Six of the best websites and features for selling digital downloads online

Discover must-have features for selling digital downloads on the internet. This guide covers what to look for and popular platforms to sell digital downloads.

The most effective marketplaces for selling digital downloads to various types of creators

In determining where to sell digital downloads, make sure to look for tools that offer ease of entry, functionality, support, marketing features with minimal costs, as well as reasonable costs.

• Shopify and Etsy were designed to allow you to sell physical goods but allow sellers to offer digital downloads, too. They offer selling digital goods, but the options are more limited.
• Gumroad provides a variety of features and you can sell lots of types of data without fee recurring. However, they charge high transaction charges per sale.
• Easy Digital Downloads is a WordPress plugin that lets you sell your products directly from your site. Although it's completely free to use however, you'll probably require additional extensions and integrations.
• It's easy to establish it is easy to set up and lets you offer any kind of file without limitations. It has advanced marketing capabilities that are built into the platform and we provide excellent support and fast - at least that's what our customers have to say.

Before launching my very first download digitally, I was thinking that the most difficult part would be turning the thoughts of my mind into a quality product that would actually be wanted by people who bought it.

We wouldn't like that for you.

There are many places where you can offer digital downloads in the present, but choosing the best software to sell your goods can be a timesink.

Why would you want to market digital downloads?

Digital downloads are the files which are available on the internet. As a creator digital downloads are an attractive part of your product lineup.

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

You don't have to deal with shipping or inventory. If making daily visits at the postoffice sound like your own personal nightmare, electronic products are the best 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 up a notch with advanced options, which is why it's essential to consider which software will best suit what you're hoping to achieve as of today, and also in the future.

Let's face it: migrating your products from one tool to another can be the same as going to the dentist. Avoid your future self from pain by choosing the tool that you feel is manageable yet also offers space to expand.

To make deciding a little easier, here are some features you should look for:

Ease of Entry:First and most importantly, the site that you use to sell digital downloads must be simple to use to you as a creator.

Functions:You're a multifaceted creator and you could like to sell different types of digital goods in the future. Be on the lookout for platforms that don't restrict the kinds of files you're able to upload.

Customer SupportIf you're like more than two thirds of users  who are looking for answers to any support issues within ten minutes of you asking these questions. Picking a company with excellent customer support could save your from a frustrating delay later on.

Fees for transactions:Transaction fees are a small percentage of each sale that the platform keeps. The fees typically range from 1-10% of the total transaction price. Some platforms also charge listing and credit card processing fees that can grow with each transaction.

Price:Finally, we have to calculate the figures. However, cheaper doesn't mean the best option, as lower-cost platforms usually have higher fees and other cost-cutting features.

Now that we know what characteristics to be looking for, let's compare some well-known options and see the way they compare.

For example, creator Emily Conners uses her site to provide free digital downloads and offer live cohorts or on-demand classes, along with one-on-one coaching programs.

The best part is that it comes with a free plan. You can create your site, run your online community, and offer one download digital as well as one coaching item for free.

Do you want to test it yourself? Create your free account now.

These are some of the benefits for using

The no-cost plan allows you to easily offer your first digital download without having to make a massive upfront expenditure.

It is possible to sell any kind of digital download that has the ability to sell unlimited files.

Although we believe it is amazing, not every software will be suitable for all. There are a few reasons that may not be the right selection for you.

Digital is the norm therefore, if you're trying to offer physical goods such as a website like Shopify or Etsy might be a better option.

highlights

Easy to enter: 5 out five. The creator-facing dashboard on the right is simple and clean to use. Through our customizable onboarding procedure along with step-by-step instructional videos, you'll be able to list your items in a matter of minutes.

The functionality is 5 out of 5. You can offer files in virtually any format, and there's no restriction on the size of files. It's yours to bundle your products, offer them as upsells, and price them as you wish.

Support: 5 out of 5. Have you met our support team yet? If not, then you must! Go to the chatbox on the bottom of our page and introduce yourself. Our chat support is the most efficient quick, helpful, and friendly chat support in town.

Marketing: 4.5 five stars. Our goal was to create an all-in-one solution for your business needs and features for marketing make up a significant element of the puzzle. It is possible to prelaunch and sell products, issue coupons, or create an 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 We allow you to easily build your own audience through our lead-capture tools.

Fees for transactions: 4.5 out of 5. With , there aren't any transaction charges with paid plans. Users who are on a free plan pay an 8% transaction fee for sales of products.

The cost is kept low while you're just starting out. And it's always possible to improve and reduce the transaction fee as your business develops.

Like most platforms, there's payment processor fees that are unassociated with . Stripe or PayPal will charge a standard transaction cost of 2.9% + 30C+ 30C. Also, we offer immediate payouts to creators so you can access your money fast.

