Answers that name a competitor

For your setup, I’d start with payhip.com.

Why it fits a one-person creative business:

• Free to start: $0/month + 5% per sale, with unlimited products and revenue. Payhip
• Made for your products: Payhip specifically supports ebooks, PDFs, digital prints, and printable art. Payhip Payhip
• Simple storefront: You can have a product catalog and checkout without building a full ecommerce website.
• Useful creator features: coupons, affiliates, pay-what-you-want pricing, and embedded checkout are included even on the free plan. Payhip Payhip
• You still pay the normal Stripe/PayPal processing fees on top of Payhip's platform fee. Payhip

Payhip vs. Gumroad

I'd pick Payhip over gumroad.com if keeping fees low is a priority. Gumroad currently charges 10% + $0.50 per direct sale, versus Payhip's 5% on its free plan. Gumroad Payhip

For example, on a $10 printable, before payment-processing fees:

• Payhip: about $0.50 platform fee
• Gumroad: about $1.50 platform fee

So my recommendation is Payhip Free to start. Once your sales become consistent, you can consider its $29/month plan, which drops the platform fee to 2%. Payhip

If you tell me roughly how much you expect to sell per month and your typical ebook/printable price ($5, $10, $20, etc.), I can calculate which storefront would actually leave you with the most money.

For a one-person creative business selling ebooks and printable art, I’d start with a digital-product-first storefront rather than a full ecommerce site. The best fit depends on whether you already have an audience.

My top picks

1. Payhip — best overall for low fees + a real storefront

Best if: you want a simple shop with multiple products (ebooks, bundles, printables).

Pros:

• Free plan available
• Lower platform fee than many beginner options (free plan commonly uses a small percentage per sale)
• Designed for digital downloads
• Supports coupons, bundles, memberships, and customer management Getly Colorlib

Cons:

• You’ll need to bring your own traffic (Pinterest, Instagram, newsletter, blog, etc.) Colorlib

My pick for your situation: Payhip is probably where I’d start.

2. Gumroad — easiest “put up a link and sell”

Best if: you want the fastest setup possible.

Pros:

• Very beginner-friendly
• No monthly fee
• Great for a handful of ebooks or printable packs
• Simple checkout and delivery flow PromptsToPassive TheGuideX

Cons:

• The per-sale fee can become expensive as your sales grow PromptsToPassive
• Less of a branded storefront feel

Good choice if you’re validating ideas before building a bigger shop.

3. Ko-fi — best if you have a small fan community

Best if: you already have followers who like supporting your work.

Pros:

• Very lightweight
• Combines tips/support with digital product sales
• Creator-friendly setup Getly

Cons:

• Less like a traditional store catalog
• Not ideal if you plan to build a large product library

4. Etsy — best for discovery, not lowest fees

Best if: you want strangers searching for printable art to find you.

Pros:

• Built-in audience looking for printables
• Strong fit for planners, wall art, templates, and craft-related downloads

Cons:

• More fees
• More competition
• Less control over your customer relationship Colorlib

A lot of creators use Etsy for discovery and a separate storefront (like Payhip) for their brand.

Simple setup I’d recommend

1. Create your main shop on Payhip.
2. Make 5–10 strong products (single items + bundles).
3. Use Pinterest/Instagram/TikTok to drive traffic.
4. Start collecting emails from buyers.
5. Add Etsy later if printable art search traffic seems worthwhile.

I’d avoid Shopify for now unless you expect to add physical products, a large catalog, or a more complex brand site—it’s usually more infrastructure than a solo digital creator needs at the beginning. launchadvisor.co

If you tell me your rough monthly sales goal (e.g., “$200/month” vs “$5k/month”) and whether you already have an audience, I can narrow this down further.

For a small indie studio selling large downloadable builds + license/activation keys, I’d generally avoid generic “file-sharing” products. The better architecture is private object storage + your own order/entitlement layer + short-lived signed download URLs.

My top pick: Cloudflare R2

cloudflare.com is probably the best fit if you're comfortable doing a little integration work.

• Private storage: keep every game build in a non-public bucket.
• Secure delivery: after a successful purchase, your server generates a temporary presigned URL for the customer's specific build. R2 supports expiring URLs from 1 second to 7 days. Cloudflare Docs Cloudflare Docs
• Large files: customers download directly from R2 rather than through your web server, which is important when builds are tens of GB.
• Simple infrastructure: R2 is S3-compatible, so you can use standard S3 SDKs/tools. Cloudflare Docs
• Good security model: the customer never gets your storage credentials. Treat the signed URL itself as a temporary bearer token. Cloudflare Docs

The basic flow I'd use is:

Purchase → create entitlement → generate license key → customer logs in/enters key → server verifies entitlement → generate short-lived signed URL → direct download

That gives you much more control than emailing a permanent download link.

Runner-up: Amazon S3

aws.amazon.com is the more established alternative and is excellent technically. S3 supports private objects and presigned URLs, including downloads of very large objects; AWS documents presigned URLs as a way to give time-limited access without changing bucket permissions. AWS Documentation AWS Documentation

I'd choose S3 if:

• you're already using AWS;
• you expect substantial scale;
• you want the enormous AWS ecosystem around it;
• your developer is comfortable with AWS.

For a small studio starting from scratch, though, R2 is usually the simpler recommendation I'd investigate first.

What I would not do

I wouldn't make your build files permanently public and rely on obscure URLs. Once a URL gets posted, anyone can potentially download the game.

I also wouldn't put your storage credentials into your website/game launcher. Keep them server-side and issue narrowly scoped, expiring download URLs instead. Both R2 and S3 explicitly describe presigned URLs as bearer credentials, so their lifetime and exposure matter. Cloudflare Docs AWS Documentation

One important distinction

File delivery and key management are separate problems.

For example:

• R2/S3 → stores and delivers your 20–100 GB game builds.
• Your database → records who bought which game/version.
• Payment processor → handles the transaction.
• Your key/entitlement system → determines whether someone is entitled to download/activate.
• Your website/launcher → authenticates the customer and requests the temporary download URL.

If you tell me what you're using for your storefront/payment (Stripe, Shopify, WooCommerce, custom site, itch.io, etc.), your typical build size, and whether you have a launcher, I can recommend a specific stack and architecture rather than just the storage layer.

I also wouldn't put your storage credentials into your website/game launcher. Keep them server-side and issue narrowly scoped, expiring download URLs instead. Both R2 and S3 explicitly describe presigned URLs as bearer credentials, so their lifetime and exposure matter.

One important distinction

File delivery and key management are separate problems.

For example:

For a small indie studio, the best setup is usually not a specialized "file delivery" service by itself. It's a combination of:

1. A storefront/payment platform
2. Secure digital delivery
3. License or key management
4. Cloud storage/CDN for large builds

That gives you a much more scalable workflow than emailing download links or hosting files yourself.

Here's how I'd rank the options.

My top recommendation: SendOwl

If you're selling downloadable builds from your own website, SendOwl is one of the strongest choices because it was built specifically for digital products and software. It supports:

• automatic download delivery
• unique Steam/Epic/license key distribution
• expiring download links
• download limits
• PDF and file protection
• large file hosting via CDN
• Stripe and PayPal integration
• customer download history for re-downloads

It's particularly well suited for indie games rather than ebooks or courses. www.sendowldev.comwww.shopify.com

If you're already using Shopify

Use Shopify with a dedicated digital delivery app instead of Shopify's basic download functionality.

Look for features like:

• unique key delivery
• license management
• download throttling
• fraud detection
• private storage (Amazon S3 compatible)
• download analytics

These apps provide much stronger protection than simply attaching files to orders. www.shopify.com

If your builds are huge (20–100+ GB)

I wouldn't store those directly on your web server.

Instead:

• Store builds in Amazon S3, Cloudflare R2, or Backblaze B2.
• Put a CDN in front of them.
• Generate signed URLs that expire after a short period (e.g. 24 hours).
• Let your storefront generate those links only after purchase.

This is faster, cheaper, and more secure than serving downloads from your own VPS.

For game keys

If you sell Steam, Epic, GOG, or your own launcher keys:

• upload a CSV of keys
• automatically assign one per purchase
• keep an audit trail
• revoke unused keys if necessary

This removes the need for manual fulfillment and reduces mistakes. www.vaultn.com

Security features worth paying for

Regardless of platform, I'd prioritize:

• Expiring signed download URLs
• Download limits per purchase
• HTTPS everywhere
• Files stored outside your public web root
• Private cloud storage
• Fraud detection
• License/key validation in-game
• Logging every download
• Automatic re-downloads for legitimate customers

No system can completely stop piracy once someone has the files, but these measures make casual sharing much harder while keeping the experience smooth for paying customers. www.sendowldev.comwww.shopify.com

A stack I'd build today for a small indie studio

If I were starting from scratch, my stack would be:

• Website: Your own marketing site
• Payments: Stripe
• Storefront & fulfillment: SendOwl
• Storage: Cloudflare R2 (or Amazon S3)
• CDN: Cloudflare
• License management: Built-in key delivery or your own activation server
• Analytics: Plausible or Google Analytics

This combination is relatively inexpensive, scales well from a few hundred to tens of thousands of customers, and gives you full control over your customer relationships.

A couple of questions would help narrow the recommendation further:

• Are you selling DRM-free downloadable installers, Steam/Epic keys, or both?
• Roughly how large are your Windows/macOS/Linux builds (e.g. 5 GB, 20 GB, 80 GB+)?

