ChatGPT answers, unedited

If you're technically savvy and specifically care about APIs + digital-download workflows, I'd shortlist Medusa and Saleor, with Lemon Squeezy as the "less infrastructure, more SaaS" option.

My pick: Medusa

medusajs.com is probably the best fit if you want to own the workflow rather than just integrate with a checkout provider.

Its digital-product implementation is unusually relevant to your use case:

• It has a documented Digital Product Module for ebooks, software, digital art, etc.
• A File Module handles upload/retrieval/download operations, with S3-compatible storage recommended for production.
• You can expose your own admin/store REST endpoints for creating digital products and serving downloads.
• It has explicit workflows for associating purchases with digital products and generating download URLs.
• Its Store and Admin APIs are REST-based, with a JS SDK and OpenAPI specs available. Medusa Docs Medusa Docs Medusa Docs Medusa Docs Medusa Docs

That makes a workflow like:

product → checkout → payment → order → entitlement → signed download URL → download tracking

fairly natural to implement.

Saleor: best if you want GraphQL/API sophistication

saleor.io is the other one I'd seriously consider.

It's GraphQL-native, fully headless, and has extensive webhook/app extensibility. Its documentation explicitly has a Digital Products recipe, and the platform supports custom data models and API-driven extensions. Saleor Commerce Saleor Documentation Saleor Commerce

I'd favor Saleor over Medusa if your architecture is heavily GraphQL-oriented or you're building a fairly sophisticated multi-channel commerce system.

Lemon Squeezy: best if you don't want to build commerce infrastructure

lemonsqueezy.com is attractive for digital products because its API already understands products, files, orders, payments, subscriptions, and license keys. Lemon Squeezy Docs

The tradeoff is architectural: you're integrating with a hosted commerce platform rather than getting the same degree of control over the underlying commerce engine that you'd have with Medusa.

How I'd choose

For your description, I'd start with Medusa. Its digital-product support isn't merely "products without shipping"; the docs actually walk through authenticated purchased-product retrieval and download-URL generation. Medusa Docs

A particularly nice stack would be Medusa + S3-compatible object storage + your own Next.js/React frontend, with Medusa handling commerce/entitlements and your application controlling the download UX and authorization.

For a technically savvy team selling digital downloads, I’d prioritize platforms that let you model:

• digital assets/files
• entitlement rules (“who can download what?”)
• expiring or signed download URLs
• post-payment fulfillment workflows
• webhooks/events
• custom customer portals
• subscriptions, bundles, licenses, or memberships

The strongest fits are usually:

powergatesoftware.comnaturaily.com

My shortlist for a developer-first digital download business

1. Medusa — probably the best balance

Medusa is a strong choice if you want to own the architecture. It is built as a modular headless commerce backend, so you can create a digital product module, connect file storage, and customize fulfillment logic. Medusa’s docs specifically describe a digital products workflow using modules for files, custom API routes, and fulfillment handling. docs.medusajs.com

Good fit for:

• SaaS-like digital products
• ebooks, assets, courses, templates
• license keys
• custom download portals
• Next.js/React storefronts

Typical architecture:

Next.js storefront
        |
        |
   Medusa API
        |
  ----------------
  |              |
Payments      Orders
  |
Digital fulfillment service
  |
S3/R2 storage + signed URLs

2. Saleor — best API purity

Saleor is compelling if you like GraphQL and want the commerce layer to be a clean API platform. Saleor is API-only/headless by design, with GraphQL as the primary interface and extensive webhook/event capabilities. saleor.io

Good fit for:

• complex product models
• multiple storefronts
• international sales
• sophisticated permissions
• teams comfortable with GraphQL

A digital product might look like:

Product
 ├── metadata:
 │      asset_id
 │      license_type
 │      version
 │      download_policy
 |
Order completed event
 |
Webhook
 |
Entitlement service
 |
Signed download URL

3. commercetools — if you expect enterprise complexity

commercetools is excellent technically, but it can be overkill for a small digital-download business. It shines when you need composable architecture, many integrations, complex pricing, regional catalogs, or large teams. powergatesoftware.comnaturaily.com

Platforms I’d be cautious about for a highly technical digital-download product

Shopify headless

• Great APIs and payments.
• Huge ecosystem.
• But digital delivery usually becomes app-based or requires custom services around Shopify’s model.

WooCommerce headless

• Can work.
• Massive ecosystem.
• But you’re often fighting WordPress/plugin architecture rather than building a clean commerce backend. www.wpbundle.com

My ranking for your use case

If I were building a developer-centric digital download platform:

1. Medusa → best overall for custom digital workflows
2. Saleor → best if GraphQL/API design matters most
3. commercetools → best if you expect enterprise scale
4. Shopify headless → best if speed to market beats architectural purity

A key design choice: I would not store the actual files in the commerce platform. I’d store assets in something like S3/R2 and make the commerce backend manage entitlements:

payment succeeded → create entitlement → generate signed URL → track downloads

That pattern scales much better for digital goods than treating a download as a normal inventory item.

