1️⃣Gumroad
I sold templates and mini courses in minutes, with no developer required. Gumroad handles checkout, taxes, and file delivery so every launch turns into clean, fast cash.
- Setup in 15 minutes
- Built in discovery traffic
- Fast payouts
- Automatic VAT and sales tax
- Coupons
- bundles
- and pay what you want
- One click affiliates
- Simple license keys
- Fees can add up on small orders
- Limited storefront customization
2️⃣Shopify
My store ran 24 by 7 with conversion focused themes and post purchase upsells. Apps for subscriptions and average order value boosts made each visitor worth more.
- High converting checkout
- Huge app ecosystem
- Solid analytics
- Scales without tech headaches
- Abandoned cart recovery
- Multiple payment options
- Excellent fulfillment integrations
- Monthly cost plus app fees
- Theme tweaking has a learning curve
3️⃣Stripe
Stripe turned global interest into revenue with cards, wallets, and subscriptions. The dashboard, billing, and webhooks helped me build predictable recurring income.
- Global payments and wallets
- Best in class subscription tools
- Granular analytics
- Strong fraud protection
- Great documentation
- Payout schedules vary by country
- Compliance reviews can pause volume
- Requires developer time to integrate
4️⃣ConvertKit
Email produced the highest ROI, and ConvertKit made segmentation and automations easy. Paid newsletters and simple checkouts added extra revenue without more tools.
- Clean editor
- Tag based segmentation
- Easy automations
- Landing pages
- Commerce for digital products
- Pricing climbs as your list grows
- Template variety is limited
- Deliverability can dip if you do not warm up properly
5️⃣Fiverr
Quick gigs funded other projects and validated offers fast. The marketplace brings demand to you so you can earn before building an audience.
- Instant access to buyers
- Upfront payments held in escrow
- Reviews boost conversion
- Easy upsells with packages
- Platform takes a cut
- Race to the bottom pricing in some categories
- Withdrawal delays for new sellers
- Less control over client relationships