Benable — create shareable lists of things you recommend!
E.g., products you love, local businesses, travel recs - you can add anything to a Benable list!
Best Passive Income Tools for Creators — Affiliate Marketing, Digital Products & Business Automation (2026)
20
items The exact platforms, tools, and systems I use to earn passive income online as a solo creator — without a team, without VC funding, and without burning out. From selling digital products on Gumroad and Whop, to affiliate marketing, email automation, ...
Sections
3
Gumroad ~ Digital Product Storefront
DM ~ Automation
Email & List Building
Gumroad ~ Digital Product Storefront
Platforms and storefronts where I sell digital products, templates, and creator systems to earn passive income without running ads.
My Store For Selling Digital Products, Templates, And Creator Systems.
Gumroad ~ Digital Product Store
Affiliate Marketplace Where I Promote Digital Products And Earn Commissions.
Gumroad Discover Affiliate Program
Platform For Selling Communities, Digital Products, And Creator Memberships.
Whop ~ Creator Community & Digital Products
My Curated Affiliate Store Where I Recommend Creator Tools And Earn Commissions.
ShopMy ~ Creator Affiliate Storefront
My Curated Tool Lists For Creator Systems, Automation Tools, And Business Platforms.
Benable ~ Curated Creator Recommendations
Where supporters can tip me, buy small digital products, and support my work—simple, low-fee, creator-friendly.
Ko-fi ~ Creator Support Platform
Another tipping platform I use for one-time support and small product sales—integrates with everything.
Buy Me A Coffee ~ Tips & Support
How I receive international payments easily with low fees—essential for creators earning globally.
Wise ~ Global Payment Service
Behind-the-scenes payment processor for Gumroad, Ko-fi, and custom checkout links—powers all my earnings.
Stripe ~ Payment Processing
Affiliate program for physical products I recommend—turns everyday tool recommendations into passive commissions.
Amazon Associates ~ Affiliate Program
Backup email platform and potential paid newsletter home—building my owned audience asset here too.
Substack ~ Newsletter & Subscription Platform
Affiliate networks where I earn recurring commissions promoting no-code tools, automation platforms, and SaaS I actually use.
Impact / PartnerStack ~ SaaS Affiliate Networks
Gumroad alternative with built-in tax handling—backup storefront for digital templates and courses.
Lemon Squeezy ~ Digital Product Sales
I design every digital product, social graphic, lead magnet, and YouTube thumbnail in Canva. Free plan is powerful. Pro is worth it when you're ready to sell premium-looking products consistently.
Canva: Visual Suite for Everyone
DM ~ Automation
Automate DMs and link-in-bio workflows so your content keeps working for you around the clock — even when you're offline.
When I require Automating two-way, interactive conversations in Instagram Direct Messages, Facebook Messenger, and SMS to grow your brand i use ManyChat
ManyChat ~ DM Automation!
My all-in-one link-in-bio and creator monetization hub. Sell digital products, collect emails, and run affiliate promotions — all from one free platform.
Beacons: All-in-One Creator Platform to Monetize & Grow
Email & List Building
Build and monetize your email list with tools that help you grow subscribers, send automated sequences, and sell digital products directly to your audience.
This is my #1 recommended email platform for creators. Free up to 10,000 subscribers, built-in landing pages, automations, and a digital product store. Your email list is the only thing no algorithm can take from you.
Kit: Automated Email Marketing & Newsletter Platform (formerly ConvertKit)
Free for up to 500 subscribers. Great starting point if you're new to email marketing. Easy drag-and-drop builder, automations, and integrations with Shopify and WooCommerce. Upgrade when you're ready.
Email & SMS Marketing Platform | Mailchimp
All-in-one creator store — sell digital products, courses, coaching, and link-in-bio all in one place. Huge among creator-economy brands. Works beautifully as a Gumroad alternative with a sleek UX.
Stan - Your Creator Store
The AI research tool that replaced Google for me. Use it to research niches, validate product ideas, write outlines, and stay current on trends — without the rabbit holes. Pro plan has web browsing + AI agents built in.
Perplexity