13 Best Stan Store alternatives for creators (October 2024)
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So, you’ve hit a wall with Stan Store. You’re not alone.
Stan Store has recently gained popularity as a platform that helps creators monetize their audience by selling products online. But let’s face it, Stan’s features and pricing aren’t everyone’s cup of tea.
Luckily Stan Store isn’t the only eCommerce platform for digital creators out there. So if you’re ready to break free from the mold and find something that vibes with your creative spirit, you’re in the right place. We’ve carefully selected 13 Stan Store alternatives that offer more freedom, better built-in features, and a chance to elevate your brand in ways Stan never could.
Quick breakdown:
Competitor | Pricing starts from | Transaction fees | Built-in digital products | Anti-piracy features |
 | $29/mo | 0% | ||
 | $22/mo | 0% | ||
 | $0/mo | 0% | ||
 | $29/mo | 2% - 0.5% outside Shopify Payments | ||
 | $0/mo | 6.5% + $0.20 per item listing |
Why choose an alternative to Stan Store?
Stan Store is a popular monetization platform for content creators. What it really means is that it’s an eCommerce platform that helps you build and sell digital products such as courses, e-books, or exclusive content.
Whether you’re a YouTuber, TikTok creator, or an Instagram influencer, Stan Store seems to slip right into your profile, allowing you to monetize your audience by offering them your products. It has a user-friendly interface with tools for building a checkout page and managing sales and customer interactions.
But, you’ve opened this article for a reason — and yes, this platform has its flaws.
Pricing
For one, Stan Store offers just two pricing options: The Creator level at $29/month and a Creator Pro at $99/month. While $29/month looks perfectly reasonable, you’ll not be so happy to know that most Stan’s best features are only available on the Pro plan.
eCommerce features
Take a closer look, and you’ll see Stan Store’s functionality isn’t all that impressive. Despite the name, it doesn’t really allow you to build a store. It’s more like a fancy checkout page or a product page. You can’t integrate Stan Store or even a simple Buy Now button into an existing website. Plus, forget about connecting a custom domain—white labeling isn’t an option here.
Functionality
Stan Store primarily markets itself as a solution for selling digital products or custom services. Stan offers quite a diversity of product types from eCourses to recurring memberships, but it’s not without its limits. With the way Stan Store is built, you’re restricted to selling just a few products. Plus there’s a 4GB size limit for each of them. And if you’re worried about piracy, Stan’s lack of anti-piracy features might leave you hanging.
Best Stan Store alternatives
1. Sellfy
Sellfy simply gives you everything Stan Store does, but more and better.
Let me explain.
Sellfy started as a platform for selling digital downloads and quickly became a leader in that niche. Eventually, it evolved into an eCommerce solution for digital creators, influencers, and artists. Now, on par with its top competitors, Sellfy lets you sell almost anything—digital products, physical goods, subscriptions, and even print-on-demand items from your online store.
Sure, Stan Store is great for selling digital products through social media profiles. But Sellfy offers you a lot more as it allows you to launch your online business by building and customizing a complete online store. On top of that, Sellfy offers a richer suite of eCommerce tools including marketing features, affiliate programs, cart abandonment, advanced analytics, and print-on-demand service, perfect for managing an online business. Even Sellfy’s Starter plan includes essential features like email marketing and discounts.
But don’t get me wrong, Sellfy isn’t just about creating an online store. It still lets you do everything Stan Store does, including selling on social media.
The best part? Sellfy’s set-up is as effortless as Stan’s. You can start selling in under 10 minutes by uploading your first product, customizing your store theme, connecting a payment method, and you’re ready to go.
Stan Store vs. Sellfy: Features
- Fully-hosted eCommerce platform
- Effortless setup
- Sell anywhere (social media, existing website, blog, etc.)
- White-label store (connect a custom domain, remove Sellfy branding)
- Support for digital, physical, subscription, and print-on-demand products
- 15-20GB per product
- Native video streaming
- Freebies and PWYW pricing
- Built-in email marketing, discounts, cart abandonment, upselling, tracking pixels, and affiliate marketing
- Digital security and anti-piracy features
- Built-in print-on-demand service
- Mobile app
- Instant payouts
How much does Sellfy cost?