If you’re technically savvy and specifically optimizing for digital-download workflows, I’d put Medusa at the top of the shortlist.

My ranking

1. medusajs.com — my pick

Medusa is particularly interesting because its architecture lets you treat digital delivery as a first-class custom commerce workflow, rather than trying to bend a physical-product system around downloads.

Its official digital-products implementation demonstrates:

• A dedicated Digital Product module
• File storage through its File Module, including S3 providers
• Private files for purchased products
• Custom admin APIs for creating/managing digital products
• Store APIs for retrieving a customer's purchased products
• Authenticated download endpoints that verify the customer actually purchased the product
• Custom fulfillment providers
• Workflows for orchestrating multi-step digital-product operations Medusa Documentation Medusa Documentation

That last part is the big differentiator for someone technical. You can build something like:

product → entitlement → payment → fulfillment → signed download URL → download event

without fighting the platform.

Medusa exposes REST APIs and lets you add your own API routes, and its Admin API has OpenAPI specs you can import into tooling like Postman. Medusa Documentation Medusa Documentation Medusa Documentation

I'd choose it if you're comfortable owning some backend code.

2. saleor.io — best GraphQL option

Saleor is probably the strongest alternative if you want a GraphQL-native, API-first commerce core.

It has an explicit digital-products recipe, and its architecture is heavily oriented toward extending commerce through APIs, webhooks, and apps. Saleor describes its API as GraphQL-native and supports 100+ webhooks/extensions. Saleor Documentation Saleor Commerce

I'd lean Saleor over Medusa if your stack is already deeply GraphQL-oriented and you want commerce to behave more like a composable data/service layer.

3. lemonsqueezy.com — best if you don't want to build the commerce plumbing

Lemon Squeezy is different: it's much more SaaS-like than Medusa/Saleor.

Its API covers products, customers, files, orders, subscriptions, discounts and license keys, so you can build a custom frontend while letting it handle substantial amounts of the commerce infrastructure. Lemon Squeezy Docs

For a developer selling ebooks, templates, software, courses, assets, etc., this can dramatically reduce implementation effort.

The tradeoff is that you're accepting considerably more of the platform's opinionated workflow.

What I'd use

For your stated requirements, I'd probably build:

Next.js / whatever frontend you prefer
↓
Medusa
↓
Postgres
↓
S3-compatible private object storage
↓
signed, short-lived download URLs

Then model entitlements separately from the order. That gives you much more flexibility for things like:

• expiring downloads
• download limits
• versioned files
• replacing a file without changing the product
• bundles
• licenses
• customer libraries
• refunds/revocation
• presigned URLs
• download analytics
• granting products manually
• subscription-based access

Medusa's documented digital-product example actually uses private file access for the purchased media and verifies the customer's digital-product order before returning the download URL, which is very close to this architecture. Medusa Documentation

Bottom line: if you want a headless commerce engine that you can really program, choose Medusa. If you want GraphQL-first, choose Saleor. If you primarily want to sell digital goods without building much commerce infrastructure, choose Lemon Squeezy.

2. saleor.io — best GraphQL option

Saleor is probably the strongest alternative if you want a GraphQL-native, API-first commerce core.

It has an explicit digital-products recipe, and its architecture is heavily oriented toward extending commerce through APIs, webhooks, and apps. Saleor describes its API as GraphQL-native and supports 100+ webhooks/extensions. Saleor Documentation Saleor Commerce

I'd lean Saleor over Medusa if your stack is already deeply GraphQL-oriented and you want commerce to behave more like a composable data/service layer.

3. lemonsqueezy.com — best if you don't want to build the commerce plumbing

Lemon Squeezy is different: it's much more SaaS-like than Medusa/Saleor.

Its API covers products, customers, files, orders, subscriptions, discounts and license keys, so you can build a custom frontend while letting it handle substantial amounts of the commerce infrastructure. docs.lemonsqueezy.com

For a developer selling ebooks, templates, software, courses, assets, etc., this can dramatically reduce implementation effort.

The tradeoff is that you're accepting considerably more of the platform's opinionated workflow.

What I'd use

For your stated requirements, I'd probably build:

For a technically savvy team building headless ecommerce for digital downloads, I’d prioritize platforms that expose strong primitives for:

• product/catalog management
• checkout/payment workflows
• order webhooks
• entitlement/access control
• file delivery or integration with object storage (S3/R2/etc.)
• customer accounts and download history
• APIs that don’t fight a custom frontend

The strongest options today:

My shortlist for a developer-heavy digital download business

1. Medusa — best "build your own platform"

If you want something like:

Next.js frontend
        |
        v
Medusa API
        |
        +-- Stripe payments
        +-- S3/R2 digital assets
        +-- entitlement service
        +-- email delivery

Medusa is probably the most flexible choice. You can model:

• products
• variants
• licenses
• memberships
• bundles
• download permissions
• custom fulfillment logic

It avoids forcing your digital assets into a traditional ecommerce model.

