Creating and selling a digital product sounds simple, until you actually sit down to do it.
Whether you’re starting from scratch or already have an ebook, a set of design templates, or a video course ready to share, turning your expertise into income comes with hidden hurdles.
First, you’ll need to create, format, or structure the content itself. Then the technical challenges begin: choosing a payment gateway, delivering files securely, handling international tax rules, and building a checkout page that actually converts.
To help you decide, I spent the last few weeks testing the most popular platforms with real hands-on projects. Some are full ecosystems built to run your entire online business, while others are lightweight tools that do one job very well.
In this guide, I’ll walk you through the best tools for creating and selling digital products, including where each one performs well and where it falls short. My goal is to help you pick the right fit for your situation, so you can spend less time managing software and more time making money.
How I Evaluated the Best Tools to Sell Digital Products
I didn’t want to simply repeat the marketing claims from each product’s homepage. Instead, I created a specific test project for every single tool on this list and then worked through the real steps a beginner would face, from the initial setup all the way to a finished, sellable product.
As I tested, I focused heavily on the criteria that actually decide whether a platform is a good fit for a small business owner or creator. Here’s exactly what I looked at, and why each point matters to you:
- Ease of setup for beginners: A tool can have endless features, but if it takes a week to configure, it isn’t helping you. I actually timed how quickly I could go from a blank screen to a working product page, because your valuable time is much better spent creating and selling rather than wrestling with technical settings.
- Fees and pricing transparency: Some tools charge a flat subscription, others take a percentage of each sale, and some even do both. I looked closely at the true cost of selling on each platform so you can understand exactly how much of your revenue you actually get to keep.
- File delivery and security: Your ecommerce tool needs to safely deliver your product to paying customers, without letting those download links leak out to the rest of the web. I paid close attention to how each platform handles delivery and file protection, to ensure your digital assets remain secure after purchase.
- Payment options: Everyone has a favorite way to pay online, whether that’s a credit card, PayPal, or a local regional option. I tested which payment gateways each tool supports, since every unsupported option is a potential lost customer.
- Room to grow: I considered whether each tool can handle more products, larger files, and new product types as your business expands. Choosing a scalable platform means you won’t need to migrate the moment your business gains traction.
- Tax and compliance help: International sales come with confusing tax rules, especially in the European Union. I noted which tools handle this for you automatically, because manual tax bookkeeping is a job nobody enjoys.
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The 7 Best Tools to Sell Digital Products
1. Easy Digital Downloads – The Best All-Around Tool for Selling Digital Products on WordPress
Easy Digital Downloads (EDD) is a WordPress plugin built specifically for selling digital files like ebooks, software, music, and PDFs.
It’s the tool I personally reach for when I’m building a dedicated digital store on WordPress, because it does that job far better than general-purpose eCommerce plugins.
My Experience With Easy Digital Downloads
To put EDD through a realistic test, I built a fictional storefront for a self-published author who wanted to sell an ebook and an audiobook as a discounted bundle. My goal was to see how smoothly a creator could handle file delivery, product variations, and discount codes using a single tool.
Because Easy Digital Downloads is built strictly for digital products, you won’t have to deal with complex shipping settings or physical inventory tracks. In fact, I had my first product uploaded and ready to sell in about fifteen minutes.
In my opinion, the stand-out feature is EDD’s secure file delivery system. When I made a test purchase, I instantly received an automatic download link that expired after a set time. For a creator whose income depends on digital files, that kind of built-in protection gives you real peace of mind.
However, it’s important to note that Easy Digital Downloads runs directly on your own WordPress site. That means you’ll need a live website and web hosting already set up. If you’re looking for a hosted platform that runs entirely for you without managing a WordPress site, a service like Payhip may be a better option.
Pros of Easy Digital Downloads:
✅ Built specifically for digital downloads, EDD keeps your dashboard simple by skipping physical shipping and inventory settings altogether.
