Where to sell digital products: comparative guide to platforms and marketplaces

TL;DR

There are three main categories of platforms to sell digital products: niche marketplaces (Gumroad, SendOwl), specialized platforms (Teachable, Kajabi), and general marketplaces (Amazon KDP, Etsy). Each offers different trade-offs between commission, control, and discoverability. This guide includes a decision framework to choose the ideal platform based on your product type, audience, and investment.

Introduction

If you create digital content — e-books, courses, templates, source code, spreadsheets, or any other digital asset — you face the same question: where do I sell this?

It’s not a trivial question. The platform you choose determines how much you earn in commissions, how your customers find you, what tools you have available, and most importantly, how much autonomy you maintain over your business.

The impact of choosing right

Selling an e-book on Amazon KDP is completely different from selling on Gumroad. Selling a course on Teachable is not the same as using Kajabi. And distributing templates on Etsy is a different game than placing them on your own platform using SendOwl.

The good news? You don’t need to get it right the first time. But it helps a lot to understand your options before you start.

In this guide, you’ll understand the main platforms and marketplaces available, how they work, which is the best fit for each type of digital product, and how to make an intelligent decision about where to start.

Quick summary by product type

Read the rest of this guide to understand why each option works better for different situations.

Understanding platform categories

There are three different categories of where you can sell digital products. Each has a different business model, which directly affects how much you earn, how much control you have, and whether you need to bring traffic or not.

1. Niche marketplaces (outsourced distribution)

You place your product on a platform and let it handle distribution, payments, and discovery.

Advantage: You don’t need to do anything beyond uploading the file.

Disadvantage: Your margin is smaller because the platform takes a commission. You have less control over the customer experience.

Examples: Gumroad, SendOwl, Payhip

2. Specialized platforms (complete infrastructure)

You build your presence within a platform that provides everything: hosting, checkout, email marketing, certificates, community.

Advantage: You have all the tools you need in one place.

Disadvantage: You’re locked into the platform. If it changes pricing or features, you change with it.

Examples: Teachable, Kajabi, Thinkific, Podia

3. General marketplaces (broad distribution)

You place your product on a platform that sells everything — from crafts to digital products. Your potential audience is huge, but so is the competition.

Advantage: Massive reach, audience already accustomed to buying.

Disadvantage: Your product is one among millions. You need a clear visibility strategy.

Examples: Amazon KDP, Etsy Digital, Creative Market

Key insight: There’s no “best” platform in absolute terms. The best one aligns with your situation now: if you already have an audience, choose control. If you don’t, choose discoverability. If you’re starting out, choose zero initial risk.

Guide by product type

Now let’s detail each type of digital asset and where it makes most sense to sell. Use this section as a practical reference for your specific product type.

Selling e-books

If you’ve written an e-book and want to sell it, you basically have three paths:

Amazon KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing)

Amazon KDP is probably the easiest place to start selling an e-book. You upload your PDF, set a price (between $0.99 and hundreds of dollars), and Amazon handles the rest.

How it works: You earn between 35% and 70% royalties, depending on the price you set. If your book costs $9.99, you get 35%. If it costs between $9.99 and $200, you get 70%.

Why choose it: Your reach is virtually unlimited. Anyone with a Kindle or Kindle app can access your work. Discovery is real — popular books appear in searches within Amazon.

Disadvantage: You have no control over dynamic pricing, creative promotions, or customer relationships. Amazon owns the relationship.

Smashwords or Draft2Digital

These platforms work as distributors. You send your e-book once, and they distribute it to Amazon, Apple Books, Google Play, Kobo, and other digital bookstores simultaneously.

How it works: You receive between 50% and 85% of sales (they take a commission for distribution).

Why choose it: If you want to be in multiple bookstores with a single upload, this is the solution. You also have more control over pricing and promotions.

Disadvantage: Less reach than selling directly to Amazon because you’re spreading across many places instead of focusing on one.

Gumroad

Selling e-books on Gumroad is different. You’re not competing with millions of other books. You’re building your audience on Gumroad and selling to them.