2. Shopify headless — best if you want commerce solved

Shopify has excellent APIs and operational maturity. For digital products, the common architecture is:

Headless storefront
      |
Shopify checkout/order APIs
      |
Webhook → fulfillment service
      |
Generate signed download URL

Shopify’s own digital downloads tooling supports files, links, delivery emails, and download limits, but many serious headless implementations still put entitlement logic in their own service. help.shopify.com

Good choice if you need:

• taxes
• payments
• fraud tools
• customer accounts
• analytics
• merchant tooling

3. Spree Commerce — best open-source commerce engine

Spree is interesting if you want:

• full backend ownership
• REST APIs
• custom checkout flows
• marketplace-style architecture

It explicitly supports headless commerce and digital download use cases. spreecommerce.org

4. BigCommerce — strong APIs, less ideal for deep digital workflows

BigCommerce has solid catalog APIs and supports digital product types, but its API story around attaching/managing digital files is less complete; some digital asset operations still rely on admin tooling. docs.bigcommerce.com

Architecture I’d recommend for a serious digital-download store

I would avoid storing files directly in the ecommerce platform. Use:

Frontend:
  Next.js / Remix

Commerce:
  Medusa / Shopify / Saleor

Payments:
  Stripe

Assets:
  S3 / Cloudflare R2

Delivery:
  Custom entitlement service

Flow:
  Purchase complete
        ↓
  Order webhook
        ↓
  Create entitlement
        ↓
  Generate signed URL
        ↓
  Customer downloads

Benefits:

• easy DRM-like controls
• expiring URLs
• download limits
• versioned files
• license keys
• bundles
• subscriptions

My ranking for your stated profile ("technically savvy")

1. Medusa — if you want maximum control
2. Saleor — if you love GraphQL and clean APIs
3. Shopify headless — if you want to minimize commerce headaches
4. Spree — if open source ownership matters
5. Lemon Squeezy — if the catalog is mostly software/files and you don’t need a full store

A key question is whether your downloads are more like ebooks/assets/media files or software products with licenses, updates, and customer entitlements—the ideal platform changes quite a bit between those two.

If your priority is digital-download workflows + strong APIs + maximum control, I’d shortlist Medusa, Vendure, and Saleor, with Medusa as my first pick.

🥇 Medusa — probably your best match

Medusa is unusually well suited to what you're describing because digital products are an explicit documented workflow, rather than something you have to bolt onto a conventional physical-commerce model. Its docs show custom API routes for creating digital products, customer-authenticated endpoints for purchased products, and generating download URLs for purchased media. docs.medusajs.com

Its V2 Store API is REST-based and has a JS SDK, which is convenient if you're building a Next.js/TypeScript frontend or other custom clients. docs.medusajs.com

A particularly nice architecture would be:

Next.js storefront → Medusa → Stripe/payment provider → digital-product workflow → private object storage/CDN → signed download URL

That lets you keep the actual files outside the commerce database and make your download service enforce things like:

• authenticated purchaser checks
• expiring download URLs
• download limits
• product/version entitlements
• license-key generation
• bundle entitlements
• revocation
• webhook-driven fulfillment
• email delivery

🥈 Vendure — excellent if you want to own the domain model

I'd choose Vendure over Medusa if you really enjoy TypeScript/NestJS and expect the commerce backend itself to become a significant piece of your application.

Vendure exposes both a Shop GraphQL API and Admin GraphQL API, and its plugin architecture lets you extend the underlying commerce model and API. docs.medusajs.comdocs.vendure.io

It also has an explicit digital-products guide, although the important distinction is that the digital-product functionality is implemented as an extension/plugin rather than being as turnkey as Medusa's digital-product recipe. docs.vendure.io

Its asset system can handle PDFs, video, and other binary files, with pluggable storage strategies—useful if you want to connect S3/R2 or another object store. docs.vendure.io

🥉 Saleor — strongest if GraphQL is your religion

Saleor is compelling if you'd rather have a GraphQL-first commerce API and a sophisticated catalog/channel model. Its official docs explicitly include digital products as a supported recipe, alongside checkout, payments, channels, and extensibility through apps. docs.saleor.io

I'd lean Saleor for a larger commerce system with multiple markets/channels rather than a relatively straightforward digital-download business.

My recommendation

For a technically sophisticated team building a headless digital-download business from scratch:

Medusa > Vendure > Saleor

I'd pick Medusa if you're comfortable writing the digital fulfillment layer yourself. The important advantage isn't merely "it sells digital products"; it's that you can treat the commerce engine as the entitlement/order system while keeping file delivery, licensing, DRM-ish controls, and customer download logic in services you control.

If you tell me whether you're selling ebooks/assets, software/licenses, courses, or API-access products, I can narrow this down further—those four use cases lead to somewhat different architectures.

