Gumroad vs Shopify vs Clickfunnels – Which Is Better?

Are you a digital entrepreneur seeking the ideal platform to sell your products online?

With a plethora of options available, navigating the crowded landscape of ecommerce platforms can be a daunting task.

But fear not, as this in-depth comparison of Gumroad, Shopify, and Clickfunnels aims to help you determine the best fit for your digital product sales and online selling needs.

Gumroad, Shopify, and Clickfunnels have emerged as leading solutions for those looking to sell products online.

From streamlined checkout processes to comprehensive website building capabilities, each platform offers a unique set of features and capabilities that cater to the diverse needs of online sellers.

By exploring the pros and cons of Gumroad, Shopify, and Clickfunnels, you’ll be better equipped to identify the best platform to sell digital products for your business.

Let’s dive in.

Introduction to Selling Products Online

The rise of the digital economy has led to a surge in the popularity of selling products online. From books and video courses to art and electronics, there are countless opportunities for entrepreneurs and creators to monetize their products.

Platforms like Gumroad, Shopify, and Clickfunnels have emerged as leading solutions for those looking to sell products, each offering a unique set of features and capabilities.

Understanding the advantages and disadvantages of these platforms is crucial in selecting the right one to support your online business.

Whether you’re a small-scale creator or a larger enterprise, the right platform can make all the difference in successfully navigating ecommerce trends.

By exploring the capabilities of Gumroad, Shopify, and Clickfunnels, you can determine which platform best aligns with your products and online selling goals.

Overview 

Gumroad

Gumroad is a dedicated platform for selling digital products, offering a streamlined checkout process and customizable product pages.

This makes it an appealing choice for creators and entrepreneurs who want to focus solely on digital sales without the complexity of a full-fledged ecommerce platform.

Key features of Gumroad include:

• User-friendly interface to create an account and start selling digital products
• Customizable storefronts with images, videos, and HTML code
• Secure payment processing with options like PayPal and Stripe
• Analytics to track store performance and customer behavior
• Email marketing features to build an audience and generate sales
• Ability to sell physical goods, bundles, and offer a “pay what you want” option

Some drawbacks of Gumroad include relatively high fees compared to other platforms, complicated tax handling, and limited customer support.

However, it remains a popular choice for creators looking to easily sell digital products online.

Also read: Shopify vs Nopcommerce

Shopify

Shopify is a versatile ecommerce platform that caters to businesses of all sizes, providing a robust set of tools to establish, manage, and expand online operations effectively.

Here is a look at Shopify’s key features:

• Themes and Apps: Offers free and paid themes from the Shopify Theme Store to enhance the visual appeal of online stores. Plus, it provides free and paid apps from the Shopify App Store to extend store functionality.
• Payment Processing: Utilizes Shopify’s payment provider to accept credit card payments securely.
• Sales Channels: Enables selling through various channels, including in-person with Shopify POS, online stores, and social media platforms.
• Reliability: Maintains a 99.99% uptime across all major Shopify services, ensuring the platform’s reliability for businesses and customers.
• Sales Assistance: Empowers businesses to sell products in various ways, including in-person with Shopify POS, through online stores, and on other online channels.
• Global Expansion: Facilitates global expansion with Shopify Markets, allowing businesses to tailor their stores for different markets, offer localized shopping experiences, and optimize SEO for international reach.

By leveraging Shopify’s comprehensive features and resources, businesses can establish a strong online presence, streamline operations, and drive growth effectively.

Check out: Shopify vs Shoplazza

Clickfunnels

ClickFunnels is a comprehensive platform that offers a range of features for online businesses. Here is an overview of some key features it offers:

• Course Creator: ClickFunnels allows users to create and sell online courses without the need for third-party integrations. Users can craft sales funnels, take payments, deliver courses, create membership areas, and host the entire experience on the platform.
• Website Builder: Users can build complete websites, storefronts, product pages, landing pages, and sales funnels without the need for coding knowledge. ClickFunnels  offers faster website creation and customization options.
• Visual Funnel Builder: The platform provides a visual funnel builder that allows users to customize funnels, split paths, and trigger actions based on user behavior. It is considered one of the most powerful funnel builders in the market.
• Ecommerce Store Features: ClickFunnels 2.0 enables users to add products, customize product pages, set prices, manage inventory, create discounts, and more, making it easy to build an eCommerce store.
• Robust CRM: For businesses selling high-ticket products or services, ClickFunnels 2.0 offers a CRM and sales pipeline management system. Users can track opportunities, conversations, appointments, sales progress, lead scoring, and more within the platform.
• Landing Page Builder: Users can create visually appealing landing pages to collect email addresses, promote lead magnets, or drive webinar registrations. ClickFunnels 2.0 provides customizable templates for high-converting landing pages.

These diverse capabilities of ClickFunnels make it a versatile platform for online businesses looking to streamline their sales and marketing processes.

Explore: Wix vs Squarespace vs Shopify

Ease of Use

Gumroad, Shopify, and Clickfunnels are all popular ecommerce platforms for selling digital products online, but they differ in terms of ease of use:

Gumroad

Gumroad is the most beginner-friendly and easiest to use of the three.

It allows you to quickly set up a “sales page” to sell your products without needing to deal with website design, coding, or payment processing. Gumroad’s interface is straightforward and all features are clearly specified on the dashboard. 

It’s a great option for creators who want a simple, no-frills way to sell digital goods like e-books, courses, and memberships.

