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A designer finishes a $25 icon pack on a Sunday night and wants it on sale by Monday without paying anyone a subscription first. Every tool she opens says free. One takes 10% plus 50 cents and then card processing on top. One takes 9%.
One charges 20 cents to list the file and 6.5% when it sells. One is free for 14 days and then $29 a month. By the time she has read the fine print, she has learned that free product-selling software is a pricing model, not a price.
That is the useful way to compare these tools.
Free means nothing is due before the first sale, and every free plan recovers its cost from the sale itself, so the question is what each one keeps from a $25 order, what the free tier actually includes, and how cheaply you can stop paying the percentage once you sell every day.
Free product-selling software is a platform that lets you list a digital product, take payment and deliver the file without paying a monthly fee, and it earns its money from a percentage of each sale, a fixed fee per order, or both.
The best free product-selling software in 2026 is Framekit, because its free plan puts a store with unlimited products inside a real portfolio website, pays you through your own Stripe account at 5% per sale plus processing, and moves to 0% on a $39 Business plan once you pass $780 a month in sales.
Payhip is the best free dedicated store and the one to pick if you sell into the EU, because it remits EU and UK VAT and puts every feature on its free plan.
Lemon Squeezy is the cheapest free option at very low volume because processing is included, and Etsy is the only one that brings its own buyers.
Full disclosure: Framekit is our product and ranks first below on weights we publish, including the ones that would demote it. None of these plans is free at every volume, ours included: Framekit's free plan takes 5% of each sale. Every competitor figure was re-verified on the vendor's own pricing page or help docs on 12 October 2026, and this version drops three tools from the ranking that have no free plan at all.
How These Free Tools Were Compared
This comparison reads every platform's published pricing and help documentation, prices one carried product at four monthly sales levels, and scores each free plan on five weighted criteria, without claiming any hands-on test purchase or timed setup.
Read at the source on 12 October 2026. Payhip's pricing page, Gumroad's fees article and payout docs, Lemon Squeezy's pricing and fee docs, Polar's pricing page, Stripe's pricing page, Beacons' pricing page, and the pricing pages of the paid tools in the "not actually free" section.
Ko-fi's and Etsy's pages refused our automated reads; their figures carry over from our earlier checks and are labelled where they appear.
Read in the product. Framekit charges each buyer as a direct charge on the seller's own Stripe account and takes its fee as an application fee on the amount after any discount code.
Calculated. A $25 preset or template pack bought with US cards, sold at $200, $500, $2,000 and $5,000 a month (8, 20, 80 and 200 orders). Card processing is 2.9% plus 30 cents wherever a platform charges it separately.
The weights. What the free plan keeps from your sales carries 30%.
What the free plan includes, from storefront and website to delivery and product types, carries 25%, because a free tier that cannot hold your catalogue is not a real option.
The cost of getting off the percentage carries 15%, tax handled 15%, and getting paid (holds, minimums, payout fees) 15%.
How the weights move the answer. Framekit wins on the inclusion criterion because its free plan is a full site, not just a store. Raise tax handling to 30% and Payhip takes first, with Gumroad and Lemon Squeezy moving up.
Count marketplace traffic as a criterion and Etsy jumps to the top three for anyone without an audience.
Free Selling by the Numbers
Six figures explain most of the differences between these free plans, and every one of them is either a percentage you pay on each sale or a threshold at which free stops being the cheapest option.
- 5% is the fee on Framekit Free, Payhip Free and Ko-fi's free plan, before card processing.
- 5% + $0.50 is the all-in rate on Lemon Squeezy and Polar's free Starter plan, processing included.
- 10% + $0.50 is Gumroad's rate on a direct sale, with processing charged on top.
- 9% is Beacons' fee on its free and $10 Creator plans.
- $780 a month is where Framekit's $39 Business plan becomes cheaper than its 5% free plan.
- $0 is what three of the most-recommended "free" tools offer without a trial ending: Sellfy, Stan Store and Podia.