✅ Secure file delivery system uses expiring download links, protecting your paid files from being shared around for free.
✅ Supports popular payment options like Stripe, PayPal, Apple Pay, and Google Pay so your customers can pay using their preferred method.
✅ Detailed sales reports, so you’ll always know which items are your top performers and who your customers are.
Cons of Easy Digital Downloads:
❌ Requires an existing WordPress website and hosting, which is more initial setup compared to a fully hosted service like Payhip.
❌ You’lll need to upgrade to a higher-tier plan to access advanced tools such as recurring subscriptions and software licensing.
❌ You’re responsible for managing your own site updates, backups, and security.
Pricing: If you want to try before you buy, you can download the free version of Easy Digital Downloads directly from the official WordPress repository. Meanwhile, paid plans start at $99.50 per year for a Personal license.
Why I Recommend Easy Digital Downloads: This is the absolute best choice for creators who want a dedicated digital store on their own WordPress website and complete ownership of their sales and customer data.
2. WP Simple Pay – The Best Tool for Selling a Single Digital Product Fast
WP Simple Pay is a straightforward payment plugin that lets you accept credit card payments using simple, customizable Stripe payment forms.
It earns a top spot here because sometimes you don’t need a full-blown online store at all. You just need a quick, hassle-free way to charge for one specific item on your site.
My Experience With WP Simple Pay
For this test, I created a payment page for a yoga instructor selling a downloadable meditation guide. Rather than setting up an entire online store or complex shopping cart, she just needed a clean page where customers could pay and then access their file instantly.
Tasks like this are WP Simple Pay’s specialty. Using its drag-and-drop form builder, I built a working payment form in under ten minutes without writing a single line of code.
WP Simple Pay even lets you generate dedicated payment pages, so I didn’t even need to build a custom WordPress page in order to display my form. Plus, WP Simple Pay connects directly to Stripe’s secure infrastructure, so you never have to worry about handling sensitive payment details.
Just keep in mind that WP Simple Pay doesn’t manage automated file downloads. You’ll need to set up a post-purchase redirect page or confirmation email to deliver your file.
Pros of WP Simple Pay:
✅ Publish a working payment form in minutes, so you can start charging for your digital product right away.
✅ Connects securely with Stripe, keeping credit card data safe while providing a trusted checkout experience.
✅ Dedicated payment pages give buyers a clean, distraction-free checkout without extra design work.
✅ Free, lite version lets you accept basic card payments without a big upfront investment.
Cons of WP Simple Pay:
❌ Doesn’t handle automatic file delivery.
❌ Works strictly with Stripe. If your target audience prefers alternative payment gateways and methods, then EDD is a better option.
❌ Lacks store features like shopping carts or product catalogs.
Pricing: You can download the lite version of WP Simple Pay from WordPress.org, and test out the plugin without paying a cent. When you’re ready to upgrade, paid plans range from $49.50-$299.50.
Why I Recommend WP Simple Pay: This is the ultimate tool for anyone who wants to sell a single digital product or service without setting up an entire online store.
If speed and simplicity are your top priorities, WP Simple Pay is the perfect plugin for you.
3. Beacon – The Best Tool for Creating Ebooks and Lead Magnets
Beacon is a specialized design tool that helps you create professional ebooks, workbooks, and lead magnets without needing any graphic design skills.
Beacon earns its spot on this list because selling digital products starts long before the checkout process. You need a great product first, and Beacon makes designing polished leads and digital downloads simple.
My Experience With Beacon
To see how Beacon performs in a real-world scenario, I created a campaign for a nutritionist with a simple goal: grow her email list with a free meal-prep guide, then upsell those subscribers on a premium recipe collection. This freebie-to-paid funnel is one of the best ways for creators to turn traffic into revenue.
The design process in Beacon feels refreshingly easy. I picked a pre-designed template, customized the text and images using the drag-and-drop builder, and had a finished ebook ready in a few hours. It looked like it had been made by a professional designer, but required zero design skills.
