Easy Digital Downloads alternative: top 7 options (2026)

by Welly Mulia - February 10, 2026

Easy Digital Downloads is a popular WordPress plugin built to sell digital products. If you’re looking for the best Easy Digital Downloads alternative, the top options include CartMango, Payhip, Gumroad, SendOwl, ThriveCart, SamCart, and Sellfy.

When Your Selling Platform Becomes a Second Job

Before you sell anything, you need a WordPress site. That means picking a web host, setting up SSL, choosing a theme, and keeping everything updated. Security patches, plugin conflicts, core updates… the maintenance never stops.

Then there’s the feature gap. EDD’s starter plan is $99.50/yr, but most useful features sit behind higher tiers. The All Access pass runs $499.50/yr. And even then, Easy Digital Downloads doesn’t provide a built-in LMS or affiliate tracking. For those, you need to buy extensions or wire up third-party extensions from other developers. Some creators look at WooCommerce as a free and paid alternative, but that’s still WordPress, still hosting, still the same maintenance cycle.

So now you’re managing a WordPress website, updating plugins, digging through your WordPress admin when things break, and troubleshooting why your checkout stopped working after the latest update. All you wanted was to sell online. Instead you’re babysitting a tech stack.

I get the appeal of using WordPress. It’s flexible. It’s open. EDD has been a solid plugin for WordPress for over a decade. But when you add up the hours spent building your own website, managing WordPress plugins, and stitching it all together, the platform starts working against you rather than for you.

What Actually Matters When You Switch

If EDD feels like more work than it’s worth, the next step is figuring out what to look for in a replacement.

Here’s what I’d check first:

Does the platform let you keep your recurring payments if you leave? Most don’t.
Are the core features included, or do you pay extra for each one?
Is customer support run by real people who respond quickly?
Can you start selling without a developer, a WordPress site, or hours of setup?
What do you actually pay at your revenue level?

The best solution is whichever ecommerce platform matches your business needs, your ease of use priorities, and the kind of experience for your customers you want to create. A digital product store shouldn’t force you to fight the tool just to make a sale.

I compared seven alternatives against EDD on all of these points. The comparison data below comes from publicly available information, and I call out where every platform falls short.

Here’s the full breakdown.

