SendOwl is a hosted cart platform for selling and protecting digital files. Easy Digital Downloads is a WordPress plugin built for digital product stores. Both charge fees, but SendOwl uses monthly pricing with revenue caps while EDD charges annual rates.
When Your Customers’ Payments Aren’t Really Yours
Imagine you spend months building a base of recurring customers. They pay through your own Stripe and PayPal account. The money goes straight to you. Everything feels like it is yours.
Then you try to leave SendOwl.
Your recurring customers? Gone. Every one of them. SendOwl manages the billing cycle on their side, so when you cancel your account, those recurring payments stop. It does not matter that the money went through your Stripe. The billing relationship lives inside SendOwl’s system, and it dies when you leave.
This is the part most people miss when comparing SendOwl vs Easy Digital Downloads. Easy Digital Downloads does not have this problem. If you leave EDD, your recurring customers stay connected to your payment processor. You keep what you built.
That difference changes everything. You are not just picking a checkout tool or a cart system. You are deciding who controls the revenue you worked to create.
If you sell courses or any digital product with monthly payments, this is the first thing to check before committing to any e-commerce platform.
What to Look for Before You Pick a Cart
Before you commit to any cart, here is what I would check:
- No recurring payment hostage. If you leave, do you keep your recurring customers? Non-negotiable.
- Protected download links. If a customer shares your file download URL, can anyone use it? Or does it expire?
- Responsive, human support. When something breaks during a launch, can you reach a real person? Check the support options before signing up.
- Transparent pricing. No surprise rate hikes. No revenue caps that push you into higher tiers.
That is the checklist I used when building CartMango (full disclosure: this post is published by CartMango, and I include our limitations alongside the comparison). CartMango has no subscription hostage, built-in download protection, founder-led support with a 2 hour 16 minute average response time, and zero platform fees through 2027.
SendOwl fails on points 1 and 4. Easy Digital Downloads passes most of these, but it requires self-hosted WordPress, which adds its own complexity to the customer experience.
SendOwl vs Easy Digital Downloads vs CartMango
| Feature | SendOwl | Easy Digital Downloads | CartMango |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your recurring payments gone if you leave the platform? | ❌ Recurring payments disappear if you leave, even when connected to your own Stripe / PayPal | ✅ You keep your recurring payments | ✅ You keep your recurring payments |
| TOTALLY free? (note: Stripe / PayPal fees are standard across all cart platforms) | ❌ $39/mo for up to $833/mo revenue $87/mo for up to $3,000/mo revenue $159/mo for up to $8,333/mo revenue | ❌ Personal: $99.50/yr Extended: $199.50/yr Professional: $299.50/yr All Access: $499.50/yr | ✅ Yes, zero monthly fees, 0% commission. Every feature included (free until 2027). |
| Learning management system (LMS) | ❌ No | ❌ No | ❌ On the roadmap |
| Funnels (upsells & downsells) AFTER customers paid for the main product | ⚠️ Limited to 1 upsell, and order bumps cannot run at the same time. You pick one or the other. No downsells. | ✅ Professional plan & above ($299.50 – $499.50/yr) | ✅ Yes |
| Customer support | ⚠️ Mostly good service, no live chat. In 2025, hundreds of customers pushed back against 3x to 10x price increases. (source 1, source 2) | No live chat, but solid support. Standard on Personal & Extended plans ($99.50 – $199.50/yr). Premium on Professional & AI Access plans ($299.50 – $499.50/yr). | Founder-led personal support, no chatbots, no live chat. Average response time is 2hr+. |
| Buy now, pay later (BNPL) for your customers (boost your sales) | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Order bumps to boost sales | ⚠️ Turning on order bumps disables upsells | ✅ | ✅ |
| Subscriptions (trials & setup fees included) | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Flexible coupons & discounts | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Fast & smooth checkouts | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Customers do NOT need to log in before buying (quick checkout) | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Direct, instant payout to your Stripe / PayPal (no withholding payments) | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| If download links are shared by rogue customers, will they work? | ✅ Links are protected | ✅ Links are protected | ✅ Links are protected |
| Integrations | ✅ Connects with Shopify and Square, plus direct email connections to Mailchimp, Kit, and ActiveCampaign. Also works with Zapier, Make, Pabbly, and webhooks. | ✅ Wide range of connections: Stripe, PayPal, Mailchimp, Kit, ActiveCampaign, Dropbox, Amazon S3, Zapier (Extended plan $199.95/yr). Slack (Professional plan $299.50/yr). | ⚠️ Fewer native connections for now, but Make.com gives you access to 3,000+ apps. Current native connections: Stripe, PayPal, Kit, ActiveCampaign, Beehiiv, and BirdSend, with more coming soon. |
| Affiliate management | ✅ | ❌ No | ❌ Coming soon |
| Best for | Creators who prioritize digital file protection and do not need advanced funnels. Expensive for what you get (revenue limits, only 1 upsell, upsells cannot work alongside order bumps). | WordPress users who sell digital products like ebooks and software, and who also want to offer physical merchandise. | Solo digital creators who refuse to let their recurring revenue be held hostage, plus instant setup, human support, and 0 platform fees (free until 2027). |
| Free migration | ❌ No free migration | ❌ No free migration | ✅ Free migration included |
These are the links for each platform: SendOwl, Easy Digital Downloads, CartMango.