If you're technically savvy and digital downloads are the core workflow, I'd shortlist Medusa, Saleor, and Vendure. My default pick would be Medusa.

1. Medusa — my pick

Medusa is particularly attractive for digital goods because its architecture lets you build a Digital Product Module, connect it to file storage, expose custom API routes, and implement digital fulfillment independently of physical shipping. Their official example actually implements authenticated endpoints for customers to retrieve purchased products and generate download URLs. docs.medusajs.comdocs.medusajs.com

Its Store API is REST-based and Medusa provides a JS SDK, which is convenient if you're building a Next.js/TypeScript storefront or integrating other services. docs.medusajs.com

A good architecture would be:

Next.js → Medusa → Stripe/payment provider
** ↘ S3/R2 → signed download URLs**
** ↘ email/webhook/fulfillment service**

The important bit is that you don't have to make the actual downloadable file public. Your fulfillment logic can verify that the customer owns the product and then issue a short-lived signed URL.

2. Saleor

I'd choose Saleor if GraphQL is a major architectural preference. It's GraphQL-native, strongly typed, has extensive webhooks/extensions, and its documentation explicitly includes a digital-products recipe. docs.saleor.io

It's especially compelling if you expect:

• multiple storefronts/channels
• internationalization
• complex catalog structures
• lots of external services consuming the commerce API
• a GraphQL-heavy stack

For a relatively straightforward "sell file → authenticate purchaser → deliver file" business, though, I think Medusa's modular approach is a little more natural.

3. Vendure

Vendure is arguably the most interesting alternative if you're an experienced TypeScript/NestJS developer.

Everything is exposed through GraphQL APIs, with separate Shop and Admin APIs, and the plugin architecture lets you add your own digital-product behavior. docs.vendure.io

Its documentation has a specific digital-products implementation, including custom fields and plugin-based fulfillment. Assets can represent PDFs, videos, and other binary files and can be backed by storage such as S3. docs.vendure.io

What I'd choose

For a new digital-download business: Medusa.

The deciding factor isn't merely "does it support digital products?"—all three can. I'd optimize for how easily you can implement:

1. Product/version metadata
2. File/object-storage management
3. Purchase entitlement
4. Authenticated download endpoint
5. Expiring signed URLs
6. Download limits
7. Refund/revocation handling
8. Webhooks to your email/analytics/CRM systems
9. License keys, if applicable
10. Bundles/variants of digital assets

Medusa already demonstrates the pattern of authenticated customer → purchased digital product → download URL, so you're starting closer to the workflow you actually need rather than adapting a physical-commerce fulfillment model. docs.medusajs.comdocs.medusajs.com

If you're comfortable owning infrastructure, I'd pair it with S3 or Cloudflare R2 for the files, keep the commerce system responsible for entitlements, and never expose the origin objects directly.

Medusa digital products documentation
Saleor digital products documentation
Vendure digital products documentation

If you tell me your stack (Next.js/Node/Python/etc.) and whether you need license keys, subscriptions, or just one-time file downloads, I can narrow this down to a concrete architecture.

If you're engineering-led, technically savvy, and primarily selling downloadable files, I'd put Medusa at the top of the list.

My ranking

🥇 Medusa — my pick for your use case

Medusa is particularly interesting because digital products aren't just an afterthought. Its documentation has an explicit digital-products implementation covering:

• digital product/media models
• private file storage
• upload workflows
• custom admin API routes
• order/fulfillment workflows
• authenticated customer download endpoints
• generating download URLs after purchase
• custom storefronts through its APIs docs.medusajs.com

That maps unusually well to a digital-download architecture.

For example, you could build:

Next.js / Astro / your frontend
↓
Medusa Store API
↓
Cart → checkout → payment → order
↓
Digital-product fulfillment workflow
↓
Private object storage (S3/R2/etc.)
↓
Short-lived authenticated download URL

The important part is that Medusa lets you implement the digital workflow as your own module/workflows rather than trying to shoehorn a physical-product fulfillment model into the platform. Its Store API is REST-based and it also provides a JS SDK. docs.medusajs.com

🥈 Saleor — if GraphQL is your preference

Saleor would be my second choice, and potentially #1 if you're strongly GraphQL-first.

Saleor is API-only/headless, with native GraphQL, webhooks, granular API permissions, metadata, apps, and API extensions. saleor.io

I'd choose it if your digital products are part of a more sophisticated commerce system—for example:

digital downloads + subscriptions + multiple markets + licensing + B2B + complicated catalog

For a relatively straightforward "buy → authenticate → download" product, though, I think Medusa's modular Node/TypeScript architecture is a more natural fit.

🥉 Vendure

Vendure is worth serious consideration if you're a TypeScript/NestJS shop. Its plugin architecture gives you a lot of control over custom commerce behavior.

I'd choose Vendure over Medusa if your team already loves NestJS and wants the commerce backend to feel like a conventional TypeScript application rather than adopting Medusa's particular framework abstractions.