Sellfy offers three paid plans, starting at $29/mo ($22/mo with a yearly subscription) with advanced functionality.
2. Shopify
As one of the top eCommerce platforms, Shopify definitely deserves an honorable mention among Stan Store alternatives. While these two platforms are quite different, Shopify, like Sellfy, is an all-in-one eCommerce solution that lets you build an online store without any prior experience. Plus, Shopify has managed to create an entire ecosystem with an advanced inventory management system, over 3,000+ apps, and countless store themes.
Aside from store customization and inventory management, Shopify’s main advantage is its versatility. With the right app integrations, you can sell almost anything in your store—from physical items to subscriptions and digital goods. If you find something lacking in functionality or customization, a third-party app can usually fix it.
While Shopify is ideal for bigger businesses, there are some things to keep in mind before signing up. First off, Shopify charges extra for most app integrations and store themes. Plus, despite Shopify being so vocal about how user-friendly its platform is, it still has a significant learning curve. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be so many “how-to” guides on starting a Shopify store.
Stan Store vs. Shopify: Features
- Fully hosted eCommerce platform
- Support for digital products and subscriptions with a third-party app
- Countless app integrations and store themes
- Fully store customization
- Native email marketing
- White-label store
- Built-in blog
- Support for multiple currencies
- Unlimited product bandwidth
- Mobile app
How much does Shopify cost?
Shopify has three paid monthly plans priced from $29–298/month. It’s worth mentioning, though, that Shopify charges transaction fees for third-party gateways (2% Basic, 1% Shopify, 0.5% Advanced) but waives them if you use Shopify Payments.
3. Podia
If you need a Stan Store alternative that lets you sell almost anything digital but also has a native course builder, you should definitely check out Podia.
In short, Podia is an eCommerce platform designed for selling online courses, allowing you to create them directly on the site. Unlike Stan Store, Podia lets you create more than just a product page. With Podia’s drag-and-drop editor, you can add as many pages as you need, including an “About Us” page, a customizable site search, a section for customer testimonials, or a “Link in Bio” page to promote your socials.
Besides better eCommerce functionality, Podia also offers built-in marketing tools like upselling and cross-selling, product bundles, discounts, and affiliate marketing.
Of course, Podia has some limitations that some might find unacceptable, such as basic customization options and limited integration with external services. It’s also not ideal for those who might want to start selling physical products, including merch.
Stan Store vs. Podia: Features
- Free plan
- Fully hosted eCommerce platform
- Clean and easy-to-use interface
- Supports online courses, digital downloads, memberships, and webinars
- Sell anywhere (social media, existing website, blog, etc.)
- Link in bio page
- Customization possibilities
- Built-in marketing features
- No product or bandwidth limitations
How much does Podia cost?
Podia’s free plan isn’t much to write home about. While there’s no subscription fee, it only lets you sell one product and try most features. Other than that there are three paid plans priced from $9-89/month. It’s worth mentioning, that Podia charges transaction fees an almost all plans (10% Free, 8% Starter, 5% Mover).
4. Gumroad
Gumroad used to be the go-to destination for creators looking to sell products like guides, ebooks, and even online courses to their audience.
Like Sellfy, it’s an all-in-one platform, meaning you can build an online store from scratch with hosting, payment integrations, and email marketing all included. Creators love it as you don’t need to be a tech whiz to set up a store on Gumroad. The setup is straightforward and doesn’t require any prior experience. Plus, Gumroad offers a bit more customization than Stan Store, giving you more freedom and letting you give your store a somewhat unique look.
What sets Gumroad apart is the lack of a subscription fee, which removes one more hurdle from launching your online business.
However, it’s not all rainbows and unicorns. Gumroad falls short in built-in marketing features, lacking essentials like product upselling and cart abandonment, and these features are crucial for running a successful online business.
Stan Store vs. Gumroad: Features
- Fully-hosted eCommerce platform
- Effortless setup
- No subscription fees
- Weekly payouts
- Support for digital and physical products
- Accepts credit cards & PayPal
- Native coupon codes feature and email marketing
- Store embed option
- A native marketplace called Gumroad Discover
How much does Gumorad cost?
Even though Gumroad doesn’t charge a monthly subscription fee, once you start selling, they take a hefty 10% commission + 30¢ fee per transaction.
