Easy Digital Downloads vs Leaky Paywall (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Easy Digital Downloads if

• Fits if you already run a WordPress site and want to sell files from it
• Works for plugin and theme makers who need license keys, on Professional at $599 a year

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you don't want to look after a WordPress site and its hosting, which isn't priced here
• Pricey if you budget on the first-year price, as passes renew at double, from $199 a year for Personal
• Tight if you stay on Lite or Personal: platform fees apply until Extended at $399 a year, 3% of Stripe sales on Lite
• Pricey if you want licensing, the API, a marketplace or a second site, which start on Professional at $599 a year
• Watch out: canceling a license ends support and updates, and you lose your locked-in price

Pick Leaky Paywall if

• Fits if you publish on WordPress and want a metered paywall
• Works for a small publisher that can accept a revenue share while starting

Look elsewhere if

• Not for you if you're off WordPress, as it runs only inside it
• Pricey if you earn a lot, since the free edition takes 10% of new paid subscriptions
• Watch out: recurring plans, free trials, coupons and group subscriptions are Pro
• Watch out: payments go through Stripe, and Pro prices weren't readable

Easy Digital Downloads

• It needs a WordPress site you run yourself, or a WordPress.com business plan, which allows third-party plugins.
• First-year prices are introductory: passes renew at full price, from $199 a year for Personal.
• The free version and the Personal pass do not include no-platform-fees; EDD's blog puts the free version's Stripe fee at 3%.
• Licenses renew yearly; cancelling ends support and updates, and you lose your locked-in price.

Leaky Paywall

• Prices for the paid plans could not be read: the vendor's site refused automated access, so only the free edition is listed.
• The free edition takes a 10% revenue share on new paid subscriptions; Pro reduces or removes it.
• Runs only inside WordPress, and paid subscriptions are processed through Stripe.
• Recurring subscriptions, free trials, coupons and group subscriptions are Pro features.

Easy Digital Downloads

Store on your own WordPress site

Unlimited products, a cart and checkout inside WordPress, with full ownership of your store data and Elementor checkout templates.

Payments

Stripe, PayPal and Square in the free plugin, Apple Pay listed on every paid pass, and Authorize.net and 2Checkout from Extended up.

Subscriptions and memberships

Recurring payments with free trials and setup fees on paid passes, plus content restriction for members from Extended up.

Software licensing

Issue license keys and deliver updates for plugins, themes and other software, on Professional and All Access.

Marketplace and commissions

Run a multi-vendor marketplace and pay commissions to sellers, on Professional and All Access.

Marketing tools

Discount codes, abandoned cart recovery, cross-sells and upsells, AI product recommendations and syncing with Mailchimp, ConvertKit and others.

Leaky Paywall

Metered and hard paywalls

Choose metered, hard, or dynamic and hybrid paywalls, and restrict by post, category, tag, taxonomy, post type or content block.

Registration wall

List Builder prompts anonymous readers to register or log in, and registered readers can be exported or sent through Zapier.

Subscription levels

Create free, premium, annual or VIP levels, with Stripe checkout including Apple Pay and Google Pay.

Publisher dashboard

A dashboard inside WordPress shows revenue trends, new registrations, paid subscription activity and top content.

Pro revenue tools

Pro adds recurring subscriptions, free trials, coupons, group and IP-based subscriptions, and churn risk alerts.

Extensions and integrations

The listing names more than 50 extensions, including Salesforce, HubSpot, Mailchimp, Zapier and WooCommerce.

Easy Digital Downloads

• Lite$0

  Free plugin from WordPress.org that you run on your own WordPress site. EDD adds a 3% fee to each Stripe transaction in the free version.

• Personal$199

  per year at renewal, after a first year for $99.50

  1 site, subscriptions and free trials, discount codes, EU VAT, AI recommendations and cart recovery. Platform fees are not waived on this pass.

• Extended$399

  per year at renewal, after a first year for $199.50

  1 site, no platform fees, Authorize.net and 2Checkout, multi-currency, content restriction, bundles, reviews and Zapier.

• Professional$599

  per year at renewal, after a first year for $299.50

  2 sites, adds software licensing and API, a multi-vendor marketplace with commissions, shipping, post-purchase funnels and premium support.

• All Access$999

  per year at renewal, after a first year for $499.50

  3 sites, every extension, including loyalty rewards, fraud prevention, advanced reports and bulk discount codes.

Leaky Paywall

• Free$0

  Paywalls, unlimited subscription levels and Stripe checkout, with a 10% revenue share on paid subscriptions.

Easy Digital Downloads

• Other savings

  Half price in the first year

  EDD's pricing page shows introductory first-year prices of half the regular rate, from $99.50 for Personal; renewals are at full price.

Leaky Paywall

No public discounts listed.