CartMango Is Not for Everyone. And That’s Fine.
CartMango is built for one type of seller. If you want to sell your digital products on your own terms, with full control over recurring revenue, this is the platform.
If you are a solo creator, coach, or consultant selling ebooks, courses, or templates, CartMango covers the entire sales process. You get funnels with upsells and order bumps working together, protected downloads, subscriptions, and direct payouts to Stripe or PayPal.
What CartMango does not have right now:
- No learning management system (yet, it is on the roadmap)
- Native connections are still growing (Stripe, PayPal, Kit, ActiveCampaign, Beehiiv, BirdSend, plus Make.com for 3,000+ apps)
- No affiliate management for now (coming soon)
If you need a full LMS, a huge app library, or an affiliate program today, CartMango is not there yet.
But if your priority is zero monthly fees, no revenue hostage, and real human support, CartMango is available for free through 2027. No commission. No revenue caps. You can set up your storefront and start selling your first ebook or course within minutes.
SendOwl: The Hosted Cart for Digital File Protection
SendOwl is a hosted platform for selling and distributing your digital products. You do not need WordPress or any CMS. SendOwl provides a standalone cart that embeds on your website, Shopify store, or social media.
What SendOwl offers
- PDF stamping to protect your digital files from piracy
- Drip content for courses and memberships
- Affiliate management (built-in)
- Discount codes and flexible coupons
- Download limits with settings for expiration and maximum uses
- Link expiration on every file download
- Connects with Shopify, Square, Mailchimp, Kit, ActiveCampaign, Zapier, Make, and Pabbly
SendOwl handles digital delivery for multiple products and types of digital goods. The pdf stamping feature is unique in this comparison, and SendOwl excels at protecting files from unauthorized sharing.
SendOwl pricing
$39/mo for up to $833/mo in revenue. $87/mo for up to $3,000/mo. $159/mo for up to $8,333/mo. Beyond that, you need a custom Business plan starting at $299/mo.
Every plan has a revenue cap. When you outgrow a tier, SendOwl forces you into the next one.
The limitations
The biggest problem: if you leave, you lose all your recurring customers. SendOwl also raised prices 3x to 10x in 2025, angering hundreds of users. Funnels are limited to one upsell. You cannot run upsells and order bumps at the same time.
No LMS. No live chat.
Best for
Creators like SendOwl when they care about PDF protection for digital files and do not need advanced funnels. SendOwl delivers on file security. But revenue caps and recurring payment lock-in could be a problem.
This is the link for SendOwl.
Easy Digital Downloads: The WordPress Plugin for Digital Sellers
Easy Digital Downloads is a WordPress ecommerce plugin that turns any WordPress site into an online store for digital products. If you are already running WordPress, EDD plugs right in without needing a separate hosted platform.
What Easy Digital Downloads offers
- Sell digital products like ebooks, software, music, and templates
- A shopping cart system with add to cart buttons on your product pages
- Subscriptions with free trial support
- Order bumps and upsells (Professional plan and above)
- Flexible coupons and discount codes
- Software licensing for plugin and theme developers
Easy Digital Downloads provides the ability to sell physical and digital products from the same store. This is unusual for a plugin focused on digital sellers. The level of customization is strong too, since everything runs on WordPress.