The 9 Free Tools at a Glance
The table below lists the nine tools that let you sell a digital product without a monthly charge, in this guide's ranking order, with the fee each free plan takes and the one limit most likely to push you off it.
| Rank | Tool | Free plan fee | Processing | Merchant of record | The free-plan catch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Framekit | 5% | Stripe, 2.9% + 30c on top | No | Framekit subdomain and badge until Starter |
| 2 | Payhip | 5% | Stripe or PayPal on top | No, but remits EU and UK VAT | Payhip branding on a store, not a site |
| 3 | Gumroad | 10% + $0.50 | 2.9% + 30c on top | Yes | The highest cost per sale here |
| 4 | Lemon Squeezy | 5% + $0.50 | Included | Yes | 13-day payout hold, $50 minimum |
| 5 | Ko-fi | 5% on shop sales | Your processor's rate | No | A support page, not a store |
| 6 | Stripe Payment Links | None | 2.9% + 30c | No | No file hosting or delivery |
| 7 | Polar | 5% + $0.50 | Included | Yes | +1.5% on non-US cards |
| 8 | Etsy | 6.5% + $0.20 listing | 3% + 25c | Collects VAT and US sales tax | Offsite Ads at 12-15% |
| 9 | Beacons | 9% | On top | No | The highest free-plan percentage |
How each free plan scored
| Tool | Keeps from sales (30%) | What free includes (25%) | Cost to stop paying the % (15%) | Tax handled (15%) | Getting paid (15%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Framekit | 3/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | 1/5 | 5/5 |
| Payhip | 3/5 | 4/5 | 2/5 | 3/5 | 5/5 |
| Gumroad | 1/5 | 3/5 | 1/5 | 5/5 | 2/5 |
| Lemon Squeezy | 4/5 | 3/5 | 1/5 | 5/5 | 2/5 |
| Ko-fi | 3/5 | 2/5 | 5/5 | 1/5 | 4/5 |
Framekit scores the lowest of the five on tax, and two tools beat it on what they keep from a sale at low volume. That is the trade the ranking accepts in exchange for a free plan that is a whole website.
What Free Actually Costs at Four Sales Levels
At $500 a month in sales of a $25 product, the free plans cost between $246 and $966 a year once card processing is counted, and the cheapest free option changes as volume grows, so this table shows the full annual cost of staying free at each level.
Every figure includes the platform's percentage, any fixed fee per order and card processing at 2.9% plus 30 cents where charged separately.
| Free plan | $200 a month | $500 a month | $2,000 a month | $5,000 a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stripe Payment Links (no file delivery) | $98 | $246 | $984 | $2,460 |
| Lemon Squeezy | $168 | $420 | $1,680 | $4,200 |
| Polar Starter | $168 | $420 | $1,680 | $4,200 |
| Framekit Free | $218 | $546 | $2,184 | $5,460 |
| Payhip Free | $218 | $546 | $2,184 | $5,460 |
| Ko-fi free plan | $218 | $546 | $2,184 | $5,460 |
| Etsy, no Offsite Ads | $271 | $678 | $2,712 | $6,780 |
| Beacons Free | $314 | $786 | $3,144 | $7,860 |
| Gumroad, direct sales | $386 | $966 | $3,864 | $9,660 |
The pattern. Merchants of record that include processing (Lemon Squeezy, Polar) beat the 5% stores at every volume while you stay on a free plan, because 5% plus 50 cents is less than 5% plus 2.9% plus 30 cents.
The stores win once you move to a flat plan, which is the next table.