That said, it’s important to remember that Beacon is strictly a design and lead-generation tool rather than a payment processor.
If you plan to sell your digital products rather than give them away, you’ll want to pair Beacon with a payment tool like Easy Digital Downloads or WP Simple Pay to manage the actual checkout process.
Pros of Beacon:
✅ Easy drag-and-drop editor lets you craft polished ebooks and workbooks without hiring an expensive designer.
✅ Built-in lead capture forms turn your free downloads into powerful growth tools, making it easy to capture email subscribers.
✅ Professional ready-made templates give you a clean starting point so you never have to stare at a blank page.
✅ Offers a genuinely useful free plan so you can design your first lead magnet without spending a dime.
Cons of Beacon:
❌ Handles content design and free lead delivery, but lacks built-in checkout features needed to accept paid orders directly.
❌ Lower-tier plans limit your monthly lead collection and storage, which can feel restrictive as your email list grows.
Pricing: Beacon’s free forever plan lets you create 1 new lead magnet every single month. If you want to create multiple lead magnets, then you’ll need to upgrade to the Lite plan ($19/month) or higher.
Why I Recommend Beacon: If you struggle with design, Beacon is a game-changer. It takes the guesswork out of creating beautiful lead magnets and digital downloads, making it easy to build a subscriber list and start selling paid products without the stress.
4. Payhip – The Best All-in-One Hosted Platform for Beginners
Payhip is a hosted platform that lets you sell digital downloads, courses, memberships, and even physical products from a custom store it manages for you.
It stands out as the go-to solution for complete beginners who don’t have a website and want to start selling with as little technical setup as possible.
My Experience With Payhip
For my test run, I built a sample storefront selling Canva templates to buyers all over the world. Selling internationally can be tricky, so I wanted to see how easily Payhip handles cross-border sales.
Getting started was as straightforward as it gets. I signed up, used the intuitive store builder to customize a branded landing page without touching a single line of code, and had a digital template listed for international sale in under half an hour.
Because there was no separate website to configure first, Payhip eliminates the biggest technical barrier facing new sellers.
In my opinion, Payhip’s stand-out feature is its automatic EU/UK VAT tax calculation. It instantly calculates and applies the correct tax rates based on the buyer’s location, so you don’t have to wrestle with complicated spreadsheets.
Additionally, every plan provides access to all of Payhip’s features, so you’re never locked out of essential tools simply because you’re on a cheaper tier.
However, keep in mind that Payhip’s free plan charges a 5% transaction fee on top of standard payment processing rates. As your sales grow, you’ll likely want to switch to a paid tier to avoid those transaction fees.
Also, keep in mind that hosted site builders don’t offer the same level of design freedom as a custom WordPress site. If you need complete control over your store’s layout and functionality, a self-hosted setup with a plugin like Easy Digital Downloads is a better option.
Pros of Payhip:
✅ True free-forever plan allows you to launch your store with zero upfront costs and no existing website required.
✅ Access every feature regardless of which plan you choose, so you won’t have to upgrade just to unlock essential tools.
✅ Automatically calculates and remits European Union and UK digital sales tax, saving you hours of compliance headaches.
✅ Flexible setup lets you sell directly on your hosted Payhip store.
✅ Supports digital downloads, online courses, memberships, and physical items so you can expand your product lines over time.
Cons of Payhip:
❌ Free plan charges a 5% transaction fee on every sale, eating into your profit margins as your sales grow.
❌ Store builder is relatively basic, offering far less design customization compared to a WordPress website.
Pricing: Payhip’s pricing structure scales directly with your store’s growth. You can start completely free with the Free Forever plan (which takes a 5% transaction fee per sale). As your store gains traction, you can upgrade to the Plus plan for $29/month to drop that fee to 2%, or choose the Pro plan at $99/month to remove Payhip’s transaction fees completely.