5. Linktree
Linktree is the go-to link-in-bio tool, bringing together millions of users—from creators and influencers to major brands.
As you might’ve already figured out, in contrast to Stan Store, Linktree is entirely focused on link sharing. It lets influencers create a mobile-friendly landing page for their Instagram, or TikTok bios to promote products or services. You can customize your link page to match your brand, use scheduling tools for new links, and more. In other words, it’s perfect for digital creators looking to share multiple links effectively.
Linktree might seem basic compared to Stan Store, and well… it is. But sometimes, simplicity wins. Plus, Linktree allows you to easily set up shop right from your bio thanks to integrations with popular payment platforms like PayPal.
When it comes to choosing between Linktree and Stan Store, Linktree stands out as the better option for anyone who isn’t necessarily searching for an eCommerce solution but still needs a comprehensive link-in-bio tool.
Stan Store vs. Linktree: Features
- All-in-One Link Page
- Customizable Themes
- Clicks and Views Analytics
- Social Media Integration
- Link Scheduling
- Mailchimp Integration
- Easy Drag & Drop Interface
How much does Linktree cost?
Linktree’s freemium model includes a Free plan with basic features. The Free plan has basic features, while the Starter plan is $5/month, the Pro is $9/month, and the Premium is $24/month.
6. Patreon
Patreon is another popular creator monetization platform that is mostly focused on memberships. It’s a platform that lets creators earn a monthly income by offering exclusive content to subscribers, called patrons. For example, you can set up membership tiers with different perks like behind-the-scenes access or early access to content.
But it’s not all about the memberships, Patreon can be used for selling downloads like eBooks, music, artwork, and other products by setting them as rewards for different membership tiers. Plus, it offers customizable templates for your Patreon page, allowing you to personalize it to your liking. It also supports video, previews, and other multimedia publishing, enhancing the way you present your content.
But while Patreon excels at helping digital creators and influencers build a steady income from their content, it has its drawbacks. For example, Patreon lacks essential promotional tools, which makes it challenging to promote your exclusive content.
Stan Store vs. Pateron: Features
- Possibility to offer various membership tiers
- Support for video content
- Close exclusive content behind a paywall
- Built-in patron management and analytics
- Сustomizable page
- Mobile app
How much does Patreon cost?
Despite having no subscription fee, Patreon still takes a cut of your income. Depending on your plan, they charge a flat 8% or 12%, plus payment processing fees, from your monthly earnings.
7. ThriveCart
Out of all Stan Store alternatives listed here, Thrivecart is one of the most feature-rich.
Since its launch in 2016, Thrivecart has been shaking up the online sales world as a high-converting page builder. Essentially, Thrivecart is an all-in-one shopping cart solution that lets you create a sales page or a shopping cart for almost any type of product including memberships and online courses. The best part is that you can embed Thrivecarts checkout links on your website, blog, or social media channels.
What sets Thrivecart apart is its robust toolkit and sleek UX. Plus, Thrivecart has a one-time payment system, giving you lifetime access to everything it offers. This includes marketing tools like upselling and discounts, an affiliate center, A/B testing, a sales funnel builder, and more.
While not having a hefty monthly payment hanging over your head might feel great, ThriveCart doesn’t offer a free trial. ThriveCart doesn’t offer a free trial. This means you’ll need to shell out a huge sum upfront for a tool you can’t even test drive first.
Stan Store vs. Thrivecart: Features
- Lifetime access for a one-time fee
- High-converting sales pages
- Embeddable checkout links
- Sales funnel builder
- Built-in marketing features
- Customizable page templates
- A/B testing
- Affiliate center
How much does Thrivecart cost?
Thrivecart is the priciest option on this list. Currently, you can get lifetime access for a one-time fee of $495.
8. Kajabi
Similar to Thrivecart, Kajabi is another premium alternative to Stan Store. The best thing about Kajabi is that it focuses on selling anything digital, from online courses to memberships. It even offers an awesome selection of customizable product blueprints that help you better structure your product page.
When compared to Stan Store, Kajabi has a significantly better selection of eCommerce features such as SEO optimization tools, sales funnels, marketing features, bundling options, etc. Plus, Kajabi’s page builder appears to be way more advanced.