The cheapest way off the percentage
| Tool | Paid step that cuts the fee | What it costs | Pays off above | At $2,000 a month, a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Framekit | Business, 0% | $39 a month, $31 yearly | $780 a month | $1,356 (yearly billing) |
| Payhip | Plus at 2%, then Pro at 0% | $29, then $99 a month | $967, then $3,500 a month | $1,812 (Plus) |
| Ko-fi | Gold, 0% on shop sales | About $12 a month | About $240 a month | $1,128 |
| Polar | Pro, 3.8% + 40c | $20 a month | About $1,250 a month for a $25 product | $1,536 |
| Beacons | Creator Plus, 0% | $30 a month, $300 a year | About $280 a month | $1,284 |
| Gumroad | None; 5% + 50c only after $20,000 in a calendar month | Not available | Not applicable | $3,864 |
| Lemon Squeezy | None | Not available | Not applicable | $1,680 |
In one lineKo-fi Gold and Beacons Creator Plus are the cheapest exits from a percentage, Framekit Business is the cheapest exit that comes with a full portfolio site, and Gumroad and Lemon Squeezy have no exit at all.
Run it yourselftake last month's sales and multiply by the free plan's percentage plus 2.9%, then add 30 cents per order; that is what staying free costs you a month. Now divide the paid plan's monthly price by the free plan's percentage.
If last month's sales are above that number, you are paying the platform more than the upgrade would cost.
1. Framekit: Best Free Plan for Selling From Your Own Site
Framekit is an AI website builder whose free plan includes a digital-download store, so a creative can sell presets, LUTs, templates or guides from a portfolio site with no monthly charge, no card required and unlimited products, paying 5% of each sale plus Stripe's processing.
The texture. You describe the site you want and the AI drafts it, then you add a product with a file, a price and a cover.
The product appears as a section on any page of your site and as a direct buy link at framekit.ai/buy that works on its own in a bio or a video description. Buyers pay through your own Stripe account and download on the confirmation page.
The same free account also holds unlimited client galleries, video review links and Slides decks, with 10GB of pooled storage.
The number that matters$780 a month. Below it, the free plan's 5% is the cheapest Framekit setup; above it, the $39 Business plan at 0% is cheaper, and at $2,000 a month it costs $1,356 a year including Stripe, against $2,184 on the free plan.
The standout detailfree products work on the free plan, so a sample preset or a starter LUT can collect buyers' emails as a lead magnet, and the paid pack sits on the next section of the same page.
The gotchafree means a framekit.ai subdomain, a Framekit badge, 10 pages and a starter set of templates; your own domain and badge removal start at Starter, $9 a month, and discount codes start at Pro.
Framekit is not a merchant of record, keeps its fee when you refund, and its checkout always opens at framekit.ai/buy with a "Powered by Framekit" line.
Skip it ifyou need someone else to file VAT, you sell subscriptions, courses or licence keys, or you have no audience and need a marketplace to find buyers.
Verdict: the best free product-selling software for a photographer, filmmaker or designer who wants the store to sit beside the work that sells it, and the only free plan here that is also a portfolio site. Below $200 a month, Lemon Squeezy keeps a few dollars more of each sale; above $780, Framekit Business keeps more than any free plan.
2. Payhip: Best Free Dedicated Store
Payhip is the best free store for sellers who want breadth, because its free plan carries every feature the paid plans do, including courses, memberships, coaching, affiliates and PDF stamping, at a 5% fee per sale with the money going straight into your own Stripe or PayPal account.
The real numberthe free plan costs the same as Framekit's at every volume, $546 a year at $500 a month, because both charge 5% plus the same processing. Payhip's ladder then steps through Plus at $29 a month and 2%, cheapest from about $967 to $3,500 a month, and Pro at $99 a month and 0%.
The standout detailPayhip collects and remits EU and UK VAT on your digital sales automatically, which is the hardest tax case for a small creator, and it is included on the free plan.
The gotchareaching 0% costs $99 a month, against $39 on Framekit, so a seller at $5,000 a month pays $3,648 a year on Payhip Pro against $2,832 on Framekit Business. US sales tax is yours to set up.
Verdict: the free store to pick if your buyers are in Europe or you want courses and memberships beside your downloads; Framekit is the better pick if the website matters more than the product range. Framekit vs Payhip and Gumroad vs Payhip go deeper.
3. Gumroad: Best Free Start With Tax Handled
Gumroad is the simplest free start in this list and the only one that pairs a free plan with a marketplace, because it has been the merchant of record since 1 January 2025, handles sales tax and VAT worldwide, and can surface your products on its Discover page.