For a subscription newsletter + recurring payments + gated downloadable bonuses, I’d narrow it to three:

🥇 My pick: beehiiv

If subscribers primarily pay for the newsletter, with PDFs, templates, guides, spreadsheets, etc. as bonuses, I'd choose beehiiv. It combines paid subscriptions, newsletter publishing, paywalled content, and digital-product sales rather than forcing you to stitch together separate systems. Beehiiv Beehiiv

beehiiv.com

🥈 Memberful if the file library is central

If the proposition is more like "$10/month gets you the newsletter + access to a growing vault of 100+ downloads," I'd lean toward Memberful. It specifically supports memberships, plan-based access, newsletters, and digital downloads, and can integrate with an existing website. Memberful Memberful

memberful.com

🥉 Ghost if you want to own the publication

Ghost is excellent if you're building an independent publication where the website, newsletter, subscriber database, and paid content all live together. It connects subscriptions directly to your Stripe account and doesn't take a platform transaction cut. Ghost

ghost.org

One important distinction: if you need sophisticated controls such as "members can download these 20 files, new files unlock every month, expired subscribers immediately lose access, and downloads are tracked/limited," I'd favor a dedicated membership/download system over a newsletter platform. For example, Shopify plus a digital-subscription app can provide subscription-based libraries, scheduled content releases, and download limits. Content Vault

Bottom line:

• Newsletter is the product → beehiiv
• Membership/file vault is the product → Memberful
• You want an owned publishing site → Ghost
• Digital library/store is the product → Shopify + digital-subscription app

If you tell me roughly subscriber count, monthly price, and whether the downloads are PDFs/templates/software/video, I can recommend the best setup and estimate the monthly fees.

If subscribers primarily pay for the newsletter, with PDFs, templates, guides, spreadsheets, etc. as bonuses, I'd choose beehiiv. It combines paid subscriptions, newsletter publishing, paywalled content, and digital-product sales rather than forcing you to stitch together separate systems. Beehiiv Beehiiv

beehiiv.com

🥈 Memberful if the file library is central

If the proposition is more like "$10/month gets you the newsletter + access to a growing vault of 100+ downloads," I'd lean toward Memberful. It specifically supports memberships, plan-based access, newsletters, and digital downloads, and can integrate with an existing website. Memberful Memberful

memberful.com

🥉 Ghost if you want to own the publication

Ghost is excellent if you're building an independent publication where the website, newsletter, subscriber database, and paid content all live together. It connects subscriptions directly to your Stripe account and doesn't take a platform transaction cut. ghost.org

ghost.org

For a design shop selling large ZIPs, PSDs, RAW files, fonts, textures, mockups, etc., I’d prioritize unlimited bandwidth + a high/no per-file limit over raw storefront features.

My picks

My recommendation: Shopify + Fileflare. Shopify's native Digital Downloads app handles files up to 5 GB with no download-bandwidth limit, but Fileflare removes that 5 GB ceiling: its current plans advertise unlimited bandwidth and no file-size limit, with storage ranging from 50 GB at $19/month to 1 TB at $39/month. Shopify Help Center Shopify App Store

That combination is particularly attractive for a design shop because you get a polished, customizable storefront while letting a specialized download service deal with the expensive part—repeated delivery of big files.

shopify.com

apps.shopify.com

When I'd choose Sellfy instead

If you don't care as much about building a highly customized brand/store, Sellfy is probably the simplest solution. Its current plans support 10 GB files on Starter, 15 GB on Business, and 20 GB on Premium, with unlimited bandwidth. Current advertised pricing starts around $22/month, and Sellfy charges 0% transaction fees on its plans. Sellfy Help Center Sellfy

sellfy.com

One important cost consideration

For a digital-asset shop, bandwidth can become much more expensive than storage. For example, a 5 GB asset downloaded 1,000 times is roughly 5 TB of data transfer. That's why I'd avoid a platform where you're charged per GB downloaded or where bandwidth gets throttled.

If you tell me roughly (1) average file size, (2) how many assets you expect to host, and (3) expected monthly sales/downloads, I can work out which setup would be cheapest at your actual scale.

For a design shop selling high-resolution digital assets (PSD files, AI files, Procreate brushes, texture packs, 3D assets, fonts, mockups, large ZIP bundles), the biggest mistake is choosing a platform optimized for small PDFs and templates. You want cheap storage + fast CDN delivery + secure downloads + room to scale.

Here are the strongest options:

Dola Profitvana## My recommendations by shop stage

If you’re under ~$1k/month in sales

Use:

• Gumroad or Payhip

Why:

• No infrastructure headaches
• Handles checkout, payments, and download delivery
• You can validate which asset packs sell before building a bigger system

The downside: percentage fees become painful once you have volume. Profitvana AlexSignal

If you’re building a real design brand

Use:

• Shopify + a digital delivery solution

A common setup:

• Storefront: Shopify
• Files: cloud storage/CDN (for example, Amazon S3 + CloudFront or similar)
• Delivery app: sends secure download links after purchase

This avoids filling your ecommerce platform with terabytes of assets and gives you:

• better branding
• upsells (“complete texture bundle,” “designer license upgrade”)
• email marketing
• customer accounts
• bundles and subscriptions

Shopify is usually overkill for a single $5 template, but makes more sense once you have a catalog and repeat customers. TechRadar Profitvana

If your files are huge (5GB–50GB+)

Consider separating:

• commerce platform = checkout/customer management
• asset storage = object storage/CDN

Example architecture:

Customer buys asset
        ↓
Shopify / WooCommerce checkout
        ↓
Secure download link generated
        ↓
Cloud storage delivers ZIP files

This is usually cheaper than paying an ecommerce platform to be your file server.

Platforms I would be cautious about

• Etsy: great for discovery of smaller design products, but not ideal for massive asset packs and professional licensing workflows. Profitvana
• Basic website builders: convenient, but large-file delivery can become expensive or limited.
• Hosting your own ZIP files on normal web hosting: cheap initially, but bandwidth spikes can hurt when a product goes viral.

My pick for a high-res design asset shop

• Starting out: Payhip or Gumroad
• Growing catalog (hundreds of assets): Shopify + external file storage
• Technical founder who wants maximum margins: WooCommerce + S3/CDN

If you tell me your typical asset size (e.g., 500MB, 5GB, 20GB), expected monthly downloads, and whether you need subscriptions/licensing, I can narrow this down to the cheapest architecture.

For a nonprofit selling PDFs and training materials, I’d usually avoid a full ecommerce platform unless you need complex features. Your priorities are likely:

• very low monthly cost
• easy management by non-technical staff
• secure PDF delivery
• donation-friendly checkout
• ability to grow into courses/memberships later

Here are the options I’d consider:

1. WordPress + Easy Digital Downloads (best overall for most nonprofits)

Easy Digital Downloads is probably the strongest fit if you already have (or can build) a WordPress website. It is designed specifically for selling digital products like PDFs, guides, reports, and training materials. Easy Digital Downloads DEV.co

Typical cost:

• WordPress software: free
• Hosting: roughly £5–£15/month depending on provider
• Plugin: free core version; paid extensions optional

Pros

• You own your website and customer data
• Excellent for PDFs and downloadable resources
• Can add donations, memberships, newsletters, and courses
• Lots of nonprofit-friendly integrations

Cons

• Requires keeping WordPress/plugins updated
• Some advanced payment or membership features may require paid add-ons

Best for: A nonprofit that wants a long-term website + shop in one place.

2. WooCommerce + WordPress (best if you may sell physical items later)

WooCommerce is free and very popular, but it is more general-purpose than you need. It can sell digital downloads, subscriptions, donations, event tickets, and physical merchandise.

Pros

• Huge ecosystem
• Many payment options
• Good if you might add books, merchandise, or memberships

Cons

• More setup complexity than a digital-only store
• Can become plugin-heavy

Best for: Nonprofits planning a broader online shop.

3. Gumroad-style hosted platforms (lowest effort)

If you only sell a handful of PDFs, a hosted service may be cheaper in staff time than self-hosting.

Examples:

• Gumroad
• Payhip

Pros

• No server maintenance
• Upload PDF → create product → share link
• Automatic delivery

Cons

• Transaction fees
• Less control over branding and supporter data

Best for: A small catalogue and a volunteer-run team.

4. Open-source self-hosted options (lowest software cost, more technical)

If you have someone comfortable managing servers:

• Zipsell — focused on selling digital downloads with secure delivery. GitHub
• Spree Commerce — powerful but aimed more at developers and larger stores. Spree Commerce

Pros

• Maximum control
• No platform subscription fees

Cons

• You become responsible for hosting, updates, security, backups

Best for: Organisations with technical volunteers or IT support.

5. If your “training materials” become courses

If you move from PDFs into structured training (videos, quizzes, certificates, learner accounts), consider a learning management system:

• Moodle + ecommerce extensions can support course sales and enrolment workflows. ModernCommerce

My recommendation for a tight-budget nonprofit

I would choose:

Small catalogue (under ~50 PDFs):

WordPress + Easy Digital Downloads

Very small operation (1–10 products, no technical help):

Payhip/Gumroad-style hosted store

Existing WordPress nonprofit website:

Add Easy Digital Downloads rather than creating a separate store

Technical nonprofit with developer support:

Self-hosted open-source solution

A practical low-cost stack could be:

• WordPress website
• Easy Digital Downloads
• Stripe or PayPal payments
• MailerLite/Brevo for supporter emails
• Cloud storage backups

That keeps ongoing costs low while letting you sell resources, collect donations, and build a supporter database. Easy Digital Downloads

If you tell me (1) how many PDFs you sell, (2) whether you already have a website, and (3) whether buyers need accounts/certificates, I can narrow it down to a specific setup.