Cost: 's free plan offers a web site, an online community, a digital download, as well as a coaching product. Paid plans range from $39 -- $199/month.

Want to learn more about running your business online using a platform like ? Come along to the live demo and try it out:

Shopify

Shopify is an online retailer as well as a household name within the realm of creators. The company has more than 1.7 million companies utilize Shopify to manage their online stores and its creators on the platform have generated over 200 billion dollars in sales.

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

If you're a creator who wants to sell digital and physical goods to clients across the globe, Shopify might be a good place to start.

Below are some of the Shopify pros:

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

Shopify is an in-house payment processing system, Shopify Payments. It's simple to use and is included in the entire plan so that you don't have to integrate with third-party processors if you don't want to.

It is possible to create stunning web pages, storefronts that are customizable and beautiful.

These are the Shopify negatives:

Shopify is oriented toward physical product sales. You can get premium features that don't require if you're just selling digital goods.

If you don't use Shopify Payments, there are additional charges that are in addition to the month-long subscription cost.

The fee system, in general, is complicated.

Shopify has features

Easy to use 3/5. Because Shopify was initially designed for selling physical products it is necessary to take more steps to market digital downloads. They have videos that walk users through how to upload your items by using their Digital Downloads app, but it's not the easiest system.

Functionality 3/5. Again, Shopify loses points because much of its functions are designed to sell physical products.

When selling digital downloads, the maximum file size for sale is 5GB for each file. It is only possible to sell one file per product variant However, you can add several variants like diverse resolutions of images, and ebook formats. The product will require a ZIP file to incorporate multiple files into the same product.

Support: 3 stars out of five. Shopify offers 24/7 chat support, email assistance, as well as a forum where you can get help from other users. There are many online reviews that mention slow response times from the support department.

Marketing: 5 out of 5. Shopify shines when it comes to marketing. Their plans include a solid website builder where you can create your own storefront as well as manage your blog.

There's built-in email marketing with E-commerce templates. You can design coupon codes, create gift cards as well as display authentic customers' reviews. It also works with social media platforms.

Fees for transactions: 2.5 out of 5. The Shopify fees structure is complicated. It's not easy to pinpoint the transaction cost and credit card processing fees are for a purchase.

There's no transaction fee when you make a payment using the Shopify Payments system. If you don't utilize Shopify Payments, there's a charge for transactions made through an external payment processor.

Also, if you accept major credit cards, then you'll have to pay an additional fee for credit cards on each purchase. The percentages vary based on which plan you select.

Basic Shopify:

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

Fee for transactions if you do not use Shopify Payments 2.2%

Shopify:

Credit card processing fee: 2.6% + $0.30

Fee for transactions if you do not use Shopify Payments: 1%

Advanced Shopify:

Credit card processing fee: 2.4% + $0.30

Transaction fee if not using Shopify Payments: 0.5%

Price: $29 -- $299/month. Shopify has three different plans. The monthly cost is as well as the fees that are listed in the previous paragraphs.

Etsy

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

Etsy gets almost 400 million visitors per month  that's an enormous amount of attention on your goods. They also have a robust marketplace that allows you to sell your goods and be noticed by potential customers.

The positive side is:

Etsy is an established brand name, which will instil trust among consumers.

In your store's shop page, you are able to divide your items into categories for better organization and discoverability.

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

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

To the other hand:

Etsy is designed to sell physical products and digital products. Make sure to clearly state in your listings that the products are digital to prevent confusion.

Although being listed on the Etsy marketplace is an attractive perk, there's lots of competition, and products that are in the top categories can be lost.

Etsy has many features

Ease of entry Easy to use: 4 out of 5. Etsy has adjusted to the online marketplace very well. You can set up your shop within a couple of hours and adding products is as simple as filling out the description form, uploading your product images, adding the files, and pushing the"publish" button.

Functionality 3.0 out of 5. On Etsy, you can sell many different file types, but it is only possible to upload 5 files for each product. With a maximum size of 20 MB per file, this could limit some artists.

Support: 3 out five. One thing is that Etsy is a wonderful creator community where you can ask questions. Sellers are also able to access detailed help documents and a seller handbook.

On the other hand, Etsy support is only available through the email. Right now, there's the turnaround time of 1 to 2 days, which isn't great when it comes to urgent inquiries.

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

There is a lot of competition However, you can bring in serious customers towards your product. There exist third-party keyword research tools designed specifically for Etsy searches. Etsy additionally offers the option of advertising available to sellers.

Transaction costs: 2 out of 5. There are a number of charges to be aware of when selling on Etsy. The first is a $0.20 listing fee per item in your shop. The listing can be in use for four months or until it's sold.

When you sell a product, you'll pay a 5 percent transaction fee, in addition to a 3 percentage plus $0.25 transaction processing fee.

