7 SendOwl alternatives for digital creators (2026)

by Welly Mulia - February 10, 2026

The best SendOwl alternatives in 2026 to sell digital products are CartMango, Gumroad, Payhip, Easy Digital Downloads, ThriveCart, SamCart, and Sellfy. Each handles pricing, features, and recurring payments differently.

When the Platform Holds Your Revenue Hostage

Here is the core problem with SendOwl. If you sell subscription products and decide to leave, your recurring payments stay behind. SendOwl doesn’t let you take those with you.

You built that revenue. Your customers chose to pay you on a recurring basis. But the platform treats those payments as its own.

The 2025 pricing changes made this worse. SendOwl raised prices by 3x to 10x, and hundreds of customers pushed back. But many couldn’t walk away because leaving meant losing every active subscription they had built.

That’s the real trap. It’s not just the cost. It’s that your customer and sales relationships are locked inside the platform.

And SendOwl isn’t alone. If you want to switch from SendOwl, know that Gumroad, Payhip, SamCart, and Sellfy have the same problem. Leave, and your recurring payments vanish.

CartMango, Easy Digital Downloads, and ThriveCart are the exceptions. They let you keep your recurring revenue, whether you cancel or not.

That difference matters more than most feature lists.

What to Look For Before You Switch

sendowl alternatives - factors to consider

Does it keep your recurring payments? If you leave, do your customers’ payments stay with you or does the platform hold them? This is the single most important question for any digital product seller.

What does it actually cost? Look past the sticker price. Check for transaction fees, revenue caps, and whether the plan is free or paid. Some platforms look cheap until you read the fine print.

Are your files protected? If a customer shares a download link, can random people grab your product? Not every platform guards against this.

Is support real? Can you reach a human when something breaks at checkout, or are you stuck with chatbots and deleted feedback posts?

Can you start without a developer? You want sign-up to first sale in minutes, not weeks.

Does it connect to your payment gateways and tools? Verify Stripe, PayPal, and email connections before you commit.

The best alternative to SendOwl checks most of these boxes. CartMango is one option that does, but I’ll let the comparison table below speak for itself.

SendOwl Alternatives: The Complete Side-by-Side Comparison

The table below covers 17 features across SendOwl and all seven alternatives, from pricing and marketing tools to payment processing and support. Every platform connects to Stripe and PayPal, so your customers can also use Apple Pay and Google Pay at checkout.

