Welcome to the creator economy, which is expected to nearly double in market size by 2027 (that’s up to $480 billion, some analysts say).
Whether you’re an established content creator or you’re just starting out, there are many creator economy platforms to choose from.
In this article, we dive into the 18 best creator economy platforms that can help you turn your passion and expertise into some serious cash.
Want more tips on how to grow (and make money) as a creator? Check out The Leap’s Free Creator Resources!
18 creator economy platforms overview
- The Leap
- Gumroad
- Stan
- Beacons
- YouTube
- TikTok
- Thinkific
- Patreon
- Substack
- Buy Me a Coffee
- Ghost
- Linktree
- Linkin.bio by Later
- Feedlink
- Tap Bio
- ChatGPT
- Canva
- Google Workspace
The creator economy has grown so large that nearly one in four people are content creators. So it only makes sense that there are many creator economy platforms to choose from. But which ones are the best?
Read on for a quick overview of the top 18 creator economy platforms.
| Platform | Best for… |
| The Leap | Creating, marketing, and selling digital products |
| Gumroad | Basic digital product sales |
| Stan | 1-on-1 consultations and personal coaching services |
| Beacons | Customizable, monetized link-in-bio for social profiles |
| YouTube | Long-form video content and audience growth through subscriptions |
| TikTok | Short, trending videos to quickly build a large follower base |
| Thinkific | Creating and selling online courses with a robust learning platform |
| Patreon | Generating recurring revenue through fan memberships |
| Substack | Creating and selling newsletters |
| Buy Me a Coffee | Accepting fan donations |
| Ghost | Selling newsletters with zero transaction fees |
| Linktree | Organizing multiple links for easy access in one link in bio |
| Linkin.bio by Later | Link-in-bio tool for Instagram |
| Feedlink | Built-in domain link-in-bio tool |
| Tap Bio | Card-style layout link-in-bio tool |
| ChatGPT | Generating ideas, drafting content, and enhancing productivity |
| Canva | Creating professional designs without design expertise |
| Google Workspace | Collaborative work and document sharing |
What is the creator economy?
Essentially, the creator economy features a vast group of people who use creator economy platforms (i.e. digital platforms) to showcase their unique expertise, skills, and personalities.
Anyone — from an Instagram influencer making sponsored content, to a graphic designer selling Canva templates, or a personal trainer selling an online fitness course — can belong to the creator economy, and that’s the beauty of it.
Let’s dive into what makes the top 18 creator economy platforms tick! We’ll explain what each of the creator economy platforms cost and what types of features creator economy platforms provide.
Best all-in-one creator economy platforms
1. The Leap
The Leap is a free, all-in-one creator economy platform with an AI-powered digital product builder and link-in-bio storefront aimed at content creators and social media influencers who have knowledge they want to share (and make money from) online. Essentially, The Leap serves as a content creator’s sidekick (particularly creator educators), helping them to create and sell digital products quickly and easily.
The Leap’s digital product builder is designed to make the process of earning your first dollars as a content creator easier. It is a super user-friendly authoring tool that offers quick and intuitive digital product creation. The Leap’s link-in-bio storefront is mobile-optimized and comes with built-in email marketing automation, so you can do all your business in one place.
Content creators can use The Leap’s tool to easily build engaging products or sell their existing products to drive lead generation, earn money — or both! Thanks to The Leap’s Book My Time feature, you can even sell coaching and consulting services.
If you’re a creator looking to monetize your knowledge with digital content like guides, tutorials, or mini-courses, then chances are The Leap is the creator economy platform for you.
Want to learn more about how The Leap can help you generate passive income? Sign up for The Leap Way mini-course series!
Key features
- Mobile-optimized link-in-bio creator store
- Digital product-hosting services
- AI-powered digital product builder for mini-courses, tutorials, guides, and challenges
- Email list builder
- Pre-made email templates for setting up email flows and sending email broadcasts easily
- Book My Time native calendar booking feature for coaching and consulting services
- Audience analytics
- No listing fee or platform transaction fees
- Flexible payment options like buy now / pay later, discount/coupon codes, and one-click payments
- 200 combinations of themes, layouts, and colorways for customized storefronts
- AI assistant to generate mobile-optimized products, sales page descriptions, and more
Pricing
The Leap is 100% free!
Try The Leap free today to build your creator store and sell your digital products.
2. Gumroad
Gumroad is many creators’ go-to for selling products online directly to their audience. This easy-to-use e-commerce platform allows creators to build their online storefront (no website or domain needed) and sell virtually any kind of digital product, including ebooks, online courses, films, Notion templates, downloadable prints, music albums, and more. Just upload your product, set a price, and Gumroad will handle the rest.
Creators can also embed Gumroad’s checkout widget into their existing website. The platform also helps to enable creators to set their own currency and supports a range of payment methods.
