Digital product stores

Easy Digital Downloads development for people who sell software

We set up and extend Easy Digital Downloads for plugin authors, theme shops and publishers. Licensing, subscriptions, protected files and update delivery, handled by developers who release plugins of their own.

  • Licensing and renewals
  • Plugin makers ourselves
  • Direct access to developers
Get a free quote See our work
What is included
  • Store setup
  • Software licensing
  • Recurring payments
  • Secure file delivery
  • Update delivery
  • Custom extensions and integrations
Get a free quote Reply within one business day. NDA on request.
The problem

Where digital stores lose time and money

Selling a file sounds simple until customers arrive. One wants to move a license from a staging site to production. Another renewed late and expects the discount. A third never received the download email. Your plugin needs to tell a thousand sites that a new version exists, and only the sites with a valid key should get it.

Easy Digital Downloads was written for this kind of business, and it does the job with far less baggage than a general store plugin. What it needs is careful setup and, quite often, custom work where your licensing terms or your product delivery differ from the defaults. We build and maintain our own WordPress plugins, so release days, update checks and support tickets are familiar ground. If you also ship physical goods, compare it with WooCommerce before deciding.

  • License support eats the week

    Customers hit activation limits, lose keys or cannot deactivate an old site. Without self-service tools in the account area, every one of those becomes a support ticket.

  • Renewals quietly fail

    Cards expire, renewal reminders land in spam and the subscription lapses. Revenue you had counted on disappears because nobody watches the failed-payment path.

  • Files are not really protected

    Download links get shared, or the zip sits in a public folder. Paying customers and everyone else end up with the same access to your product.

  • Updates do not reach customer sites

    A new version is uploaded but sites never show the update notice, or expired licenses keep receiving packages. The updater inside your plugin and the store disagree.

What we do

What we do with Easy Digital Downloads

From the first product page to the update server your customers never see, we handle the whole digital sales chain.

Store setup

Downloads, variable price options, bundles, discount codes, taxes and a checkout reduced to what a digital buyer needs, with purchase receipts that are easy to find again.

Software licensing

License keys with activation limits, expiry, upgrades between tiers and renewal discounts, plus account screens where customers manage their own sites.

Recurring payments

Subscriptions for annual licenses and memberships, with renewal reminders, card update prompts and clear rules for what a lapsed customer can still download.

Secure file delivery

Expiring, per-customer download links, download limits and files stored outside public reach or in cloud storage, so large packages are served reliably.

Update delivery

An update endpoint and client code inside your plugin or theme, so licensed sites see new versions with changelogs in their normal updates screen.

Custom extensions and integrations

Add-ons for your own licensing rules, plus connections to email marketing, help desk, accounting and analytics tools through hooks, the REST API and webhooks.

Typical projects

Typical EDD projects

01

A plugin or theme shop

Product pages, pricing tiers by site count, license keys, annual renewals and automatic updates, set up so one developer can run sales and support.

02

Documents, courses and media

Ebooks, templates, audio or video sold as protected downloads, with bundles, coupons and a library page where customers find everything they bought.

03

Move from another store plugin

Products, customers, orders, licenses and active subscriptions transferred into Easy Digital Downloads without forcing existing customers to buy again or reset keys.

04

Custom licensing model

Rules the standard add-on does not offer, such as per-seat keys, domain-locked licenses, lifetime deals with paid upgrades or agency sub-accounts.

In depth

How selling software through EDD works

One flow from order to file to license

In Easy Digital Downloads a product is a download with one or more files and, optionally, several price options. When an order completes, the customer record is updated, download links are generated for that purchase, and extensions hang their own work on the same event: creating a license key, starting a subscription, adding a tag in your email platform. Orders and customers are kept in dedicated database tables, which keeps reporting quick as history grows. Understanding that sequence is what lets us add custom steps in the right place and keep them off the checkout request.