How it works: You upload the PDF, Gumroad takes 10% (or you can pay a flat fee of $0.20 + 5% if you want to reduce commissions on some operations).

Why choose it: Total control. You can offer book updates to previous buyers. You can email customers. You can do creative promotions. You can sell as part of a bundle with other products.

Disadvantage: You have to bring the traffic yourself. Gumroad won’t discover your e-book for you. You need to promote it.

Selling online courses

Courses are probably the most popular sales format among digital creators. There are many options.

Teachable

Teachable is the most popular option for creators who want to build an online school. You create sections, video lessons, quizzes, certificates. Your students see everything in a clean dashboard.

How it works: You pay a monthly plan (starting around $39/month) and keep 100% of sales (unless you use their payment gateway, then they take 5%).

Why choose it: Intuitive interface, ready-made templates, email marketing integration, community for support. Many Brazilian creators use it and there’s plenty of Portuguese-language content on how to use it.

Disadvantage: You pay platform rent every month, whether you sell or not. For a small course, $39/month can be a significant portion.

Kajabi

Kajabi is the “premium” option for those who want everything: courses, landing pages, email marketing, sales funnels, membership. All integrated.

How it works: Plans start at around $119/month. You keep 100% of sales.

Why choose it: If you want to build a complete digital sales operation (not just a course), Kajabi offers everything. One platform for everything.

Disadvantage: Expensive. Better suited for those already with consistent revenue or betting heavily on this model.

Thinkific

Thinkific is similar to Teachable — build courses, sell to students, track progress. Plans start around $39/month too.

How it works: You pay the monthly plan, keep 100% of sales, integrate with payment gateways (Stripe, PayPal, etc).

Why choose it: Slightly more modern interface than Teachable, good support. Some creators prefer it for design.

Disadvantage: Pretty much the same as Teachable — you need to bring traffic, need consistent sales to justify the monthly cost.

Podia

Podia is an all-in-one. You sell courses, downloads, digital offers, memberships, all in one place.

How it works: First sale is free. After that you pay 8% commission per sale (no monthly fee).

Why choose it: No fixed fee is great for beginners. You only pay when you sell.

Disadvantage: 8% commission is relatively high compared to Teachable (0%). If you sell a lot, this gets expensive.

Selling templates, themes, and code

If you create WordPress templates, Figma themes, plugins, source code, or design digital assets, you have some specific options.

Gumroad

Again, Gumroad. Because Gumroad is extremely flexible.

You list your template, plugin, or code for sale. Your followers — or anyone who finds you — buy. Gumroad takes 10% (or you pay a flat fee to reduce commission).

Why it works: Simplicity. You don’t need complicated infrastructure. You create, upload, sell.

SendOwl

SendOwl specializes in digital products and offers a bit more sophistication than Gumroad.

How it works: You upload your template or code. SendOwl provides a purchase link, you promote that link. After purchase, the customer downloads.

Commission: 5% + payment gateway fee (usually another 2-3%). Total around 7-8%.

Why choose it: More features than Gumroad (coupons, analytics, real customer support).

Disadvantage: More complicated to use than Gumroad. Smaller community and audience base.

Creative Market

If you create design assets (Figma templates, Photoshop, Illustrator, etc), Creative Market is the place.

How it works: You submit your template. Creative Market charges a commission (around 30-40%) and keeps it. You get the rest.

Why choose it: Huge community of designers. If your template is good, it sells.

Disadvantage: High commission. You depend on the platform for discovery.

Selling downloads (spreadsheets, checklists, assets)

If you create spreadsheets, checklists, swipe templates, design components, or any other small digital asset, these are your best options:

Etsy Digital

Etsy is primarily known for physical crafts, but offers a robust section for digital products.

How it works: You list your product (a spreadsheet, checklist, design kit, etc). When someone buys, the file is delivered automatically.

Commission: Etsy takes 5% + payment processing fee (about 4%). Total ~9%.

Why choose it: Huge audience of people already buying. Strong female audience. Searches within Etsy are powerful.