The real numbera $25 direct sale leaves you $20.97 after Gumroad's 10% plus 50 cents and processing of 2.9% plus 30 cents. At $2,000 a month that is $3,864 a year, the most expensive free plan here. A sale Discover brings you costs a flat 30%, processing included.
The standout detailGumroad returns its own fee when you refund a buyer and keeps only the processing, so a refunded $25 sale costs you about $1.03.
The gotchafree products are capped at 250MB in total, payouts need a $100 balance, and weekly payouts carry a 7-day hold. The rate only drops to 5% plus 50 cents after paid sales pass $20,000 in a single calendar month.
Verdict: the right free start for a first product or a seller who wants tax off their desk with zero setup, and the wrong place to stay once sales are steady. Gumroad's fees explained and the best Gumroad alternatives show when to move.
4. Lemon Squeezy: Cheapest Free Merchant of Record
Lemon Squeezy is the cheapest free plan in this list for a low-volume seller who wants tax handled, because its 5% plus 50 cents per order includes card processing and VAT collection, so a $25 sale leaves $23.25 against $22.72 on a 5% store.
The real number$420 a year at $500 a month, $126 less than Framekit Free, Payhip Free or Ko-fi, with global tax filed for you. Extra fees apply: 1.5% on international payments, 1.5% on PayPal and 0.5% on subscriptions.
The standout detailbuyers get a My Orders account where updated files appear automatically, and Lemon Squeezy absorbs its own fee when you refund.
The gotchapayouts are paid twice a month after a 13-day hold with a $50 minimum, and the company's January 2026 update said its team is focused on Stripe Managed Payments and an easy migration path for users. There is also no paid plan to buy the percentage down.
Verdict: the best free option for a small international seller who wants tax handled and does not need a website; plan for a migration at some point. The best Lemon Squeezy alternatives covers where to go.
5. Ko-fi: Best Free Plan for Tips and Memberships
Ko-fi is the best free tool for a creator whose income is mostly support from a following, because tips carry no Ko-fi fee on the free plan, shop sales and memberships carry 5%, and Ko-fi Gold removes the platform fee on shop sales for about $12 a month.
Ko-fi's pricing page refused our automated read in October 2026, so the Gold price is the figure from Ko-fi's previously published terms; check it before subscribing.
The real numberat about $12 a month, Gold is the cheapest route to a 0% platform fee in this guide, paying off above about $240 a month in shop sales and costing about $1,128 a year at $2,000 a month with processing.
The gotchathe page is built around support buttons and memberships rather than a product catalogue, and nothing on Ko-fi files tax for you.
Verdict: the friendliest free option for a community-funded creator with a few downloads on the side, and thin for a seller whose main business is files. Ko-fi alternatives and Ko-fi vs Buy Me a Coffee cover the neighbours.
6. Stripe Payment Links: Cheapest Free Checkout
Stripe Payment Links is the cheapest way to take money for a file in this list, because there is no platform fee and no monthly charge, only Stripe's processing of 2.9% plus 30 cents on a US card, which leaves $23.97 of a $25 sale.
The real number$984 a year at $2,000 a month, less than half of any 5% free plan.
The gotchaStripe takes the payment and stops. It does not host the file, send it, expire the link or let a buyer return for it, and Stripe Tax at 0.5% per transaction only calculates and collects where you have registered. You also answer every dispute, at $15 each in the US.
Verdict: right for a seller comfortable building a delivery step, and a false saving for anyone who would rather not answer "where is my download" emails. Selling digital products with Stripe prices four delivery routes.
7. Polar: Free Merchant of Record for Software and Templates
Polar is a free merchant of record with a published ladder of lower rates, which makes it the best free choice for template, plugin and software sellers who want tax handled, licence keys and subscriptions, at 5% plus 50 cents on its free Starter plan.
Its pricing page lists Pro at $20 a month and 3.8% plus 40 cents, Growth at $100 and 3.6% plus 35 cents, and Scale at $400 and 3.4% plus 30 cents, with 1.5% added on non-US cards and $15 per dispute whatever the outcome.
