The best platforms to sell digital products in 2026
Where to sell templates, ebooks, courses, and AI products in 2026. 10 platforms compared on monthly price, fee per sale, and whether they handle sales tax.
The best platform to sell digital products depends on three things: what you sell, where your buyers come from, and whether you want someone else to handle sales tax. For creators who sell from social media, Eden (courses, coaching, and AI products, $29 a month plus 5%) and Stan (a simple 0% store for $29 a month) are the strongest picks. Gumroad and Payhip handle sales tax for you. Kajabi is for big course businesses, and Etsy is for printables that buyers find by search.
Full disclosure: we make Eden, which is on this list. We explain who should pick something else. All prices and fees were checked on each company's own site in September 2026. Card processing (usually 2.9% + 30¢ per US sale) is extra everywhere unless noted.
The three questions that pick your platform
1. What are you selling? Files (templates, ebooks, presets) fit almost anywhere. Courses need lessons and progress. Coaching needs booking. An AI product needs a platform that can host and paywall an AI.
2. Where do buyers come from? If they come from your content, you want a store in your link in bio and a low fee. If they come from search, you want a marketplace like Etsy that already has the traffic.
3. Who handles sales tax? A merchant of record (Gumroad, Payhip, Lemon Squeezy, Polar) is the legal seller, so it collects and pays sales tax and VAT for you, and charges more per sale for it. On every other platform, you're the seller and tax is your job. More in what is a merchant of record.
The short version
| Platform | Best for | Monthly | Fee per sale | Handles tax? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eden | Courses, coaching, and AI products | $29 | 5% | No |
| Stan Store | A simple link-in-bio store | $29 | 0% | No |
| Gumroad | No monthly bill, tax handled | $0 | 10% + 50¢ | Yes |
| Payhip | Gumroad-style, lower fee | $0 to $99 | 5% to 0% | VAT and US sales tax |
| Beacons | Selling from a free link in bio | $0 to $100 | 9% to 0% | No |
| Lemon Squeezy | Software and licenses, tax handled | $0 | 5% + 50¢ | Yes |
| Kajabi | Big course businesses | $179 | 0% | No |
| Podia | Courses, downloads, community | $49 | 5% to 0% | No |
| Etsy | Printables found by search | $0 | 6.5% + listing fees | US sales tax |
| Shopify | Physical and digital products together | $39 ($29 yearly) | 0% with Shopify Payments | No |
1. Eden: best for courses, coaching, and AI products
Eden is a creator workspace with a store and a free link-in-bio page. You build products from what you already have in Eden (notes, lessons, boards, files) and sell them as downloads, courses, cohorts, coaching, memberships, bundles, or Custom AI products.
What sets it apart is that a product can come with an AI that knows your material. A template pack can come with an AI that helps each buyer fill it in, and a course can come with a tutor that knows which lesson they're on. Downloads open inside the product, and buyers can copy boards and tables into their own workspace or download the originals.
Selling tools are on the entry plan: discount codes, order bumps, bundles, timed sales, and testimonials. Pro at $79 adds one-click upsells, affiliates, and Meta Pixel tracking. Money goes straight to your Stripe account, in USD, EUR, GBP, CAD, or AUD.
Pick something else if: you want tax handled for you, need a marketplace to bring buyers, or want a custom domain.
Price: free page. Selling from $29/mo, 5% per sale.
2. Stan Store: best simple store
Stan is a link-in-bio store for downloads, courses, coaching calls, memberships, and webinars, with 0% transaction fees and a fast two-tap checkout.
Pick something else if: you want a free plan, or need discount codes, upsells, and email without paying $99 a month for Creator Pro. Details in Stan Store fees.
Price: Creator $29/mo, Creator Pro $99/mo.
3. Gumroad: best with no monthly bill
Gumroad has no plan to pay for and handles sales tax and VAT worldwide as the merchant of record. Its Discover marketplace can bring you buyers.
Pick something else if: you sell a lot. 10% + 50¢ per sale adds up, and Discover sales cost 30%. See Gumroad alternatives.