What I'd actually build

For a technically sophisticated digital-download business, I'd lean toward:

Next.js
→ Medusa
→ Stripe
→ S3/R2 private bucket
→ custom digital-product module/workflows
→ Postgres

And I'd keep the actual files out of the ecommerce platform's database. Store file metadata, product relationships, entitlements, download counts, etc. in your commerce layer, while the binary lives in object storage.

I'd also model the key concept as an entitlement, rather than simply "order contains product":

Customer
   │
   └── Entitlement
          ├── product_id
          ├── order_id
          ├── granted_at
          ├── expires_at
          ├── download_limit
          └── files[]
                 ├── storage_key
                 ├── version
                 └── checksum

That makes later features—versioned files, re-downloads, expiring licenses, bundles, upgrades, download limits, customer libraries, and license keys—much easier.

Bottom line: for a developer-built digital-download store, I'd start with Medusa, use Saleor if GraphQL/composable commerce is your overriding priority, and use Vendure if you're deeply invested in NestJS/TypeScript.

For a technically savvy, API-first setup selling digital downloads, I’d put Medusa at the top of the shortlist.

My ranking

Why I especially like Medusa for your use case: it doesn't force digital products into a rigid built-in model. Its current documentation has an explicit digital-products implementation showing how to create a custom Digital Product module, attach files, keep purchased files private, expose custom Store/Admin APIs, and return download URLs only after verifying the customer purchased the product. docs.medusajs.com

That gives you a nice architecture like:

Your frontend
   ↓
Medusa Store API
   ↓
Products / Cart / Checkout / Customers
   ↓
Digital Product module
   ↓
Private object storage (S3, etc.)
   ↓
Short-lived download URL

Medusa's Store API and Admin API are REST-based, and it also provides an OpenAPI specification, which is particularly nice if you're going to automate the platform rather than treat the admin UI as your primary interface. docs.medusajs.com

The important distinction

If you want "ecommerce platform that happens to sell files," I'd consider Shopify or another SaaS.

If you want "programmable commerce backend where digital fulfillment is one of my own workflows," I'd choose Medusa.

For example, you could model:

• product → multiple downloadable assets
• product variant → license/tier
• order → entitlement
• customer → purchased entitlements
• download → authorization check → signed S3 URL
• download event → analytics/audit record
• refund → revoke entitlement
• version update → automatically expose the latest file to existing buyers

Medusa's documented approach explicitly supports custom modules, workflows, API routes, file providers, and fulfillment providers, so you aren't fighting the platform when you start adding those behaviors. docs.medusajs.com

Saleor would be my second choice if you're particularly enthusiastic about GraphQL. It's API-only/headless and designed around extensibility through GraphQL, webhooks, apps, metadata, and API extensions. github.com

Vendure is also worth serious consideration if your preferred stack is TypeScript/NestJS and you want a very developer-oriented commerce framework.

If you tell me roughly what you're selling (ebooks, software licenses, design assets, courses, audio/video, etc.) and whether you want Stripe + S3 + your own frontend, I can narrow this down to a concrete architecture and compare Medusa vs Saleor vs Vendure specifically for the download/entitlement workflow.

If you're technically savvy and want a genuinely headless setup, I'd shortlist Medusa, Saleor, and Lemon Squeezy—but they fit different philosophies.

1. Medusa — my pick

Medusa is particularly interesting for your use case because digital products are treated as something you can build into the commerce model, rather than forcing your downloads into a physical-product abstraction.

Its current documentation has an explicit digital-products implementation covering:

• digital-product data models
• file storage
• authenticated download URLs
• order fulfillment
• custom API routes
• customer download history
• custom admin UI
• custom fulfillment providers

The official example actually implements a customer endpoint for purchased digital products and a separate endpoint that generates a download URL. docs.medusajs.com

Its Store API is REST-based and it provides a JS SDK, while the framework lets you create custom modules, workflows, API routes, and fulfillment logic. docs.medusajs.com

That makes it a very good fit if your architecture looks like:

Next.js / Astro / custom frontend → Medusa API → Stripe → S3/R2 → signed download URL

You can implement things like expiring URLs, download limits, license provisioning, post-purchase webhooks, customer libraries, bundle logic, versioned files, etc., without fighting the platform.

2. Saleor — strongest API architecture

If you're a GraphQL-first developer, I'd seriously consider Saleor.

Saleor is API-only and GraphQL-native, with apps, webhooks, metadata, and extensions as core parts of its architecture. Its documentation also has a dedicated Digital Products recipe. docs.saleor.io

The big advantage is that you can model your frontend and integrations around one strongly typed GraphQL API rather than stitching together REST endpoints.

I'd choose Saleor over Medusa if you particularly value:

• GraphQL
• strongly typed schemas
• multi-channel commerce
• sophisticated catalog modeling
• external services/apps handling specialized business logic

3. Lemon Squeezy — easiest digital-goods operation

This is the interesting alternative if "headless" means I don't want to build commerce infrastructure myself.