Key features
- Online storefront builder
- Customizable storefront and checkout pages
- Subscriptions, pre-orders, and payment plans
- Content security features
- Built-in marketing and analytics tools
Pricing
Free with a 10% transaction fee per sale (plus credit card processing and PayPal fees).
3. Stan
Stan is an e-commerce platform catered specifically to creators selling digital content, courses, and coaching sessions. Stan promises to have your personalized storefront up and running in just five minutes with its easy-to-use drag-and-drop store builder. From there, simply upload your digital product, set your price, and wait for the dough to roll in.
In addition to coaching sessions, Stan allows creators to sell many kinds of digital products, including ebooks and guides, templates and tools, exclusive content, and courses. Looking to sell the latter? Stan also provides creators with an e-course builder, allowing you to create, promote, and sell your courses on one online platform.
Key features
- Drag-and-drop online storefront builder
- Built-in audience analytics
- Built-in tools creators need to help with your marketing efforts
- Online course builder
- Robust third-party app integrations
Pricing
Paid plans start at $29 per month.
3. Beacons
Developed to help creators set up high-converting landing pages, Beacons is a website creation tool that allows you to build a free two-tab website. Users can also subscribe to a paid plan chator $10 per month to access more features.
With Beacons, creators can embed other creator economy platforms into their website, whether it’s a Twitch stream, a Buy Me a Coffee link, or a virtual event promotion. The fully customizable layout lets creators build a website that shows off their work, amplifies their brand, and helps them monetize their audience.
Key features
- Easy to set up a two-tab website
- Links to other creator economy platforms
- Fully customizable layouts
Pricing
Beacons offers a free plan with 9% transaction fees on all product sales. Paid plans with zero transaction fees start at $25 per month.
Best video monetization platforms
4. YouTube
For content creators, YouTube offers a space to share your passions, talents, and unique perspectives with a global audience. Whether you’re into gaming, tutorials, vlogs, music, or DIY hacks, YouTube can host it all.
Through ads, sponsorships, and affiliate marketing, YouTube can help you turn your passion into a paycheck. As your channel grows and gains subscribers, your earnings potential increases. YouTube also provides tools like YouTube Premium, Super Chat, and channel memberships that allow fans to directly support you, giving you even more ways to monetize your content.
Key features
- Content monetization opportunities
- Analytics and insights
- Audience engagement
- Live streaming software
- Customization and branding
Pricing
YouTube is completely free to use.
Hot tip: Use The Leap’s YouTube Money Calculator to estimate your earning potential!
5. TikTok
It’s hard to exist in this world without encountering a TikTok video. The short-form video platform has become one of the top video monetization platforms for video creators to showcase themselves, and for good reason too. Literally anyone can go viral on TikTok, regardless of how many followers you start out with.
One of the most popular creator economy platforms, TikTok has become a launchpad for content creators to shine and, yes, make some serious money. Through the TikTok Creator Fund and Creativity Program, you can earn money based on video performance and views.
Brands and businesses are also eager to collaborate with TikTok influencers for sponsored content. Plus, you always have the option of using TikTok as a space to sell merch and digital products, or promote affiliate products to your engaged audience.
Key features
- Content monetization tools
- Short-form video creation
- Editing and effects tools
- Discoverability
Pricing
TikTok is completely free to use.
Wondering how much you can make on TikTok? Use The Leap’s TikTok Money Calculator to estimate your earning potential!
6. Thinkific
Creator economy platforms provide tools to monetize content like videos, so usually, social media platforms are the first to come to mind. But what about creator economy platforms that are designed specifically for monetization? Case in point: the leading platform for online course creation, Thinkific.
This all-in-one platform is designed to enable creators, educators, coaches, and infopreneurs to build their own courses and start making money from their expertise.
Thinkific tools include features to design, market, and sell your courses online, along with access to the Thinkific Studio, a community of successful course creators that you can lean on for support and advice when setting up your course academy. Thinkific creators can also use the Thinkific App Store with a wide range of product integrations to make marketing and monetizing your online course even easier.
Key features
- Multimedia capabilities (video, interactive files, externally hosted content)
- Built-in marketing and e-commerce features
- 24/7 customer care
- Mobile app
Pricing
You can get started with Thinkific for free, or sign up for a paid plan, which starts at $36 per month.
7. Instagram
You’d have to be living under a rock to not know what Instagram is. Like TikTok and YouTube, Instagram is one of the most popular creator economy platforms, thanks to its vast audience reach and potential to make some serious cash.
You can monetize your Instagram presence through various avenues including brand sponsorships, affiliate marketing, Instagram Shopping, and more.
Key features
- Content monetization opportunities
- Audience engagement
- Insights and analytics
- Instagram Shop
- Influencer partnerships
Pricing
Instagram is completely free to use.