Feature	SendOwl	CartMango	Gumroad	Payhip	Easy Digital Downloads	ThriveCart	SamCart	Sellfy
Do you lose recurring payments if you leave?	❌ Recurring revenue is lost if you leave, even when connected to your own Stripe / PayPal	✅ You keep all recurring payments	❌ Recurring revenue is lost if you leave	❌ Recurring revenue is lost if you leave, even when connected to your own Stripe / PayPal	✅ You keep all recurring payments	✅ You keep all recurring payments	❌ Recurring revenue is lost if you leave: Stripe fixed-term subscriptions All PayPal and non-Stripe subscriptions Still lost even with your own Stripe / PayPal connected	❌ Recurring revenue is lost if you leave, even when connected to your own Stripe / PayPal
Completely free? (Stripe / PayPal fees apply across all platforms)	❌ $39/mo for up to $833/mo in sales $87/mo for up to $3,000/mo in sales $159/mo for up to $8,333/mo in sales	✅ Yes, zero monthly fees, 0% commission. Every feature included (free until 2027).	❌ 10% + $0.50 per transaction	5% transaction fee (free plan). $29/mo + 2% (Plus plan). $99/mo (Pro plan).	❌ Personal: $99.50/yr Extended: $199.50/yr Professional: $299.50/yr All Access: $499.50/yr	❌ $495 for the base plan. $295/yr extra for additional features. $195 extra for the LMS.	❌ $79/mo for up to $3,000/mo in sales. $219/mo for up to $10,000/mo in sales. $849/mo for up to $100,000/mo in sales.	❌ $29/mo for up to $833/mo in sales. $79/mo for up to $4,166/mo in sales. $159/mo for up to $16,666/mo in sales.
Online courses (LMS)	❌ No	❌ Not yet (planned)	❌ No	✅ Yes, built-in	❌ No	✅ Yes, for an additional $195	✅ Yes	❌ No
Post-purchase funnels (upselling and downsells)	⚠️ Only 1 upsell supported, and activating order bumps turns it off. Strictly one or the other. No downsells.	✅ Yes	⚠️ Upsells work but no conditional downsells (i.e., showing a different offer only when the customer declines the first upsell)	❌ No upsell or downsell support	✅ On Professional plan and above ($299.50 – $499.50/yr)	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	❌ No upsell or downsell support
Quality of customer support	⚠️ Generally good service, no live chat. In 2025, hundreds of customers protested the 3x – 10x price increase (source 1, source 2).	Founder-led personal support, no chatbots, no live chat. Average response time is 2 hours 16 minutes.	❌ Weak support with AI chatbots. User feedback posts deleted and emails ignored (source).	Responsive email support with generally positive reviews, but no live chat available.	No live chat but good quality support. Standard support on Personal and Extended plans ($99.50 – $199.50/yr). Premium support on Professional and AI Access plans ($299.50 – $499.50/yr).	Many user reports of weak support and deleted feedback posts in the official Facebook group.	$19/mo extra for live support: Monday through Friday, 9-5 CT.	Generally quick and helpful for common issues, no live chat. Mixed feedback when problems get more technical or complex.
Buy now, pay later (BNPL) for your customers	✅	✅	❌ Not actual BNPL: Gumroad’s installment plans distribute payment to you gradually, not upfront. You take on the risk if customers stop paying before they finish.	❌ Not actual BNPL: Payhip’s installment plans distribute payment to you gradually, not upfront. You take on the risk if customers stop paying before finishing.	✅	✅	✅	⚠️ Only through PayPal Pay Later. No well-known BNPL services like Klarna, Affirm, or Afterpay.
Order bumps	⚠️ Enabling order bumps turns off upsells	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	⚠️ Only on Business and Premium plans.
Subscription billing (with free trial and setup fee support)	✅	✅	⚠️ Subscriptions only function through Stripe, not PayPal. You can’t sell subscriptions to customers who pay via PayPal.	✅	✅	✅	✅	⚠️ No free trial or setup fee support. Standard subscriptions only.
Coupons and discount codes	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
Fast, optimized checkout page	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
Guest checkout (no login needed)	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
Direct, instant payouts (no payment holds)	✅	✅	❌ 7-day hold, and some sellers experience much longer delays without clear explanation (source).	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
Are your digital downloads protected if links get shared?	✅ Links are protected	✅ Links are protected	✅ Links are protected	✅ Links are protected	✅	❌ Downloads can be pirated because links are not protected	✅ Links are protected	✅ Links are protected
Third-party integrations	✅ Connects to Shopify and Square, plus direct email marketing links to Mailchimp, Kit, and ActiveCampaign. Works with Zapier, Make, Pabbly, and webhooks.	⚠️ Few native connections, but Make.com gives access to 3,000+ apps. Current native: Stripe, PayPal, Kit, ActiveCampaign, Beehiiv, BirdSend, with more on the way.	⚠️ Native: only Discord and Circle for community / membership access. Everything else needs Zapier.	✅ Works with WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, Weebly, Shopify, Calendly, Zoom, Bookavault, AdSense, chat, mailing lists, and Zapier.	✅ Connects to Stripe, PayPal, Mailchimp, Kit, ActiveCampaign, Dropbox, Amazon S3, Zapier (needs Extended plan, $199.50/yr)	Connects to leading email, membership, fulfillment, analytics, webinar, and payment tools, plus Zapier for thousands more.	✅ Plugs directly into HighLevel, iContact, Shopify, Slack, Digital Access Pass, and more. Thousands more via Zapier.	⚠️ Few native connections: mainly analytics and ad pixels (Google Analytics, Facebook/X ads, Google Merchant Center). Zapier opens access to thousands of external apps.
Affiliate program management	✅	❌ Not yet (coming soon)	✅	✅	❌ No	⚠️ Yes, for an additional $295/yr	✅ Yes	✅
Best suited for	Creators who want to sell digital files securely but don’t need advanced funnels. Pricey for the feature set (revenue caps, only 1 upsell, and upsells can’t coexist with order bumps).	Solo digital creators who don’t want recurring revenue held hostage. Instant setup, human support, and zero platform fees (free until 2027).	Creators who want a fast, no-monthly-fee way to start selling and are fine giving up a large 10% cut. No advanced funnel tools or deep customization.	Creators who need simple global VAT handling and easy setup. Watch for per-sale fees that grow as revenue grows.	WordPress users who sell digital and physical products like software, ebooks, and merchandise.	Creators who prefer paying once upfront rather than monthly fees to get most features (not all), and can handle less responsive support.	Higher-budget creators who want a complete ecommerce feature set, whether or not they use all of it.	Creators who want an all-in-one online store for digital products, subscriptions, and print-on-demand, but don’t need post-purchase funnels.
Free migration support	❌ No free migration	✅ Free migration included	❌ No free migration	❌ No free migration	❌ No free migration	❌ No free migration	❌ No free migration	⚠️ Full migration only on the priciest Premium plan. Other plans get limited migration help.

Here are the links for each platform: SendOwl, CartMango, Gumroad, Payhip, Easy Digital Downloads, ThriveCart, SamCart, Sellfy.

Where CartMango Fits (and Where It Falls Short)

Full disclosure: you’re reading this on CartMango’s blog, so I want to be upfront about what we do well and where we fall short.