With Kajabi, you can create beautiful websites and landing pages using its easy-to-use and intuitive drag-and-drop builder. It also offers robust email marketing features, including automation and segmentation, helping you nurture and grow your audience effectively.
Stan Store vs. Thrivecart: Features
- All-in-one eCommerce platform
- Support for digital products, memberships, and online courses
- Native online course builder
- Powerful marketing features and integrations
- Comprehensive website builder
- Community features for engaging with your audience
How much does Thrivecart cost?
Kajabi’s pricing can be too steep for beginners, but it’s a solid choice if your side hustle is already earning a couple thousand dollars a month:
- The Kickstarter plan is $55/mo.
- The Basic plan is $119/mo.
- The Growth plan is $159/mo.
- The Pro plan is $319/mo.
9. Beacons
Beacon is another link-in-bio tool disguised as a creator monetization platform. But if I’m serious, Beacons goes way beyond the basics, making it a compelling alternative to Stan Store.
Designed for creators looking to marry their online presence seamlessly with eCommerce needs, Beacons.io offers a robust set of features to maximize your digital impact. So, apart from a simple link page, you get a platform that supports digital downloads, email marketing, auto-updating marketing kits, referrals, and even booking services—all from a single customizable landing page.
The best way about Beacons is that they provide just enough creative control for it to cater to almost any type of creator — podcasters, business coaches, video creators, gamers, fashion influencers, musicians, and even celebrities.
Stan Store vs. Beacons: Features
- All-in-one link page
- Customizable page themes
- Support for digital products
- Tipping and donations
- Booking services
- Marketing features and native email
How much does Beacons cost?
Beacons offers a free plan and three paid plans including Creator at $10/month, Creator Pro at $30/month, and VIP at $50/month.
But beware! Beacons’ free plan isn’t truly free. You get hit with a 9% transaction fee on every sale, and there are limits on key features. To get unlimited access and 0% transaction fees, you’ll need to upgrade.
10. Systeme.io
From the get-go Systeme.io seems like and an all-in-one platform for your online business. It’s packed with tools to build and manage your online store, marketing campaigns, sales funnels, emails, etc.
Just like Stan Store, Systeme.io also features a link-in-bio tool, letting you sell directly from Instagram. The difference is that Systeme.io allows you to expand to Facebook and Twitter too. Beyond this, it offers email marketing tools for newsletters and a sales funnel builder to boost sales with landing and upsell pages.
Perfect for beginners, it lets you create a website, add products, and start selling without spending a dime as it offers a free forever plan. In short, Systeme.io is a solid alternative to Stan Store.
Stan Store vs. Systreme.io: Features
- Link-in-bio feature
- Sales funnel builder
- All-in-one marketing platform
- Email automation
- Membership management
- Affiliate program management
- Free forever plan
How much does Systeme.io cost?
Systeme.io has several pricing plans. The Free Plan costs nothing and includes basic features. The Startup Plan is $27/month, offering more advanced features. The Webinar Plan, at $47/month, offers webinar functionality. The Enterprise Plan costs $97/month and includes the full suite of features
11. Pensight
Pensight is basically Stan Store but with a stronger focus on selling online courses and educational products.
The thing is that Pensight has been gaining traction as a creator storefront since its launch in 2019. The platform promises to help you “launch your knowledge business in minutes” by offering a link-in-bio space to sell digital products and memberships, create and market online courses, and provide coaching sessions.
It sort of delivers as promised with its native calendar feature, giving creators plenty of options for offering digital services like one-on-one coaching, live events, etc. While Stan also provides a native calendar feature, it shines primarily as a link-in-bio tool for selling digital products. Pensight, on the other hand, supports various digital services.
On the flip side, while Penstight is like a Stan Store’s twin for selling educational content, it clearly lacks eCommerce functionality when compared to platforms like Sellfy, Podia, or Kajabi.
Stan Store vs. Pensight: Features
- Native calendar feature
- Link-in-bio space
- Native online course builder
- Support for coaching sessions and digital products
- Membership management
How much does Pensight cost?
When it comes to pricing, both Pensight and Stan Store offer two tiers of paid plans for $29/month and $99/month, with 0% transaction fees. Only Pensight offers a free plan with limited monetization features.
