The Best Self-Hosted Platforms to Sell Digital Products

If you’re looking for more control and flexibility over your digital product store, a self-hosted platform might be the way to go.

With a self-hosted setup, you can fully customise every aspect of your store, from the design and layout to the functionality.

This is perfect if you want a more tailored experience for your customers or if your business is growing and you need more control.

The Benefits of Self-Hosted Platforms

1. Customisation & Branding

When you’re on a self-hosted platform, you have complete control over how your store looks and feels. This means you can design your store to reflect your brand’s personality, create a unique experience for your customers, and make your products shine. You’re not stuck with the limitations that come with other platforms, so you can make your store as unique as you want.

2. Product Management

Self-hosted platforms make it easy to manage your digital products.

You can customise everything, from product descriptions and pricing to the way customers can download your items.

These platforms give you the tools you need to keep everything organised and running smoothly.

3. Secure Payment Processing

Security is key, and self-hosted platforms have integrations with trusted payment gateways like PayPal, Stripe, and Apple Pay.

This means your customers can make transactions confidently, and you don’t have to worry about handling payments yourself.

4. Customer Data & Analytics

When you control your own store, you get access to valuable customer insights.

These platforms provide analytics so you can track customer behaviour, monitor your sales performance, and make data-driven decisions.

Knowing what’s working (and what isn’t) helps you adjust your strategy to grow your business.

5. Marketing & Promotion Tools

Self-hosted platforms offer a variety of marketing tools to help you grow your audience and promote your products.

From email marketing to affiliate programs, these features are built into the platform, making it easy to create promotions and keep customers engaged.

6. SEO Optimisation

Self-hosted platforms typically come with tools to help you optimise your store for search engines.

This means it’s easier for potential customers to find your products when they search online.

By tweaking your SEO settings, you can drive more organic traffic to your store without relying on paid ads.

My Journey with Self-Hosted Platforms

I started out with Gumroad – it was perfect for getting started, especially in the early days of my business.

But as my needs grew, I realised I wanted more flexibility.

The platform’s commission fees also started eating into my profits, which led me to look for alternatives.

Once I hit around $1,000 a month in sales, I felt the need for a change.

The commissions on platforms like Gumroad were becoming a bigger issue, and that’s when I found Payhip.

With a flat $99 monthly fee and no transaction fees, Payhip has been a much better option for scaling my business.

For my courses, we initially went with WordPress combined with the MemberPress plugin to host my iPhone Creator Course.

However, I quickly noticed that while WordPress offers tons of flexibility, it also required a lot of technical work, and it just didn’t feel streamlined enough for my needs.

That’s when I decided to make use of Circle.so, where my Video Creator Course and Online Creator Course is hosted.

Circle.so provides a clean user experience and fewer technical headaches, which is what mattered most for my business.

It’s also great for course creators who want to build a community around their content.

Popular Self-Hosted Platforms for Digital Products

If you’re considering building your own store to sell digital products, here are a few self-hosted platforms that I highly recommend. Each of these offers unique features, so pick one that suits your needs.

1. Sellfy

Sellfy is an ideal choice if you're just starting out. It’s simple to use and offers a mix of customisation and flexibility without the complexity of a full self-hosted setup.

You can sell digital downloads, subscriptions, and even physical products.

It also comes with built-in marketing tools like email campaigns and discount codes, making it easy to scale your business.

While it doesn’t have the built-in audience like some marketplaces, Sellfy is perfect for those who want to grow their store with full control and less hassle.

2. Shopify

If you want a platform that balances ease of use with customisation, Shopify is a great option.

It’s incredibly user-friendly and powers a large percentage of e-commerce stores.

With Shopify, you can manage products, accept payments, and handle shipping all from one dashboard.

Plus, the platform offers tons of customisable templates and apps to extend your store’s functionality.

Shopify is perfect if you’re looking for something that’s both powerful and easy to use, with minimal technical setup required.

3. WordPress

WordPress is the most flexible platform out there, powering over 43% of all websites. It’s fully customizable and gives you complete control over your store. If you’re willing to put in the effort to learn, WordPress offers endless possibilities for tweaking your store. However, it has a steeper learning curve than the other platforms listed here.

There are two versions of WordPress to consider:

• WordPress.org: Self-hosted and fully customizable. You’ll need a hosting provider, but you get total control over your site.

• WordPress.com: Easier to use but with fewer customization options. Great if you want something simple but still need a self-hosted setup.

4. WooCommerce

For those already using WordPress, WooCommerce is a fantastic option.

It turns your existing WordPress site into a fully functional e-commerce store.

WooCommerce is highly customisable and offers extensions for digital product delivery, subscriptions, and more.

If you already have a WordPress site and want an integrated solution, this is a great way to go.

5. Payhip

I’ve mentioned Payhip before, and it’s a platform designed specifically for selling digital products.

It’s simple, easy to use, and perfect for creators who want a no-fuss, straightforward platform to sell their products.

Payhip offers a flat monthly fee and no transaction fees, which is perfect for scaling your business without worrying about commission cuts.

6. SendOwl

SendOwl is another great choice for digital product sellers. It’s easy to use, with customisable checkout pages, automatic product delivery, and integrations with popular marketing tools.

SendOwl is a good fit for creators who want to automate their sales process while maintaining control over their store.

7. Circle.so

If you want to build a community around your courses or digital products, Circle.so is the platform to go for.

It combines course hosting with community-building tools, making it ideal for creators who want to offer an interactive learning experience.

You can create custom spaces for your users to interact, ask questions, and engage with your content.

8. Kajabi

Kajabi is an all-in-one platform for creating, marketing, and selling online courses and other digital products.

It’s a powerful tool that includes email campaigns, memberships, and even podcasts.

If you want to run a full-fledged digital product business without relying on third-party tools, Kajabi offers everything you need in one platform.

The Verdict?

Self-hosted platforms give you the freedom to fully control your store, create a personalised customer experience, and scale your business.

While it may take a bit more work upfront, the flexibility and customisation they offer are well worth the effort, especially as your business grows.

If you’re ready to take the leap and build your own store, check out some of the platforms above and choose the one that fits your needs best.

And if you want more insights on creating and selling digital products, my Online Creator Course breaks it all down for you.