Easy Digital Downloads Review – Best WordPress Plugin to Sell Digital Products?

Digital creators today have limitless opportunities to share their work with the world. Products like eBooks, stock photos, software, and music now make up a significant portion of the modern eCommerce market.

And why not? Selling online has become easier than ever!

One great solution for selling digital products is Easy Digital Downloads (EDD)! It’s a popular eCommerce WordPress plugin trusted by thousands of businesses to power their digital stores.

But is it really the best option for your digital business? With so many eCommerce solutions available, should you consider the EDD plugin?

This review will walk you through an overview of EDD, its features, use cases, pros, cons, and pricing options.

By the end, you’ll have all the information you need to make an informed decision.

So, without any further ado, let’s dive in!

A Brief Overview of Easy Digital Downloads

Easy Digital Downloads (EDD) is a widely used WordPress plugin for building eCommerce stores to sell digital products online. It has more than 50,000 active installations and an impressive 4.7 out of 5 stars rating on WordPress.org.

As the name suggests, Easy Digital Downloads is designed to offer a simple and user-friendly eCommerce platform for selling digital products. 

Start with a quick setup wizard to create your digital store, then enjoy efficient store management and secure payment options. 

All these features are tailored for an effortless experience, even if you’re a non-tech-savvy person. You can add various digital products, sell unlimited file downloads, and handle unlimited transactions seamlessly. 

Imagine you’re a newbie author who has just completed writing your very first eBook. Now, you want to sell it online and make money.

That’s where EDD emerges! With the plugin, you can easily set up your own eBook store and start selling your books online. 

Not just eBooks, you can sell subscriptions, music, or any software easily with an EDD-powered website. No need for coding!

Now, let’s explore the key features and main use cases of the Easy Digital Download (EDD) plugin in this review!

Key Features and Highlights of EDD

EDD has a wide range of features that make it competitive among the different eCommerce plugins. So, let’s explore the core features of EDD now!

1. Easy Product Management

With Easy Digital Downloads, you can effortlessly add, organize, and customize your digital downloads.

Suppose you want to sell music. You can create categories based on genres like rock, pop, jazz, rap, etc. You can also add tags to help users find what they want.

After that, you can add new songs with details like titles, detailed descriptions, pricing options, download links, music categories, and tags.

In fact, you can also configure various pricing for different product versions. For example, adding different pricing plans for different licenses of the music. This fulfills the needs of diverse customers.

What’s more? One product can have several files. Let’s say you’re selling graphic designs. So, what you can do is attach file formats like PDF, PNG, JPEG, etc., all in just a single listing. Each format can have different pricing too.

2. Seamless Customer Management

Moving forward, EDD focuses on providing seamless customer management for store owners. 

First of all, it lets you keep a detailed record of every customer. With that, you can keep track of their purchase history and contact details in a single location. That makes understanding your customers and tailoring your products easier.

On top of that, you can even control your customer records. Meaning, EDD lets you view, edit, or delete them right on the dashboard. 

Best of all, you can get insights on the customer lifetime value for boosting engagement for valuable customers.

Apart from that, EDD also includes features to increase customer engagement in your store. 

The plugin links the customer data to their respective user profiles and also provides them with the ability to view and manage their profiles. From there, customers can check their purchase history, access downloads, view order receipts, and update their profile. 

3. Order and Refund Management

Effortless management of orders and refunds is another plus point of EDD. This plugin lets you manage each part of order processing to maintain accurate records. 

Some of them include:

• Updating the order status of a product.
• Filter customers based on order date and payment mode.
• Assign role-specific tasks to digital store staff.

On top of that, EDD also brings refund management features. With that, customers can send refund requests that you can manage. Some of the features are:

• You can allow complete refunds for orders. After the refund, the changes are automatically updated in the customer records and sales statistics.
• Ability to provide a partial refund option with a custom amount. Until the full amount is refunded, it shows partial refund status.

4. Quick Discount Code Creation

EDD makes running sales campaigns a breeze. Thanks to the built-in discount code creation and management function.

Let’s say a holiday is coming soon and you want to add a sale to your digital store. Then, you can instantly create a custom discount code. 

Here are some details you can insert on your new offer:

• Add the codes to certain products or product categories.
• Mention the start and end dates for the offer duration.
• Specify the discount amount or discount percentage.
• Ensure that the deal is available once or multiple times for the same user.

That’s not all! EDD lets you add unique discount codes. And that’s to reward your most loyal customers. So, have a successful sales campaign with EDD.