Licensing is a set of business rules

The Software Licensing extension gives each purchase a key with an activation limit and an expiry date. The hard questions are yours to answer. Does a local or staging site count as an activation? What does a customer keep after expiry: the installed version, or nothing? Is an upgrade from a single-site to an unlimited plan prorated? We write those answers down and configure or code them, then test with real keys on real WordPress installs. Vague rules are the main source of license support tickets.

How updates reach customer sites

Your plugin includes a small updater class. Whenever WordPress checks for updates, that class sends the license key, site URL and current version to your store. The store checks the key and answers with the latest version, a changelog and, for valid licenses, a download package. Failures are usually mundane: a version string that was not bumped, a caching layer returning an old response, or a firewall blocking the request. We test the full loop on a clean site before a release goes out, and we document the routine so your team can repeat it.

Renewals deserve their own project

Recurring revenue depends on reminder timing, card update flows and what the payment processor does with a failed charge. We map the renewal timeline, write the emails, make sure Stripe or PayPal webhooks reach the store and build a report of upcoming and failed renewals. Subscription and license status must agree, so a refunded or canceled order also ends its updates.

When custom code is the right call

Extensions cover common models. Custom work begins with things like seat-based licensing, usage reporting from customer sites, a branded customer dashboard or sync with your help desk. We write these as separate add-ons that use Easy Digital Downloads hooks and its API, the same way we approach WordPress plugin development in general.

Process

How an EDD project unfolds

  1. 1

    Product and licensing review

    We go through what you sell, your pricing tiers, license terms and current tools. You receive a written scope and a free quote.

  2. 2

    Rules on paper

    Activation limits, renewal pricing, upgrade paths and expiry behavior are documented and agreed before any setting is touched.

  3. 3

    Store and extension setup

    Easy Digital Downloads, payment processors and extensions are configured on staging, and custom add-ons are developed alongside.

  4. 4

    End-to-end trial

    We buy, activate, update, renew, upgrade and refund test products on separate WordPress installs, covering each path a customer can take.

  5. 5

    Launch and release support

    The store goes live, existing customers are migrated if needed, and we remain on call through your first product release.

Deliverables

What your digital store ends up with

  • Licensing rules documented and enforced in the store
  • Protected file delivery with expiring links
  • A tested update loop from store to customer site
  • Renewal emails and failed-payment handling in place
  • Custom add-ons with source code owned by you
FAQ

Easy Digital Downloads questions

Is Easy Digital Downloads better than WooCommerce for selling plugins?
For a store that sells only software or files, usually yes. Licensing, update delivery and download protection are designed into its extensions, and there is no shipping or stock machinery to carry. If you also sell physical products, WooCommerce may be the simpler single system.
Can you set up automatic updates for our plugin or theme?
Yes. We add the updater code to your product, configure the licensing extension on the store and test that licensed sites receive the new version and changelog while expired keys do not. We also document the release steps for your team.
Can you migrate our licenses and subscriptions from another system?
Yes. Customers, orders, license keys with their activations and active subscriptions can be moved so that existing sites keep validating. We rehearse the migration on a copy and check a sample of real keys before the switch.
How do you stop download links from being shared?
Links are generated per purchase, expire after a set time and can be limited to a number of downloads. Files are stored where they cannot be reached by direct URL. For software, the license check on updates matters more than the first download.
Can EDD handle memberships or all-access passes?
It can sell them, using recurring payments and access rules tied to an active subscription. For content-heavy membership sites with drip schedules and many levels, a dedicated plugin may fit better. Our WordPress membership sites page compares the options.
Do you build custom Easy Digital Downloads extensions?
Yes. Typical examples are custom licensing rules, checkout fields, customer dashboard pages, reporting and integrations with CRM or help desk tools. Each is a separate plugin built on documented hooks, so the store can still be updated normally.
Related

WooCommerce

SureCart

WordPress Plugin Development

WordPress Membership Sites

SaaS Product Development
Start a project

Selling software or digital files?

Tell us what you sell, how you license it and what your current setup cannot do. You will hear from a developer within one business day, with a free quote to follow.

  • Free consultation and quote
  • NDA on request
  • You own the source code
  • Reply within one business day
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