Easy Digital Downloads pricing
EDD offers a free core plugin. It is free to download from WordPress.org. The paid plans:
- Personal: $99.50/yr
- Extended: $199.50/yr
- Professional: $299.50/yr
- All Access: $499.50/yr
The free version covers basics. Most useful features (subscriptions, advanced reporting, third-party extensions and plugins) need a paid plan. Renewal prices roughly double after the first year.
The limitations
EDD requires WordPress. That means self-hosting, updates, security patches, and managing your own server. If you are not on WordPress already, this is a major commitment.
No affiliate management. No LMS. No live chat. The admin interface feels dated, and larger stores can slow down.
Best for
WooCommerce and Easy Digital Downloads both run on WordPress, but EDD is purpose-built for digital sellers. If you want to customize your digital file delivery and already have a WordPress site, EDD is worth a look.
This is the link for Easy Digital Downloads.
Pricing Simulation
Here is what you would pay on each platform at different revenue levels. All costs include Stripe/PayPal processing fees (2.9% + $0.30 per transaction), the standard payment gateway rate. I am assuming a $50 average order value. Both SendOwl and Easy Digital Downloads charge ongoing fees, so payment gateway integrations cost the same across all three platforms.
| Monthly Revenue | SendOwl Cost (per month) | Easy Digital Downloads Cost (per month) | CartMango Cost (per month) | CartMango Savings vs SendOwl (per year) | CartMango Savings vs Easy Digital Downloads (per year) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,000 (20 orders) | $87 platform + $35 processing = $122 | $8.29 platform + $35 processing = $43.29 | $0 platform + $35 processing = $35 | $1,044/yr | $99.50/yr |
| $5,000 (100 orders) | $159 platform + $175 processing = $334 | $8.29 platform + $175 processing = $183.29 | $0 platform + $175 processing = $175 | $1,908/yr | $99.50/yr |
| $10,000 (200 orders) | $299 platform + $350 processing = $649 | $8.29 platform + $350 processing = $358.29 | $0 platform + $350 processing = $350 | $3,588/yr | $99.50/yr |
| $50,000 (1000 orders) | $299+ platform + $1,750 processing = $2,049+ | $8.29 platform + $1,750 processing = $1,758.29 | $0 platform + $1,750 processing = $1,750 | $3,588+/yr | $99.50/yr |
SendOwl costs climb as your revenue grows because every plan has a revenue cap. EDD stays flat at $99.50/yr regardless of volume. CartMango charges zero platform fees through 2027, so your only ecommerce cost is payment processing.
SendOwl’s standard plans cap out at $8,333/mo in revenue. At $10,000 and above, you need the Business plan ($299+/mo). EDD has no revenue caps on any plan.
SendOwl vs Easy Digital Downloads vs CartMango: Which Fits Your Business?
These are the links for each platform: SendOwl, Easy Digital Downloads, CartMango.
When you compare Easy Digital Downloads vs SendOwl, the pricing and features tell different stories. Here is how I would decide:
Choose SendOwl if you need strong digital file protection (pdf stamping) and already sell through Shopify or Square. SendOwl is a standalone platform that works without WordPress. The cheapest plan starts at $39/mo.
Choose Easy Digital Downloads if you already run a WordPress site and want a dedicated plugin for selling digital products online. EDD’s cheapest paid plan is $99.50/yr. There is also a free version with basic features.
Choose CartMango if you are a solo creator who wants zero monthly fees, no recurring payment hostage, and human support. CartMango is free through 2027 with no revenue caps.
The right answer depends on your product type, your comfort with WordPress, and whether recurring payment ownership matters to your business. Easy Digital Downloads and SendOwl each serve different types of sellers. Platforms like these have real trade-offs, so pick the one that matches how you actually sell.
If you want to automate your digital product sales and distribute your products without monthly fees, CartMango offers free migration from both SendOwl and Easy Digital Downloads. You can connect with marketing platforms like Mailchimp and ActiveCampaign through Make.com and start selling from your own online store.
Related Reading
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- Easy Digital Downloads vs ThriveCart: the piracy problem (2026)
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