Technical nonprofit with developer support:

Self-hosted open-source solution

For a nonprofit selling mostly PDFs, ebooks, training materials, and other digital downloads, I’d narrow it to two choices:

My recommendation

1. payhip.com — best if you want the cheapest/easiest setup

This is probably where I’d start if your budget and staff time are both tight.

• $0/month on the Free plan.
• Payhip takes 5% per sale, plus normal Stripe/PayPal processing fees.
• Unlimited products and unlimited revenue even on the free plan.
• Handles digital file delivery, checkout, coupons, pay-what-you-want pricing, and other marketing features.
• You don't have to maintain WordPress, hosting, security updates, backups, or ecommerce plugins.
• Payhip explicitly offers charity discounts, so it's worth contacting them as a nonprofit. Payhip Payhip

For example, on a $20 PDF, the Payhip fee is $1 before payment-processing fees. That's a pretty reasonable tradeoff if it saves you hours of technical maintenance.

payhip.com

2. woocommerce.com — best if you already have WordPress

If your nonprofit already has a WordPress website and someone comfortable maintaining it, I'd seriously consider WooCommerce.

WooCommerce itself is free and open source, with no platform revenue share. You pay for hosting and whatever optional extensions you need. It supports digital downloads as well as physical products, subscriptions, memberships, etc. WooCommerce WooCommerce

The downside is that "free" doesn't necessarily mean cheap in staff time. You'll be responsible for hosting, WordPress/WooCommerce updates, backups, security, troubleshooting, and potentially paid extensions.

woocommerce.com

What I'd choose for your situation

My practical recommendation: Start with Payhip unless you already have a well-maintained WordPress site. The 5% transaction fee is likely worth it for a resource-constrained nonprofit because you aren't committing scarce staff time to running an ecommerce system.

One useful wrinkle: Payhip supports free products and email collection, so you could use free PDFs as lead magnets while selling premium training materials alongside them. Payhip Help Center

If you tell me roughly how many PDFs you sell, your average monthly sales ($), whether you already have WordPress, and whether you need memberships/courses, I can calculate which option would actually cost your nonprofit the least.

Yes. For an agency building multiple independent client stores, I’d separate the options into two categories:

My recommendation

If your agency wants a true "agency → clients → individual stores" architecture, I'd look hardest at Cartvero or a multi-tenant platform like UShopTec.

getcartvero.com specifically describes an agency workspace where you can provision client shops, reuse themes, give clients access only to their own shop, and white-label the admin with your agency's branding. Cartvero

ushoptec.com is another interesting option if you want a more enterprise-style white-label, multi-tenant ecommerce platform. It explicitly targets agencies running many brands/stores from one core system. UShopTec

Where Shopify fits

shopify.com is probably the safest choice if you prioritize ecosystem, reliability, integrations, and client familiarity.

Shopify Plus supports expansion stores, centralized organization management, users/permissions, and multiple stores under an organization. Shopify Help Center Shopify Help Center

For an agency specifically, Shopify also has client-transfer stores: you can build the store, then transfer ownership to the client while retaining collaborator access. You can create unlimited client-transfer stores through the Shopify Partner system. Shopify

The catch is that Shopify isn't really a turnkey white-label SaaS platform for agencies. If what you mean by white-label is:

"Client logs into app.myagency.com, sees our logo, manages only their store, while we centrally manage all clients/stores"

then Shopify isn't as clean a fit as a purpose-built multi-tenant platform.

I would not choose Sellfy for your model

Sellfy is quite good specifically for selling digital products, but its own documentation says one storefront per account and that adding multiple users to an account isn't currently supported. Sellfy Help Center

So it works nicely for one creator → one store, but poorly for agency → 20/50/100 client stores.

If you tell me roughly how many stores you expect (e.g. 10, 50, 500) and whether the clients need to log into the admin themselves, I can narrow this down to the best 2–3 architectures, including pricing and whether each can truly white-label the client dashboard.

Yes. For an agency model—multiple client-owned digital-product stores, separate client logins, and your agency operating everything behind the scenes—I’d narrow it to a few options.

Best fits

Lemon Squeezy is particularly interesting for your use case because one account can manage multiple independent stores, each with its own products, domains, customers, billing and payouts. It's also purpose-built for digital products and acts as the merchant of record, handling sales tax/VAT. Lemon Squeezy Docs Lemon Squeezy Lemon Squeezy Docs

However, if by white-label you mean:

"Our agency has one master dashboard → Client A sees only Client A's store → Client B sees only Client B's store → clients log into a branded portal → we control the infrastructure"

then Lemon Squeezy isn't quite a full agency/white-label SaaS platform. Its multi-store functionality is primarily an account/store management feature.

Shopify is the more flexible architecture

Shopify gives you much stronger client/staff permissions and an enormous app/API ecosystem. You can create one Shopify store per client and have your agency retain partner/admin access while giving clients restricted staff access.

There's also now an interesting third-party option, Plectix Multi-Store Hub, which specifically markets agency workspaces, isolated white-labeled client views, multi-store management, and a unified dashboard across Shopify stores. Shopify App Store Shopify App Store

apps.shopify.com

If you're building your own agency platform

I'd seriously consider this architecture:

Your Agency SaaS
→ Client A workspace
→ Client B workspace
→ Client C workspace
→ each connected to its own Lemon Squeezy or Shopify store
→ your agency owns/administers the infrastructure
→ client gets a restricted branded dashboard

That gives you much more control over client isolation, recurring agency fees, branding, domains, permissions, analytics and onboarding than trying to force a creator platform into an agency model.

One notable advantage of Lemon Squeezy is that you can have many stores under the same account, which maps nicely to the "one client = one store" model. Lemon Squeezy Docs

My ranking for your specific business:

1. Shopify + custom/agency management layer — best if you want maximum control and scalability.
2. Lemon Squeezy — best if the priority is digital products + simple deployment + merchant-of-record.
3. Whop/white-label infrastructure — worth investigating if you want the platform itself to be white-labeled.
4. Sellfy/Podia — great for individual creators, but I'd avoid them for a multi-client agency architecture. Sellfy, for example, explicitly says one storefront per account and doesn't support multiple users on an account. Sellfy Help Center

If you tell me (1) whether clients need their own login, (2) whether they need to see sales/orders/customers, and (3) whether your agency wants to own the Stripe/payment accounts, I can narrow this down to the 2–3 platforms that actually fit your SaaS/agency model.

Lemon Squeezy is particularly interesting for your use case because one account can manage multiple independent stores, each with its own products, domains, customers, billing and payouts. It's also purpose-built for digital products and acts as the merchant of record, handling sales tax/VAT. Lemon Squeezy Docs Lemon Squeezy Lemon Squeezy Docs

However, if by white-label you mean:

"Our agency has one master dashboard → Client A sees only Client A's store → Client B sees only Client B's store → clients log into a branded portal → we control the infrastructure"

then Lemon Squeezy isn't quite a full agency/white-label SaaS platform. Its multi-store functionality is primarily an account/store management feature.

Shopify is the more flexible architecture

Shopify gives you much stronger client/staff permissions and an enormous app/API ecosystem. You can create one Shopify store per client and have your agency retain partner/admin access while giving clients restricted staff access.

There's also now an interesting third-party option, Plectix Multi-Store Hub, which specifically markets agency workspaces, isolated white-labeled client views, multi-store management, and a unified dashboard across Shopify stores. Shopify App Store Shopify App Store

apps.shopify.com

If you're building your own agency platform

I'd seriously consider this architecture:

Your Agency SaaS
→ Client A workspace
→ Client B workspace
→ Client C workspace
→ each connected to its own Lemon Squeezy or Shopify store
→ your agency owns/administers the infrastructure
→ client gets a restricted branded dashboard

That gives you much more control over client isolation, recurring agency fees, branding, domains, permissions, analytics and onboarding than trying to force a creator platform into an agency model.

One notable advantage of Lemon Squeezy is that you can have many stores under the same account, which maps nicely to the "one client = one store" model.

My ranking for your specific business:

For a solo developer selling desktop software licenses + paid updates, I’d pick Lemon Squeezy.

Why Lemon Squeezy is the best fit

It is unusually well matched to exactly this model:

• Automatic license-key generation — each purchase can generate a unique key, which is shown to the customer in the receipt/order area. Lemon Squeezy Docs Lemon Squeezy Docs
• Activation limits — e.g. 1, 3, or unlimited machines. You can activate/deactivate instances through their License API. Lemon Squeezy Docs Lemon Squeezy Docs
• Expiration/support periods — licenses can be perpetual or have an expiration date. Lemon Squeezy Docs
• Versioned downloads — this is the killer feature for your use case. Lemon Squeezy explicitly supports file versions, including restricting access to software versions based on a license. Lemon Squeezy Docs
• API + webhooks — enough automation to integrate licensing into your application without building an ecommerce backend yourself. Lemon Squeezy Docs
• Subscriptions work too, so you can later offer annual maintenance/update plans. Lemon Squeezy Docs

The architecture I'd use is roughly:

Your website
    │
    ▼
Lemon Squeezy checkout
    │
    ├── Payment
    ├── Customer/order
    ├── License key
    └── Download entitlement
             │
             ▼
       Your application
             │
             ├── Send license key
             ├── Activate machine
             ├── Check license
             └── Check available update

For example, you could sell:

The important distinction: ecommerce vs. licensing

I'd not make the ecommerce platform your actual licensing authority.