Shopify

Shopify is more complex than Gumroad, but still relatively easy to use for building an online store, even without web development skills. However, it has a steeper learning curve compared to Gumroad.

Shopify offers more customization options and the ability to build a complex ecommerce platform with app integrations.

But this added flexibility comes at a higher cost and requires more time investment, especially for beginners on a tight budget.

Clickfunnels

Clickfunnels is focused on creating high-converting sales funnels and landing pages. While it provides a visual drag-and-drop editor that makes it easier to build pages compared to coding from scratch, it still requires more technical know-how than Gumroad. 

It is best suited for experienced marketers and businesses that want to optimize their sales process with advanced features like split testing and analytics.

In summary, Gumroad is the most user-friendly and quickest to set up for selling digital products, while Shopify offers more customization and ecommerce features at a higher complexity level.

Clickfunnels is the most advanced of the three, with powerful sales funnel capabilities but a steeper learning curve.

Read this too: Ecwid vs WooCommerce

Website Building Capabilities

When comparing the website building capabilities of Gumroad, Shopify, and ClickFunnels, each platform offers unique features tailored to different needs:

• Gumroad: Gumroad is known for its simplicity, offering a user-friendly interface and minimal setup required to start selling digital products. This makes Gumroad an attractive option for those who may not have extensive technical skills or the time to devote to building a complex online presence.
• Shopify: Shopify offers a more comprehensive website building experience, with a drag-and-drop editor and a wide range of customization options. This allows you to create a fully-fledged ecommerce platform that reflects your brand. If you’re looking for a more robust and customizable platform with user-friendly ecommerce tools, Shopify might be the better choice.
• ClickFunnels: Meanwhile, Clickfunnels specializes in creating high-converting sales funnels and landing pages, with a focus on optimizing the user experience for maximum conversion rates. This platform excels at helping you streamline your digital product selling process and guide your customers through a seamless buying journey. 

Each platform caters to different types of creators and businesses based on their specific needs and product offerings.

Also read: Shopify vs Lazada

Sales & Marketing Tools

The digital product sales tools, ecommerce marketing features, and online selling automation offered by each platform can play a crucial role in driving the success of your business.

• Gumroad: Gumroad provides a range of built-in features like coupon codes, affiliate programs, and email integration to help you promote and sell your products.
• Shopify: Shopify, on the other hand, offers a vast ecosystem of third-party apps and integrations, allowing you to customize your sales and marketing stack to suit your specific needs.
• Clickfunnels: For those seeking more advanced sales funnel tools, Clickfunnels specializes in creating high-converting landing pages and sales funnels, with features like order bumps, upsells, and affiliate tracking. These capabilities can significantly impact your ability to reach and convert your target audience.

By carefully evaluating the features and capabilities of each platform, you can select the one that best aligns with your business goals and marketing strategies, giving you the tools needed to drive conversions and grow your digital product sales.

Check out: Ecwid vs Adobe Commerce

Pricing & Transaction Fees

The pricing and transaction fees associated with each platform can have a significant impact on your profitability as an online seller.

• Gumroad: Gumroad operates on a simple 10% transaction fee model, making it a cost-effective option for those with lower sales volumes. As per this pricing plan, you will be charged 10 percent of every sale as transaction fee. 
• Shopify: Shopify offers various pricing plans starting from $29/month, with additional fees for credit card transactions ranging from 2.4% + 30¢ to 2.9% + 30¢ depending on the plan.
• ClickFunnels: Clickfunnels charges a monthly subscription fee, but does not have any transaction fees, making it a potentially more viable option for those with higher sales volumes of digital products. It has pricing plans starting from $147/month up to $297/month, with additional costs for payment gateways and domains. It is best suited for high-ticket products due to its sales-focused features.

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Customer Support & Resources

When it comes to selling digital products online, the level of ecommerce platform support and the availability of digital product selling resources can make a significant difference in your success.

Gumroad is known for its responsive customer support, offering a range of self-help resources and a dedicated community forum where you can find assistance and guidance.

On the other hand, Shopify provides extensive documentation, a robust knowledge base, and 24/7 customer service, ensuring you have the online selling assistance you need whenever issues arise.

Clickfunnels also takes customer support and resources seriously, with a comprehensive support system that includes live chat, email support, and an extensive library of training materials to help you navigate the platform and optimize your digital sales.

The quality and accessibility of these customer service and online selling resources can greatly influence your ability to effectively troubleshoot and overcome any challenges you may face when selling your digital products.

Read this too: Shopify vs Instamojo

Gumroad vs Shopify vs Clickfunnels – Which is Better?

When it comes to selling digital products online, Gumroad, Shopify, and Clickfunnels each offer unique advantages and disadvantages.

Gumroad is the most streamlined and focused on digital downloads, with a simple checkout process and customizable product pages.

Shopify is a comprehensive ecommerce platform that supports both physical and digital goods, with a strong emphasis on building online stores.

Clickfunnels, on the other hand, specializes in creating high-converting sales funnels and landing pages, making it a popular choice for those selling digital products and services.

The choice between these top digital product selling platforms will depend on your specific business needs, budget, and the type of digital products you intend to sell.

By understanding the key features, capabilities, and pricing of each ecommerce platform, you can make an informed decision on the best fit for your online business.

Whether you’re looking for the best platform for selling digital products, the top digital product selling platforms, or simply need help choosing the right platform for online sales, this comparison can provide valuable insights to guide your decision-making process.