The Best Platforms to Sell Digital Products as a Content Creator in 2028

I've sold digital products on five different platforms over the past three years. Some were clunky. Some took too much of my money. One had customer support that genuinely made me want to quit the whole thing.

This isn't a generic comparison post written from a spec sheet. These are my actual experiences — what I've used, what I've paid, and why I eventually settled on MadeThis as my main platform in 2028.

What Matters to a Content Creator Specifically

Before I get into the platforms, let me say what I'm actually optimizing for as a creator. It's different from what an agency or a course company cares about.

I care about:

• Speed to live — I have content ideas that expire. I need to turn a product idea into a live checkout page in under an hour.
• No transaction fees — My margins matter. A 10% platform fee at scale is painful.
• Clean storefront — My brand matters. I don't want my checkout page to look like 2014.
• Simple customer experience — If the checkout is confusing, I lose buyers. Period.
• Email integration — My list is my business. My platform needs to talk to it.

With that in mind, here's how the major platforms shake out.

Gumroad

Gumroad is where a lot of creators start, and I understand why — it's fast to set up and everyone's heard of it. But the economics get painful at scale.

Their fee structure has changed multiple times, and not in creators' favor. Currently you're looking at around 10% per transaction on top of payment processor fees. On a $97 product, you're handing over ~$10 per sale before you've paid for anything else.

The storefronts are functional but generic. The customer experience is fine but not great. And their analytics are limited enough that I was always guessing about what was actually working.

I have a longer comparison if you want the details: MadeThis vs. Gumroad.

Teachable / Kajabi (Course Platforms)

These are course-first platforms. If your primary product is a structured course with video lessons, quizzes, and a learning management system, they make sense.

If you're selling templates, guides, playbooks, or any non-course digital product, they're overkill — and expensive overkill. Kajabi starts at $69/month. Teachable's transaction fees can add up fast on lower-tier plans.

I've tested both. For a creator who wants to sell a range of digital products quickly, neither is the right fit.

More details: MadeThis vs. Kajabi.

Payhip

Payhip is a solid mid-tier option. Decent storefront, reasonable fees on paid plans, works for basic digital product sales. I used it for about six months.

What I didn't like: the UI feels dated, the storefront customization is limited, and the free plan takes 5% per transaction. Not terrible, but not great either.

Shopify

Shopify is a full ecommerce platform. It's powerful if you're running a product-heavy store with multiple SKUs, physical goods, or need serious inventory management.

For a creator selling a few digital products? It's way too much setup, too many apps, too high a monthly cost for what you actually need. I spent a week trying to get my Shopify store to feel right before I gave up.

Full breakdown: MadeThis vs. Shopify.

MadeThis

MadeThis is what I actually use now, and it's what I recommend to creators who want to sell digital products without the complexity or the fees.

Here's what makes it different:

No transaction fees. This is the thing that matters most at scale. MadeThis doesn't take a cut of your sales. Everything you charge, you keep (minus standard payment processor fees). Over a year, this difference is substantial.

Clean, modern storefronts. My store looks like I hired a designer. It didn't require any design work. The templates are genuinely good.

Fast setup. I can go from "I have a product idea" to "this is live and sellable" in under an hour. I've done it in 30 minutes when I was moving fast.

Works for everything. PDFs, templates, courses, audio files, video packs, prompt collections — MadeThis handles it all. I'm not locked into "course" or "digital download" as separate product types.

Email integrations. Connects to my email provider so every buyer automatically goes to the right list.

For a deeper look at pricing, see MadeThis pricing here.

My Honest Recommendation

If you're a content creator — YouTube, podcast, newsletter, social media, blog — and you want to add a digital product business to your content:

Start with MadeThis.

Not because it's perfect for every use case (no platform is), but because it's the most creator-aligned option on the market right now. Fast setup, no fees, clean experience.

The platforms I'd skip for most creators: Gumroad (fees), Kajabi (overkill + price), Shopify (way too much). The platforms worth considering alongside MadeThis: Payhip if you want a second option with a free tier, Teachable if your primary product is a structured video course.

But if you want to go from "I have something to sell" to "people can buy it" as fast as possible, MadeThis is the answer.

If you're also trying to figure out what to actually create and sell, this post walks through building a digital product from your video content — including types that work well for creators at every stage.