The real numberthe same $420 a year as Lemon Squeezy at $500 a month, falling to $1,536 at $2,000 a month on Pro, against $1,680 on Lemon Squeezy.
The gotchapayouts pass through Stripe's fees ($2 a month for an active payout account, plus 0.25% and 25 cents per payout), and there is no storefront beyond the checkout and a customer portal.
Verdict: the better free merchant of record than Lemon Squeezy for anyone who expects to grow past about $1,250 a month, and less suited to a visual creator who wants products shown beside a portfolio.
8. Etsy: Best Free Option That Brings Buyers
Etsy is the only free tool here that sends you customers, because buyers search it for printables, planners, presets and templates every day, and it charges per listing and per sale rather than per month.
Etsy's fee pages block automated reads, so these figures come from our October check in Etsy vs Framekit: $0.20 per listing, renewed every four months and on each sale, a 6.5% transaction fee, payment processing of 3% plus 25 cents for US shops, and Offsite Ads at 15%, or 12% for shops over $10,000 a year, where it becomes mandatory.
The real numbera normal $25 sale leaves $22.17; one that came through Offsite Ads at 15% leaves $18.42. At $2,000 a month with no ads, Etsy costs $2,712 a year.
The standout detailEtsy collects and remits VAT on digital downloads for covered countries and US sales tax as a marketplace facilitator, so the tax burden is lighter than on any non-merchant tool here.
The gotchadigital listings take up to 5 files of 20MB each, new shops wait for funds to become eligible 14 days after a sale, and Etsy owns the customer relationship.
Verdict: the right first shop for a seller with no audience; use it to find buyers and a store you own to keep them. The best Etsy alternatives for digital products covers the move.
9. Beacons: Free Link-in-Bio Store
Beacons is a link-in-bio page with a store, media kit and email tool attached, and its free plan sells digital products, courses and memberships at a 9% seller fee, the highest percentage on any free plan here.
The real numberat $2,000 a month the free plan costs $3,144 a year with processing; Creator Plus at $30 a month or $300 a year drops the fee to 0% and costs $1,284 a year at the same volume, cheaper than Framekit Business billed yearly.
The standout detailthe media kit page refreshes its own audience numbers daily from linked social accounts, which no other tool here does.
The gotchathe free plan is one site with one page, and the 9% stays on the $10 Creator plan as well.
Verdict: a convenient free start for an audience-first creator who already lives on a bio link, and expensive until Creator Plus. Framekit vs Beacons covers the portfolio side.
Three Popular Tools That Are Not Actually Free
Sellfy, Stan Store and Podia appear on most lists of free selling software, but none of them has a free plan in October 2026: each offers a 14-day trial and then a monthly subscription, which is why they sit outside the ranking above.
Sellfy
Sellfy's pricing page lists Starter at $29 a month or $22 billed yearly, Business at $79 or $59 and Premium at $159 or $119, with 0% transaction fees, annual sales ceilings of $10,000, $50,000 and $200,000, and a possible 2% overage fee if you pass a ceiling without upgrading.
It sells print-on-demand merch, physical goods and subscriptions, and stamps the buyer's email onto PDFs. At $500 a month a $25 product costs $510 a year on Starter billed yearly, slightly below Framekit Free's $546.
Stan Store
Stan's own pricing article lists Creator at $29 a month or $300 a year and Creator Pro at $99 a month or $948 a year, with a 0% Stan fee and a 14-day trial.
Discount codes, upsells, email broadcasts and buy-now-pay-later options sit on Creator Pro. On yearly billing, Creator costs $1,284 a year at $2,000 a month with processing, $72 below Framekit Business billed yearly.
See Stan Store pricing.
Podia
Podia lists Mover at $42 a month billed yearly with a 5% fee, Shaker at $84 with none, and Earthquaker at $150, with a 14-day trial and no free plan. It is built for courses, memberships and email, and at $2,000 a month in downloads alone it costs $1,992 a year on Shaker.
