The best platforms to sell digital products in 2026, by what you keep
By the Crato team · Prices checked Oct 5, 2026 · 9 min read
The short answer
There’s no single best platform. There’s a best one for how much you sell and what else you need.
| If you... | Look at |
|---|---|
| are just starting and want no monthly bill | Crato Free, Payhip Free, Ko-fi |
| sell steadily from your bio link | Crato Pro, Stan Store |
| want sales tax and VAT handled for you | Gumroad |
| mostly get tips and donations | Ko-fi |
| need email, funnels and community in one place | Kajabi |
| care most about brand deals and a media kit | Beacons |
| just need links, and sell rarely | Linktree |
Fees at a glance
| Platform | Free plan fee / cheapest 0% plan |
|---|---|
| Crato | 5% / $19 a month |
| Payhip | 5% / $99 a month (Plus is $29 with 2%) |
| Ko-fi | 5% on shop and memberships, 0% on tips / $12 a month |
| Gumroad | 10% + 50¢ / none (30% on Discover sales) |
| Beacons | 9% / $30 a month |
| Linktree | 12% / $35 a month |
| Stan Store | no free plan / $29 a month |
| Kajabi | no free plan / $179 a month |
Card processing, about 2.9% + 30¢, is charged on top everywhere, except Gumroad Discover sales, where it’s included in the 30%.
What you keep: a small month
10 sales of a $19 product, $190 total.
| Platform and plan | You keep |
|---|---|
| Crato Freeours | $172 |
| Payhip Free | $172 |
| Ko-fi Free | $172 |
| Ko-fi Gold | $169 |
| Beacons Free | $164 |
| Crato Proours | $162 |
| Linktree Free | $159 |
| Gumroad | $157 |
| Linktree Starter | $156 |
| Stan Store Creator | $152 |
| Beacons Store Pro | $151 |
| Payhip Plus | $149 |
| Linktree Premium | $146 |
| Payhip Pro | $82 |
| Kajabi Basic | $2 |
Three-way tie at the top. When you’re small, any 5% plan with no monthly fee is the right call.
What you keep: a steady month
30 sales of a $29 product, $870 total.
- Ko-fi Gold$824
- Crato Pro$817
- Stan Store Creator$807
- Beacons Store Pro$806
- Linktree Premium$801
- Crato Free$792
- Payhip Free$792
- Ko-fi Free$792
- Payhip Plus$789
- Beacons Free$757
- Linktree Starter$749
- Payhip Pro$737
- Gumroad$734
- Linktree Free$731
- Kajabi Basic$657
Show as table
| Platform and plan | You keep |
|---|---|
| Ko-fi Gold | $824 |
| Crato Pro | $817 |
| Stan Store Creator | $807 |
| Beacons Store Pro | $806 |
| Linktree Premium | $801 |
| Crato Free | $792 |
| Payhip Free | $792 |
| Ko-fi Free | $792 |
| Payhip Plus | $789 |
| Beacons Free | $757 |
| Linktree Starter | $749 |
| Payhip Pro | $737 |
| Gumroad | $734 |
| Linktree Free | $731 |
| Kajabi Basic | $657 |
Ko-fi Gold comes out on top here, $7 ahead of Crato Pro. Once you sell steadily, the monthly price is the whole difference between the 0% plans, and Ko-fi’s is the lowest.
Work out your own number
Every plan on this page, at your price and your volume.
Your product costs
And this many sell in a month
- Ko-fi Gold$12 a month, 0% a sale$824
- Crato Proours$19 a month, 0% a sale$817$7 less
- Stan Store Creator$29 a month, 0% a sale$807$17 less
- Beacons Store Pro$30 a month, 0% a sale$806$18 less
- Linktree Premium$35 a month, 0% a sale$801$23 less
- Crato Freeours5% a sale$792$32 less
- Payhip Free5% a sale$792$32 less
- Ko-fi Free5% on shop sales, 0% on tips$792$32 less
- Payhip Plus$29 a month, 2% a sale$789$34 less
- Beacons Free9% a sale$757$66 less
- Linktree Starter$8 a month, 9% a sale$749$74 less
- Payhip Pro$99 a month, 0% a sale$737$87 less
- Gumroad10% + 50¢ a sale, held 7 days$734$90 less
- Linktree Free12% a sale$731$92 less
- Kajabi Basic$179 a month, 0% a sale$657$167 less
After each platform’s fee, any per-sale flat fee, card processing at 2.9% + 30¢, and the monthly plan price. Monthly billing, not yearly. Rounded to the nearest dollar.
Each platform, honestly
Crato
Free plan 5%, Pro $19 a month at 0%.
- Good at
- Selling from your bio link on a phone. Guides, templates, courses, 1:1 calls, live sessions, memberships and print-on-demand merch in one store. Payments go into your own Stripe account. Listings drafted from one sentence.