Easy Digital Downloads Alternative: Top 7 Options

Feature	Easy Digital Downloads	CartMango	Payhip	Gumroad	SendOwl	Sellfy	ThriveCart	SamCart
Do you keep recurring payments after leaving?	✅ You retain your recurring payments	✅ You retain your recurring payments	❌ Recurring payments vanish if you leave, even with your own Stripe / PayPal connected	❌ Recurring payments vanish if you leave	❌ Recurring payments vanish if you leave, even with your own Stripe / PayPal connected	❌ Recurring payments vanish if you leave, even with your own Stripe / PayPal connected	✅ You retain your recurring payments	❌ Recurring payments vanish when you leave: Stripe fixed-term subs, all PayPal & non-Stripe subs, still gone even with your own Stripe / PayPal
Fully free? (Stripe / PayPal fees apply on every platform)	❌ Personal: $99.50/yr. Extended: $199.50/yr. Professional: $299.50/yr. All Access: $499.50/yr	✅ Yes, $0 monthly, 0% commission. Every feature included (free until 2027).	⚠️ 5% per sale (free version). $29/mo + 2% (Plus). $99/mo, 0% transaction fee (Pro).	⚠️ 10% + $0.50 per sale	⚠️ $39/mo up to $833/mo revenue. $87/mo up to $3,000/mo. $159/mo up to $8,333/mo.	⚠️ $29/mo up to $833/mo revenue. $79/mo up to $4,166/mo. $159/mo up to $16,666/mo.	❌ $495 one-time base. $295/yr for extra features. $195 for the LMS add-on.	❌ $79/mo up to $3,000/mo revenue. $219/mo up to $10,000/mo. $849/mo up to $100,000/mo.
Built-in course platform (LMS)	❌ No	❌ Planned for a future release	✅ Yes	❌ No	❌ No	❌ No	✅ Yes, for an additional $195	✅ Yes
Post-purchase funnels (upsells & downsells) after checkout	✅ Professional plan & above ($299.50 – $499.50/yr)	✅ Yes	❌ No upsell or downsell support	⚠️ Has upsells but lacks conditional downsells (can’t show a backup offer if the customer says no to the first)	⚠️ Only 1 upsell, and you can’t use order bumps at the same time. It’s one or the other. No downsells.	❌ No upsell or downsell support	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
Customer support	No live chat, but solid support. Standard help on Personal & Extended ($99.50 – $199.50/yr). Priority help on Professional & All Access ($299.50 – $499.50/yr).	Founder-run personal support, no chatbots, no live chat. Average response time is 1hr+.	Email support with mostly positive user reviews, but no live chat available.	❌ Weak support with AI chatbots. Deleted feedback posts, ignored emails (source).	⚠️ Decent service overall, no live chat. In 2025, hundreds of users pushed back after the 3x – 10x price hike. (source 1, source2)	Quick and friendly for routine issues, but no live chat. Mixed results when problems turn technical or urgent.	Many user reports of weak support & removed feedback posts in their Facebook group	$19/mo additional for live support: Mon-Fri, 9-5 CT
Buy now, pay later (BNPL) to grow your sales	✅	✅	❌ Not real BNPL: Payhip’s installment plans pay you over time, not upfront. If customers bail, you absorb the loss.	❌ Not real BNPL: Gumroad’s installment plans pay you over time, not upfront. If customers bail, you absorb the loss.	✅	⚠️ Only through PayPal Pay Later. No Klarna, Affirm, or Afterpay.	✅	✅
Order bumps to grow revenue	✅	✅	✅	✅	⚠️ Turning on order bumps turns off upsells	⚠️ Restricted to Business & Premium tiers.	✅	✅
Subscription billing (trials & setup fees)	✅	⚠️ Subscriptions only function with Stripe, not PayPal. You can’t bill through PayPal for subscriptions.	⚠️ Subscriptions only function with Stripe, not PayPal. You can’t bill through PayPal for subscriptions.	✅	✅	⚠️ No free trial or setup fee support, just standard subscriptions.	✅	✅
Flexible coupons & discount codes	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
Fast, optimized checkout for a smooth shopping experience	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
No login needed before buying (guest checkout)	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
Instant payout to your Stripe / PayPal payment gateway (no funds held)	✅	✅	✅	❌ 7-day hold minimum, but many sellers report much longer delays with no clear explanation (source)	✅	✅	✅	✅
Protected file downloads (stops shared links from working)?	✅	✅ Links are secured	✅ Links are secured	✅ Links are secured	✅ Links are secured	✅ Links are secured	❌ Your files can be pirated because download links have no protection	✅ Links are secured
App integrations	✅ Massive catalog: Stripe, PayPal, Mailchimp, Kit, ActiveCampaign, Dropbox, Amazon S3 Zapier (Extended plan $199.85/yr), Slack (Professional plan $299.50/yr)	⚠️ Few native connections, but Make.com gives access to 3,000+ apps. Current native options: Stripe, PayPal, Kit, ActiveCampaign, Beehiiv, and BirdSend, with more on the way.	✅ Connects with WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, Weebly, Shopify, Calendly, Zoom, Bookvault, AdSense, chat tools, email lists, and Zapier.	⚠️ Only Discord & Circle for built-in community or membership plugin access. Everything else requires Zapier.	✅ Works with Shopify and Square, plus direct email links to Mailchimp, Kit, and ActiveCampaign. Also ties into Zapier, Make, Pabbly, and webhooks.	⚠️ Mostly analytics & ad pixels (Google Analytics, Facebook/X ads, Google Merchant Center). Zapier fills in the gaps.	✅ Large library: top email, membership, fulfillment, analytics, webinar, and payment tools, plus Zapier for thousands more.	✅ Plugs into HighLevel, iContact, Shopify, Slack, Digital Access Pass, and more. Thousands of extra apps through Zapier.
Built-in affiliate program	❌ No	❌ In development	✅	✅	✅	⚠️ Available for an additional $295/yr	⚠️ Available for an additional $295/yr	✅
Ideal for	WordPress users who sell digital items like ebooks, software licensing tools, and templates, plus physical products like merchandise. Gives you the ability to sell digital items and physical products from one WordPress site, letting you sell both physical and digital under one roof.	Independent digital creators who don’t want their recurring revenue held captive. Fast setup, real human support, $0 platform fees (free until 2027).	Creators who want simple worldwide VAT handling and quick setup, but need to watch the per-sale fees that climb as volume grows.	Creators who want a fast, no-monthly-fee start and can accept giving up 10% of revenue along with limited funnels and customization.	Creators focused on secure digital product delivery who don’t need advanced funnels. Pricey for what you get: revenue caps, 1 upsell only, and upsells can’t run alongside order bumps.	Creators wanting a simple all-in-one shop for all types of digital products, subscriptions, and print-on-demand merch, who are fine without post-purchase upsell and downsell features.	Creators who prefer one upfront payment over monthly fees to access most features (not all), and who can tolerate unreliable support.	Well-funded creators who don’t mind paying premium prices for a wide range of features, whether or not they use all of them.
Free migration help	❌ No free migration	✅ Free migration included	❌ No free migration	❌ No free migration	❌ No free migration	⚠️ Full migration only on the priciest Premium tier. Other plans get partial migration.	❌ No free migration	❌ No free migration

These are the links for each platform: Easy Digital Downloads, CartMango, Payhip, Gumroad, SendOwl, Sellfy, ThriveCart, SamCart.

CartMango: For Sellers Who Want to Sell, Not Maintain

Full disclosure: you’re reading this on CartMango’s website. I’m the founder, so take my perspective with that context. I’ll be upfront about where CartMango falls short.