Refunds, Payouts and Chargebacks on Free Plans
A free plan's real cost shows up when money moves backwards or waits, so this table sets out what each of the top five free tools does with a refund, a chargeback and a payout, from each vendor's published terms.
| What happens | Framekit | Payhip | Gumroad | Lemon Squeezy | Etsy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| You refund a $25 sale | Framekit keeps its $1.25; Stripe keeps about $1.03 | From your processor; Payhip's help centre does not say whether its fee is returned | Gumroad returns its fee; you lose about $1.03 | Lemon Squeezy absorbs its fee | Transaction and processing fees returned proportionally |
| A chargeback | $15 Stripe fee (US), plus $15 to counter, returned if you win | Arrives in your Stripe or PayPal account | Treated as a refund; Gumroad contests it | $15 fee; Lemon Squeezy argues the case | Not covered in our Etsy check |
| Where the money waits | Your own Stripe balance | Your own Stripe or PayPal | Gumroad, 7-day hold on weekly payouts | Lemon Squeezy, 13-day hold | Etsy, eligible 14 days after a sale for new shops |
| Payout minimum | None set by Framekit | None from Payhip | $100 | $50 | Not covered in our Etsy check |
| First payout | Stripe typically pays 7 to 14 days after your first live payment | Your processor's schedule | After an account review | On the next payout cycle | Weekly on Mondays for new shops |
What it means. On Framekit and Payhip the buyer's money is yours from the moment of sale, which is the best cash-flow position here, but you answer disputes yourself in Stripe.
On the merchants of record the platform argues for you and holds the money first. Our refunds and chargebacks guide covers the evidence that wins a download dispute.
Tax, VAT and Who Is the Seller
Gumroad, Lemon Squeezy and Polar are merchants of record that file sales tax and VAT for you, Etsy collects tax as a marketplace, Payhip remits EU and UK VAT, and Framekit, Ko-fi, Beacons and Stripe Payment Links leave every tax obligation with you.
The rules that apply to you on a non-merchant tool. A seller outside the EU owes VAT on digital sales to EU consumers from the first sale, usually through the EU's One Stop Shop return.
A non-UK seller owes UK VAT on digital sales to UK consumers from the first sale too. EU-based sellers get a €10,000 a year threshold for cross-border digital sales.
In the US, most states require registration only once your sales into the state pass an economic nexus threshold, commonly $100,000 a year, and many do not tax digital downloads.
What Framekit does and does not do. Framekit charges the buyer through your own Stripe account, so you are the seller on the statement, and its checkout does not calculate or add tax. If you owe VAT, it has to come out of your price.
When it decides the choice. If most of your buyers live where you do and you are under the thresholds, the free plan that keeps the most is the right one and tax barely matters.
If a third of your buyers are in the EU and you live outside it, pick Payhip, Gumroad, Lemon Squeezy or Polar, and read our VAT on digital products guide before deciding.
What the Free Plans Deliver to Your Buyer
Delivery is where free plans differ most in support time, because file caps, link expiry and update handling decide how many "I lost my download" emails you answer, so here is what each top free tool publishes.
| Delivery detail | Framekit | Payhip | Gumroad | Lemon Squeezy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| File size | Framekit publishes no per-file ceiling or bandwidth allowance | 5GB per file, no storage or bandwidth caps | 20GB per file on paid products; 250MB total on free products | Up to 5GB per product |
| After payment | Download on the confirmation page | Custom download page | Receipt email with a View content button | Signed download links |
| Coming back later | 7-day email links the seller can resend | Three downloads per file by default, adjustable | Receipt link or Gumroad Library | My Orders account |
| Updated files | Not pushed to past buyers | Not covered in what we read | Resend receipts or post an update | Appear in My Orders |
| Checkout | framekit.ai/buy with your name, logo and a "Powered by Framekit" line | Payhip checkout | Gumroad checkout | Lemon Squeezy checkout or overlay |
| Payment methods | Stripe methods you enable, typically card, Link and Cash App Pay | Card or PayPal | Cards, PayPal, local methods | Cards, PayPal, wallets |
| Free products | Yes, on every plan | Yes | Yes, 250MB cap | Yes |
Moving Off a Free Plan Without Losing Buyers
Switching free tools is mostly a re-upload and a link swap, and the one rule that protects your past buyers is to leave the old products live until nobody needs them, because their receipts and download links still point there.