Its API exposes products, customers, discounts, files, orders, subscriptions, and license keys, and supports creating checkout links programmatically. docs.lemonsqueezy.com

So you could have:

Your frontend → Lemon Squeezy API/checkout → payment → digital delivery

That's dramatically less infrastructure than Medusa/Saleor.

The tradeoff is that you're buying into someone else's commerce/payment model rather than owning the whole commerce backend.

What I'd choose

For a developer building a serious digital-download product, I'd rank them:

Medusa > Saleor > Lemon Squeezy > Shopify

Specifically, Medusa is probably the sweet spot if you want to own the application architecture. Its digital-product example is unusually close to the workflow you're describing, while still letting you replace/extend the storage and fulfillment pieces. docs.medusajs.com

If your downloads are something like software, templates, ebooks, assets, courses, or paid datasets, I'd also pay particular attention to the distinction between "file delivery" and "entitlement management." For a sophisticated system, I'd keep the actual files in S3/R2 and make the commerce platform responsible for the entitlement, with your own service issuing short-lived signed URLs.

If you tell me what kind of digital downloads you're selling and whether you want Stripe + S3/R2, I can sketch the architecture I'd use with Medusa vs. Saleor.

If digital downloads are the core use case, I’d put Medusa at the top of your shortlist.

My ranking

1. Medusa — my pick for your use case

Medusa is unusually well suited to digital products because it has an explicit Digital Products implementation rather than requiring you to shoehorn downloads into physical-product fulfillment. Its current docs show workflows for creating digital products, customer-specific purchased-product endpoints, and generating download URLs for purchased media. docs.medusajs.com

The architecture is also very developer-friendly: REST Store/Admin APIs, custom API routes, data models, workflows, modules, and event subscribers. That makes it straightforward to implement things like:

purchase → payment confirmation → entitlement → signed download URL → download tracking → email/webhook

You can also use its file service for presigned URLs, or build your own tokenized download service. docs.test.tglsupplies.com

Medusa documentation

2. Saleor — strongest alternative if you prefer GraphQL

Saleor is arguably the cleaner choice if your ideal architecture is GraphQL everywhere + external services/apps for specialized functionality. It's API-only/headless, GraphQL-native, and has webhooks, metadata, apps, and API extensions. github.com

The tradeoff is that digital fulfillment isn't as turnkey as Medusa's digital-product recipe. I'd expect to model download entitlements and file delivery through a Saleor app/service rather than having the whole workflow built into the commerce core.

Saleor documentation

3. commercetools — excellent APIs, probably overkill

commercetools has extremely mature APIs and is excellent if you're building a large composable commerce architecture. Its product APIs are highly flexible, but for a digital-download business you're likely paying in architectural complexity for capabilities you don't need. docs.commercetools.com

What I'd build

For a technically sophisticated digital-download store, I'd lean toward:

Next.js storefront → Medusa → Stripe → S3/R2 → signed URLs

with Medusa owning:

• products/variants
• pricing and promotions
• customers
• carts/checkout
• orders
• purchase entitlements
• workflow orchestration
• webhooks/events

and object storage owning the actual files.

That separation is particularly nice because the commerce API never needs to serve the files themselves. After a successful purchase, your backend can issue a short-lived signed URL, optionally with download limits or entitlement checks.

If you're selling things like software, ebooks, design assets, courses, templates, or downloadable media, I'd choose Medusa over Saleor unless you have a strong preference for GraphQL. docs.medusajs.com

If you tell me roughly what you're selling and whether you need subscriptions, license keys, download limits, or customer libraries, I can narrow this down to an architecture rather than just a platform comparison.

For a technically savvy team building a headless store specifically around digital downloads, I’d put Medusa at the top of the list.

My ranking

Why Medusa stands out: its documentation has an explicit digital-products implementation covering the whole workflow: digital product modeling, file/media storage, order fulfillment, customer purchase history, and authenticated download URLs. It also lets you create your own workflows and API routes rather than forcing the digital-download logic into a rigid SaaS abstraction. docs.medusajs.com

For example, their digital-product recipe implements an authenticated endpoint that verifies the customer actually purchased the product before returning the file URL. That's very close to the core workflow you'd want for paid downloads. docs.medusajs.comdocs.medusajs.comdocs.commercetools.com

The architecture is also genuinely headless: your frontend is a separate application, communicating with Medusa through REST APIs or its JS SDK. docs.medusajs.com

When I'd choose Saleor instead

Saleor would be my #2, and potentially #1 if you're strongly GraphQL-oriented. Its platform has first-class concepts for building apps/extensions and even documents a specific "Digital Products" recipe. docs.saleor.io

I'd lean Saleor if you want:

• GraphQL as the primary commerce interface
• A more strongly typed API-centric architecture
• Lots of commerce functionality exposed through GraphQL
• Custom digital-product logic implemented as an extension/app