5. Powerful Reporting

Moving forward, EDD includes built-in reporting tools to make sure you keep track of your business. This can be related to any aspect of your shop, including monitoring customers’ behavior and tracking product sales.

Here, you can get insights on downloads, refunds, taxes, discounts, customers, etc. Thinking about what you can understand from these insights? Find some examples:

• It lets you filter data between certain dates to analyze performance trends.
• You can filter products to recognize the best-selling products.
• Tracking refunds lets you focus more on managing your store’s profitability.

In addition, you can quickly export your store data into a CSV file. That’s how integrating with various tools and sharing insights with your staff becomes easier.

6. Themedd and Vendd Themes

EDD offers two outstanding themes for your digital shop’s design. Those WordPress themes are Themedd and Vendd.

Themedd is a modern and professional theme ideal for modern eCommerce sites. It has customizable color controls, full-width layouts, distraction-free checkout design, and literally everything that you may need for your storefront.

On the other hand, if you’re dreaming of building a fully-fledged digital marketplace, you can use Vendd instead. It’s that powerhouse theme that supports features, including vendor dashboards, member areas, checkout pages, etc.

What’s more? Vendd even supports the use of EDD’s add-ons and extensions. For example, use EDD Product Reviews to enhance your multi-vendor platform.

7. Supports Secure Payment Gateways

Secure and seamless payments are non-negotiable for online selling. Get relieved! EDD is brilliant at delivering on both fronts.

Simply put, it integrates with industry-leading gateways, including Stripe, PayPal, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. Plus, it also supports Venmo, WeChat Pay, and regional favorites like iDEAL and giropay. 

Set up any gateway you prefer and accept payments with confidence.

Guess what? The setup process is also a breeze. With a few clicks, you can connect to these payment processors. Ultimately, you can begin accepting payments and selling your digital products to the world in just a few minutes. 

Most of all, EDD highly focuses on security and flexibility. It’s built deep integration with these payment gateways, keeping the payment process within your shop and the gateway. So, each transaction becomes safe and reliable.

8. 100+ Integrations and Add-ons

EDD is a power-packed and robust digital eCommerce platform on its own. But its real strength exists in its extensive set of more than 100 integrations and add-ons.

All these extensions let you customize and scale your digital store to fulfill your distinct business requirements. So, you’ll find at least one add-on to meet your every need, including marketing, automation, payments, etc.

Here are some popular areas of integrations and add-ons of EDD:

• Payment Integrations: Stripe, PayPal Commerce Pro, Authorize.net, etc.
• Recurring Revenue: Recurring Payments, All Access Pass, etc.
• Email Marketing: Mailchimp, ConvertKit, AWeber, etc.
• Affiliate Marketing: AffiliateWP
• Marketplace Add-ons: Frontend Submissions, Commissions, etc.
• Automation Integrations: Zapier, etc.

Therefore, you can incorporate any of these add-ons and integrations as you want. They are top-notch for handling basic digital stores and complex marketplaces.

9. Additional Features

The cherry on top, there are numerous additional features of EDD listed below:

• Offers stunning WordPress blocks to enhance customer experience. For instance, the buy button, checkout, order history, receipt, etc. 
• The access control feature lets you set file download limits, and expiration times, maintaining file delivery logs of each customer to secure digital products.
• Create fully customizable email receipts showcasing your brand for consistent customer communications.
• The RESTful API lets you access sales and product data in JSON or XML formats. So, your store can have seamless integration with external apps.
• In addition, other developer-friendly features include built-in actions, filters, smart coding, etc.
• Ability to host product files through content delivery tools, such as Amazon S3, Dropbox, etc. These are some large and secure storage platforms.

These are all the core features that make EDD stand out in the digital eCommerce world.

Major EDD Use Cases

As mentioned before, EDD is a versatile platform suitable for various digital products. So, let’s discuss what types of products you can manage and sell with the plugin.

1. eBooks

Authors and publishers can use EDD to easily start selling their eBooks to their readers. Here are some of its features that you’ll definitely find helpful as an author or publisher:

• With its customizable product pages, you’ll get a professional storefront to showcase your work.
• You can use variable pricing to sell different standard and premium editions of your eBooks.
• Lets you offer discounts for bulk purchases.
• Email marketing integration can definitely help you promote new releases and keep readers engaged.

2. Software Products

Are you a developer looking for an eCommerce platform to sell and manage your software? Then, EDD is a great choice!