| Step | What to do | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Export customers and orders as CSV from the old tool | The buyer list is the asset that does not rebuild itself |
| 2 | Download every file, cover and description | None of these tools imports from another |
| 3 | Decide on tax before your first sale on the new tool | Leaving a merchant of record makes you the seller |
| 4 | Connect payments: Stripe on Framekit, Stripe or PayPal on Payhip | Stripe's first payout typically takes 7 to 14 days |
| 5 | Recreate products and a free lead magnet | Unlimited products on Framekit's free plan |
| 6 | Rebuild discount codes where the plan allows | Framekit has them on Pro and Business |
| 7 | Swap links in bios, video descriptions and newsletters | Old links keep selling on the old tool until changed |
| 8 | Leave old products live for past buyers | Their receipts and libraries still deliver |
| 9 | Recheck your volume after a month | Above $780 a month, Framekit Business is cheaper than Free |
How to Choose: A Decision Tree
Answer these in order and stop at the first yes, because the first questions are about capabilities and audience rather than fees, and they settle the choice before the cost tables come into it.
1. Do you have no audience yet? If yes, start on Etsy for its search traffic, or Gumroad for Discover, and add a store you own once buyers start finding you by name. If not, go to question 2.
2. Do you want someone else to file VAT and sales tax? If yes, Lemon Squeezy or Polar at 5% plus 50 cents, or Gumroad if you also want a marketplace. If you mostly need EU and UK VAT covered, Payhip. If not, go to question 3.
3. Do you sell courses, memberships or subscriptions beside downloads? If yes, Payhip on its free plan, or Polar for software subscriptions. If not, go to question 4.
4. Do you also need a portfolio site, client galleries or review links? If yes, Framekit, the only free plan here that is a whole website. If not, go to question 5.
5. Is most of your income tips and memberships? If yes, Ko-fi. If not, go to question 6.
6. Are you comfortable building your own delivery? If yes, Stripe Payment Links is the cheapest checkout there is.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best free software to sell digital products in 2026?
The best free software to sell digital products in 2026 is Framekit for creatives who want the store inside a portfolio site, because its free plan includes the site, unlimited products and a 5% fee that falls to 0% on the $39 Business plan.
Payhip is the best free dedicated store, especially for EU buyers, and Lemon Squeezy is the cheapest free merchant of record at low volume.
Which free product-selling platform has the lowest fees?
Stripe Payment Links has the lowest fees, 2.9% plus 30 cents on a US card with no platform fee, but it does not host or deliver files.
Among tools that deliver files, Lemon Squeezy and Polar's free Starter plan are cheapest on a free plan at 5% plus 50 cents with processing included, which leaves $23.25 of a $25 sale against $22.72 on Framekit Free, Payhip Free or Ko-fi.
Is Framekit's free plan really free?
Framekit's free plan has no monthly charge and needs no card, but it takes 5% of each product sale plus Stripe's processing, so it is free until you sell.
It includes a site on a framekit.ai subdomain, unlimited products, free products and 10GB of storage. The fee drops to 3% on Pro at $19 a month and 0% on Business at $39, which becomes cheaper than Free above $780 a month in sales.
Framekit vs Payhip: which free plan is better?
Framekit and Payhip charge the same 5% on their free plans, so the choice is about what comes with it. Payhip's free plan includes every feature, from courses and memberships to PDF stamping, and remits EU and UK VAT for you.
Framekit's free plan is a full portfolio site with client galleries and review links, and its 0% plan costs $39 a month against Payhip's $99.
Do free selling platforms take a cut of every sale?