When I'd choose commercetools

commercetools is extremely capable from an API/composable-commerce standpoint, with HTTP and GraphQL APIs and granular resource management. docs.commercetools.com

But for a digital-download business, it's probably more platform than you need unless you're building a fairly sophisticated enterprise commerce stack. Its APIs give you excellent primitives for products, customers, carts and orders, but you'll be assembling more of the digital-asset/download workflow yourself. docs.commercetools.com

What I'd build

For your use case, I'd seriously consider:

Next.js / Astro / custom frontend → Medusa → Stripe → S3/R2 → CDN

with the download flow roughly:

product → checkout → payment confirmation → order → entitlement → signed download URL

The important architectural distinction is to treat the purchase entitlement separately from the actual file. That makes it much easier to support things like download limits, expiring URLs, replacing files without invalidating purchases, multiple files per product, bundles, and license keys.

Bottom line: if you're comfortable owning backend code, Medusa is probably the strongest fit because you get a real commerce engine and a framework for implementing the digital-specific workflows yourself, rather than fighting a SaaS platform's assumptions. docs.medusajs.com

If you tell me roughly what you're selling (ebooks, software, video, templates, music, courses, etc.) and whether you want self-hosted or managed, I can narrow this to a concrete stack and architecture.

For a technically savvy team building headless ecommerce specifically around digital downloads, I’d put Medusa at the top of the shortlist, with Saleor as the strongest alternative.

My ranking

Why I'd choose Medusa: its current documentation has an actual digital-products implementation recipe, rather than leaving you to bolt downloads onto a generic product model. You can create a digital-product module, attach files through its File Module, implement fulfillment workflows, expose custom Admin/Store API routes, and generate download URLs only after verifying that the customer purchased the product. docs.medusajs.comdocs.medusajs.com

That maps unusually well to a digital-download architecture:

Your frontend
     │
     ▼
Medusa Store API
     │
     ├── Catalog / pricing
     ├── Cart / checkout
     ├── Customer accounts
     └── Digital-product endpoints
              │
              ▼
       Digital Product Module
              │
              ├── Product metadata
              ├── Entitlements
              └── Purchase records
                       │
                       ▼
                 File Module
                       │
                       ▼
                  S3 / storage

The particularly nice part is that you aren't forced to treat the downloadable file itself as the ecommerce product. Medusa's example separates the commerce product from digital-product/media data and then creates a protected endpoint that checks the customer's digital-product orders before returning a download URL. docs.medusajs.comdocs.medusajs.com

Its Store API is REST/JSON, has JWT/customer authentication, and has an OpenAPI specification, so it's straightforward to consume from Next.js, React Native, another frontend, or your own BFF. docs.medusajs.comsaleor.io

When I'd pick Saleor instead

I'd seriously consider Saleor if your preference is GraphQL-first + highly composable + minimal custom backend code. Saleor is natively GraphQL and exposes extensive APIs/webhooks, and its documentation now explicitly has a Digital Products recipe for non-physical goods. saleor.io

The tradeoff is that Medusa's architecture feels particularly natural if your digital-download workflow is going to become custom business logic—things like:

• expiring download links
• download limits
• license/key generation
• bundles containing multiple files
• versioned files
• customer entitlements
• presigned S3 URLs
• post-purchase provisioning
• webhook-driven fulfillment
• subscriptions + downloads
• DRM/licensing integration

Medusa gives you modules, workflows, custom API routes, and fulfillment providers specifically intended for this sort of extension. docs.medusajs.com

Bottom line: if you're comfortable owning infrastructure and writing TypeScript, I'd start with Medusa + S3-compatible object storage + your own frontend, rather than trying to force a traditional ecommerce SaaS into a digital-download workflow.

If you tell me what you're selling (ebooks, software/licenses, assets, courses, music, etc.) and whether you want SaaS or self-hosted, I can narrow this to a concrete architecture and compare Medusa vs Saleor vs Lemon Squeezy/Paddle for your use case.

If your priority is headless + strong APIs + custom digital-download workflows, I’d put Medusa at the top of the list.

My ranking

1. Medusa — my pick

Medusa is particularly interesting for your use case because digital products are something you can model as your own domain rather than squeezing them into a preexisting downloadable-product abstraction.

Its current docs actually have a digital-products implementation showing:

• custom Digital Product Module
• digital-product data models linked to product variants
• workflows for creating/fulfilling digital products
• file storage through a File Module, including S3 providers
• custom Admin and Store API routes
• authenticated endpoints for a customer's purchased downloads
• download URL generation after purchase
• event/subscriber-driven fulfillment
• completely custom storefronts through its APIs docs.medusajs.com

That's a very good architectural fit if you're comfortable writing TypeScript.

