Best Online Store Software for UK Freelancers

UK freelancers sell in two very different ways, and most store software only handles one of them. A designer selling "Logo package — £450", a copywriter selling a monthly retainer, or a coach selling "3 sessions — £240" is selling digital services: a promise, a calendar slot, often a deposit and an invoice. An illustrator selling a Procreate brush pack or a consultant selling a template is selling digital products: a file delivered instantly.

The right online store software depends on which one you are — and whether you also need a proper website around it.

Quick answer: InMinutes is the best online store software for UK freelancers selling digital services. It generates your website and store together, prices in GBP, takes Stripe (1.5% + 20p on standard UK cards) or PayPal with a 0% InMinutes platform fee on Pro, and adds what services need: free booking, deposits, invoices, and recurring invoices for retainers. If you mainly sell downloadable files, Payhip is the best value with automatic delivery and UK/EU VAT handling, Gumroad and Lemon Squeezy act as merchant of record so VAT is handled for you, Shopify suits product-heavy shops, and Squarespace suits design-led portfolios.

How we ranked them

1. Payments in the UK — GBP pricing, UK card rates, Stripe and PayPal

2. Ease of setup — live in a day without a developer

3. Digital delivery — instant file delivery, or service delivery via booking and invoices

4. All-in-one website and store — an ecommerce platform that also gives you portfolio, about, and services pages, not just a checkout link

5. VAT handling — flat rate you control vs merchant of record

6. Cost — monthly fee plus per-sale fees at freelancer volumes

Comparison at a glance

1. InMinutes — best for UK freelancers selling digital services

InMinutes builds the whole freelance business site — portfolio, services, pricing, about, contact — and puts the store and booking inside it. Describe what you do and it's live the same day on your domain.

• Best for: designers, developers, copywriters, coaches, tutors, photographers, and consultants

• Digital services selling: sell packages as products in GBP, take bookings (free on every plan), take card deposits at booking, and send invoices — including recurring invoices for monthly retainers (Pro)

• Payments: Stripe or PayPal, your choice, with a 0% InMinutes platform fee on Pro; Stripe's UK rate is 1.5% + 20p for standard UK cards

• VAT: set one flat rate (e.g. "VAT 20%") if you're VAT-registered — simple for UK clients

• Price: Starter $19/month for the site; Pro $49/month ($39 annual) for store, deposits, and invoicing

• Weakness: no automatic file delivery — not for selling e-books, templates, or presets

• Choose InMinutes if: you sell your time and expertise, not files

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2. Payhip — best for digital product sales

• Best for: freelancers selling templates, e-books, courses, and memberships

• Digital delivery: instant download after purchase

• VAT: handles EU and UK VAT on digital products

• Price: Free plan with 5% per sale; Plus $29/month with 2%; Pro $99/month with 0% — processing fees extra

• Weakness: limited as a full website; services need another tool for booking

• Choose Payhip if: digital product sales are most of your income

3. Gumroad — best for selling with zero setup

• Best for: testing a first digital product this afternoon

• VAT: acts as merchant of record, handling sales tax and VAT for you

• Price: no monthly fee; 10% + 50¢ per direct sale (30% on Discover marketplace sales)

• Weakness: the most expensive per sale as you grow; a profile page, not a business website

• Choose Gumroad if: you want zero admin and accept a higher cut

4. Lemon Squeezy — best for digital products and software

• Best for: freelancers selling software, plugins, or licence-keyed products

• VAT: merchant of record — global VAT and sales tax collected and filed for you

• Price: 5% + 50¢ per transaction, no monthly fee; some payments carry extra fees

• Weakness: built for software and digital goods; now owned by Stripe, so watch for changes

• Choose Lemon Squeezy if: you sell code or licences internationally

5. Shopify — best for product-heavy UK online stores

• Best for: freelancers whose shop is really a product business (prints, merch, physical goods)

• Digital delivery: via Shopify's free Digital Downloads app

• Price: Basic £19/month annual (£25 monthly); Shopify Payments online rate 2% + 25p on Basic

• Weakness: services and booking need apps; more setup than a freelancer usually needs

• Choose Shopify if: physical products are a big part of what you sell. See InMinutes vs Shopify.

6. Squarespace — best for design-led portfolios

• Best for: photographers, designers, and artists who sell from a portfolio

• Digital delivery: yes; booking via Acuity, a separate subscription

• Price: Basic £12/month and Core £17/month on annual billing; Basic charges a 2% store fee, Core and up 0%

• Weakness: booking and invoicing cost extra; more design time

• Choose Squarespace if: the portfolio is the product. See InMinutes vs Squarespace.

How should UK freelancers handle VAT?

Under the VAT threshold, you don't charge VAT; above it, the platform type decides how much work it is. Two models:

• You are the seller (InMinutes, Shopify, Squarespace, Payhip's own checkout): you set the VAT rate and file returns. Simple for UK clients and UK services.

• Merchant of record (Gumroad, Lemon Squeezy): the platform is legally the seller, charges the correct VAT for each country, and files it — you pay a higher per-sale fee for that.

Selling digital products to EU consumers brings EU VAT rules into play quickly, which is where merchant-of-record platforms earn their fee. Selling services to UK businesses rarely needs them. Check with your accountant.

Which freelancer ecommerce tools fit which freelancer?

• Sell packages, sessions, retainers: InMinutes

• Sell templates, e-books, courses: Payhip

• Want zero admin and VAT handled: Gumroad or Lemon Squeezy

• Sell physical products too: Shopify

• Portfolio-first creative: Squarespace

The bottom line: most UK freelancers sell services, not files — and services need booking, deposits, and invoices more than a download button. That's why InMinutes ranks first among freelancer ecommerce tools: one platform for the website, the services store, and getting paid in GBP.

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Related reading

Best AI website builders for small businesses and freelancers, best online store software with invoicing for US services, website builders with no transaction fees, and how to make a booking website.