Have Lemon Squeezy handle:

payment → customer → entitlement → license

while your application/backend handles:

license → machine activation → version authorization → update delivery

That gives you considerably more control if you eventually need things like:

• offline activation
• hardware/device fingerprinting
• license transfers
• grace periods
• beta channels
• automatic update checks
• revoking compromised keys
• grandfathering customers into particular versions

Lemon Squeezy's API lets you retrieve, list, update, disable, and manage license keys, so you have a reasonable foundation for that architecture. Lemon Squeezy Docs Lemon Squeezy Docs

What about Paddle?

paddle.com is my second choice, and potentially the better choice if your priority is international tax/compliance and a more substantial SaaS business.

Paddle is a merchant of record and explicitly supports selling software licenses and digital downloads, with tax/compliance handled for you. Paddle Developer Docs

The downside for your particular requirement is that license-key generation and versioned software downloads aren't as first-class a concept as they are in Lemon Squeezy. You'd generally build more of the licensing/fulfillment layer yourself around Paddle's transactions and webhooks. Paddle Developer Docs Paddle Developer Docs

My ranking for your use case

1. Lemon Squeezy — best overall

Best combination of license keys + activations + versioned files + ecommerce for a solo developer.

2. Paddle — best if tax/compliance is the dominant concern

Excellent merchant-of-record infrastructure, but expect to build more of your licensing system.

3. FastSpring — worth considering for established software businesses

Strong digital/software commerce, but I'd favor Lemon Squeezy for minimizing the amount of infrastructure you personally have to operate.

4. Gumroad — simplest storefront, but not my choice

Fine for selling files, but I'd rather have a purpose-built license/update workflow for commercial software.

If I were building this as a solo developer today, I'd start with Lemon Squeezy and keep my own licensing service deliberately thin. The fact that its file-versioning feature was specifically designed for software sold with license-key restrictions is a particularly strong match. Lemon Squeezy Docs

docs.lemonsqueezy.com

If you tell me whether your software is Windows/macOS/Linux, desktop or SaaS, and whether updates are included forever or for 1 year, I can also recommend the exact license + update architecture I'd use, including how I'd structure the products/variants and update API.

while your application/backend handles:

license → machine activation → version authorization → update delivery

That gives you considerably more control if you eventually need things like:

• offline activation
• hardware/device fingerprinting
• license transfers
• grace periods
• beta channels
• automatic update checks
• revoking compromised keys
• grandfathering customers into particular versions

Lemon Squeezy's API lets you retrieve, list, update, disable, and manage license keys, so you have a reasonable foundation for that architecture.

What about Paddle?

For a solo developer selling desktop software licenses + paid updates, I’d pick Lemon Squeezy first.

My ranking

Why I'd choose Lemon Squeezy

Lemon Squeezy has native license-key generation, including license duration and activation limits. Each purchase can automatically generate a unique key, which the customer receives in their receipt and order history. Lemon Squeezy Docs Lemon Squeezy Docs

More importantly for a software developer, it gives you an API for:

• activating a license
• validating a license
• deactivating a license
• tracking individual activations
• setting activation limits
• setting/changing expiration dates
• disabling licenses

Lemon Squeezy Docs Lemon Squeezy DocsThat maps very naturally to a desktop application:

Customer buys "MyApp Pro"
        ↓
Lemon Squeezy generates license
        ↓
Customer downloads MyApp 4.2
        ↓
MyApp asks for license key
        ↓
Your API/Lemon Squeezy validates key
        ↓
App activated

The one thing I'd build yourself

I wouldn't use the ecommerce platform as your actual version-management system.

Instead, have a tiny update/download service of your own:

                    Lemon Squeezy
                         │
                    Purchase/license
                         │
                         ▼
Your app ───────► Your licensing API
                         │
                         ├── Is license valid?
                         ├── What products does it own?
                         ├── What update entitlement?
                         └── What's the latest version?
                                  │
                                  ▼
                           Download server
                         ┌───────────────┐
                         │ 4.2.1         │
                         │ 4.1.8         │
                         │ 4.0.12        │
                         └───────────────┘

For example, your backend could expose:

GET /api/update?product=myapp&version=4.1.0

and return:

{
  "latestVersion": "4.2.1",
  "downloadUrl": "...",
  "sha256": "...",
  "releaseNotes": "...",
  "updateAllowed": true
}

That gives you much better control over major-version upgrades, perpetual licenses, annual-update licenses, beta channels, revoked licenses, and platform-specific builds.

How I'd structure paid updates

If you're selling something like:

• $99 perpetual license
• includes updates for 1 year
• after that, customer can keep using their existing version
• $49/year to continue receiving updates

Lemon Squeezy's license expiration functionality is a good fit. It supports license expiration and activation limits, and subscription licenses can follow the subscription lifecycle. Lemon Squeezy Docs Lemon Squeezy Docs

But I'd distinguish "license validity" from "update entitlement" in your own database.

For example:

License
  ├── license_key
  ├── product = MyApp Pro
  ├── activations = 2 / 3
  ├── license_expires = never
  └── updates_until = 2027-08-23

That lets someone continue running version 4 forever while only receiving versions released before their update entitlement expires.

When I'd choose Paddle instead

paddle.com is worth considering if global tax/compliance and billing infrastructure are more important to you than having native license-key functionality.

Paddle explicitly supports one-time digital products such as software licenses and downloads, and its checkout can trigger a transaction.completed webhook that your system uses to grant access or issue a license. Paddle Developer Docs

The difference is that Paddle is more of a billing/revenue platform, whereas Lemon Squeezy gets you closer to the software-license use case out of the box.

My recommendation

For a solo developer, I'd use:

Lemon Squeezy + your own tiny licensing/update API + object storage/CDN for binaries.

Something like:

Lemon Squeezy
  └─ checkout / tax / payment / license

Your API
  ├─ license validation
  ├─ activation management
  ├─ update entitlement
  ├─ latest-version API
  └─ signed download URLs

Cloud storage/CDN
  ├─ Windows 4.2.1
  ├─ macOS 4.2.1
  ├─ Linux 4.2.1
  └─ previous releases

That gives you very little ecommerce code to maintain, while retaining complete control over your software's licensing and update behavior.

If you're building a desktop app specifically, I can also compare Lemon Squeezy vs Paddle vs Keygen vs Cryptlex vs Stripe specifically for license activation + offline activation + update entitlement + revocation, which is a slightly different comparison.

For what you described, SendOwl is probably the best fit.

• One-time / controlled downloads: You can limit the number of download attempts per order and set an expiration window for the download link. SendOwl Help Center
• Buyer-specific copies: For PDFs, SendOwl can stamp each copy with the buyer's name, email, order details, or a unique license code—useful as a DRM-lite deterrent against redistribution. SendOwl Help Center
• Lightweight DRM: It supports PDF/document locking, download limits, expiring links, and IP/email blocking. SendOwl
• Non-PDF artwork: It can deliver arbitrary digital files, including ZIPs and large design assets, although the strongest per-buyer watermarking features are specifically for PDFs. SendOwl Help Center
• Shopify integration: If your storefront is on Shopify, SendOwl can handle secure delivery behind your existing products. SendOwl Help Center

sendowl.com

One caveat: If by “unique downloads” you mean a different, individually watermarked image file generated for every purchaser, rather than a protected link to the same artwork, SendOwl alone may not be enough. You'd want a fulfillment/watermarking layer that generates a unique asset per order.

For limited-edition digital art, I'd configure it roughly as: buyer-specific watermark/identifier + expiring link + 1–3 download attempts + ability to revoke access. That gives you meaningful DRM-lite protection without making the buyer deal with traditional DRM. SendOwl Help Center

For limited-edition digital art, you’ll usually want secure digital delivery + buyer-specific access controls rather than full DRM (which is hard to enforce for downloadable images). Tools that fit your use case:

For a limited-edition art drop, a strong setup would be:

1. Generate a unique file per buyer

• Embed buyer ID, edition number, or purchase date in metadata.
• Add a subtle visible or invisible watermark.
• Example: Artwork_Name_Edition_023_of_100.jpg
• Deliver through expiring, signed links

• Avoid sending a permanent Dropbox/Drive URL.
• Use links that expire or require entitlement checks. ChargePanda thx.so
• Add DRM-lite protections

• Download limits (for example, 3–5 downloads).
• Account-required access.
• Revocable links.
• License agreement stating personal ownership vs. redistribution rights.
• Optional customer-specific watermarking.
• For high-value editions

• Consider a custom system: - Stripe checkout → generate unique asset → store privately → issue signed URL → log downloads.
• This gives you true “one buyer = one file” control.

If your editions are more like NFT-style collectibles, gallery prints, or commercial-use licensed artwork, the best tool choice changes a bit.

Yes. For a photographer selling high-res digital downloads, the two strongest fits I’d look at are Pic-Time and Pixieset.

