How to sell a digital product for free
An ebook, a template pack, a checklist. If it is a file, you can sell it this week without paying for a store.
On this page
Digital products are one of the simplest things to sell online: nothing to ship, no inventory, and the same file can be sold many times. The usual obstacle is cost: a store subscription, a checkout tool, and an email tool to deliver the file. Systeme.io bundles these, and its free plan has no monthly fee and no Systeme.io transaction fee. Your payment processor still takes its normal cut.
What you can sell
- Ebooks and guides (PDF)
- Templates: spreadsheets, documents, design files
- Checklists, planners, printables
- Audio files or short video lessons
- Access to an online course (covered in our course guide)
Only sell what you own the rights to. If you used someone else's photos, fonts, or text, check that your license allows resale.
What it really costs
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Systeme.io free plan | $0 per month |
| Systeme.io transaction fee | None (all plans, per its pricing page) |
| Stripe standard US card fee | 2.9% + 30¢ per successful domestic card transaction |
| PayPal | PayPal's own fees apply; check PayPal's current merchant rates |
On a $20 product paid by a domestic card through Stripe, the processing fee is $0.88 (2.9% of $20 is $0.58, plus $0.30), leaving $19.12 before taxes.
Step 1: Connect a payment processor
- Create a free Stripe account, or a PayPal Business account.
- In Systeme.io, go to Settings → Payment gateways and click Connect next to Stripe or PayPal. Approve the connection when prompted.
Systeme.io's help center notes that the email and first-name fields are required on payment pages for Stripe and PayPal to work correctly. Leave them on your order form.
Step 2: Create a Sell funnel
- Go to Sites → Sales funnels → Create.
- Name it, pick your domain and currency, and choose Sell. This gives you an order form and a thank-you page.
- Open Funnel settings and tick the payment methods you connected, then save.
The currency you choose for the funnel needs to match the currency of your product's price.
Step 3: Set up the product and price
- Open the order form step and choose Digital product as the offer type.
- Click the + next to Digital product to create it, and give it a name customers will recognize.
- Click the + next to Price plans and set the price. Systeme.io supports one-time prices and, through Stripe, recurring ones.
Step 4: Deliver the file
You have two straightforward ways to deliver a download:
- Thank-you page link: put a download button on the thank-you page. Simple, but anyone with the link can share it.
- Confirmation email: send the link automatically after purchase. This also gives the buyer a copy they can find later.
For something you update over time, consider delivering it as a one-module course instead, so buyers always see the latest version behind a login.
Step 5: Write the order form like a person
- Say exactly what they get: format, number of pages or files, and how they will receive it.
- Show one or two real preview images of the product itself.
- State your refund policy plainly.
- Remove anything that distracts from the purchase button.
Step 6: Test a purchase, then refund it
Systeme.io describes a test purchase process in its help center: view the order form, fill it in, complete the purchase, then refund yourself. Do it on your phone. Confirm the payment appears in Stripe or PayPal, the file arrives, and the receipt looks right.
Taxes
Depending on where you and your buyers are, digital products may be subject to sales tax or VAT. Rules differ by state and country. Check with a tax professional about your obligations before you start selling at volume.
Growing from here
When the first product sells, a few natural next steps:
- Add an order bump (a related add-on offered as a checkbox) or an upsell page after checkout.
- Start an email list of buyers and readers.
- Create a free sample that leads into the paid product.
Questions
Does Systeme.io charge a fee per sale?
Its pricing page lists no transaction fees on any plan. Stripe or PayPal charge their own processing fees.
Can I sell on the free plan with my own domain?
Yes. The free plan includes one custom domain and three sales funnels.
Can I sell subscriptions?
Systeme.io's Stripe documentation says recurring payments are supported. Check your plan's features before building a membership offer.
How do buyers get the file?
Through a link on the thank-you page, an automatic email, or by enrolling them in a course that holds the file.
Sources
Checked October 27, 2026. Prices and features change, so confirm on the provider's site.