Astronaut ‑ Digital downloads vs. Create & Sell Digital Products: An In-Depth Comparison

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Astronaut ‑ Digital downloads vs. Create & Sell Digital Products: At a Glance
3. Deep Dive Comparison
4. The Problem of Fragmented Digital Experiences
5. The Alternative: Unifying Commerce, Content, and Community Natively
6. Conclusion
7. FAQ

Introduction

Choosing the right infrastructure for digital commerce often determines the long-term scalability of a Shopify store. Merchants frequently find themselves at a crossroads when deciding how to deliver digital value to their customers, whether that value takes the form of a PDF guide, a high-resolution video, or a modern digital asset like an NFT. The technical requirements for these different formats vary significantly, and choosing an app that does not align with the specific product type can lead to customer frustration, security vulnerabilities, and unexpected costs.

Short answer: Astronaut ‑ Digital downloads is a specialized tool for traditional file delivery such as eBooks and videos, offering tiered storage and bandwidth plans. Create & Sell Digital Products is a niche solution focused exclusively on minting and selling NFTs on the Ethereum blockchain without requiring crypto wallets. Neither app provides a full suite for courses or community building, making them distinct from native, all-in-one platforms that unify content and commerce.

The purpose of this comparison is to examine the specific functionalities, pricing structures, and user experiences of Astronaut ‑ Digital downloads and Create & Sell Digital Products. By looking at how each app handles file security, delivery workflows, and platform integration, merchants can identify which tool fits their specific business model.

Astronaut ‑ Digital downloads vs. Create & Sell Digital Products: At a Glance

The following table provides a high-level summary of the core differences between these two digital delivery solutions.

Deep Dive Comparison

To understand which app serves a store's needs, it is necessary to look beyond the basic descriptions and analyze the operational impact of their features.

Core Workflows and Digital Delivery Mechanisms

Astronaut ‑ Digital downloads operates on a traditional software-as-a-service delivery model. When a merchant uploads a file, such as a source code zip file or an instructional video, the app stores that file and monitors the Shopify checkout for successful payments. Once a transaction is finalized, the app automatically generates a download link for the customer. This workflow is designed for high-speed access, ensuring that the customer receives their purchase the moment the payment is cleared.

The security features within Astronaut are tailored toward protecting intellectual property. The app includes advanced configurations to handle file transfers securely, which is a critical consideration for stores selling high-value assets like premium software or exclusive media content. Merchants can also customize the email templates and download pages, allowing the post-purchase experience to remain consistent with the store’s visual identity.

Create & Sell Digital Products, developed by Spocket, follows a fundamentally different logic. Instead of merely delivering a static file, it facilitates the creation of a digital asset on the blockchain. The merchant uploads an image, and the app manages the technical "minting" process. A significant advantage here is the removal of typical Web3 barriers; neither the merchant nor the buyer needs to set up a cryptocurrency wallet or purchase Ethereum to complete the transaction. This "one-click" approach to NFTs is intended for mainstream brands that want to experiment with digital collectibles without the steep learning curve of blockchain technology.

Storage and Bandwidth Management

The pricing and performance of Astronaut are heavily tied to data consumption. The app offers several tiers that dictate how much content a merchant can store and how much data their customers can download each month.

• The Free plan provides a starting point with 50 MB of storage and 10 GB of monthly bandwidth.
• The Basic plan, priced at $9.99 per month, increases storage to 10 GB and bandwidth to 20 GB.
• The Gold plan at $25.99 per month offers 50 GB of storage and 70 GB of bandwidth.
• The Diamond plan (listed as Diamon) at $59.99 per month allows for 250 GB of storage and 500 GB of bandwidth.

A critical detail for scaling stores is the "overage" fee structure. Astronaut charges between $0.50 and $1.00 per GB for bandwidth used above the monthly limit. For a store with a viral video or a popular eBook, these costs can accumulate quickly, making it essential for merchants to monitor their traffic closely.

In contrast, Create & Sell Digital Products does not specify storage or bandwidth limits in the same way. Since the final product is an NFT residing on a blockchain, the "delivery" is a transfer of ownership rather than a repeated file download from a central server. This bypasses the bandwidth concerns typical of media-heavy stores but introduces other considerations, such as the gas fees or minting costs associated with the Ethereum network, though the app description emphasizes "zero upfront costs."