Its V2 APIs are REST-based, with separate /admin and /store surfaces, and there's an official JS SDK plus OpenAPI specs. docs.medusajs.com

Medusa documentation

I'd choose Medusa if you want:
Next.js/React → Medusa API → Stripe/payment provider → S3/R2 → signed download URLs

You can also build things like download limits, expiring URLs, license generation, bundles, versioned files, customer libraries, entitlement checks, and post-purchase automation without fighting the platform.

2. Lemon Squeezy — best if you don't want to build commerce infrastructure

Lemon Squeezy is arguably the easiest choice for digital downloads. Its API exposes products, customers, orders and files, and also handles checkout, payments, subscriptions and license keys. docs.lemonsqueezy.com

Lemon Squeezy developer documentation

The tradeoff is architectural control. You're integrating with an existing commerce service rather than owning the commerce domain.

For something like:

"Sell a ZIP/PDF/software package, take payment, email the customer, give them a download"

I'd seriously consider Lemon Squeezy.

For:

"Build a sophisticated digital entitlement system with my own product/order/download abstractions"

I'd take Medusa.

3. Saleor

Saleor is extremely API-oriented: it's GraphQL-only and API-first, with webhooks, metadata, apps and API extensions. github.com

Saleor documentation

It's excellent if you expect this to evolve into a more sophisticated commerce platform, particularly with multiple channels, currencies, markets, etc.

But for digital downloads specifically, I'd favor Medusa because its current documentation gives you a much more direct path for modeling digital products, files, fulfillment and customer download endpoints. docs.medusajs.com

Bottom line

For a technically savvy developer, I'd pick Medusa.

The distinction I'd use is:

• "I want to own/customize the commerce backend." → Medusa
• "I want to sell digital files and outsource most commerce plumbing." → Lemon Squeezy
• "I want an extremely API-centric commerce platform that can grow into complex/multichannel commerce." → Saleor
• "I specifically want Shopify's ecosystem." → Shopify

For your stated requirements, Medusa + object storage (S3/R2) + signed URLs + Stripe is probably the architecture I'd investigate first.

For digital downloads specifically, I’d put Medusa at the top of the shortlist, with Vendure as the strongest alternative.

1. Medusa — my first choice

Medusa's architecture is particularly well suited to building a digital-download workflow rather than trying to bend a traditional commerce platform around one.

Its current Store API is REST-based and has an OpenAPI reference plus a JavaScript SDK. docs.medusajs.com More importantly, Medusa has an explicit digital products recipe showing how to model digital products, associate media with purchases, expose customer download endpoints, and generate download URLs only for authenticated purchasers. docs.medusajs.com

That maps nicely to something like:

Product
  └── Digital asset(s)
        ↓
Checkout
  ↓
Payment confirmed
  ↓
Digital-product order
  ↓
Entitlement
  ↓
Authenticated download endpoint
  ↓
Signed/object-storage URL

You can then put S3/R2 behind the download layer and implement things like expiration, download limits, versioning, revocation, and license keys yourself.

Why I'd pick it: you're technically savvy, so the fact that Medusa expects you to build the digital-product layer isn't really a disadvantage—it gives you control over the workflow.

2. Vendure — excellent if you're TypeScript/GraphQL-first

Vendure is arguably the more elegant choice if you want GraphQL everywhere and a strongly typed plugin architecture. Its Shop API handles products, carts, checkout, customers, etc., while plugins can extend the GraphQL schema and backend itself. docs.vendure.io

It actually has an official digital products guide, including a digital-download shipping method and custom fulfillment logic. docs.vendure.io It also supports API keys for machine-to-machine integrations, which is useful if your download/fulfillment pipeline has separate workers or services. docs.vendure.io

I'd choose Vendure over Medusa if your architecture is heavily NestJS/TypeScript + GraphQL, particularly if you expect sophisticated commerce rules later.

3. Saleor

Saleor has arguably the cleanest pure API philosophy: GraphQL-only, API-first, headless, with webhooks, metadata, apps and API extensions for customization. github.com

It's a very good choice if you're building a larger composable commerce system, but for a store whose primary complexity is "customer buys file → gets entitlement → securely downloads file", I think Medusa/Vendure give you a more natural starting point.

My recommendation

If I were building your stack today:

Next.js → Medusa → Stripe → Postgres → S3/R2 → CDN

and I'd treat entitlements as a first-class domain object rather than simply exposing a file URL after checkout.

For example:

orders
   ↓
payment webhook
   ↓
create entitlement
   ↓
entitlement(product_id, customer_id, expires_at, ...)
   ↓
GET /downloads/:asset
   ↓
verify entitlement
   ↓
generate short-lived signed URL
   ↓
S3/R2

That gives you a clean path later to bundles, multiple files per product, free samples, expiring licenses, download limits, customer libraries, product updates, refunds/revocation, and license-key activation.

Bottom line: Medusa for maximum flexibility around digital workflows; Vendure if GraphQL + TypeScript/plugin architecture is your priority; Saleor if you're optimizing for a broader composable/headless commerce platform.