Best subscription and membership platforms
8. Patreon
A popular membership platform for creators, Patreon helps you earn a regular monthly income from your content. Essentially, Patreon cuts out the middleman of social media, brands, or other businesses by allowing fans and supporters to become members and donate to their favorite creators. Rather than relying on brand collaborations, creators can get paid directly by their community.
Key features
- Multimedia content (video, digital downloads, etc.)
- Private discussion forums
- Creator analytics and insights
- Integrations
- Membership tiers
Pricing
It’s free to get started with Patreon, and its fees are based on three tiers that provide different levels of features, ranging from 5% to 12% monthly commission fee. Note that Patreon also charges additional processing fees for every successful payment made through the platform.
9. Substack
Substack is a platform for creating and distributing your newsletter either for free or as paid subscriptions. It helps writers and podcast creators to publish content and receive payment for their creations. It combines a blog, newsletter, and payment system in one, while also boasting video-sharing features.
Key features
- Monetization options
- Audience building
- Multimedia content (text-based, audio, video)
- Creator analytics and insights
- Mobile-friendly
Pricing
Publishing is completely free on Substack, no matter how many subscribers you have. However, Substack takes a 10% commission for every paid subscription.
10. Buy Me a Coffee
Buy Me a Coffee allows creators to create a membership, accept donations, and sell products online. One of the biggest advantages of Buy Me a Coffee is how easy it is to use — users can donate money without setting up an account or signing up for a monthly subscription.
To help creators engage with more loyal fans and earn a recurring income, Buy Me a Coffee also offers monthly membership options
Key features
- Monthly or yearly membership options
- Shopify online store integration
- Instant pay options
- One-tap payment
Pricing
Creators can set up a Buy Me a Coffee account for free and receive payments directly to their bank accounts through Stripe. There is a 5% transaction fee for every payment.
11. Ghost
Ghost is one of the simplest-to-use and singularly focused paid newsletter platforms. Similar to Substack, it was initially created for writers to share their work without relying on ad revenue streams or being curtailed by media organizations.
The main difference between Substack and Ghost is that Ghost doesn’t charge any transaction fees. Every dollar you earn using the platform is yours to keep. Ghost’s other defining feature is that it is an open-source platform. So if you know how to code, you can really make the newsletter platform work perfectly for your needs.
Key features
- Easy-to-use interface
- Open-source platform
- No transaction fees
Pricing
Ghost charges a flat monthly fee across four tiers of membership. Monthly memberships are reasonable, starting at $9 per month and going up to $199 per month.
Best link in bio tools
12. Linktree
Capitalizing on the social media bio link, Linktree helps creators build a super simplified landing page to catch users’ attention online.
This link-in-bio tool is all about making creators’ content discoverable in just a few taps, maximizing traffic and conversions. There’s no limit to how many times you link out, and Linktree even offers analytics so creators can get a sense of what content is getting the most traffic.
Key features
- Clean, simple design
- Unlimited links to content
- Free tracking and insights
Pricing
Linktree offers a free basic option. Paid plans start at $5 per month.
13. Linkin.bio by Later
Linkin.bio by Later is a robust mini web page built into your Instagram and TikTok profiles. Essentially, this link-in-bio tool helps you drive traffic from your social platforms to whatever other platform or products you’re trying to promote.
Linkin.bio is super customizable, so creators can match their link-in-bio landing page to their brand aesthetic with custom fonts, colors, and themes. Not only does Linkin.bio make your content more clickable and shoppable, it also provides pretty robust analytics to help you understand what is and isn’t working.
Key Features
- Analytics
- AI features
- Integrations
- Customizable URL
Pricing
Linkin.bio by Later offers a 14-day free trial so you can get a sense of all its features. From there, pricing tiers range from $25 to $80 per month.
14. Feedlink
Feedlink allows creators to choose from dozens of templates to create a slick, simple link-in-bio landing page. Feedlink’s built-in domain registration feature sets it apart from other link-in-bio tools, which enables it to offer free hosting and free SSL.
This bio tool also lets you send a social media email newsletter with a roundup of your latest TikTok and Instagram posts — all automated through the platform.
Key features
- Automated social media newsletter tool
- Unlimited links on free plans
- Analytics
- Instagram and TikTok integrations on paid plans
Pricing
Free plan available. Paid plan starts at $3/month.
15. Tap Bio
Tap Bio is a link-in-bio tool that allows you to create a mobile-optimized mini-site for Instagram creators and TikTok profiles.
Your Tap Bio site is organized into swipe-able “cards,” each dedicated to a specific aspect of your creator business. For example, Tap Bio offers dedicated cards for your IG and YouTube feeds, email collection, and a profile card that hosts all your social channel links in one place.