I built CartMango as an alternative to Easy Digital Downloads and platforms like it because I kept seeing creators to sell their digital products spending more time on infrastructure than on creating. CartMango is a standalone ecommerce solution. No WordPress needed. No hosting to manage. No plugins to maintain.

It’s free until 2027 with 0% platform fees and unlimited products. You keep your recurring payments if you leave. Support is founder-led (my average response time is 2 hours 16 minutes, no chatbots). If you want to sell digital creations like courses, templates, or ebooks, you can be live in minutes.

Where CartMango falls short: native integrations are still limited (Make.com fills the gap for now). The LMS is not ready yet. Affiliate management is in development. If you need those features today, other platforms on this list are a best fit right now.

CartMango allows you to sell without the overhead. If that matches what you want to sell digital, it’s worth a look.

Claim your CartMango account free →

The Other 6 Easy Digital Downloads Alternatives

Payhip

Payhip is an alternative for selling digital products online with a simple interface and built-in VAT handling. If you want to sell your digital products and host courses in one place, Payhip offers a built-in LMS that EDD doesn’t. The free plan charges 5% per sale. The pro version drops that to 0% at $99/mo.

The trade-off: recurring payments vanish if you leave. There are no upsell or downsell funnels. And you’re selling on a platform where BNPL doesn’t actually pay you upfront. For store owners who prioritize ease of setup and selling digital downloads on a budget, Payhip can work well.

This is the link for Payhip.

Gumroad

Gumroad takes 10% + $0.50 of every sale. No monthly fee, which sounds appealing at first. But that cut stacks fast. At $5,000/mo in sales, you’re handing over $550/mo to Gumroad.

The platform is ideal for selling a quick product launch. Setup takes minutes. But there’s no real customer support (just AI chatbots), payouts sit in a 7-day hold, and your recurring payments disappear if you leave. If you’re managing an online store long-term, Gumroad is not where you want to be.

This is the link for Gumroad.

SendOwl

SendOwl charges $39 to $159/mo depending on your revenue, with hard caps at each tier. In 2025, they hiked pricing plans by 3x to 10x, and hundreds of users pushed back publicly. Recurring payments are lost if you leave, even with your own Stripe or PayPal connected.

You get 1 upsell (which disables order bumps), no downsells, and no LMS. The one thing SendOwl does well is secure file delivery and digital product delivery automation. If those aspects of selling matter most and the price works for your online business, it’s an option worth checking.

This is the link for SendOwl.

ThriveCart

ThriveCart is a one-time $495 purchase with no monthly fees. That makes it one of only three platforms on this list (alongside EDD and CartMango) where you keep your recurring payments after leaving.

It’s a complete ecommerce solution for creators who want funnels, order bumps, BNPL, and sell products across multiple categories. The LMS costs an extra $195. Affiliate management is another $295/yr. ThriveCart covers a lot of ground for that upfront price.

The downsides: customer support has many negative reports (deleted feedback in their Facebook group is a common complaint), and your file downloads are not protected from piracy since shared links still work. If you sell digital goods and need funnel tools, ThriveCart handles it. Just know the support situation and piracy risk going in.

thrivecart customer support review trustpilot 1

thrivecart customer support review trustpilot 2

This is the link for ThriveCart.

SamCart

SamCart is the most feature-rich option on this list, and the most expensive. Plans start at $79/mo and run up to $849/mo at scale, all with revenue caps. Want live support? That’s $19/mo extra.

You get a built-in LMS, affiliate program, funnels, BNPL, and order bumps. Like Easy Digital Downloads, SamCart covers a wide range of features. But recurring payments are lost if you leave (including Stripe fixed-term subscriptions), and the cost climbs quickly. The paid version at higher tiers makes sense for high-revenue creators who need every feature and have the budget to match. For everyone else, it may not be the best value.

This is the link for SamCart.

Sellfy

Sellfy is a simple ecommerce store builder for creators who want to sell digital goods, subscriptions, and print-on-demand merchandise in one place. Plans run $29 to $159/mo with revenue limits.

Sellfy doesn’t offer upsells or downsells at all. Native integrations are limited (Zapier picks up the slack). And recurring payments vanish if you leave. But if you’re a beginner looking for alternatives to sell physical and digital products from a single storefront without needing advanced tools, Sellfy keeps things simple. It can turn your website into an online store quickly, which is its main appeal.

This is the link for Sellfy.

Which Easy Digital Downloads Alternative Fits Your Business?

Here are the platform’s links again: Easy Digital Downloads, CartMango, Payhip, Gumroad, SendOwl, Sellfy, ThriveCart, SamCart.

Easy Digital Downloads vs any of these best alternatives comes down to what you value most: WordPress control or standalone simplicity. The comparison table and reviews above cover every angle. Pick the one that fits what you sell, how you charge, and how much time you want to spend on the platform itself versus creating.

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