Price Free -- 10 bucks per month. Making the Etsy shop is free, but it costs $0.20 to sell the product and extra transaction costs.

Simple Digital Downloads

It's designed specifically for the sale of digital products, but it requires some extra lifting to get the same functionality like the different systems listed here.

The upside is:

EDD can be a great option if you already have a WordPress website , and you want to maintain your items within the WordPress environment.

This can also be a perfect choice for users who need more advanced customizations. However, keep your eyes on the fact that you'll have to be comfortable programming and creating.

To the negative:

In order to get the features you need to sell digital downloads you'll have to use extensions and connections to other software.

These extra extension and integrations could be charged separately as well as technical problems.

Digital Downloads are simple Digital Downloads feature

Easy to enter: 3 out of 5. If you're familiar in using WordPress and have already uploaded plugins in the past the process of setting up EDD is just like usual. If you've not used WordPress it's not the best tool since you'd need to master two different interfaces.

Functionality Quality: 3 out of five. In EDD, you can sell any file you can upload onto WordPress. It gives you a broad range, but be mindful of your hosting bandwidth if you intend to market large items.

As we've mentioned, EDD can be linked to additional tools developed by third-party companies for greater features. It's extremely customizable, however, managing multiple systems is complex.

It's typically best for someone who wants to construct and run their own selling setup. The building blocks are good; the question is, are you willing to complete the construction?

Support: 2 stars out 5. EDD offers customer support through an online ticketing system. However, it doesn't have live chat. Priority support is available only in higher-level plans.

A different thing to think about is that in the event that you experience an issue with an integration, you may need to contact their support in addition. It can result in frustrating back-and-forth conversations.

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

With extensions, you are able to expand your marketing tools to include affiliates, email, star reviews, cross-selling, and upselling However, some of these features are only accessible on plans with higher tiers.

In the beginning, you'll have to have first a WordPress website. This comes with hosting and domain costs. You'll also have fees for the premium integrations that you intend to make use of.

Price: Free -- $999/year. The base EDD plugin is completely free. If you'd like more tools however, you'll need to pay for them separately and upgrade to a premium plan to gain full-features.

Gumroad

Gumroad is a marketplace where creators can sell digital downloads of various sizes and shapes. Over the past decade Gumroad's creators collectively made more than $500 million from selling digital items.

It's user-friendly and is a favorite choice for creators, but is it the best choice for you? Let's look into the advantages and disadvantages.

Here's an area where Gumroad is shining:

Gumroad is a simple way to start with selling pretty much any kind of product imaginable, including physical goods if you decide to.

The platform is free for anyone to use. You'll only be charged transaction charges in the event that you've made a sale. This is great if not sure about selling digital items and wish try it out before making the leap to using a premium instrument.

Creators have access to Gumroad Discover an online marketplace in which prospective buyers can search for your products.

Here are a few Gumroad cons:

There are limited customization options on your product pages as well as checkout pages. It's not easy to design an ordinary sales page as there's no builder for websites.

Even though it's not expensive to join, there are high transaction fees per sale. It's fine when you're just starting out but when you get bigger your business, it can take away your profits.

Gumroad features

Easy to use: 4 out of 5. Making your product available using Gumroad is easy and intuitive. The first time you publish a listing in just a few seconds, and then you'll be ready to start selling.

Function: 4.5 out of 5. Gumroad is a great platform for selling products. Gumroad the ability to market digital files, physical products including memberships, products, variants as well as rentals. You can also choose the release date of your products, offer key codes for licenses if you're selling software and also sell subscriptions.

In the case of paid items There's a size limit of 16 GB. In the case of free items the limit for file size is 250MB. Every product is able to include the number of files you like.

Support: 2.5 five out of 5. Gumroad has a resource library with helpful articles and videos. The company has lost points due to the absence of live chat and phone support, so the best option to reach them for specific inquiries is through their email address.

Marketing Four out of five. In the marketing department, Gumroad's affiliate system shines. If you plan to use affiliate marketing with your product, Gumroad lets you set this up free of charge using their simple process.

Gumroad also has a handful of integrations, allowing you to connect your email marketing tools and also the Zapier integration.

Transaction costs: 2.5 out of 5. With transaction fees ranging from 9% to 2.9 percentage in this area, it is in which Gumroad is the worst off. It is true that the fees for transactions goes down when you make more sales, however 9% is still a steep price for newer creators. You also have to pay an additional $0.30 charge for every sale.

Gumroad provides weekly payments as when you've reached a $10 USD threshold.

Pricing: Cost is Free + Charges. There's no recurring monthly price, but there are transaction charges depending on the number of annual transactions.

What should you look out for in determining where to market digital downloads

All creators are unique. It's why it's good to have choices when choosing which software to power your business.

With a reliable digital download system on your support, you'll soon be on your way to an improved product lineup and endless earning potential.