- Not so good at
- It's new. No marketplace to bring you buyers, no built-in brand deal tools, and you handle your own sales tax.
- Best for
- Creators selling to their own social audience who want low fees and merch in the same place.
Stan Store
$29 a month (Creator) or $99 a month (Creator Pro), 0% per sale. 14-day trial.
- Good at
- A polished link-in-bio store, a mobile app, and email and upsells on Creator Pro. Huge community.
- Not so good at
- No free plan, so quiet months cost you $29.
- Best for
- Creators who already sell steadily, roughly $580 a month or more.
Gumroad
10% + 50¢ per direct sale plus card fees. 30% on Discover sales.
- Good at
- Handles sales tax and VAT as merchant of record. Discover marketplace can send buyers. No monthly fee.
- Not so good at
- Among the highest per-sale fees here, especially on cheap products. Each sale is held 7 days before payout.
- Best for
- Creators selling worldwide who don't want to think about tax.
Gumroad alternative with lower fees · Gumroad fees in 2026: what you actually keep
Payhip
Free plan 5%, Plus $29 a month at 2%, Pro $99 a month at 0%.
- Good at
- Ties Crato on the free plan. Long track record with ebooks, courses and memberships, plus a website builder.
- Not so good at
- The 0% plan is $99 a month. Less built around a phone-first bio link.
- Best for
- Creators who want a traditional online store and site for digital products.
Ko-fi
0% on tips and donations. 5% on shop sales and memberships on the free plan. Gold at $12 a month takes 0%.
- Good at
- Tips and donations with no platform fee. The cheapest 0% plan on this list.
- Not so good at
- The page is built around supporting a creator more than shopping. Fewer store and course features.
- Best for
- Artists, writers and streamers whose audience likes to tip, with a small shop on the side.
Beacons
9% on Free and Creator ($10). 0% on Store Pro ($30) and Business ($90).
- Good at
- Media kits, brand deal tools, email and AI tools in one app.
- Not so good at
- 9% is high if selling is your main thing.
- Best for
- Creators whose income is mostly brand deals.
Linktree
12% on Free, 9% on Starter ($8) and Pro ($15), 0% on Premium ($35).
- Good at
- Links. Best-known link-in-bio page, great click analytics, lots of integrations.
- Not so good at
- 12% on the free plan is one of the highest selling fees here.
- Best for
- Creators who mostly share links and sell occasionally.
Kajabi
Basic $179 a month ($143 yearly), 0% per sale. No free plan.
- Good at
- Everything for a course business: courses, email automations, funnels, community, website.
- Not so good at
- Price. It's built for creators who already have real sales.
- Best for
- Established course creators with an email list.
How to choose in two minutes
- How much do you sell a month right now? Under a few hundred dollars, pick a free plan with 5% (Crato, Payhip, Ko-fi). Over that, look at the 0% plans and compare the monthly price.
- Where do your buyers come from? Mostly your Instagram or TikTok bio: pick something built for phones (Crato, Stan, Beacons). Mostly search or a marketplace: Gumroad or Payhip.
- What else do you need? Tax handled: Gumroad. Tips: Ko-fi. Brand deals: Beacons. Email and funnels: Kajabi. Merch next to your products: Crato.
You can switch later. Most of these let you start free or with a trial, so try your best product on one and see.
FAQ
What's the cheapest platform to sell digital products?
With no monthly fee, Crato, Payhip and Ko-fi all take 5% on their free plans. Once you sell steadily, Ko-fi Gold ($12 a month, 0%) has the lowest monthly price, followed by Crato Pro ($19 a month, 0%).
Which platform has no transaction fees?
Stan Store, Kajabi, Crato Pro, Ko-fi Gold, Beacons Store Pro, Linktree Premium and Payhip Pro all take 0% per sale, for a monthly fee. Card processing still applies everywhere.
Which platforms handle sales tax for me?
Gumroad acts as merchant of record and handles sales tax and VAT. On most of the others you're the seller and taxes are your responsibility.
What's the best platform for selling from Instagram or TikTok?
Look for a store designed for phones and bio links: Crato, Stan Store and Beacons are built for that.
Can I sell merch and digital products in one place?
Crato sells print-on-demand merch (printed and shipped for you) next to digital products in the same store.
Full comparisons
Sources
- 1.Stan Store pricing: stan.store/pricing
- 2.Gumroad fees: gumroad.com/help/article/66-gumroads-fees
- 3.Payhip pricing: payhip.com/pricing
- 4.Ko-fi Gold: ko-fi.com/gold
- 5.Beacons pricing: beacons.ai/pricing
- 6.Linktree pricing: linktr.ee/s/pricing
- 7.Kajabi pricing: kajabi.com/pricing
- 8.Stripe US pricing: stripe.com/pricing
- 9.Crato pricing: crato.store/pricing
All checked Oct 5, 2026.
Changelog: Oct 5, 2026: First published.