Customization and Brand Consistency

For any digital product, the hand-off from the checkout page to the content itself is a high-friction moment. Astronaut ‑ Digital downloads attempts to mitigate this by allowing customization of the download pages. This is vital because a generic, unbranded download link can often look suspicious to customers, leading to increased support tickets from buyers who are hesitant to click the link.

Create & Sell Digital Products focuses its customization on the storefront representation of the NFT. By enabling merchants to publish images as NFTs directly in their storefronts, the app helps maintain a professional appearance. However, because the actual fulfillment involves the Ethereum blockchain, there is a degree of external platform interaction that is unavoidable. This can sometimes lead to a disjointed experience where the customer buys on Shopify but must interact with blockchain explorers or third-party tools to "view" their asset after the minting is approved.

Target Audiences and Use Cases

Astronaut ‑ Digital downloads is clearly positioned for the "creator economy" merchants who deal in traditional digital goods. This includes:

• Software developers selling source code.
• Photographers selling high-resolution image packs.
• Musicians selling albums or sample packs.
• Educators selling simple PDF workbooks.

The app's focus is on reliability and security for these specific file types. It is a "set it and forget it" tool for merchants who want automated delivery without complex bells and whistles.

Create & Sell Digital Products is targeted at a much narrower niche: the "Web3 curious" merchant. It is ideal for brands that want to:

• Launch a limited edition digital collectible.
• Offer NFTs as a digital "twin" to a physical product.
• Test the NFT market without investing in custom smart contract development.

Because this app handles the minting process, it removes the need for the merchant to understand the intricacies of the Ethereum blockchain, making it an entry-level tool for a highly technical field.

The Problem of Fragmented Digital Experiences

While both Astronaut and Create & Sell solve specific technical problems, they both contribute to what many growth strategists call "platform fragmentation." When a merchant uses multiple specialized apps to deliver different types of value—one for files, one for NFTs, and perhaps another for a community or a course—the customer experience often suffers.

Fragmentation usually results in a "duct-taped" system. A customer might have one login for the store's physical products, another link in their email for an eBook (from Astronaut), and a third set of instructions for a digital asset. This creates technical overhead for the merchant and support friction for the customer. Furthermore, if a merchant wants to bundle a physical product with a digital course, these specialized delivery apps often lack the deep integration required to provide a unified experience.

Moving Toward a Native Solution

The alternative to using fragmented apps is to adopt a platform that lives entirely within the Shopify ecosystem. This approach keeps the customer "at home" on the merchant's domain, using the same Shopify account they used for their purchase. This is particularly important for merchants who want to scale their revenue through memberships, communities, or structured learning environments.

A native platform eliminates the need for external logins and ensures that all customer data—from purchase history to course progress—remains in one place. This unity is what allows brands to effectively all the key features for courses and communities without needing to jump between different dashboards.

When digital products are treated as a core part of the store rather than an "add-on" handled by an external delivery service, the conversion rates tend to improve. This is because the barrier between the sale and the consumption of the content is virtually non-existent.

The Alternative: Unifying Commerce, Content, and Community Natively

For merchants who find the limitations of simple file delivery or specialized NFT minting too restrictive, Tevello offers a different philosophy. Instead of acting as a middleman that sends a link, Tevello turns the Shopify store into a destination where the content lives. This "All-in-One Native Platform" strategy solves the login issues and disjointed branding that often plague fragmented systems.

One of the primary benefits of this native approach is the ability to offer digital products that live directly alongside physical stock. For many modern brands, the future of e-commerce is hybrid. A merchant might sell a physical craft kit and want to include a series of high-quality video lessons to help the customer use it. Relying on simple download links for this would be cumbersome, but a native integration allows the customer to access those lessons immediately within their existing store account.

The impact of this integration on business health is documented across various industries. For example, some merchants have doubled its store's conversion rate by fixing a fragmented system that previously confused customers. By achieving a 100% improvement in conversion rate, these businesses prove that removing technical friction is one of the most effective ways to grow.

Scaling Without Technical Friction

As a community or course catalog grows, the administrative burden can become overwhelming if the system is not unified. This is where a unified login that reduces customer support friction becomes a competitive advantage. When customers don't have to ask for password resets or hunt for missing download emails, the merchant can focus on creating content rather than managing support tickets.