Why I Recommend Payhip: This is the absolute best pick for a beginner who wants to start selling digital products today without the hassle of building or hosting a website first.
If an all-in-one platform that handles complicated global taxes for you sounds better than managing your own WordPress site, Payhip is exactly what you’re looking for.
5. Sellfy – The Best Platform for Selling Digital and Physical Products Together
Sellfy is an all-in-one hosted store platform built for creators selling a mix of digital downloads, physical goods, and print-on-demand merchandise.
It’s my top pick if you want to sell more than just downloadable files, allowing you to manage multiple product types using the same platform.
My Experience With Sellfy
For this test, I focused mostly on Sellfy’s built-in print-on-demand feature, which handles all the printing and shipping automatically whenever a sale comes in. It’s a completely hands-off way to offer physical merchandise without storing inventory in your home.
I listed a digital beat pack and a print-on-demand t-shirt side by side without any confusion, which is exactly what a creator with a mixed catalog needs. In fact, I managed to launch a store in under an hour.
Another major benefit is that Sellfy charges zero platform fees on your sales. While many hosted platforms take a cut of every transaction, Sellfy lets you keep your revenue. You only pay standard credit card processing fees. For creators with steady sales, those savings add up significantly over time.
However, it’s important to keep the trade-offs in mind. Sellfy doesn’t offer a permanent free plan, so you’ll need a paid subscription to keep selling after the 14 day free trial.
Additionally, each plan comes with an annual sales cap. If you exceed that revenue limit, you’ll be pushed to upgrade to a higher tier or pay a small overage fee. It’s a good idea to factor this into your budget as your business expands.
Pros of Sellfy:
✅ Zero platform fees mean Sellfy never takes a cut of your earnings on top of your subscription cost.
✅ Allows you to sell digital products, physical items, and print-on-demand merch together in one clean shop.
✅ Super simple setup lets non-technical creators launch a modern online store in under an hour.
✅ Built-in email marketing and product upselling tools help you grow revenue without purchasing separate add-ons.
Cons of Sellfy:
❌ No permanent free plan (only a 14-day trial), meaning you’ll need a paid subscription to keep your store open.
❌ Annual sales caps on each tier force an upgrade or a 2% overage fee if you exceed your limit.
❌ Store customization options are fairly basic compared to building a custom site on WordPress.
Pricing: While Sellfy doesn’t have a free plan, you can test the platform with a 14-day free trial. After that, paid plans start at $29 per month for the Starter plan. However, you’ll need to upgrade to the Business plan ($79 per month) to unlock cart recovery tools and built-in product upselling.
Why I Recommend Sellfy: This is the absolute best choice for creators who plan to sell physical merchandise or print-on-demand gear alongside their digital products.
If you want a single, tidy storefront for a mixed product catalog with zero platform fees, Sellfy fits that need perfectly.
6. Podia – The Best All-in-One Platform for Courses, Downloads, and Community
Podia is an all-in-one platform that brings a website builder, digital storefront, email marketing tool, and community area into one subscription. It’s designed specifically for creators who want to manage their entire online business from a single dashboard instead of connecting multiple separate plugins.
My Experience With Podia
To test Podia’s versatility, I built a store for a photographer offering downloadable Lightroom presets, a video course, and a private feedback community. Setting up this mix allowed me to see how Podia manages completely different product formats in one account.
Getting up and running with Podia is completely painless. The onboarding guides you through building your page and adding products with zero extra plugins required. Even uploading huge course videos is effortless, thanks to Podia’s generous storage and unlimited asset uploads.
But Podia’s biggest advantage is how effortlessly everything connects behind the scenes.
When a customer bought a preset pack, they were instantly enrolled in the email list and welcomed into the private community. Combining your store, email, and community into one platform eliminates the stress (and cost) of managing separate tools.
