The cost is kept low while you're starting out, and it's always possible to increase and eliminate the transaction fee as your business expands.

As with most platforms, there's payment processor fees that are unassociated with . Stripe or PayPal charges a basic transaction fee of 2.9 per cent plus 30 cents/. Additionally, we provide instant payments to authors so that you can get your cash fast.

Cost: 's free plan includes a website, online community, one digital download, as well as a coaching product. The paid plans start at $39 -- $199/month.

Are you interested in learning more about how to run your business online using a platform like ? Participate in a live demo to check it out.

Shopify

Shopify is an online retailer and is a well-known name in the creator world. The company has more than 1.7 million businesses use Shopify to run their online shops and its creators on the platform have generated over $200 billion in sales.

Shopify is most well-known to sell physical items However, it's also possible to offer digital goods. Since its inception, Shopify has also added many international ecommerce features.

If you're a creator that wants to market digital or physical products to customers across the globe, Shopify might be a good place to start.

Here are the Shopify benefits:

Shopify comes with powerful marketing tools and integrations with social media platforms.

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

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

Here are the Shopify cons:

Shopify is oriented toward selling physical products. It has premium features that you will not require if your business is only providing digital items.

If you do not use Shopify Payments, there are extra charges on top of the month-long subscription cost.

The fee system, in general, is intricate.

Shopify has features

Ease of entry 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 products using the Digital Downloads app, but it's not exactly the most user-friendly method.

Functionality 3.0 out of 5. This time around, Shopify loses points because much of its functions are designed to sell physical products.

To sell digital downloads the maximum file size is 5GB for each file. It is only possible to sell one file per product variant however, it is possible to add several variants like various resolutions for images or ebook formats. You'll need to use a ZIP file to add many files to one product.

Support: 3 stars out of five. Shopify has 24/7 chat support, email assistance, as well as a forum in which you can seek help from other users. However, many reviews online mention slow response times by the support department.

Marketing Five out of five. Shopify is a standout when it comes to marketing. Their plans include a solid site builder, which lets you set up your storefront and create a blog.

The email marketing feature is built-in to eCommerce templates. Additionally, you can design coupon codes, create gift cards and show real-life feedback from customers. The software also connects with social media sites.

Fees for transactions: 2.5 out of 5. The Shopify fees structure is complicated. It's hard to know exactly what your transaction and credit card processing fees are on purchases.

There's no fee for transactions when you make a payment via the Shopify Payments system. But if you don't use Shopify Payments, there's a fee to use a third-party payment processor.

Also, if you accept the major credit card, then you'll have to pay an additional fee for credit cards on each purchase. The amount of these percentages will change depending the plan you choose.

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:

Credit card processing fee: 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 has three different plans. The monthly cost is plus the costs listed below.

Etsy

Millions of shoppers turn to Etsy to purchase exclusive and unique merchandise. Etsy has a reputation for being the site to purchase custom as well as vintage and unique items created by individuals and small businesses.

Etsy receives nearly 400 million monthly visitors , which is an impressive amount of people looking at your items. Additionally, they have a strong marketplace where you can sell your products and get discovered by new customers.

The positive side is:

Etsy is a well-known brand that will instil trust among customers.

Your shop's page is where it is possible to subdivide your merchandise into categories that will help you organize your products and easier search.

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

It's an ideal place to sell things like templates, presets, artwork, vectors, fonts, as well as creative items.

To the other hand:

Etsy is designed for selling physical products in addition to digital ones. It is important to specify in your ads that your merchandise is digital, to avoid confusion.

Although being listed on the Etsy marketplace can be a great perk, there's lots of competitors, and items with a lot of popularity could be hidden.

Etsy features

Easy to use: 4 out of 5. Etsy is adjusting to the digital product space nicely. It is possible to set up your store in a matter of hours, and adding items can be as easy as filling out the description form, uploading your product images, adding the files, clicking the publish button.

Functionality: 3 out of 5. The good thing about Etsy, you can sell many different file types, but you can only upload up to five files per item. There is a limit of 20MB for each document, this may limit some artists.

Support 3 stars out five. On the one hand, Etsy offers a fantastic creator community that allows you to inquire about issues. Sellers also have access to detailed help documents as well as a guide for sellers.

On the other hand, Etsy support is only accessible via email. At present, they have an average turnaround of 1-2 days however, this isn't ideal when it comes to urgent inquiries.

Marketing 5 out of 5. Etsy has some interesting marketing tools for sellers. While some platforms could have an online marketplace, none has the reach of Etsy.

There is a lot of competition, but it's possible to drive serious traffic to your website and products. There are even third-party keyword research tools which are specifically designed to cater to Etsy search rankings. Etsy also has optional advertising that sellers can avail.

