Where to Sell Digital Productsfor Free

You can sell digital products for free on platforms like Etsy (free to list with per-sale fees), Gumroad (free plan available), Payhip (free tier), Creative Market, Ko-fi, Sellfy (free trial), Shopify (14-day free trial), WooCommerce (free plugin), Lemon Squeezy, SendOwl, E-junkie, and your own website. Most "free" platforms charge transaction fees when you make a sale, but have no upfront monthly costs to get started.

The best free platform depends on your product type. For creative assets (graphics, templates), Creative Market and Etsy are excellent. For ebooks and courses, Gumroad and Payhip work well. For art and crafts patterns, Etsy dominates. For membership-style content, Ko-fi offers great free features. If you already have a website, WooCommerce (free) or Lemon Squeezy provide full control. Consider your audience, product type, and whether you need built-in traffic.

Etsy has no monthly fee, but charges per-sale fees: $0.20 listing fee per item (every 4 months), 6.5% transaction fee, and 3% + $0.25 payment processing. For a $10 digital product, you'd pay approximately $1.27 in fees per sale. It's free to start, but plan for roughly 10-15% of your sale going to fees. Etsy's advantage is its massive built-in audience of buyers.

Yes, Gumroad offers a free plan. On the free plan, Gumroad takes 10% + payment processing fees (varies by country) per sale. There's no monthly fee, no setup cost, and no minimum sales requirement. Paid plans ($10/month) reduce the platform fee to 5%. Gumroad is popular for ebooks, courses, music, software, and templates. It includes email marketing tools, discount codes, and analytics on all plans.

Top-selling digital products on free platforms include: (1) Printables and planners (Etsy), (2) Design templates and graphics (Creative Market, Canva), (3) Ebooks and guides (Gumroad, Payhip), (4) Online courses (Teachable free plan, Gumroad), (5) Music and audio files (Bandcamp, Gumroad), (6) Photography presets (Etsy, Gumroad), (7) Fonts (Creative Market), (8) Software and plugins (Gumroad, Lemon Squeezy), (9) Notion templates (Gumroad, Etsy), (10) Patterns for crafts (Etsy).

Payhip offers a free forever plan with no monthly fees. On the free plan, Payhip takes a 5% transaction fee plus payment processing. Paid plans ($29-$99/month) reduce or eliminate the platform fee. Payhip is excellent for digital downloads, memberships, and coaching services. It includes features like discount codes, affiliate programs, and EU VAT handling even on the free tier.

Yes, you can sell digital products on your own website for free using: (1) WooCommerce (free WordPress plugin) + payment gateway, (2) Easy Digital Downloads (free WordPress plugin), (3) Lemon Squeezy (embeddable checkout), (4) Gumroad (embeddable on any site), (5) Payhip (embed or link). You'll still pay payment processing fees (2.9% + $0.30 typical), but avoid platform fees. You need your own hosting ($5-20/month) and domain.

Creative Market has no upfront fees to become a seller. They take a 40% commission on each sale, which is higher than other platforms but includes massive built-in traffic from designers and creatives. Your cut is 60%. For exclusive products, you can earn up to 70%. Creative Market is particularly strong for fonts, graphics, templates, themes, and design assets. The high commission is offset by significant exposure.

To start selling digital products with no money: (1) Create products using free tools (Canva, Google Docs, Notion), (2) Sign up for a free platform (Gumroad, Payhip, Ko-fi), (3) Set up your shop and listings, (4) Promote on free channels (social media, Pinterest, Reddit, forums), (5) Collect payment via the platform (they handle processing). You'll pay fees only when you sell. Total startup cost: $0 if you use free creation and selling tools.

Typical transaction fees on free plans: Gumroad: 10% + payment processing (~2.9%). Payhip: 5% + payment processing (~2.9%). Etsy: ~12-15% total (listing, transaction, processing). Ko-fi: 0% on donations, 5% on shop sales. Creative Market: 40% (high but includes traffic). Lemon Squeezy: 5% + payment processing. Sellfy: 2% on starter plan. Most platforms charge 2.5-3.5% payment processing on top of their platform fee.

Ko-fi is excellent for creators who want a free platform with zero transaction fees on donations. For their shop feature (selling digital products), there's a 5% fee on the free plan, or 0% on the Gold plan ($6/month). Ko-fi is ideal for: digital art, commissions, tutorials, exclusive content, and community building. It combines tips, memberships, and product sales in one platform. Strong for creators with existing audiences.

Yes, multi-platform selling is often smart. Benefits: (1) Reach different audiences (Etsy buyers vs. Gumroad users), (2) Diversify income if one platform changes terms, (3) Test which platform converts best, (4) Different platforms suit different products. Considerations: (1) Managing inventory/updates across platforms, (2) Some platforms (Creative Market) want exclusivity for better rates, (3) Customer support across platforms. Start with 1-2, expand once you have systems.