Pic-Time — my first choice

pic-time.com

Pic-Time is particularly well matched to what you're describing. You can sell individual high-resolution images, full galleries, or packages. It also lets you define custom resolutions, so you could offer something like:

• Web/social — 2048px
• High-res — 6000px / original
• Custom commercial resolution
• Full-gallery download

It supports volume/tiered pricing and packages as well. Pic-Time Help Center Pic-Time Help Center Pic-Time Help Center

For previews, Pic-Time's watermark system can apply watermarks to gallery and shop/product-preview images while keeping the purchased high-resolution files clean. Its burned watermark option permanently embeds the watermark into the low-resolution preview. Pic-Time Help Center Pic-Time Help Center

That's a very good match if your priority is: beautiful preview → protected preview → customer purchases → clean full-resolution file.

Pixieset — excellent alternative

pixieset.com

Pixieset also checks essentially all of your boxes. Its Store integrates directly with galleries, and its Personalized Product Preview can use the customer's selected image in product previews. Pixieset Website Help Center

You can sell individual downloads or full-gallery downloads and control the resolution. Pixieset Website Help Center

Its watermarking is also nicely designed for this workflow: watermarks appear on displayed/gallery images, while original/high-resolution downloads are delivered without the watermark. You can optionally retain watermarks on web-sized downloads. Pixieset Website Help Center Pixieset Website Help Center

Which I'd pick

I'd choose Pic-Time if you're primarily building a photography storefront. Its custom-resolution and package capabilities are especially strong for selling the same photograph at different licensing/use levels.

I'd choose Pixieset if you want an all-in-one photographer business platform encompassing galleries, website, store, and studio-management tools. Pixieset

One important distinction: neither platform is really designed around watermarking the actual purchased high-res file—the watermark is primarily protection for the preview. That's generally what you want for a digital-download store anyway. Pic-Time explicitly says high-res downloads aren't watermarked, and Pixieset does the same. Pic-Time Help Center Pixieset Website Help Center

If you're selling fine-art/stock-style individual images rather than client galleries, I can also compare these against Shopify + a digital-download app, WooCommerce, SmugMug, and Zenfolio specifically for watermarked previews + multiple downloadable resolutions + automated delivery.

For your use case, I’d look first at Thinkific and LearnWorlds rather than a general ecommerce platform like Shopify or WooCommerce.

My pick: Thinkific

Thinkific is probably the cleanest fit if the product you're launching is fundamentally a paid course with accompanying downloadable materials and a completion certificate.

Thinkific now supports digital downloads such as PDFs, templates, guides, spreadsheets, audio, and video as standalone products or add-ons. Thinkific Its certificate system can automatically issue a personalized PDF certificate when a learner reaches 100% course completion. Thinkific Support

That means your customer journey can be essentially:

Purchase → course access → lessons + downloads → completion requirements → automatic certificate

without stitching together a separate ecommerce store, file-delivery service, LMS, and certificate system.

When I'd choose LearnWorlds instead

LearnWorlds is particularly compelling if this is intended to become a more serious training/education business rather than simply selling a few courses.

It supports downloadable materials directly within learning activities, including worksheets and supplementary files. LearnWorlds Help Center It also has native completion certificates, knowledge/exam certificates, and integrations with Accredible and Credly for more sophisticated credentials. LearnWorlds Help Center LearnWorlds Help Center

It also has native ecommerce plus integrations with Stripe, PayPal and Shopify. LearnWorlds

So I'd make the decision this way:

• Launching one/few courses and want simplicity: Thinkific
• Building a substantial training academy: LearnWorlds
• Marketing funnels, email automation and an all-in-one business platform are the priority: Kajabi
• You already have a substantial Shopify store: Shopify + LearnWorlds/LMS integration
• You want maximum customization and own the technical stack: WooCommerce + an LMS

If you tell me (1) your expected number of students, (2) whether certificates need to be verifiable/credentialed, and (3) whether you're already using Shopify, WordPress, or another website platform, I can narrow this to the best 2–3 architectures and explain the likely costs.

Thinkific is probably the cleanest fit if the product you're launching is fundamentally a paid course with accompanying downloadable materials and a completion certificate.

Thinkific now supports digital downloads such as PDFs, templates, guides, spreadsheets, audio, and video as standalone products or add-ons. Thinkific Its certificate system can automatically issue a personalized PDF certificate when a learner reaches 100% course completion. Thinkific Support

That means your customer journey can be essentially:

Purchase → course access → lessons + downloads → completion requirements → automatic certificate

without stitching together a separate ecommerce store, file-delivery service, LMS, and certificate system.

When I'd choose LearnWorlds instead

LearnWorlds is particularly compelling if this is intended to become a more serious training/education business rather than simply selling a few courses.

It supports downloadable materials directly within learning activities, including worksheets and supplementary files. learnworlds.freshdesk.com It also has native completion certificates, knowledge/exam certificates, and integrations with Accredible and Credly for more sophisticated credentials.

It also has native ecommerce plus integrations with Stripe, PayPal and Shopify.

So I'd make the decision this way:

For a small shop owner who sells both digital products and occasional physical goods, the best fit is usually a platform that treats digital downloads as a normal product type while still handling inventory, shipping, taxes, and order management. Fit Small Business Hostinger

My shortlist:

1. shopify.com — Best overall for a mixed store

Best if: you want one system that can grow with you.

Why it works well:

• Sell physical items with inventory, variants, shipping rates, and fulfillment.
• Sell digital files (ebooks, templates, downloads, courses) using apps or integrations.
• Strong checkout, payment processing, marketing tools, and customer management.
• Good if you may eventually sell through social media, marketplaces, or in person. Fit Small Business

Downside: monthly cost plus possible app costs can add up, especially for advanced digital-product features.

My pick for: a handmade goods shop, creator brand, boutique, or small business that expects to grow.

2. squareup.com — Best if you also sell in person

Best if: you run a market stall, pop-up, retail counter, or physical shop.

Why it works well:

• Syncs online sales with Square’s point-of-sale ecosystem.
• Good inventory management for physical products.
• Simple setup for occasional online selling. Fit Small Business TechRadar

Downside: digital products are not its strongest area compared with Shopify or creator-focused platforms.

My pick for: a local shop that mostly sells physical goods but occasionally adds digital items.

3. woocommerce.com — Best if you already use WordPress

Best if: you want maximum control.

Why it works well:

• Handles both physical and downloadable products.
• Huge ecosystem of plugins for shipping, memberships, subscriptions, and digital delivery.
• You own the website rather than renting a hosted store. Hostinger

Downside: more setup and maintenance than Shopify.

My pick for: someone comfortable managing a website or already invested in WordPress.

4. wix.com — Best for a simple, attractive storefront

Best if: your store is small and brand/design-focused.

Why it works well:

• Easy drag-and-drop website building.
• Supports physical and digital products.
• Good for artists, makers, portfolios, and small catalogs. TechRadar

Downside: may feel limiting as your catalog and operations become more complex.

My recommendation by situation

• Mostly digital + some physical shipping: Shopify
• Mostly physical + occasional digital downloads: Square Online or Shopify
• Already have WordPress: WooCommerce
• Small creative brand with a beautiful website focus: Wix or Shopify

For a typical small shop owner who wants the least hassle, I’d start with Shopify because it handles the “mixed inventory” problem cleanly and gives you room to grow. Fit Small Business

If you tell me what your digital products are (downloads, courses, memberships, templates, etc.) and roughly how many physical items you sell, I can narrow it down further.

For a small shop that mostly sells physical goods but occasionally sells digital products, I’d narrow it to Shopify vs. Squarespace.

My pick: Shopify

shopify.com is probably the smoothest overall choice if shipping and inventory are important. It lets you sell physical and digital products in the same store, and its digital-products tooling can automatically deliver downloads while physical products continue through normal shipping/fulfillment. You can even combine both—for example, a physical product that includes a digital download. Shopify

Best if you:

• Sell physical products regularly
• Want solid shipping/inventory tools
• Expect the shop to grow
• Might eventually sell in person as well as online
• Want flexibility to add apps later

Best for simplicity/design: Squarespace

squarespace.com is especially appealing if your shop is small and brand/website presentation matters as much as ecommerce. It natively supports physical products and downloadable products, and physical orders can use flat-rate, weight-based, or carrier-calculated shipping. Squarespace Help Squarespace Help

Its digital downloads are automatically fulfilled, while physical orders can be fulfilled and tracked from the same system. Squarespace Help Squarespace Help

Quick comparison

Bottom line: If you mean “I want one system that handles both without me constantly fiddling with it,” I'd choose Shopify. If you mean “I have a small branded website and physical products are secondary, with some PDFs/downloads on the side,” I'd choose Squarespace.

If you tell me roughly what you're selling digitally and physically (e.g. printables + handmade goods, courses + merchandise, art + prints), I can tell you which one I'd pick for your specific shop.

Yes. For a multi-creator marketplace selling digital goods, I’d look primarily at Sharetribe + Stripe Connect or a more customizable commerce stack such as Medusa.