Transaction fees: 2 out of 5. There are a couple of fees you should be aware of when selling on Etsy. First, you'll pay the $0.20 cost for listing each item you list in your shop. The listing can be in use for four months , or until it sells.

When you sell a product, you'll pay a 5 per cent transaction fee plus a 3 percent plus $0.25 transaction processing fee.

Price Free -- 10 bucks per month. The creation of the Etsy shop is absolutely free however, it will cost $0.20 to list a product as well as extra transaction costs.

Easy Digital Downloads

It's designed specifically for the sale of digital goods, however it will require some work to achieve the same functions similar to other options on this list.

The upside is:

EDD is an excellent choice if you have an WordPress website and to keep your items in the WordPress community.

It's also a great option for those who are looking for sophisticated customization, but bear your eyes on the fact that you'll have to have a good understanding of programming and creating.

On the downside:

In order to get the features you want for selling digital downloads, it is necessary add extensions or connections to other software.

The additional extensions and integrations might come with their own fees and technical issues.

Simple Digital Downloads features

Accessibility 3/5. If you're familiar using WordPress and have already uploaded plugins before, setting up EDD is like normal. If you've never worked with WordPress, this wouldn't be the best tool since you'd have to learn two new interfaces.

Functionality: 3 out of 5. With EDD, you can sell any image you upload to WordPress. This allows you to sell a large selection, however be aware of your bandwidth on your host in case you are planning to market large items.

We've already mentioned that EDD can be connected with third-party tools for more features. It's highly customizable, but managing many systems can be complicated.

Essentially, it's best for someone who wants to create and manage their own sales setup. Building blocks are great; the question is, do you want to do the building?

Support: 2 stars out of 5. EDD offers customer support through a ticket system, and the live chat isn't available. Priority support is only available on higher-tiered plans.

Another thing to consider is that in the event that you experience an issue with an integration, you may need to contact their support in addition. This could result in unpleasant exchanges of messages.

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

Through extensions, you can flesh out your marketing suite by including affiliates, emails, star reviews, cross-selling, and upselling, but some of these integrations will only be offered on premium plans.

In the beginning, you'll have to set up first a WordPress site, which is provided with domain and hosting costs. There are also fees associated with any premium integrations you plan to use.

Price is: $999/year for free. The base EDD plugin is available for free. If you want more tools then you'll have to buy 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 shapes and sizes. Since its inception Gumroad's creators have achieved over $500 million in revenue from online items.

It's simple to use and a popular option for makers But is it the best choice for you? We'll look at the pros and cons.

Here's the place where Gumroad shines:

Gumroad makes it easy to begin as well as you are able to sell almost any type of merchandise you could imagine, including physical goods if you choose.

The service is free to all users; you'll only be charged transaction fees in the event that you've made a sale. It's a great option if you're in the process of selling digital products and want to experiment before committing to using a premium software.

Creators have access to Gumroad Discover which is a marketplace on which potential customers are able to find the products you offer.

Here are some Gumroad pros and cons:

There's a limited amount of customization options for product pages and checkout pages. It's difficult to make an ordinary sales page as there's no builder for websites.

While it might be free to join, it is expensive to pay transaction charges per sale. This is fine when you're beginning out, but when you get bigger, it could seriously reduce your income.

Gumroad includes

Accessibility: 4 out of 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 including memberships, products, variants rental and variations. It is also possible to select a release date for your items, provide the keys to license if selling software, or sell subscriptions.

If you purchase paid-for products, there's a file size limit of 16 GB. If you purchase free versions the limit for file size is 250MB. Each product can include the number of files you like.

Support: 2.5 out of 5. Gumroad offers a library of resources featuring helpful content and videos. There's neither live chat nor telephone support. The most effective option to reach them to inquire about specific issues is via their contact form.

Marketing Four out of five. In the marketing department, Gumroad's affiliate marketing system is a savior. If you're planning to implement affiliate marketing with your product, Gumroad lets you set the affiliate marketing system for you at no cost by using their straightforward process.

Gumroad also has a handful of integrations so you can join your marketing and email tools along with an integration with Zapier.

Transaction charges: 2.5 out of 5. The transaction fee ranges from 9% to 2.9 percentage, this is the area in which Gumroad is the worst off. The transaction fee rate goes down as you increase the amount you sell however 9% is still a steep price for newer creators. Additionally, you have to pay an additional $0.30 charge for every purchase.

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

Price: Free plus fees. There's no recurring monthly price, but you'll pay transaction fees based on your number of lifetime sales.

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

Each creator is different. That's why it's nice to have options when choosing the software that will run your business.

With a reliable digital download system on your partner, you'll get to an improved product lineup and endless earning potential.