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The configured source value 7 is provenance only and must never be described as the number of platforms studied.","The finalrankingtable is the sole authority for rank, platform mentions, platform share, average rank, and best rank. Ignore any conflicting value embedded in a entity evidence bundle.","The Consensus Ranking table must contain exactly one row per finalrankingtable entity, in that order, using that exact entityname. Never split one ranked entity into two product, model, SKU, or product-line rows, and never add another ranking row for a brand already listed. Put recommended products or plans inside that entity's ranked section.","Platform mentions count only ranking-discovery mentions. Do not substitute the number of platforms that later completed a fit assessment.","Citation IDs inside each entity bundle are local to that entity. Consolidate sources by URL using the supplied source catalog.","The URLs were collected from platform responses and were not independently validated by either writer stage.","Each fitreviewurlorplaceholder is the final site-relative CMS path for that entity's review. Link the entity name to that exact path exactly once in its ranked prose section, outside tables and headings. Never replace it with a run ID, report ID, UUID, or local output path.","Use the exact entity-namespaced citation IDs from the source catalog (e.g. e1:); never transfer a citation between entities."],"methodology":{"fit_rating_contract":["strong","good","mixed","weak","uncertain"],"included_valid_platform_count":6,"maximum_finalists":10,"minimum_mentions":2,"name":"Hosting Consensus Index cross-platform AI consensus analysis","platforms_included":["deepseek","google","grok","kimi","openai","perplexity"],"platforms_queried":["openai","anthropic","deepseek","grok","perplexity","kimi","google"],"stages":["ranking_discovery","fit_assessment","normalization","editorial_synthesis"],"version":"alias-table-1"},"provenance":{"generated_at":"2026-10-03 11:43:38.771197+00","research_date":"2026-10-03","source_snapshot_sha256":"563c9605350dea998a59287f7c7349016a9d0648032dfdeb67b42ce76d6bc9cb","verification_scope":"public_verification"},"ranking":{"candidates_evaluated":20,"qualified_finalists":10,"ranking_unit":"Ecommerce platform"},"schema_version":4,"summary":"Lemon Squeezy is the consensus leader for selling digital products and downloads, named by all six platforms studied (100% share, average rank 1.83, best rank 1). 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Easy…","target_buyer":"A digital creator or software seller with no physical inventory who needs secure delivery and license management instead of shipping logistics.","topic":{"base_category":"Ecommerce Hosting and Platforms","category_criteria":["secure file delivery","license key and access management","digital fulfillment automation","fraud and chargeback protection","payment processor integration"],"geography":"United States","slug":"best-ecommerce-platform-for-selling-digital-products-and-licensed-downloads","title":"Best Ecommerce Platform for Selling Digital Products and Licensed Downloads","use_case":"selling digital products and downloads"}}