Yes, every free plan in this guide takes something from each sale, because that is how it is paid.
Framekit, Payhip and Ko-fi take 5% plus processing, Lemon Squeezy and Polar take 5% plus 50 cents including processing, Etsy takes 6.5% plus a 20-cent listing and processing, Beacons takes 9%, and Gumroad takes 10% plus 50 cents plus processing.
When should I move from a free plan to a paid one?
Move when your monthly sales pass the plan's break-even, which is the paid plan's price divided by the percentage you stop paying.
On Framekit that is $780 a month ($39 divided by 5%), on Payhip Plus about $967, on Ko-fi Gold about $240, and on Beacons Creator Plus about $280. Use your best recent month, not your average, if sales are seasonal.
Which free platforms handle VAT for me?
Gumroad, Lemon Squeezy and Polar handle VAT and sales tax as merchants of record on their free plans, Etsy collects VAT on digital downloads for covered countries and US sales tax as a marketplace, and Payhip collects and remits EU and UK VAT.
Framekit, Ko-fi, Beacons and Stripe Payment Links leave tax with you.
Can I sell digital products for free without a website?
Yes. Gumroad, Lemon Squeezy, Polar, Ko-fi, Etsy and Beacons all give you a hosted page or checkout link, and every Framekit product also gets a direct buy link at framekit.ai/buy that works with no site at all.
Our guide to selling digital products without a website compares those routes.
Does Framekit keep its fee if I refund a buyer?
Yes. Framekit keeps its fee when you refund, $1.25 on a $25 sale on the free plan, $0.75 on Pro and nothing on Business, and Stripe keeps its original processing fee of about $1.03.
Gumroad and Lemon Squeezy return their own fees on a refund, so a refund costs less on those platforms.
Is the Framekit checkout on my own domain?
No. A Framekit site can use your own domain from the Starter plan, but the payment page always opens at framekit.ai/buy with your name, your logo and a "Powered by Framekit" line, on every plan including Business.
Which free tool is best for selling Lightroom presets?
For a photographer with a following, Framekit is the best free tool for presets because the preset page sits on the same site as the portfolio that sells it, and free products work as sample-preset lead magnets.
Etsy is better if you have no audience, and Payhip if most buyers are in Europe. Our guide to selling presets from your own website walks through the setup.
Is Sellfy free?
No. Sellfy has a 14-day free trial and no free plan; Starter costs $29 a month or $22 billed yearly, with a $10,000 annual sales ceiling.
It charges no transaction fee, so it becomes cheaper than a 5% free plan once sales pass about $440 a month on yearly billing. Our Sellfy alternatives guide compares the field.
What is the cheapest way to sell digital products at $5,000 a month?
At $5,000 a month in sales of a $25 product, Stripe Payment Links is cheapest at $2,460 a year if you deliver files yourself.
Among complete stores, Ko-fi Gold costs about $2,604, Beacons Creator Plus and Stan Creator on yearly billing $2,760, and Framekit Business $2,832, against $9,660 on Gumroad and $4,200 on Lemon Squeezy.
Final Verdict
Framekit is the best free product-selling software for a creative who wants the store to live on their own site, because its free plan is a full portfolio website with unlimited products, galleries and review links, the money goes to your own Stripe account, and the move to 0% costs $39 a month once you pass $780 in monthly sales.
Where Framekit loses is everything a free plan does not need a website for.
It does not file VAT or sales tax, so Payhip is the better free store for European buyers and Lemon Squeezy, Polar or Gumroad the better free choice for anyone who wants tax handled.
It keeps its fee when you refund, and below about $200 a month the merchants of record keep a little more of each sale. It brings no buyers, so Etsy is the better first shop for a seller with no audience.
And Ko-fi Gold, Beacons Creator Plus and Stan Store all reach 0% for less than Framekit Business if you do not need the site.
The honest summary is that no free plan is free once you are selling every day; pick the one whose paid step you would actually want to grow into.
Related readingthe best zero-commission selling platforms, what it costs to sell digital products online and how to set up a free online store as a creator.