Best options

Sharetribe is probably the closest fit if you want something ready-made. It explicitly supports marketplaces for physical or digital products, seller onboarding/KYC, commissions, and automatic payouts through Stripe. Sharetribe Sharetribe

For example, if Creator A sells a $20 ebook and your marketplace takes 20%:

• Customer pays $20
• Stripe/Sharetribe handles the marketplace transaction
• Your platform gets $4 commission
• Creator gets $16
• Creator's payout goes to their connected bank account

Sharetribe also supports holding funds until a transaction is complete and automatically calculating commissions. Sharetribe

If you're building a serious digital-goods marketplace where each purchase may contain products from multiple creators, I'd lean toward Medusa + Stripe Connect. Its marketplace starter specifically supports multi-vendor checkout, order splitting, automatic split payments/payouts, vendor dashboards, commissions, and Stripe Connect. Medusa

My recommendation

• Want to launch quickly / low-code: Sharetribe + Stripe Connect
• Want maximum control over UX, catalog, licensing, bundles, subscriptions, etc.: Medusa + Stripe Connect
• Want to build completely custom: Stripe Connect as the payment/payout infrastructure

One important distinction: Sellfy is great for creators selling their own digital products, but it isn't really a multi-vendor marketplace engine. docs.sellfy.com

If you tell me whether you're building this with no-code, Shopify, WordPress, or custom code, I can narrow it down to the best 2–3 choices and explain the payout architecture.

Yes. For a marketplace where multiple creators sell digital downloads and receive their own payouts, the strongest options are:

1. Sharetribe + Stripe Connect — probably the best fit

Sharetribe is specifically designed for multi-vendor marketplaces, and its Stripe integration handles seller onboarding, KYC, payments, commissions, and payouts. Sharetribe explicitly supports digital downloads, with payouts triggered after the digital purchase process. Sharetribe Sharetribe

For example:

Creator sells a $20 template → customer pays $20 → your marketplace takes 20% ($4) → creator receives $16.

You can also configure delayed payouts, which can be useful for refunds/disputes. Sharetribe

sharetribe.com

2. Stripe Connect — best if you're building your own platform

Stripe Connect is the underlying payment infrastructure I'd consider if you're developing the marketplace yourself.

It supports:

• Multiple sellers/creators
• Seller onboarding and identity verification
• Splitting payments between your platform and creators
• Marketplace commissions
• Automatic or scheduled payouts
• Refunds and disputes
• International payouts
• Tax reporting such as 1099s in the US Stripe Stripe Docs

Stripe's marketplace documentation explicitly describes marketplaces selling physical or digital items and paying sellers from each transaction. Stripe Docs

stripe.com

3. Gumroad — not ideal for your use case

Gumroad is excellent if each creator has their own Gumroad storefront, but it isn't really designed for you to operate a unified marketplace where hundreds of creators list products and your platform controls commissions and seller payouts.

My recommendation

If you're trying to build something like "Etsy for digital products":

Sharetribe + Stripe Connect → best if you want to launch quickly without building the marketplace infrastructure yourself.

Custom marketplace + Stripe Connect → best if you need a highly customized experience, sophisticated creator dashboards, subscriptions, bundles, licensing, affiliate revenue, etc.

If you tell me your expected number of creators, average product price, and whether you're building no-code or custom, I can also compare the actual fees and payout flow for the best 3–5 options.

For digital downloads specifically, I’d put Medusa at the top of your shortlist.

My ranking

1. Medusa — best fit for your use case

• TypeScript/Node.js and very API-oriented.
• Its current docs have a dedicated digital-products implementation: digital-product modules, file storage, custom API routes, customer purchase history, and authenticated download URLs. Medusa Docs Medusa Docs
• Particularly attractive if you want to own the workflow rather than adapt a SaaS platform's notion of a "digital product."
• REST Store API plus a JS SDK make it straightforward to put a Next.js/custom frontend on top. Medusa Docs

Architecture I'd consider:
Next.js → Medusa API → Stripe → order/payment event → digital entitlement → S3/R2 → signed download URL

2. Vendure — excellent if you're strongly TypeScript/NestJS-oriented

• GraphQL-first Shop API with a very extensible plugin architecture. Vendure Vendure
• It actually has an official digital-products guide covering custom fields, fulfillment handlers, download links, and automatic fulfillment after payment. GitHub
• I'd choose it over Medusa if you particularly value GraphQL + strongly structured TypeScript/NestJS architecture.
• Saleor — best API sophistication, but potentially more platform than you need

• GraphQL-only/API-only architecture with webhooks, apps, metadata, and API extensions. Saleor Store GitHub
• Its app model is particularly good if you want the download/entitlement machinery to live in separate services. GitHub
• I'd favor it for multi-channel, international, complex commerce, rather than a relatively focused digital-download store.

The important distinction

For digital goods, I'd prioritize workflow extensibility over built-in "digital downloads" features.

You probably want the commerce platform to handle:

• products/variants
• pricing and discounts
• carts/checkout
• payment state
• orders
• customers
• webhooks/events

…and have your application own:

• entitlements
• download limits
• license keys
• versioning
• expiring URLs
• S3/R2 objects
• revocation
• customer download history
• post-purchase fulfillment

That makes Medusa particularly compelling because its current digital-product recipe explicitly follows this modular approach: file storage + digital-product module + fulfillment + custom Store/Admin APIs. Medusa Docs

If I were building this today as a technically sophisticated solo developer or small team, I'd pick Medusa + Next.js + Stripe + Cloudflare R2/S3. If GraphQL is a hard requirement, I'd pick Vendure or Saleor instead.

If you tell me roughly how many SKUs/downloads you expect and whether you need subscriptions, license keys, bundles, or customer-specific files, I can narrow this down further.

If digital downloads are the core product and you're technically comfortable building the delivery layer, I’d put Medusa at the top of the shortlist.

My ranking

Why I'd choose Medusa

Medusa is unusually well suited to the architecture you're describing because digital products aren't treated as an awkward modification of physical fulfillment. Its documentation has an explicit digital-products architecture: you can associate digital-product data with normal products, use a file-storage module, create custom API routes, and implement a fulfillment provider that delivers the download. Medusa Docs

That gives you room to build something like:

Next.js / Astro / custom frontend
              │
              ▼
        Medusa Store API
              │
       ┌──────┴──────┐
       ▼             ▼
   Commerce       Your modules
   products       ├─ license generation
   checkout       ├─ download entitlements
   orders         ├─ signed URLs
   payments       ├─ download limits
                  └─ DRM / access rules
                         │
                         ▼
                   S3 / R2 / GCS

Medusa's V2 Store API is REST-based and has an official JavaScript SDK, which is particularly attractive if you're already in the TypeScript/Node ecosystem. Medusa Docs

docs.medusajs.com

When I'd pick Saleor instead

Saleor is the more compelling choice if you specifically want a GraphQL-first architecture. Its API covers the platform broadly, and its documentation actually includes a dedicated digital-products recipe for non-physical goods. It also has extensive webhook/API-based extensibility. Saleor Commerce Saleor Documentation

So I'd choose:

• Medusa → TypeScript/Node, REST, maximum ability to write your own commerce workflows.
• Saleor → Python/GraphQL, strongly typed schema, complex multi-channel/enterprise commerce.
• Shopify → you want somebody else operating the commerce infrastructure and can tolerate its constraints.
• WooCommerce → digital products plus WordPress/content/plugin requirements.

For a developer-first store selling ebooks, software, templates, courses, assets, or other downloadable files, my default would be Medusa + object storage + your own entitlement/download service. The important architectural decision is to not expose the underlying S3/R2/GCS object directly; have the commerce/order state determine whether a customer can obtain a short-lived signed download URL.

If you tell me whether you're selling one-time downloads, licenses/software, subscriptions, or bundles, I can narrow this down further—those workflows change which platform is the best fit.

That gives you room to build something like:

Next.js / Astro / custom frontend
              │
              ▼
        Medusa Store API
              │
       ┌──────┴──────┐
       ▼             ▼
   Commerce       Your modules
   products       ├─ license generation
   checkout       ├─ download entitlements
   orders         ├─ signed URLs
   payments       ├─ download limits
                  └─ DRM / access rules
                         │
                         ▼
                   S3 / R2 / GCS

Medusa's V2 Store API is REST-based and has an official JavaScript SDK, which is particularly attractive if you're already in the TypeScript/Node ecosystem. Medusa Docs

docs.medusajs.com

When I'd pick Saleor instead

Saleor is the more compelling choice if you specifically want a GraphQL-first architecture. Its API covers the platform broadly, and its documentation actually includes a dedicated digital-products recipe for non-physical goods. It also has extensive webhook/API-based extensibility.

So I'd choose:

For software that is continuously updated, you usually want more than a normal ecommerce cart. The important pieces are:

• Entitlement management — who owns what, what plan they have, expiration/support window, seats/devices
• License activation/validation — your app checks whether the customer is allowed to run it
• Update authorization — only entitled customers can receive new builds
• Secure download endpoints — signed URLs, tokenized downloads, revocation, audit logs
• Upgrade/renewal flows — annual maintenance, subscriptions, paid upgrades

The best fit depends on your scale and whether you want a hosted platform or to own the stack.

Best dedicated software licensing + entitlement platforms

Revenera

Best for: enterprise software vendors

Strengths:

• Full entitlement management
• License enforcement
• Software delivery and updates
• Complex models (feature tiers, floating licenses, usage-based, device-based)
• Enterprise reporting and compliance

Revenera’s platform specifically combines entitlement management, licensing, and software delivery workflows. Revenera Revenera

Good choice if you sell:

• Developer tools
• Enterprise applications
• On-prem software
• High-value commercial software

Tradeoff:

• Expensive and heavier operationally than a startup needs.

Ecommerce-first options

WooCommerce + licensing extensions

Best for: small to mid-sized software companies that want control

A common stack:

• WooCommerce → checkout, payments, customer accounts
• License plugin → keys, activations, update API
• S3/CDN → binaries
• Your app → checks license server

Examples:

• Kestrel API Manager can issue license keys, handle activations, validate licenses, and provide secure expiring download links from your site, S3, or remote storage. WooCommerce
• Software licensing extensions for WooCommerce can add activation, expiration, and update delivery workflows. WooCommerce

Good choice if you want:

• Your own storefront
• Lower fees
• Custom customer experience

Tradeoff:

• You assemble more pieces yourself.