The financial benefits of this approach are also significant. By keeping customers on the site, brands can leverage upselling and bundling strategies that are difficult to execute with standalone download tools. There are strategies for selling over 4,000 digital courses natively that simply wouldn't work as effectively if the customer were sent to an external file-hosting service. One brand even showed how one brand sold $112K+ by bundling courses with their existing products, highlighting the power of a unified sales funnel.

Cost predictability is another area where native platforms often outshine tiered file-delivery apps. While apps like Astronaut might charge based on bandwidth or storage, a flat-rate model allows for better financial planning. Choosing a simple, all-in-one price for unlimited courses ensures that a surge in traffic or a viral product launch doesn't result in a massive bill for bandwidth overages. This predictable pricing without hidden transaction fees allows merchants to reinvest their profits back into their community and content production.

Building Trust Through Integration

In a market where 0-star and 1-star ratings are common for specialized apps, finding a solution with a strong track record is essential. Merchants can gain confidence by checking merchant feedback and app-store performance signals to see how other businesses have fared. By seeing how the app natively integrates with Shopify, it becomes clear that a well-supported, native app provides a level of stability that "duct-taped" solutions struggle to match.

The strategic shift to a native platform isn't just about the technology; it's about the customer's perception of the brand. When the learning or community experience is seamless, it reflects positively on the brand's professionality. This is how modern e-commerce leaders are building defensible businesses that go beyond mere physical transactions.

Conclusion

For merchants choosing between Astronaut ‑ Digital downloads and Create & Sell Digital Products, the decision comes down to the specific nature of the digital asset being sold. Astronaut is a practical, tiered solution for those who need to deliver standard files like eBooks, music, or videos with advanced security and customizable delivery pages. Create & Sell Digital Products serves a very specific niche, enabling the sale of NFTs on the Ethereum blockchain without the technical complexity of crypto wallets.

However, both apps represent a fragmented approach to digital commerce. They solve the delivery problem but do little to build a long-term relationship with the customer or increase their lifetime value. For brands that want to do more than just send a file—those that want to build a community, sell structured courses, or bundle digital value with physical goods—a native, all-in-one platform is often the better strategic choice.

By unifying content and commerce, merchants can reduce technical overhead, eliminate login friction, and create a premium experience that keeps customers on their site. This approach not only simplifies the merchant's workflow but also provides a more cohesive and trustworthy journey for the buyer. If unifying your stack is a priority, start by evaluating the long-term cost of scaling membership.

To build your community without leaving Shopify, start by reviewing the Shopify App Store listing merchants install from.

FAQ

What happens if I exceed my bandwidth limit on Astronaut?

Astronaut ‑ Digital downloads uses a tiered pricing system where each plan has a specific monthly bandwidth allowance. If your customers download more data than your plan allows, the app charges an overage fee. These fees vary by plan, ranging from $1.00 per GB on the Basic plan to $0.50 per GB on the Diamond plan. It is important to monitor your usage if you have large files or high traffic volumes to avoid unexpected costs.

Do customers need a crypto wallet to buy NFTs from Create & Sell Digital Products?

No, one of the main features of the Create & Sell Digital Products app is that it removes the need for cryptocurrency wallets for both the merchant and the customer. The app manages the minting process on the Ethereum blockchain behind the scenes, allowing customers to purchase NFTs using standard Shopify payment methods. The digital asset is then sent directly to the customer after the order is approved.

Is Astronaut ‑ Digital downloads suitable for selling online courses?

While Astronaut can deliver the video or PDF files that make up a course, it is not a Learning Management System (LMS). It does not provide structured lessons, progress tracking, quizzes, or certificates. Merchants looking for a full educational experience would need to combine Astronaut with other tools or, more ideally, move to a native platform that supports those features natively.

How does a native, all-in-one platform compare to specialized external apps?

A native platform lives entirely within the Shopify ecosystem, meaning it uses the store's existing checkout, customer accounts, and database. This eliminates the need for external logins and third-party file delivery services. Unlike specialized apps that focus only on file transfers or NFTs, a native platform can host communities, drip-feed course content, and manage memberships all in one place. This creates a more seamless customer experience and allows the merchant to manage their entire business from a single Shopify dashboard, rather than managing multiple apps with different billing cycles and support teams.