Disadvantage: High competition. Many spreadsheets and checklists. You need a real differentiator.

Payhip

Payhip focuses on digital products. Works similar to SendOwl.

How it works: You upload your product. Payhip provides a purchase link, analytics, coupons. When you sell, you get paid directly to your account.

Commission: 5% + payment processor fee (~2.9% + $0.30).

Why choose it: Simple interface, good for beginners. Payhip also lets you sell in multiple categories (courses, e-books, downloads).

Disadvantage: Smaller community than Etsy. You need to bring your own traffic.

Complete comparison

3 criteria for choosing your platform

Now that you know your options, how do you decide? Use these 3 criteria:

Criterion 1: Commission vs. Control

Model 1: High commission, maximum control (Gumroad, SendOwl, Payhip)

• You keep 85-95% of each sale
• But you have to bring traffic yourself
• Best if: you already have an audience or are good at marketing

Model 2: Medium commission, good control (Teachable, Kajabi, Podia)

• You keep 92-100% of each sale
• The platform provides infrastructure
• Best if: you want to build a long-term business

Model 3: High commission to platform, maximum discovery (Amazon KDP, Etsy, Creative Market)

• Platform keeps 30-65%
• But discovery is huge
• Best if: you want reach without having to promote yourself

Criterion 2: Ease of setup

How much time do you have?

• 5 minutes: Gumroad, SendOwl (upload, done)
• 1 hour: Teachable, Payhip (basics configured)
• 1-2 weeks: Kajabi (if you want to do it right)
• Variable: Amazon KDP (depends on e-book formatting)

Criterion 3: Growth potential

• Fast growth (first 3 months): Amazon KDP, Etsy Digital
• Consistent growth: Teachable, Podia, Gumroad
• Accelerated growth (with investment): Kajabi
• Organic growth: Gumroad (with good relationship)

Decision framework: which platform is right for me?

Answer these 3 questions in order:

1. Do you already have an audience or can you bring traffic?

• Yes → Go to question 2
• No → Amazon KDP, Etsy Digital or Creative Market

2. What’s your product type?

• E-book → Amazon KDP or Draft2Digital
• Courses → Teachable, Kajabi or Thinkific
• Downloads (spreadsheets, checklists) → Etsy Digital or Payhip
• Templates, code, themes → Gumroad, SendOwl or Creative Market
• All of the above → Podia or Kajabi

3. How much do you want to invest in infrastructure?

• Nothing (pay only when you sell) → Gumroad, Payhip, Podia (8%)
• Small amount (~$170/month) → Teachable or Thinkific
• Significant (over $350/month) → Kajabi

Practical tips

Tip 1: Don’t depend on a single platform

If you sell an e-book only on Amazon, and Amazon changes the rules, you’re stuck. Diversify.

Ideal strategy:

• Primary platform (where you put main effort) → Teachable, Gumroad or Amazon KDP
• Secondary platform (where you replicate the same product with little effort) → Payhip, SendOwl or another
• Reach platform (where you go to reach new audiences) → Etsy Digital or Amazon KDP

Tip 2: Watch out for hidden fees

When you look at a platform, remember:

• Some charge commission only when you sell (Gumroad, Podia)
• Some charge monthly fees (Teachable, Kajabi)
• Some charge at checkout (through Stripe, PayPal, etc)

Total = platform commission + payment gateway fee + monthly fee

Example: Teachable + Stripe = 0% (Teachable) + 2.9% + $0.30 (Stripe) = approximately 3% total. Much less than Gumroad’s 10%.

Tip 3: Start simple

Don’t try to be on 5 platforms on day one. Choose one, put your product, sell a few, learn from the process.

Once you have traction, replicate on others.

Conclusion

Choosing where to sell your digital products is not a permanent decision. It’s a strategic decision for now.

You can start on Gumroad — simple, no initial risk, total control. Later, when you have consistent sales, move to Teachable to structure better. Sell an e-book on KDP for maximum reach, then also on Draft2Digital to be on multiple bookstores.

Platforms are not prisons. They are tools.