12. Ko-fi
Out of all platforms mentioned in this list, Ko-fi is perhaps the most similar to Stan Store.
In essence, Ko-fi lets fans donate money to support their favorite creators—think of it as a virtual tip jar. Besides gathering donations, you can paywall premium content or set up a Ko-fi Shop to sell digital, physical, and subscription products from a landing page (just like Stan Store).
Setting up Ko-fi is a breeze. Just pick a username, add a photo and bio, and connect a payment source like PayPal or Stripe. In just a minute or two, your product page will be up and running.
While setting up a Ko-fi Shop allows you to start selling your work directly to your fans, the number of available eCommerce features is very limited. Storefront customization is basic, and there are hardly any built-in marketing tools to help you promote your products.
Stan Store vs. Ko-fi: Features
- Online storefront
- Free plan
- Effortless setup
- Accept tips and donations
- 0% commission from donations
- Support for digital and physical products, fundraising, and donations
- Support for memberships and exclusive content
- Instant payouts
- Shopping cart embed functionality
How much does Ko-fi cost?
Ko-fi has a free and paid plan called Ko-fi Gold (starts at $6/month). Both let you sell products, memberships, and commissions. While Ko-fi doesn’t take a cut from donations, there’s a 5% transaction fee on every item sold through your shop.
13. Etsy
Etsy might not seem like an obvious alternative to Stan Store, but it kind of is. Here’s why:
Etsy has almost no barriers to entry, and millions of people browse and shop there daily. In fact, Etsy is usually the first platform that comes to mind for selling creative work. Plus, while it’s great for physical items, you can sell digital products on Etsy too.
So, if you’re a collector, artist, or even digital creator looking for a way to sell online without having to build a social media following first, then Etsy might fit the bill. Plus, since Etsy targets sellers of handmade and vintage items, its audience is full of people looking to buy arts and crafts online.
What sets Etsy apart from Stan Store is that it’s not a fully-hosted eCommerce platform—it’s a creative marketplace. Comparing Etsy to Stan Store is like comparing an art fair to a standalone art store. You get a simple setup and a virtual shelf for your products, but you won’t find much eCommerce functionality like marketing features, store customization, or analytics. Plus, you can’t sell subscriptions, memberships, or services on Etsy.
Stan Store vs. Etsy: Features
- It’s free to start
- Easy to set up
- Supportive community
- Established reputation
- Good for exposure of your products
How much does Etsy cost?
Etsy doesn’t have a subscription fee, but there’s a 6.5% transaction fee for every item you sell as well as a $0.20 fee for every digital download listed in your store.
Choose the best Stan Store alternative for you
Choosing the best Stan Store alternative is far from being a black-and-white decision. But I sincerely hope that this article will help you make this difficult choice.
And while all platforms that made it to the list deserve to be here, Sellfy Sellfy stands out from the pack. It offers everything Stan Store does, plus a whole lot more. With Sellfy, you can create and customize a complete online store, making it a robust eCommerce solution for digital creators, influencers, artists, and beyond.
Sellfy offers a richer suite of tools compared to Stan Store. With features like email marketing, affiliate programs, and print-on-demand services, it’s designed to launch and manage an entire online business. Even the Starter plan comes with essential features like email marketing and discounts—features that Stan Store reserves for its higher-priced plans.
FAQ
What do people sell on Stan Store?
Creators are mostly using Stan Store to sell digital products and services like courses, eBooks, memberships, design assets, software, music, consulting services, printables, webinars, etc. These products help digital creators monetize their expertise and more effectively connect with their audience.
How much is Stan Store?
Stan Store offers two pricing plans: the Basic Plan at $29 per month with essential features and no transaction fees, and the Pro Plan at $99 per month with advanced features like custom branding and enhanced analytics. While robust, other platforms may offer similar features at a lower cost.
What is the difference between Stan Store and Sellfy?
Stan Store promotes itself as a platform selling digital products and memberships but limits products to 4GB each with no anti-piracy features. Sellfy, in contrast, is an all-in-one eCommerce platform, that has no product limits, supports multiple file uploads, video streaming, and subscriptions, allows 15-20GB per product, and offers various anti-piracy features.
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