For example, you can sell your own WordPress plugins, themes, desktop software, or SaaS solutions with ease. 

EDD offers a powerful add-on called ‘Software Licensing’. With this, you can manage licenses and version controls for your software products. 

Simply put, it lets you provide secure license keys and automate updates. Hence, it’s a must-have function when distributing software.

In addition, you can manage recurring payments for plugin subscriptions. Ultimately, this offers a smooth experience for various customer needs.

3. Audio Files

Didn’t find any suitable eCommerce platform specialized for your audio files? Don’t worry! EDD is the life savior of musicians, podcasters, and sound designers.

It lets you sell your audio files in different file formats. Easily upload your audio files in one or more file formats and let the customers choose which one they seek. For example, MP3 and OGG file formats.

In addition, you can build detailed product pages with the description and audio previews too. Most of all, the delivery of your audio files will also be secure during the checkout because of smooth payment processing.

4. Memberships and Subscriptions

With EDD and its add-on ‘Recurring Payments,’ you can also sell memberships and subscription-based services. This powerful extension allows your EDD store to offer exclusive content, courses, or premium access.

But how to boost your membership or subscription-based products? You’ll find several customer management tools and email marketing integration add-ons. Using them, you can engage with your members based on their chosen plan.

In fact, you can build a loyal community along with your offerings by providing personalized deals.

5. PDF Documents

If EDD can handle eBooks and software, then selling and managing PDF documents is a piece of cake. So, you can distribute your guides, reports, or any printable templates quickly with this plugin.

Here are some top features that you should include on your online PDF store:

• You can create impressive product pages with preview options. That makes it easier for visitors to decide on a purchase.
• File access control lets you restrict your downloads so that only the paying customers can download the PDFs.

Also Read: How to Create an eCommerce Website Using WordPress

Pros and Cons of EDD

Now, you may be wondering if EDD has some distinct pros and cons. Let’s get down to business and find them out!

Pros of EDD

• EDD is specially designed for selling digital products. So, you’ll find features that cater to such items as eBooks, software, music, etc.
• Provides a user-friendly interface where you can easily set up and manage your digital store. No need for technical expertise.
• Integrates with global payment methods and region-specific gateways too.
• It has an extensive add-on library with 100+ integrations and extensions.
• Lets you create a distraction-free checkout experience to reduce cart abandonment.
• Offers excellent documentation, active user forums, and responsive support from the EDD team.
• There are no monthly fees for transactions. So, it’s perfect for long-term use.

Cons of EDD

• For a complex or multi-featured digital store, you may require several advanced features through the addition of premium add-ons.
• This plugin isn’t suitable for selling physical products.
• It’s beginner-friendly; however, advanced customizations and features may need technical expertise or developer support.
• You may require additional hosting such as Amazon S3 or Dropbox for heavy file downloads.

Pricing Plans of EDD: Free and Premium

Get surprised! EDD is a freemium WordPress plugin. The free plugin includes core features like the management of files, customers, orders, discounts, emails, etc. 

So, you can download the free version from WordPress.org and add it to your website. Otherwise, install it right from the WordPress dashboard.

If you want more features, then go and choose one of these premium plans:

• Personal: $199 billed annually, 1 site, smart checkout, etc.
• Extended: $399 billed annually, 1 site, sell subscriptions, and more.
• Professional: $599 billed annually, 2 sites, marketplace features, etc.
• All Access Pass: $999 billed annually, 3 sites, store management, and more.

Our Final Verdict on Easy Digital Downloads

In conclusion, Easy Digital Downloads (EDD) is a trustworthy solution for selling digital goods on your WordPress site. It’s carefully designed for that purpose only, while other plugins exist that handle both digital and physical products.

However, there are some factors people should think about before actually buying the plugin. This includes interface, features, extensions, cost, and support.

To summarize, EDD provides a user-friendly interface for managing a digital product selling life cycle. It provides the major core features for free. That includes store building and management options, and detailed reporting tools. 

Plus, its extensive add-on library makes the plugin flexible and scalable for a variety of use cases, from eBooks to memberships. And if you need any help, then check out their detailed documentation or submit a support ticket.

However, know that the advanced features may require extra add-ons or services, which can be costly for beginners. This also means some technical tasks.

There are both pros and cons. In the end, the decision to use it is all up to you. But we do recommend it. Try and see it for yourself.

So, planning to make a digital product store website? Then, EDD is a top contender for a reliable and professional eCommerce solution.