Easy Digital Downloads vs Payhip (2026): Which Pays Better?
Both are popular digital product & checkout platforms. Here is how Easy Digital Downloads and Payhip stack up on requirements, what you keep, payout terms, strengths and weaknesses, and which one we would pick.
Easy Digital Downloads
WordPress plugin for selling digital products and software licences on your own site, free core plus paid extensions from $99.50/yr.
7.6 /10
Pricing: Free plan, paid from $99/mo
Pros
- Own your store on WordPress with no per-sale revenue share to EDD
- Software licensing, recurring payments and an affiliate integration via extensions
- 14-day money-back guarantee and a free Lite core plugin to start
Cons
- You maintain the WordPress site, hosting and updates yourself
- Subscriptions, licensing and affiliates all require paid extensions; tax handling needs an add-on
Payhip
Sell downloads, courses, coaching and memberships with a free plan at 5% and paid plans at 0%.
7.8 /10
Pricing: Free plan, paid from $29/mo
Pros
- Handles EU VAT and UK VAT as merchant of record on all plans
- Courses, coaching and memberships included
Cons
- Store design is basic
- Marketing tools are thin
Easy Digital Downloads vs Payhip at a glance
| Easy Digital Downloads | Payhip | |
|---|---|---|
| Editor score | 7.6 / 10 | 7.8 / 10 |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | $99/mo | $29/mo |
| Web rank | #120k | #6.3k |
| Minimum traffic | None | None |
| Revenue share / fee | Free Lite core; paid EDD Pass from $99.50/yr intro (Personal, 1 site) up to $499.50/yr intro (All Access, 3 sites), full price $199-$999/yr; no per-sale cut, only your payment gateway's fee | 5% on the free plan, 0% on paid plans ($29+/mo) |
| Commission | – | – |
| Payout | Paid out via your connected gateway (Stripe, PayPal, etc.), not by EDD directly | Instant via PayPal / Stripe |
| Methods served | digital products, saas subscriptions | digital products, memberships subscriptions, online courses, coaching services |
| Niches accepted | General, Tech & SaaS, Finance & Insurance, Health & Supplements, Gaming & Esports, E-commerce & Retail | General, Tech & SaaS, Finance & Insurance, Health & Supplements, Gaming & Esports, E-commerce & Retail |
| Reader upvotes | 0 | 0 |
| Best for | wordpress, digital downloads, licensing | digital downloads, courses, vat |
Our pick
Payhip edges it with a score of 7.8 versus 7.6. Payhip is the better fit if you value: handles eu vat and uk vat as merchant of record on all plans, courses, coaching and memberships included. Choose Easy Digital Downloads instead if you need: own your store on wordpress with no per-sale revenue share to edd, software licensing, recurring payments and an affiliate integration via extensions.
Other digital product & checkout platforms to consider
Full ranking →Lemon Squeezy 🧰 PlatformFree
Merchant-of-record checkout for software, SaaS subscriptions and digital products, now owned by Stripe; 5% + 50c.
Gumroad 🧰 PlatformFree
The simplest way to sell digital products and memberships; merchant of record, 10% flat fee, no monthly cost.
SendOwl 🧰 PlatformPaid
Digital delivery and checkout with licence keys, drip and affiliates on a flat monthly plan.