Best platform to sell digital products for free: 5 options

Best free platforms to sell digital products: the five options

For pattern files, the best platform to sell digital products for free is Payhip's Free Forever plan, which is $0 a month plus a 5% Payhip transaction fee, the share Payhip takes of each sale, as read on 6 October 2026. Payhip says that plan carries every feature. None of the five is free per sale, because each keeps a cut.

• Payhip for pattern files and a store of your own on a $0 plan.
• Ko-fi for a creator page that also takes tips, at 5% on Standard.
• Lemon Squeezy for a merchant of record, which collects and remits tax on each sale, at 5% plus 50 cents with no monthly charge.
• Beacons for a $0 plan with a route to 0% on Creator Plus.
• Gumroad when no monthly price and handled tax matter more than 10% plus $0.50.

What a free plan costs: the cut of every sale

Payhip's 5% sits beside PayPal's or Stripe's own charge on every sale. Ko-fi's 5% service fee carries normal processor fees too. Beacons keeps 9% as a seller fee. Lemon Squeezy keeps 5% plus 50 cents, and its docs say that figure covers card transaction fees, with an extra fee possible on some payments. Gumroad keeps 10% plus $0.50, and its help center says that leaves card processing outside the fee.

Etsy is not on this list: it charges $0.20 a listing and a one-time shop set-up fee from the start.

Payhip Free Forever: every feature at no monthly price

Payhip's pricing page lists all features, unlimited products and unlimited revenue on Free Forever, and says every plan has the same features.

Opening Payhip's Free Forever plan takes no card, and its pricing page lists a 5% fee per sale and no monthly price until you choose to upgrade. Is Payhip free lists what that plan still leaves you to pay.

Ko-fi, Beacons and Lemon Squeezy: free tiers side by side

Ko-fi Standard is the default for new creators: a 5% service fee on all payment types, with sales landing in your own PayPal or Stripe account. Beacons Free sells unlimited digital products at a 9% seller fee, and Beacons calls the plan free forever. Lemon Squeezy has no monthly charge for ecommerce features and acts as merchant of record, with payouts twice a month.

One limit on Lemon Squeezy: its docs say that in some cases a small fee is deducted from a payout to cover processing and conversion.

When a paid plan starts to pay off

A paid plan trades a monthly price for a lower cut: Payhip Plus at $29 a month for 2%, Ko-fi Gold at $12 a month for 0%, and Beacons Creator Plus at $30 a month for 0%. Ko-fi's Gold page is headed "You no longer need Ko-fi Gold", so treat that step as optional.

The Payhip fees calculator compares Payhip's three plans at the monthly sales you enter, platform fees only. For paid options, see best platform to sell digital products.