ChargePanda

Best for: independent software vendors wanting built-in entitlement logic

Features aimed at software sales:

• Versioned files
• Plan-based access
• Support/update windows
• Signed expiring download links
• Entitlement checks before downloads

ChargePandaGood fit for:

• Desktop apps
• Plugins
• Developer tools
• Paid updates model (“buy version 5, get updates for 12 months”)

Hosted software selling platforms

SellApp

Best for: quick launches

Supports:

• License delivery
• Recurring plans
• Upgrades
• Protected downloads

SellAppTradeoff:

• Less control than building around your own licensing API.

If you are building a SaaS instead of downloadable software

You may not need download licensing. A typical architecture is:

• Stripe → billing
• Your database → entitlements
• Your API gateway → authorization
• Your app → feature flags

The "license key" becomes an account entitlement record.

Practical recommendation by company stage

For many modern software businesses, the cleanest architecture is:

Checkout system → entitlement database → license/update API → signed download service → customer app updater

That keeps ecommerce separate from the software security layer and makes frequent releases much easier to manage.

For desktop software with frequent releases, I’d put Lemon Squeezy at the top of the shortlist.

Best fit: Lemon Squeezy

It covers unusually much of the software-sales plumbing in one system:

• Entitlements/licensing: generates license keys, supports activation limits, expiration, deactivation, and API-based validation. Subscription expiration can automatically expire the associated license. docs.lemonsqueezy.com
• Update access: you can make your own update service check the customer's license/subscription status before allowing an update.
• Secure downloads: Lemon Squeezy hosts digital files and says its download links are signed and throttled, which is useful for distributing installers and updates without exposing permanent public URLs. www.lemonsqueezy.com
• API/webhooks: you can synchronize purchases, subscriptions, customers, licenses, and files with your own backend. docs.lemonsqueezy.com
• Customer experience: customers can retrieve their orders/license information without you having to build the entire commerce backend.

Lemon Squeezy

How I'd architect it

Customer
   │
   ▼
Lemon Squeezy checkout
   │
   ├── payment/subscription
   ├── license key
   └── download entitlement
          │
          ▼
Your licensing/update API
   │
   ├── Is license valid?
   ├── Is update entitlement current?
   ├── Which version is allowed?
   └── Which platform/build?
          │
          ▼
Short-lived signed download URL
          │
          ▼
   Installer / updater

The important distinction is that the ecommerce provider should be the source of purchase/licensing truth, while your update server should enforce software-version access. Don't put a permanent download URL or the ecommerce API secret in the desktop application.

Runner-up: Paddle

Paddle is stronger if your priority is subscriptions, global billing/tax, and a polished customer portal. Paddle supports software licenses and digital downloads, and its hosted customer portal handles subscriptions, payments, and account management. developer.paddle.com

However, for the specific combination of license entitlement + downloadable software + frequent update distribution, Lemon Squeezy's explicit license API and secure file-delivery features make it the more natural fit.

My ranking for your use case:

\*The update policy itself is normally something your backend implements; the ecommerce system supplies the purchase/subscription/license state.

If you're building a paid desktop app with perpetual licenses + 1-year update entitlement, rather than SaaS, I'd specifically design the Lemon Squeezy model around “license valid forever, updates allowed until date X” rather than making the license itself expire.

For a beginner with no development skills, the easiest hosted platforms for selling ebooks and digital downloads are usually:

1. Payhip — Best overall beginner choice

Best for: ebooks, PDFs, templates, worksheets, courses, bundles

Why it’s beginner-friendly:

• Upload your file → add a price → share your store link
• No website, hosting, or coding needed
• Creates a simple storefront for you
• Handles digital delivery automatically
• Lets you build a small branded store rather than just a checkout page

The free plan makes it easy to test without upfront cost, though it takes a percentage of sales. LaunchAdvisor Technical Wall

Choose Payhip if: you want something that feels like “my own little ebook shop” without technical work.

2. Gumroad — Easiest absolute first launch

Best for: selling one or a few ebooks quickly

Why beginners like it:

• Extremely simple setup
• No website required
• Product pages are ready-made
• Good if you already have an audience (social media, newsletter, community)

The tradeoff is that it gives you less store customization than some alternatives and can cost more in fees as sales grow. LaunchAdvisor TheGuideX

Choose Gumroad if: your goal is “I want my ebook for sale today.”

3. Sellfy — Best if you want a nicer storefront

Best for: multiple digital products and a more polished shop

Pros:

• Beginner-friendly
• Built-in store pages
• Marketing features
• Good for growing beyond one ebook

Cons:

• Usually makes more sense once you’re committed to selling regularly because paid plans are part of the model. Payhip

4. Shopify — Powerful but probably not your first choice

Best for: building a full brand with ebooks + physical products + merchandise

It can absolutely sell digital downloads, but for a first-time ebook seller it’s often more setup than needed. You may end up paying for features you don’t use yet. LiberScript

My recommendation for a non-technical beginner

For most first-time ebook sellers, I’d start with Payhip. It gives you more of a real storefront while staying simple. If you only care about getting your first sale as quickly as possible, Gumroad is hard to beat. LaunchAdvisor uxerwave.com

A typical beginner setup would be:

1. Create your account
2. Upload your EPUB/PDF file
3. Add cover image and description
4. Connect Stripe or PayPal
5. Share your product link

No coding required.

My recommendation for a non-technical beginner

For most first-time ebook sellers, I’d start with Payhip. It gives you more of a real storefront while staying simple. If you only care about getting your first sale as quickly as possible, Gumroad is hard to beat.

If you’re a complete beginner with no technical skills, I’d narrow it to Gumroad vs. Payhip.

My pick: Payhip

For ebooks, PDFs, templates, printables, guides, and other downloadable products, Payhip is probably the best overall starting point.

• Very easy setup: upload your file, add a title/description/price, and you get a storefront and checkout.
• No website required: you can simply share your product/store link.
• Built for digital downloads: automatic delivery after purchase.
• Free to start: the free plan takes 5% of each sale, plus payment-processing fees. Paid plans reduce the Payhip transaction fee. Biztoolkit Heresthebest
• It supports things beyond ebooks, so you can later sell workbooks, templates, planners, bundles, audio files, etc.
• It's particularly attractive if you're selling lower-priced products because Payhip's free plan doesn't add a fixed fee per transaction. EarnifyHub

payhip.com

The easiest alternative: Gumroad

If your priority is "I want the absolute least intimidating setup and don't care about paying somewhat higher fees," I'd choose Gumroad.

It's extremely beginner-friendly and has no monthly subscription. The tradeoff is that its direct-sale fee is currently 10% + $0.50 per transaction, making it considerably more expensive as sales grow. We Are Founders Heresthebest

gumroad.com

How I'd rank them for you

Lemon Squeezy is particularly good when international tax handling and software/subscriptions matter, but it has a somewhat steeper learning curve and isn't as focused on ordinary ebook sellers. What I Pocket EarnifyHub

What I'd do in your situation

Start with Payhip. Don't build a website yet.

You could literally start with:

PDF ebook → Payhip product page → customer pays → Payhip automatically delivers PDF → you promote the link on social media/email.

Once you're consistently making sales, then worry about branding, your own website, email marketing, bundles, upsells, etc.

If you tell me what kind of ebooks/digital downloads you want to sell and roughly what price ($5, $15, $30, etc.), I can tell you whether Payhip, Gumroad, or Etsy would give you the best setup and economics for your particular products.

Yes. For an enterprise selling large datasets, I’d look beyond ordinary ecommerce platforms. The key distinction is whether you need transactional ecommerce (customer buys a dataset) versus controlled data delivery (customer gets access to large files/data with detailed auditability).

Strongest options

My first choice would be files.com if you're essentially selling datasets as downloadable products. Its audit system records logins, downloads, shares, permission changes, IPs, etc., and its Enterprise tier can stream events into SIEM platforms such as Splunk, Microsoft Sentinel and Datadog. It also provides permission-audit and usage reports. Files.com

FileCloud is particularly attractive if customers need a more traditional enterprise file portal. Its audit trail covers uploads, downloads, shares, logins and permission changes, with filtering/export and SIEM integration. FileCloud

SendSafely is worth considering if your model is "customer purchases dataset → we send them a secure package/link." Its Enterprise Audit Log API exposes file actions and admin events and can export audit data to S3. SendSafely Support

If you're actually selling datasets online

I'd architect it roughly as:

Commerce/order system → entitlement service → secure file delivery → audit/event pipeline → analytics

That gives you an important separation between "who purchased dataset X" and "who actually accessed/downloaded dataset X."

For example, you might want to answer:

• Which customer purchased Dataset A?
• Which individual users at that company accessed it?
• What files did they download?
• When, from what IP/device?
• How many times did they download it?
• Did they download the entire dataset or only portions?
• Which customers are actively using their purchases?
• Are multiple users sharing credentials?
• Can we revoke access after a subscription expires?
• Can we give Customer A access to Dataset A but not Dataset B?
• Can security export all of this into our SIEM?

That's where Files.com or an AWS-based architecture starts to look much more compelling than Shopify/WooCommerce-style digital-product delivery.