That versatility does come with a higher price tag. Podia’s entry-level pricing is steeper than dedicated checkout tools, making it a big upfront investment, especially if you’re just starting out.
Pros of Podia:
✅ Consolidates your website, digital store, email marketing, and community space into a single platform.
✅ Supports massive file uploads (up to 5GB per file), making it ideal for high-definition video course creators.
✅ Smooth, frictionless customer experience allows buyers to access downloads without annoying extra steps or complicated account setups.
✅ Higher-tier plans remove platform transaction fees entirely so you keep more of your earnings.
Cons of Podia:
❌ Starting price is higher than many competitors, which can feel like a big upfront commitment for beginners.
❌ The entry-level Mover plan ($42) charges a 5% transaction fee.
❌ Less customizable than a self-hosted WordPress site.
Pricing: Although Podia doesn’t offer a permanent free plan, you can explore the platform with a 30-day free trial. After that, plans start at $42 per month (when billed annually). However, you’ll need to upgrade to the Shaker plan ($84 per month) to remove Podia’s 5% transaction fees.
Why I Recommend Podia: If you’re tired of juggling separate subscriptions for your website, email list, courses, and community, Podia simplifies everything. It gives you a clean, unified dashboard to build, market, and sell all your digital products.
7. Teachable – The Best Platform for Selling Online Courses
As one of the most established learning platforms on the market, Teachable takes the friction out of creating and selling online courses, 1-on-1 coaching, and digital downloads.
Best of all, its course management tools are far more advanced than what you’ll find in standard eCommerce store builders, giving your students a true academy-style experience.
My Experience With Teachable
To see how Teachable copes under real-world pressure, I created a fictional course stacked with video lessons, interactive quizzes, and automated completion certificates.
Building the curriculum felt like using software designed specifically for educators. I organized lessons into modules, added a quiz to test student understanding, and configured an automatic certificate for students who completed the course, all without running into a single technical roadblock.
In fact, my test course looked like a professional online academy, featuring clean video playback, student mobile app access, and automatic progress tracking. For a creator selling expertise, that polished presentation helps justify Teachable’s premium price point.
Pros of Teachable:
✅ Delivers an exceptional classroom experience complete with quizzes, video player, and course completion certificates.
✅ Built-in AI tools help you draft structured course outlines and sales copy in seconds.
✅ Includes native student mobile apps (iOS and Android) so learners can access your content anywhere.
✅ Built-in order bumps, upsells, and cart recovery features help increase your average order value.
Cons of Teachable:
❌ The Starter plan ($29/month) charges a 7.5% transaction fee per sale. As your business grows, those transaction fees will start eating into your profits quickly.
❌ Digital downloads are a secondary feature, making Teachable overly complex if you only plan to sell simple downloadable files.
Pricing: Teachable offers a 7-day free trial to build and test your course. After that, paid plans start at $29 per month (when billed annually) for the Starter plan. Once your sales pick up, upgrading to the Builder plan ($69/month billed annually) quickly pays for itself by removing Teachable’s 7.5% transaction fee entirely.
Why I Recommend Teachable: If you’re looking to showcase your knowledge in a professional, student-friendly setting, Teachable is tough to beat. It makes your lessons look sleek and high-end, so it’s ideal for educators and coaches who are focused on delivering a top-tier learning experience.
The Verdict: Which Tool Should You Choose?
The truth is, there isn’t a single ‘best’ tool for everyone when it comes to selling digital products. Ultimately, it comes down to what you’re selling, your overall goals, and your level of technical experience.
However, for most creators my top overall pick is Easy Digital Downloads. It gives you a dedicated digital storefront, complete ownership of your business and customer data, and zero platform transaction fees.
I also recommend the following tools, for specific use cases:
- If you just want to sell a single product, WP Simple Pay lets you publish a secure payment form in minutes without building a complex store.
- If you need to create the ebook or lead magnet first, Beacon has everything you need to design professional digital products and then use them to capture email subscribers.