What sets creators making $1,000/month apart from those making $100,000/month is not the platform they choose. It’s the fact that one started while the other was still planning.

A quick decision framework for today

Use this guide as reference:

• Want maximum discovery (without marketing effort)? → Amazon KDP or Etsy Digital
• Want maximum control (and ability to build relationships)? → Gumroad or Teachable
• Want everything integrated (course + email + landing page)? → Podia or Kajabi
• Want maximum simplicity (upload and sell)? → Gumroad or Payhip

The action that matters now:

Choose a platform that makes sense for your product and your situation today. Don’t perfectionism. Don’t wait. Choose, set up in under an hour, and put your product for sale this week.

You can always expand later.

The only real mistake is never starting.

FAQ

What’s the best platform for beginners?

Gumroad or Payhip. Both have zero monthly fee, you only pay when you sell (5-10% commission). Setup takes less than 15 minutes. Ideal for testing if your product actually sells before investing in infrastructure.

Can I sell on multiple platforms simultaneously?

Yes, and it’s recommended. You can put the same e-book on Amazon KDP, Draft2Digital and Gumroad. The same course on Teachable and Podia. Most successful creators use a multi-channel strategy to not depend on a single platform.

Which platform takes the smallest commission?

Teachable, Kajabi and Thinkific take 0% commission (you keep 100%). But they charge a fixed monthly fee. If you consider only per-sale commission, Gumroad (10%) is competitive. If you consider total cost, it depends on how much you sell.

How do I avoid one platform monopolizing my business?

Don’t put everything in one place. Ideal strategy: primary platform (Teachable, Gumroad or KDP), secondary platform (Payhip, SendOwl), and reach platform (Etsy Digital, Creative Market). If one changes rules, you have alternatives.

What’s the best platform for selling courses?

Teachable, Kajabi or Thinkific if you want complete infrastructure. Podia if you want to start with no initial risk. Gumroad if you already have an audience and want maximum control. It depends on your situation.

Is Etsy Digital commission worth it?

Worth it if your audience is there. Etsy has 200+ million visitors per month. If you’re selling spreadsheets or design assets, Etsy’s discovery can bring more sales than the commission you pay. Test: list on Etsy and Payhip simultaneously, see which brings more sales.

Shareable elements

“The difference between selling on one platform and selling on five isn’t how much you earn. It’s how many eggs you put in how many baskets. Diversify.”

“The digital creator who earns the most isn’t the one using the ‘perfect’ platform. It’s the one who started selling while others were still planning.”

Insight to highlight

🎯 There’s no absolute ‘best’ platform. The best is the one that aligns with your situation now: if you already have an audience, choose control. If you don’t, choose discovery. If you’re starting out, choose zero initial risk.

Thread for X/Twitter

1/ You created a digital product and don’t know where to sell it. 12+ platforms are waiting. Let me simplify:

2/ 3 categories:

• Niche marketplaces (Gumroad, SendOwl) = total control, you bring traffic
• Specialized platforms (Teachable, Kajabi) = complete infrastructure, monthly fee
• Big marketplaces (Amazon KDP, Etsy) = massive reach, but bigger commission

3/ The choice depends on 3 things:

1. Do you already have an audience?
2. What’s your product type?
3. How much can you invest in infrastructure?

4/ Choose quickly and start. Don’t perfectionism.

Gumroad = start TODAY in 5 minutes Teachable = start in 1 hour Kajabi = start in 1 week if you want to do it right

5/ The mistake most people make: waiting for the “perfect” platform while others have been selling for months.

Pick ONE today. Expand later.

Hook for LinkedIn

“I’ve created 5 digital products on different platforms over the last year. Here’s what I learned about where to sell:

Amazon KDP brings reach. Teachable brings recurring revenue. Gumroad brings control. Etsy brings consistent traffic.

There’s no ‘better’. There’s what makes sense for YOU right now.

I wrote a complete guide about it: [link to article]”

Memorable quote to share

💡 “The digital creator who earns the most isn’t the one using the perfect platform. It’s the one who started selling yesterday.”