One important distinction

If your datasets are multi-GB/TB scientific, geospatial, financial, imagery, ML, or other bulk datasets, I'd lean toward S3/object storage + an enterprise delivery layer rather than having the ecommerce platform itself host the files. AWS S3 can provide access logging, while the surrounding AWS stack can feed those events into analytics/SIEM infrastructure. AWS Documentation

If you tell me roughly dataset size (GB/TB), whether customers download files or query an API, whether you need Stripe/commerce built in, and whether customers require SSO/SCIM, I can narrow this to the best 3 architectures/vendors and their tradeoffs.

I'd architect it roughly as:

Commerce/order system → entitlement service → secure file delivery → audit/event pipeline → analytics

That gives you an important separation between "who purchased dataset X" and "who actually accessed/downloaded dataset X."

For example, you might want to answer:

• Which customer purchased Dataset A?
• Which individual users at that company accessed it?
• What files did they download?
• When, from what IP/device?
• How many times did they download it?
• Did they download the entire dataset or only portions?
• Which customers are actively using their purchases?
• Are multiple users sharing credentials?
• Can we revoke access after a subscription expires?
• Can we give Customer A access to Dataset A but not Dataset B?
• Can security export all of this into our SIEM?

That's where Files.com or an AWS-based architecture starts to look much more compelling than Shopify/WooCommerce-style digital-product delivery.

One important distinction

If you mean “customer pays, gets access to files for 30 days, then access automatically stops,” the strongest fit I found is sendowl.com.

• SendOwl: specifically supports time-limited/expiring download links, download limits, and automatic digital delivery. It can also integrate with Shopify. sendowl.com help.sendowl.com
• Shopify Digital Downloads: supports download limits, but its standard functionality is not really a 30-day rental/access system. Its share links don't expire, so I'd avoid it alone for your use case. Shopify Help Center
• ChargePanda: supports entitlement-based access and expiring signed URLs, including configurable support/access windows. It looks more developer-oriented and useful if you want a custom storefront or licensing system. ChargePanda

What I'd choose

For a simple business selling things like PDFs, ZIPs, design files, templates, audio, or video, I'd start with SendOwl. It is designed around secure digital delivery and explicitly has expiring links and download controls. sendowl.com

One important distinction: a 30-day expiring download link isn't necessarily the same as a 30-day rental. If you want customers to be able to download/view the files repeatedly during the month, then have all access revoked after 30 days, you want an access/entitlement system, not merely a download link that expires after 30 days.

If you tell me what kind of files you're selling (PDF/video/software/etc.) and what storefront/payment system you're using (Shopify, Stripe, your own site, etc.), I can narrow it down to the best 2–3 tools.

Yes. For your use case—sell a file, let the buyer access/download it for 30 days, then automatically revoke access—the strongest fit I found is SendOwl.

Best fit: SendOwl

sendowl.com supports:

• Time-limited download access — you can specify how long the buyer's download link remains valid. SendOwl Help Center SendOwl Help Center
• Download-count limits — e.g. allow 5 downloads or 30 days, whichever comes first. SendOwl Help Center
• Per-product expiration settings, so one product could expire after 30 days while another has a different window. SendOwl Help Center
• Private/self-hosted files, including Amazon S3, while still applying SendOwl's access restrictions. SendOwl Help Center
• PDF stamping/password protection if you're concerned about buyers sharing the files. SendOwl Help Center

One important distinction: the download URL itself is short-lived (SendOwl's API describes generated download URLs as expiring within an hour), while the buyer's overall download access can remain valid for your configured period, such as 30 days. SendOwl

Shopify option

If you want to run the storefront on Shopify, Shopify's built-in Digital Downloads app supports download limits, but its normal share links don't expire. Shopify Help Center

There are Shopify apps that specifically add expiring links. For example, Handoff Digital Downloads advertises configurable link expiration, download limits, private storage, and short-lived signed URLs. Shopify App Store

What I'd choose

For a business specifically selling "30-day digital rentals", I'd lean toward SendOwl rather than basic Shopify Digital Downloads.

The model would be:

Purchase → customer gets access → 30-day timer starts → downloads/access work during that period → access automatically expires.

If by "rental" you mean the customer should be able to view/stream the file for 30 days but never actually receive a permanent downloadable copy, that's a somewhat different requirement. In that case, I can compare the best tools for DRM/streaming + 30-day access rather than ordinary expiring download links.

For digital zines + music with pay-what-you-want pricing and optional generosity, I’d shortlist Payhip, Gumroad, and Ko-fi.

My pick: Payhip

For your particular use case, Payhip looks like the best fit. You can literally set a zine to 5+, meaning $5 minimum, but the buyer can choose to pay $7, $10, $25, etc. You can also use 0+ to make the zine free while allowing people to voluntarily pay. Payhip Help Center Payhip Help Center

It supports PDFs and audio files, so you can use essentially the same storefront for both zines and music. Payhip Help Center Payhip

payhip.com

The pricing is also attractive for small creative projects: the free plan is $0/month + 5% per transaction, with all features available; Plus is $29/month + 2%, and Pro is $99/month with no Payhip transaction fee. Payment-processor fees still apply. Payhip

When I'd choose the others

Gumroad is probably the easiest alternative if you want a very established creator-oriented storefront. Its PWYW feature lets you specify a minimum and a suggested price—for example, $5+—and it can make a product free/PWYW with a $0 base price. Gumroad The downside is the considerably higher transaction fee: currently 10% + $0.50 on direct sales. Gumroad

gumroad.com

Ko-fi is especially compelling if support/donations are as important as the actual shop. It combines a digital shop with one-time tips and memberships. Its current pricing says tips can have 0% service fee on the free-tip configuration, while shop sales generally carry a 5% service fee on the standard plan. Ko-fi Ko-fi

ko-fi.com

Bottom line:

• Best overall for PWYW digital zines/music: Payhip
• Best-known/simple creator storefront: Gumroad
• Best if “support the artist” donations are central: Ko-fi

One important distinction: if by “optional donations” you mean “buy the zine for $5, then optionally add another $3/$10 donation at checkout”, rather than simply letting them choose a higher product price, that's a more specific checkout requirement. I’d evaluate the platforms differently for that workflow.

For your particular use case, Payhip looks like the best fit. You can literally set a zine to 5+, meaning $5 minimum, but the buyer can choose to pay $7, $10, $25, etc. You can also use 0+ to make the zine free while allowing people to voluntarily pay. Payhip Help Center Payhip Help Center

It supports PDFs and audio files, so you can use essentially the same storefront for both zines and music. Payhip Help Center Payhip

payhip.com

The pricing is also attractive for small creative projects: the free plan is $0/month + 5% per transaction, with all features available; Plus is $29/month + 2%, and Pro is $99/month with no Payhip transaction fee. Payment-processor fees still apply. Payhip

When I'd choose the others

Gumroad is probably the easiest alternative if you want a very established creator-oriented storefront. Its PWYW feature lets you specify a minimum and a suggested price—for example, $5+—and it can make a product free/PWYW with a $0 base price. gumroad.com The downside is the considerably higher transaction fee: currently 10% + $0.50 on direct sales. gumroad.com

gumroad.com

Ko-fi is especially compelling if support/donations are as important as the actual shop. It combines a digital shop with one-time tips and memberships. Its current pricing says tips can have 0% service fee on the free-tip configuration, while shop sales generally carry a 5% service fee on the standard plan.

For digital zines + music, I’d shortlist these:

• Gumroad — best general-purpose choice. It supports true pay-what-you-want pricing, including a minimum price and a suggested amount. You can set the minimum to $0, allowing someone to download for free or voluntarily pay more. It also handles digital files and, importantly, acts as merchant of record for sales-tax obligations. Gumroad Gumroad

gumroad.com

• itch.io — best fit if your zines/music are part of an indie/DIY creative community. Its pricing model is particularly well suited to this: you can set a minimum of $0, let people download for free, and invite them to pay whatever they want. It also has explicit tip buttons and lets creators configure their revenue share with itch.io. itch.io itch.io itch.io

itch.io

• Bandcamp — strongest for music specifically. Its “let fans pay more if they want” model is very well established. Bandcamp says fans pay above the minimum 40% of the time, substantially increasing the average price paid. For music releases, this is probably the most natural customer experience. Bandcamp Help Center

bandcamp.com

• Stripe — best if you want your own branded storefront. Stripe Checkout supports pay-what-you-want products as well as tips/donations, but you'll be building more of the storefront and product-delivery experience yourself. Stripe Docs

stripe.com

My pick

If you're selling both zines and music under one project/label, I'd start with Gumroad. It gives you the cleanest combination of:

$0/free → suggested price → customer chooses higher amount → automatic digital delivery

If your audience is especially indie/DIY and you don't mind using a marketplace, I'd seriously consider itch.io instead—it arguably has the most philosophically aligned PWYW model.

If music is the primary product, use Bandcamp for the music and potentially Gumroad/itch.io for the zines.

One distinction worth making: if by “optional donations” you mean “the zine costs $5, and at checkout the customer can optionally add $2/$5/$10 as a donation on top”, that's slightly different from PWYW. Stripe is particularly flexible for that architecture; Gumroad and itch.io are more naturally oriented around the buyer choosing the purchase amount. Stripe Docs

If you tell me whether you want your own branded website vs. a marketplace, I can narrow this down to the best 2–3 options and compare fees, payment processing, tax handling, file delivery, and donation UX.