- If you don’t have a website, Payhip provides a beginner-friendly all-in-one platform that even calculates digital sales tax rates for you.
- If you want to create and sell online courses, Teachable is my top pick. It provides specialized tools to help you create a polished classroom experience that feels premium.
Frequently Asked Questions About Selling Digital Products
If you’re getting ready to launch your first digital product, it’s completely normal to have a few questions. From figuring out transaction fees to choosing between a standalone platform and a WordPress plugin, the details can feel overwhelming.
To help you get started with confidence, here’s straightforward answers to the questions I hear most often from first-time sellers.
What are the best digital products to sell online?
The most popular and profitable digital products include ebooks, online courses, design templates, stock photos, music and audio files, software, and printable planners.
The best product to sell is one that solves a clear, specific problem for a targeted audience. Focused products are significantly easier to position and market compared to broad, general offerings.
If you aren’t sure where to start, look at the skills and knowledge you already have. A nutritionist can sell meal plans, a designer can sell templates, and a photographer can sell presets. Your existing expertise is often the fastest path to a product people will actually pay for.
Do I need a website to sell digital products?
No, you don’t strictly need your own website to get started. Hosted platforms like Payhip and Sellfy give you a ready-made store page, so you can start selling within an hour even if you’ve never built a website before.
That said, selling directly from your own WordPress website gives you far more control and keeps more profit in your pocket long term. Many creators launch on a hosted platform to test an idea, then migrate to WordPress using a plugin like Easy Digital Downloads once sales grow and they need more control over their brand experience.
How much does it cost to start selling digital products?
You can launch your store for free. Both Easy Digital Downloads and WP Simple Pay offer free plugins, and Payhip provides a free-forever plan. That means your only unavoidable upfront cost is the standard processing fee charged by Stripe or PayPal on each sale.
As you grow, you can upgrade to a plan that removes transaction fees or unlocks advanced features. The smartest strategy is to start with a free option, verify that people want your product, and then upgrade once your sales justify the expense.
How do I deliver a digital file to a customer safely?
The most secure approach is using a platform that delivers your product automatically via a time-limited download link. Tools like Easy Digital Downloads do this out of the box, sending buyers a secure link that expires after a set period to prevent unauthorized sharing.
If you’re using a simple checkout tool like WP Simple Pay that doesn’t include built-in file hosting, you can send downloads via automated follow-up emails or redirect buyers to a private thank-you page. Just be sure never to publish files at public URLs, or anyone with the link could download your product without paying.
Do I have to charge tax on digital products?
Yes. In many regions, digital products are subject to sales tax or Value-Added Tax (VAT).
Tax rates are typically determined by where your customer lives rather than where your business is based. For example, European Union rules require you to collect VAT based on the buyer’s location.
Fortunately, tools like Payhip automatically calculate regional taxes, while plugins like Easy Digital Downloads integrate with automated tax services to handle calculations for you.
Can I sell digital products and physical products from the same store?
Yes, and several tools on this list support hybrid stores out of the box. For example, Sellfy allows you to sell digital downloads, physical inventory, and print-on-demand merchandise all from a single storefront.
WordPress users can also pair Easy Digital Downloads with physical product plugins as their inventory expands. Selecting a platform that accommodates both digital and physical items from the start prevents the hassle of rebuilding your store later, so it pays to plan ahead.
Ready to Start Selling Your Digital Products?
Choosing your ecommerce tool is the exciting first step toward turning your knowledge, art, or expertise into a real income stream.
Remember that you can scale your store’s setup as your sales increase, so don’t feel pressured to get every detail perfect on day one. Simply choose the tool that fits your current needs, list your first product, and then refine your store as you grow.
If you’d like guidance as you build your store, WP101 is here to help. Our beginner-friendly video courses walk you through WordPress step by step. Sign up for a 7-day free trial to start building your store with confidence.
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