Price a digital product by starting from the market, not your gut: note the cheapest, typical and highest price of 10 to 20 comparable products, start at the typical price for individuals or higher for business buyers, and check that the price earns back your build time at a cautious sales estimate. Then check the net after platform fees and test one step up once it sells. The free calculator does the arithmetic and shows its reasoning.
To price a digital product, start from what comparable products charge, set your position by who buys it, and check that the price earns back your build time at a cautious sales estimate. For individual buyers that usually means the typical market price; for businesses, the upper half of the range. Then check what you keep after platform fees, launch, and test one step higher once it sells.
This is the step-by-step version. For the strategy behind tiers, bundles and price increases, see our digital product pricing strategy guide. To skip the arithmetic, the free Digital Product Pricing Calculator runs every step below and explains the price it gives you.
- 1Research three prices
Cheapest, typical and highest of 10 to 20 comparable products
- 2Set your floor
Build hours x your rate, spread over a cautious sales estimate
- 3Pick your position
Typical price for individuals, upper half for businesses
- 4Check the net
What the platform leaves you, and the sales your goal needs
- 5Launch, then test up
One step higher once it sells steadily
Step 1: Research three competitor prices
Search the main keyword for your product on the platform where you will sell it: Etsy for printables and templates, Gumroad or a course platform for guides and courses. Open 10 to 20 listings that a buyer would genuinely compare with yours, not every result. Write down three numbers: the cheapest, the typical price (the one you see most often) and the highest.
Those three numbers are your market. They are current and specific to your niche, which beats any generic "templates sell for $X" rule. Skip listings with very different scope, such as a 300-page bundle when you are selling a single planner, or they will stretch the range.
Step 2: Set your floor from build cost
The floor is the lowest price that earns back the time you put in. Multiply your build hours by what your time is worth, then divide by the sales you expect over the period in which you want that time back. Add platform fees on top, because the floor has to be what you keep, not what the buyer pays.
Be cautious with the sales estimate. A first product without an audience often sells slowly, and an optimistic estimate makes almost any price look fine. If you have no idea, estimate low and see whether the market price still clears the floor. It usually does for small products; it often does not for big ones.
Step 3: Pick your position in the market
Who buys it decides where you sit in the band. Individuals compare on price and see many similar listings side by side, so the typical price is the safe starting point. Businesses and freelancers usually expense the purchase and judge it on the hours it saves, so a price between typical and the top is reasonable for the same file sold to them.
- Start at the typical price
- Charm prices: $8.99, $12.99
- Win on images and clarity, not price
- Bundles raise the average order
- Start between typical and highest
- Round prices: $17, $49
- Show the time or money it saves
- Add a team or commercial-use tier
If your floor is above the market anchor, the floor wins: never price below what earns back your time. If your floor is above even the most expensive competitor, the price is not the problem. The product took too long to build for its market, so build it faster, add more to it so it competes with the top of the range, or plan for more sales through a list you own.
Step 4: Check the net and the sales your goal needs
Every platform takes a percentage plus a fixed amount per sale. On Etsy that is a $0.20 listing renewal, 6.5% and 3% + $0.25; on a direct Gumroad sale, 10% + $0.50. The fixed part hurts cheap products most, which is why a $3 printable keeps less of its price than a $15 one. Our Etsy profit margin breakdown shows the effect at five price points.
Then divide your monthly goal by what you keep per sale. That is the number of sales the goal needs, and it is the honest test of a price. If the answer is far more than your listing could plausibly sell, the fix is usually more traffic, a bundle or a second product, not a higher price on the first one.
Source: Calculated from Etsy US fees, checked October 2026
Worked examples
Here is what the calculator recommends for four hypothetical products. Competitor prices are illustrative, chosen to show how each input moves the price, not market data:
| Product | Low / typical / high | Floor | Price | Net per sale | Sales for $500 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canva template for individuals, Etsy | $4 / $9 / $25 | $2.95 | $8.99 | $7.69 | 66 |
| Same template for businesses, Etsy | $4 / $9 / $25 | $2.95 | $17 | $14.94 | 34 |
| Same, but 40 build hours and 5 sales a month | $4 / $9 / $25 | $37.33 | $37.99 | $33.93 | 15 |
| Course for freelancers, Lemon Squeezy | $29 / $79 / $199 | $28.60 | $139 | $131.55 | 12 (for $1,500) |
The same template moves from $8.99 to $17 when the buyer changes from an individual to a business. It jumps to $37.99 when the build took five times longer and the sales estimate is a third, which is a warning sign: that price sits above every competitor, so that product needs a bigger scope or a bigger audience before it can work.
Step 5: Launch, then test one step up
A price is a hypothesis. Launch at the recommendation, give it enough time and traffic to judge, then try one step up, from $8.99 to $12.99 for example, and compare revenue over the same length of time, not just the number of sales. If revenue holds or rises, keep the higher price. Avoid launching low to "get reviews": it trains buyers to expect the low price and makes the rise feel like a loss. A time-limited discount code does the same job without moving the list price.
Pricing is one lesson in a bigger skill. The Digital Products program covers choosing products with demand, building them quickly, pricing tiers and bundles, and selling through Etsy, Gumroad and your own list.
Pricing a digital product: FAQ
How do I price my first digital product?
Look up 10 to 20 comparable products where you will sell, note the cheapest, typical and highest price, and start at the typical price. Then check that this price earns back the hours you spent building it within a few months at a cautious sales estimate. If it does, launch there; if it does not, the product needs to be faster to build, bigger, or sold to more people.
What should I charge for a digital product?
Charge what comparable products charge, adjusted for who buys it. Individuals compare on price, so the typical competitor price is the safe start. Businesses and freelancers judge on time saved, so the upper half of the range is reasonable. Use the free Digital Product Pricing Calculator to combine that with your build cost and platform fees.
Is it better to price digital products low?
Usually not. A low price does not create demand that is not there, it lowers the margin on every sale, attracts discount-driven buyers and makes later price rises harder. If a listing does not sell at the typical market price, the problem is more often the product, the images or the traffic than the price.
Should I use $9.99 or $10?
For products bought by individuals, charm prices like $9.99 are the norm on marketplaces and match what buyers see around them. For business buyers, round prices like $49 read as more professional. The difference is small compared with choosing the right band, so pick the convention for your audience and move on.
How do platform fees affect my price?
Each platform takes a percentage plus a fixed amount per sale, and the fixed part hurts cheap products most. On Etsy, a $3 printable keeps about 76% after fees while a $15 one keeps about 88%. Check your net per sale before settling on a price, and bundle cheap items so you pay the fixed fees once.
When should I raise my price?
When a listing sells steadily at its current price, test one step up, such as from $9.99 to $12.99, and compare sales and revenue over the same length of time. Raise prices for new buyers first, and keep the old price for an existing bundle or email offer if you want to reward early customers.
The right price is step one. The right product is the rest.
Digital Products, included in All Access, covers choosing, building, pricing and marketing digital products, with the other three programs, live coaching and the private community in one subscription.
Get your price in two minutes, free
Enter three competitor prices, your build time and a sales estimate, and get a price with the reasoning shown. Then join the free Telegram channel to compare notes.