Sell Online Courses on Shopify: Files, Links or an App
To sell online courses on Shopify, decide where the course lives. Short courses can be files (videos, PDFs, worksheets) delivered by Shopify’s free Digital Products app. A course hosted on Kajabi, Teachable or Thinkific can be sold on Shopify as a link, which the same app delivers after payment. And a course with lessons, progress tracking and quizzes inside your store needs a course app from the App Store. Shopify itself handles the product page, the checkout and the order; delivery is the part you choose.
Three setups
| Setup | How the student gets the course | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Files in the Digital Products app | A download link by email after purchase | A workshop recording, a template pack, a short video course | Up to 50 files and 5 GB per variant; downloads can be shared |
| Link to a course platform | A link to the course on Kajabi, Teachable, Thinkific or a supported host | Courses already built on a platform | The student signs up there too; access control is the platform’s |
| Course app inside Shopify | Lessons in a student area on your store | Multi-module courses with progress and quizzes | A monthly app fee; check what it hosts and how video is stored |
The Digital Products app is described on Shopify’s digital downloads page, read on October 23, 2026. Links are accepted only from supported providers, which the page lists: Notion, Calendly, Acuity, Kajabi, Teachable, Thinkific, Google Drive and Google Docs, Sheets and Slides, Dropbox, Canva, YouTube, Vimeo and Figma. When you sell a link, nothing is uploaded to Shopify; the content stays where it is hosted, and the student gets access through the link.
Set up with the Digital Products app
- Install the free Digital Products app and create the course as a product, with the outcome in the title (“Watercolor basics: 6 video lessons”).
- In the app, add the course to the product: upload the files, add a supported link, or both. A single product can combine them, for example a Vimeo course link plus a PDF workbook.
- Choose the delivery. By default, digital products are sent automatically with no access limit. If you set a limit, it counts per link the student receives, not per student, and all files in a variant share one count.
- Use variants for different access levels, such as “Course” and “Course + 1:1 session”, with the session as a Calendly or Acuity booking link.
- Place a test order and open every link. Shopify warns that a link to content that was moved, deleted or made private still gets sent, and opens the provider’s error page.
If you upload a replacement file with the same file name, Shopify says existing download links deliver the new version; with a different name, earlier buyers keep the old one unless you send it. For course videos on YouTube or Vimeo, set the privacy so that only people with the link can watch, and remember that anyone can share a link. Artists and makers selling downloads use the same app; see digital downloads.
Courses as subscriptions
A membership with a new lesson every month is a subscription product. Shopify’s free Shopify Subscriptions app or a third-party subscription app adds the purchase option, and recurring charges go through a supported payment gateway. Deliver each month’s lesson by link or in a course app that respects the subscription status. The apps and their costs are compared in recurring payments.
Selling to learners abroad
Markets let you show prices in local currencies and translate the course pages, so a learner in Germany sees euros and German text. Taxes are your responsibility: Shopify’s EU tax page says a business based in the EU that sells to other EU countries needs a VAT number from its local authority, that Shopify can automate charging tax but does not file or remit it, and that you should confirm rates with a tax authority or professional. Digital courses sold to consumers in another country can fall under that country’s rules, so check before you open sales there. Other store setup guides are in the running a store hub.
Frequently asked questions
Can Shopify host video courses? The Digital Products app can deliver video files you upload, within 50 files and 5 GB per variant, or links to videos on YouTube or Vimeo. For lessons inside your store with progress tracking, use a course app or link to a course platform.
Can I sell course subscriptions? You can sell a course as a subscription with Shopify Subscriptions or a third-party subscription app, charged on a schedule through a supported gateway. Deliver new content by link or in a course app.
Do I charge VAT on digital courses? That depends on where you and your students are; Shopify says a business based in an EU country needs a VAT number to sell to other EU countries, and that Shopify can calculate the tax; sellers outside the EU should check the rules for EU consumers before opening sales there. Shopify does not file VAT for you, so confirm the rules with a tax professional.