CartMango is a free tool for solo creators who sell digital content, courses, and coaching. It doesn’t charge any transaction fees or monthly fees. In 2026, it’s completely free (and stays that way until 2027), so there’s no cheaper way to start selling.

You get protected downloads, post-purchase funnels, BNPL support, and a human support team that responds in 2 hours and 16 minutes on average. You keep your recurring payments if you leave. And we offer free migration from your current platform.

Where we fall short: native connections are limited (Make.com covers the gap with 3,000+ apps). We don’t have a built-in LMS yet. Affiliate management is not live yet.

CartMango is built for creators who want to reach customers directly and keep things simple. If you need deep customization or a massive app marketplace, it’s probably not for you. And that’s okay.

Claim your CartMango account free →

The Other Six SendOwl Alternatives

Gumroad

Gumroad takes 10% of every sale plus $0.50 per transaction. There are no monthly fees, which makes it easy to sell online quickly. But that 10% adds up fast as you grow.

Setup takes minutes. You get a simple product page, and Gumroad acts as the merchant of record for all payments. Customers pay through Stripe or PayPal.

The downsides: customer support is mostly AI chatbots, payout holds average 7 days (some sellers report longer), and you lose all recurring payments if you leave. No advanced funnel tools and no deep customization.

Best for: creators who want speed and simplicity and don’t mind giving up 10% of revenue.

This is the link for Gumroad.

Payhip

Payhip has three tiers: a no-cost option with 5% per sale, $29/mo with 2%, and $99/mo with 0% fees. The starter tier is a solid entry point for new sellers.

Global VAT handling is built in, which saves you time if you sell to international buyers. The e-commerce tools cover the basics well.

The weaknesses: no upsells or downsells, no true BNPL (installment plans pay you over time, not upfront), and recurring payments vanish if you leave. Support is email-only.

Best for: creators who want simple international selling with automatic VAT.

This is the link for Payhip.

Easy Digital Downloads

Easy Digital Downloads (EDD) is a WordPress plugin for creators who sell digital downloads and physical goods. Plans range from $99.50 to $499.50 per year.

EDD’s strength is its deep WordPress compatibility and wide range of plugins. If you already run a WordPress site, it fits right in. You can sell digital products like ebooks, software licenses, and merchandise.

The catch: you need a self-hosted WordPress site, so you’re handling hosting, SSL, security patches, and plugin conflicts on your own. The core plugin is limited, and full features (All Access) cost $499.50/yr.

You keep your recurring payments if you leave. That’s a real advantage.

Best for: WordPress users who sell digital and physical products.

This is the link for Easy Digital Downloads.

ThriveCart

Getting access to ThriveCart costs $495 as a one-time payment. Affiliate management adds $295/yr, and LMS access is $195 extra. No monthly fees after the initial buy.

The ecommerce platform comes with features like one-click upsells, downsells, order bumps, subscriptions, coupons, and BNPL. It’s a solid cart.

The downsides: customer support has a poor reputation, with many users reporting deleted feedback in the official Facebook group. Download links are not protected from piracy. And there’s no free migration.

thrivecart customer support review trustpilot 1

You keep recurring payments if you leave. That’s one area where ThriveCart gets it right.

Best for: creators who prefer paying once over monthly fees.

This is the link for ThriveCart.

SamCart

SamCart plans start at $79/mo and go up to $849/mo, with revenue caps on each tier. It’s one of the pricier shopping cart solutions on this list.

The platform has a full feature set: upsells, downsells, order bumps, BNPL, subscriptions, and strong connections to Shopify, HighLevel, and Slack.

The problems: live support costs an extra $19/mo, and recurring payments are partially lost if you leave (Stripe fixed-term subs and all PayPal subs stay behind).

Best for: higher-budget creators who want a complete ecommerce feature set.

This is the link for SamCart.

Sellfy

Sellfy costs between $29 and $159/mo depending on revenue, with caps on each plan.

The main draw: Sellfy is a combined online store for digital products, subscriptions, and print-on-demand merchandise. No separate tools for building a merch line needed.

The weaknesses: no post-purchase upsells or downsells, limited BNPL (only PayPal Pay Later), subscriptions don’t support free trial periods or setup fees, and recurring payments disappear if you leave. Native connections are mostly analytics and ad pixels, with Zapier covering the rest.

Best for: creators who want digital, subscription, and print-on-demand products in a single store.

This is the link for Sellfy.

People also often compare Podia and SendOwl. Podia is a course and membership platform that wasn’t part of this comparison. If Podia vs these alternatives is on your mind, check their pricing and recurring payment terms separately.

Which Platform Fits Your Business?

The comparison table and reviews above cover everything you need to pick from these SendOwl alternatives. If you want to sell products online, the right choice depends on your budget, feature needs, and whether recurring payment ownership matters to you.

Here are all the links: SendOwl, CartMango, Gumroad, Payhip, Easy Digital Downloads, ThriveCart, SamCart, Sellfy.

Whether you need a full marketing platform or a simple cart, the data is all above.