Alternatives
Where authors sell direct, compared
The stores, delivery services and email tools authors use to sell their own books, priced and sourced next to Lanternbee. Every comparison says where the other one does better.
| Store | What it is | Price | Fee on sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lanternbee | A bookstore of your own, with editions, series, bundles and delivery. | Free, or $45 a month ($35 paid yearly) | 5% on Free, none on Author |
| Big Cartel | A small, low-cost store for artists and makers. | Gold: Free. Up to 5 productsPlatinum: $15 a month, or $12 a month paid yearly. Up to 50 productsDiamond: $30 a month, or $24 a month paid yearly. Up to 500 products | Gold: None; card fees applyPlatinum: None; card fees applyDiamond: None; card fees apply |
| BookFunnel | A delivery service for ebooks and audiobooks, built for authors. | First-Time Author: $2.50 a month. Billed $30 a year; no direct sales deliveryMid-List Author: $20 a month, or $16.67 a month paid yearly. Audiobooks are an add-on from $2 a month plus $0.04 per hour deliveredBestseller: $30 a month, or $25 a month paid yearly | First-Time Author: None; your store’s fees applyMid-List Author: None; your store’s fees applyBestseller: None; your store’s fees apply |
| Gumroad | A simple way to sell digital products, with no monthly fee. | Gumroad: Free | Gumroad: 10% + $0.50 per sale; 30% on sales through Gumroad’s Discover marketplace |
| Kit | An email tool for creators, with simple selling built in. | Free: Free. Up to 10,000 subscribersCreator: $33 a month. For 1,000 subscribers; $390 billed yearly | Free: 3.5% + 30¢ per sale, card fees includedCreator: 3.5% + 30¢ per sale, card fees included |
| Ko-fi | A tip jar, membership and small shop for creators. | Free: FreeGold: $12 a month | Free: 5% on shop sales, memberships and commissionsGold: None; payment processor fees still apply |
| Lemon Squeezy | A checkout for software and digital products that handles tax as merchant of record. | Lemon Squeezy: Free | Lemon Squeezy: 5% + 50¢ per sale; some sales outside the US cost a little more |
| Payhip | A store for digital products, with courses, memberships and physical goods too. | Free Forever: FreePlus: $29 a monthPro: $99 a month | Free Forever: 5% on each salePlus: 2% on each salePro: None |
| Podia | A home for courses, downloads, community and email. | Mover: $49 a month, or $42 a month paid yearlyShaker: $99 a month, or $84 a month paid yearly | Mover: 5% on each saleShaker: None |
| Sellfy | A store for creators selling downloads, subscriptions and merchandise. | Starter: $29 a month, or $22 a month paid yearly. Up to $10,000 in sales a yearBusiness: $79 a month, or $59 a month paid yearly. Up to $50,000 in sales a year | Starter: NoneBusiness: None |
| Shopify | A general online store builder with thousands of add-on apps. | Basic: $39 a month, or $29 a month paid yearly | Basic: 2% on each sale if you use a payment provider other than Shopify Payments; card fees apply either way |
| Squarespace | A website builder with a store built in. | Basic: $25 a month, or $19 a month paid yearlyCore: $39 a month, or $29 a month paid yearly | Basic: 7% on digital products; 2% on physical productsCore: 5% on digital products; none on physical products |
| Wix | A drag-and-drop website builder with store plans. | Core: $29 a month. Billed yearly; monthly billing is priced at checkoutBusiness: $39 a month. Billed yearly | Core: No Wix fee on store orders; Wix Payments charges 2.9% + $0.30 in the USBusiness: No Wix fee on store orders; card fees apply |
| WooCommerce | A free store plugin for WordPress websites. | WooCommerce: Free. Hosting is about $25 to $350 a month; extensions are $29 to $299 a year each | WooCommerce: None from WooCommerce; WooPayments card fees about 2.5% to 2.9% + 30¢ |
US prices, checked on November 4, 2026. Card fees apply everywhere. The sources for each figure are on that store’s page. Lanternbee is not open yet; authors join the waiting list.
Compare one by one
Lanternbee vs Big Cartel
Authors with a short list of books and art or merch, who want a small store for a low monthly price.
Lanternbee vs BookFunnel
Authors who give away reader magnets, send ARCs to a review team, run group promotions, or already have a store and need the files delivered.
Lanternbee vs Gumroad
Authors who sell now and then, want to start in minutes, and would rather pay a bigger fee per sale than any monthly bill.
Lanternbee vs Kit
Authors whose newsletter is the center of everything, who sell a few ebooks to their list.
Lanternbee vs Ko-fi
Authors with fans who already support them, who want tips and memberships with a few books on the side.
Lanternbee vs Lemon Squeezy
Authors who sell digital products worldwide and want tax off their hands, and who don’t need print or a book-shaped store.
Lanternbee vs Payhip
Authors who mostly sell ebooks and PDFs, want something simple and cheap to start, and want sales tax handled for them.
Lanternbee vs Podia
Nonfiction authors who teach: workbooks next to a course, coaching or a paid community.
Lanternbee vs Sellfy
Authors who sell digital files and want branded merchandise from the same store.
Lanternbee vs Shopify
Authors who also sell a lot of merchandise, want a specific app that only Shopify has, or have someone to set up and look after the store.
Lanternbee vs Squarespace
Authors who already have a Squarespace site and want to sell a handful of books from it, or who care most about the website’s design.
Lanternbee vs Wix
Authors who want to design every page of their website themselves and sell a few books from it.
Lanternbee vs WooCommerce
Authors who already run a WordPress site, like to tinker or have a developer, and want full control over every part of the store.
On Shopify today: how the importer moves your store.
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