Key features
- Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube feed integration
- Email collection
- Integrations with third-party apps like Mailchimp, Zapier, and more
- “Cards” layout looks and feels like an Instagram story
Pricing
Free plan available. Paid plans are $5/month for the Silver plan and $12/month for the Gold plan, which offer advanced marketing and analytics features.
Best content creation platforms
16. ChatGPT
OpenAI’s ChatGPT took the online world by storm when it was first released, prompting many people to wonder if their jobs would be taken over by bots. While that prospect is still TBD, in the meantime, ChatGPT has become a useful idea and content creation generator tool for content creators.
Content creators benefit from using the AI-powered language model tool in many ways, including as a generator to create content and ideas, content enhancement (get ChatGPT to suggest improvements or correct grammar), automation of routine tasks, and as an alternative search engine for more efficient research.
Key features
- Large vocabulary
- Contextual understanding
- Multilingual capability
- Search content history
Pricing
ChatGPT is free to use. A paid version for $20 per month offers faster response times and access to updated AI models.
17. Canva
Canva is a user-friendly graphic design platform packed with easy-to-use tools, templates, and resources that help creators make stunning graphics, posters, logos, and social media posts like a pro. Whether you’re crafting engaging thumbnails for your YouTube videos, designing Instagram stories, or building a brand logo, Canva has got you covered.
When it comes to creator economy platforms, Canva is also a super handy. With Canva’s templates and customization options, you can quickly and easily design professional-looking ebooks, worksheets, calendars, journal pages, and other resources that resonate with your audience.
Key features
- User-friendly design tools
- Templates and elements
- Collaboration and sharing
Pricing
Canva is completely free to use, however, if you want more advanced design options, you can invest in a paid plan which starts at $12.95 per month.
18. Google Workspace
Ah, the good ’ol Google Workspace. You really can’t go wrong with this completely free cloud software. All you need is a Google account, and you’ll have unlimited access to Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Slides.
Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides allow creators to produce and share written content easily. Not only are these tools useful for planning or drafting content for your products, but they’re also great for creating digital content that you can sell. Think of an editable résumé template created with Google Docs, or a budget tracker spreadsheet created using Google Sheets.
Key features
- Real-time collaboration
- Editing history
- Commenting and suggesting
- Offline access
- Mobile app
Pricing
The Google Workspace is completely free for individual users. Google’s business plans start at $6/month.
Ready to make bank with creator economy platforms?
If your head is spinning just thinking about all the creator economy platforms out there, let us simplify things for you. The Leap is the only free all-in-one creator economy platform that helps creators easily monetize their passion and expertise.
Launched by the leading creator educator platform Thinkific, The Leap is an all-in-one creator economy platform that functions as a link-in-bio tool, an online storefront, an email marketing engine, and an easy, versatile digital product builder. If you want to create, market, and sell digital products all from one place, then The Leap is for you.
Designed with lead generation and sales in mind, The Leap implements AI to do all the brainstorming and boring admin for you so that you can focus on transforming your knowledge into marketable products (and your followers into paying customers).
Essentially, The Leap streamlines the creator journey, making it faster and easier to start earning money.
The best part about The Leap? It’s free! Try The Leap today!
Build, market, and sell digital products all in one spot with The Leap!
FAQ
What is the creator economy?
Essentially, the creator economy is all about turning your passion into a paycheck. Hence, all the creator economy platforms.
Thanks to the power and accessibility of social media and the decentralization of big media conglomerates via the internet, it’s safe to say that the creator economy is booming and here to stay. Creator economy platforms provide creators with the tools they need to thrive in a creator economy.
Can you make a living using creator economy platforms?
Times are changing, and content creators are here for it. Whether you’re looking to explore your creative side or to supplement your income, the potential to make money as a content creator is huge.
The best part about the creator economy is that anyone can become a creator within it, and anyone can benefit from creator economy platforms. You also don’t need 100,000 followers to start making money.
While several variables go into how much a content creator can make, the short answer is that with a little hard work, a lot of passion, and some patience, creator economy platforms provide creators with the potential to make a serious living.
What creator economy platforms are used?
Pretty much any social media platform you can think of is part of the creator economy platforms (i.e. Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, etc.). But it doesn’t stop there.
Essentially any platform — from video monetization to newsletter platforms — that helps creators showcase their talents, engage with their audience, and monetize their content are considered essential tools within the creator economy.
Follow The Leap on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube for more creator tool and platform reviews. We also make a newsletter.
Further reading
- What Is the Creator Economy – And Why Is It Booming?
- 15 Best Video Monetization Platforms
- 7 Top Paid Newsletter Platforms: Substack, Patreon, and More
- 11 Best Link in Bio Tools for TikTok and Instagram
- 11 Best Platforms To Sell Digital Products Online
- 20+ Best AI Content Creation Tools to up Your Game
This article was originally published January 2024 and was updated March 2025 with new information.