Price: free, 10% + 50¢ per sale (5% + 50¢ in months over $20,000).
4. Payhip: best Gumroad alternative with tax handled
Payhip sells downloads, courses, memberships, and coaching, collects and pays EU and UK VAT and US sales tax, and gives every plan every feature.
Pick something else if: you want a store that doubles as a polished link in bio.
Price: Free (5%), Plus $29/mo (2%), Pro $99/mo (0%).
5. Beacons: best free link-in-bio store
Beacons sells unlimited digital products and one course on its free plan, with a media kit and email tools.
Pick something else if: you sell enough that a 9% fee costs more than a flat plan.
Price: Free and Creator ($10/mo) at 9%, Creator Plus ($30/mo) and Max ($100/mo) at 0%.
6. Lemon Squeezy: best for software sellers
Lemon Squeezy is a merchant of record with license keys and subscriptions, popular with indie software makers.
Pick something else if: you want certainty. Stripe owns it, and it announced in January 2026 that users are moving to Stripe Managed Payments.
Price: 5% + 50¢ per sale.
7. Kajabi: best for big course businesses
Kajabi is a full suite: website, funnels, unlimited email, community, courses, and a branded app, with 0% platform fees.
Pick something else if: you're starting out. Basic is $179 a month with a 2,500 contact cap. See Kajabi alternatives.
Price: Basic $179/mo, Growth $249/mo, Pro $499/mo.
8. Podia: best all-in-one for small creators
Podia puts courses, downloads, coaching, community, and webinars on every plan.
Pick something else if: your email list is bigger than 1,000. Podia's email caps are low.
Price: Mover $49/mo (5% fee), Shaker $99/mo (0%), Earthquaker $179/mo (0%).
9. Etsy: best for printables found by search
Etsy is where people search for planners, printables, and templates, so a new seller can make sales with no audience.
Pick something else if: you have an audience. Between $0.20 listing fees, 6.5% per sale, 3% + 25¢ processing, and Offsite Ads that can take 12% to 15%, Etsy is costly, and you compete with thousands of lookalike listings.
Price: no monthly fee.
10. Shopify: best if you also sell physical products
Shopify is the standard for ecommerce. If you sell merch and digital products, it keeps them in one store.
Pick something else if: you only sell digital products. It's built for shipping boxes, and using a payment processor other than Shopify Payments adds 2% on Basic.
Price: Basic $39/mo ($29 billed yearly).
What each one costs on $1,000 a month
Say you sell 20 products at $50 each. Platform costs only (plan plus the platform's own cut), before card processing:
| Platform | Monthly cost |
|---|---|
| Stan Creator | $29 |
| Payhip Plus | $49 |
| Lemon Squeezy | $60 |
| Eden Starter | $79 |
| Beacons Free | $90 |
| Gumroad (direct) | $110 |
| Kajabi Basic | $179 |
At $1,000 a month, a flat price wins. At $200 a month, the free plans with a fee cost less. Eden and Kajabi cost more than a plain store because they include more: Eden adds cohorts, coaching programs, and AI products, and Kajabi adds a website, funnels, and email.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best platform to sell digital products for beginners?
If you have an audience on social media, a link-in-bio store like Stan or Eden. If you don't, Gumroad or Payhip, since they cost nothing until you sell. See how to sell digital products.
Which platform takes the lowest fee?
Stan (0% at $29/mo) and Kajabi (0% at $179/mo) take nothing per sale. Payhip Pro and Beacons Creator Plus are also 0% on paid plans. Processing fees apply everywhere.
Do I need to charge sales tax on digital products?
Often, yes. Many US states and most of Europe tax digital products. A merchant of record (Gumroad, Payhip, Lemon Squeezy, Polar) handles this for you. On other platforms, you handle it yourself or use a tax tool. Ask a tax professional about your situation.
Can I sell an AI product on these platforms?
Only Eden sells an AI as the product, with access tied to each buyer's account. On other platforms, you'd be selling a link, and custom GPT links stop working when OpenAI retires them on December 11, 2026. See how to sell a custom AI.
Want your product to help buyers use it? Start Eden free and build your first product.