Digitally ‑ Digital Products vs. File Vault Pro: A Comparison

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Digitally ‑ Digital Products vs. File Vault Pro: At a Glance
3. Core Functionality and Workflow Comparison
4. Content Protection and Security Features
5. Pricing Structure and Value for Money
6. Customization and Brand Consistency
7. Performance, Reliability, and Social Proof
8. Integration and Technical Fit
9. The Alternative: Unifying Commerce, Content, and Community Natively
10. Conclusion
11. FAQ

Introduction

Adding digital components to a physical product store often feels like trying to speak two different languages at once. Merchants must navigate the complexities of file hosting, delivery automation, and security, all while ensuring the customer experience remains smooth and professional. The goal is to move past simple email attachments toward a system that handles digital goods with the same reliability as physical inventory.

Short answer: Digitally ‑ Digital Products provides a feature-rich environment for merchants needing license keys and PDF stamping, while File Vault Pro offers a simpler, file-attachment focus for those prioritizing large storage volumes. Both apps provide functional delivery, though Digitally offers significantly more social proof through its established user base and reviews. Choosing between them requires balancing the need for specific security features against the desire for straightforward file management.

The purpose of this comparison is to provide an objective, feature-by-feature analysis of Digitally ‑ Digital Products and File Vault Pro. By examining their workflows, pricing structures, and technical requirements, merchants can determine which solution fits their current volume and future growth plans. This analysis focuses on practical utility, helping clarify how each tool handles the transition from a completed checkout to a successful digital delivery.

Digitally ‑ Digital Products vs. File Vault Pro: At a Glance

Core Functionality and Workflow Comparison

Understanding the internal logic of each app is the first step in deciding which tool will better serve a growing store. While both apps aim to facilitate digital sales, they approach the problem from different functional angles.

Digitally ‑ Digital Products Delivery Logic

Digitally ‑ Digital Products is built with a focus on automation and diverse digital asset types. It handles the delivery of e-books, PDFs, videos, and license keys. The workflow begins when a customer completes an order. The app can then trigger an instant delivery through the checkout page or via a customized email.

A standout feature in this app is the management of license keys and promo codes. For merchants selling software or access to external services, the ability to automate the distribution of unique codes is vital. The app allows for both manual and automatic key delivery, providing a flexible buffer for stores that might need to verify orders before releasing high-value assets. Furthermore, the inclusion of QR codes for unique access adds a layer of modern utility for brands looking to bridge the gap between digital and physical experiences.

File Vault Pro Delivery Logic

File Vault Pro presents a more streamlined, perhaps even minimalist, workflow. Its primary function is to attach any file type to any existing product or specific variant. This is particularly useful for merchants who sell "hybrid" products—physical items that come with digital manuals, bonus content, or instructional videos.

The app relies heavily on the connection between the Shopify admin and the customer's email. Once a product is imported into the app’s interface, files are attached to the relevant items. Customers receive an email with a link to access their content directly. This simplicity is its main advantage, as it avoids the complexity of setting up intricate license management systems if the merchant only needs to send a single PDF guide with every purchase.

Content Protection and Security Features

Security is often the primary concern for digital merchants. Once a file is sent, the merchant loses physical control over it, making digital rights management and download restrictions essential.

Protection Tools in Digitally ‑ Digital Products

Digitally ‑ Digital Products offers a more robust suite of security tools compared to its counterpart. One of the most critical features provided is PDF stamping. This process overlays customer-specific information, such as an email address or order number, onto the PDF pages. This discourages piracy and unauthorized sharing by making the original purchaser easily identifiable.

In addition to stamping, the app allows merchants to:

• Set specific download limits to prevent a single link from being used by dozens of people.
• Establish expiration dates for links, ensuring that access is limited to a specific window of time.
• Securely host files, reducing the risk of direct-link leaks from unsecured servers.

Protection Tools in File Vault Pro

File Vault Pro focuses on the basics of secure delivery. It provides the ability to set and reset download limits, which is the industry standard for preventing link abuse. It also features secure file storage and delivery, ensuring that files are not just sitting in a public folder.

However, the security features are less granular than those found in Digitally. There is no mention of PDF stamping or advanced watermarking in the provided data. This makes File Vault Pro a better fit for content where high-level anti-piracy measures are less of a priority than simple, reliable access.

Pricing Structure and Value for Money

The cost of digital delivery apps can scale quickly, often based on either the number of orders processed or the amount of storage space utilized. Both apps offer tiered structures, but they measure "value" in different ways.

Digitally ‑ Digital Products Tiers

Digitally ‑ Digital Products uses a four-tier pricing model that primarily scales with order volume and storage capacity:

• Free Plan: Allows for 50 orders per month and 5GB of storage. This is an excellent starting point for new stores.
• Pro Plan ($7.99/mo): Increases limits to 200 orders and 15GB of storage, while adding auto-fulfillment and email templates.
• Plus Plan ($12.99/mo): Moves to 500 orders and 300GB of storage.
• Unlimited Plan ($24.99/mo): Removes the order and storage caps entirely, though it maintains a 2GB limit per file (which can be increased upon request).

The "Unlimited" tier is particularly attractive for high-volume stores that want predictable monthly costs without worrying about overage fees during peak sales periods.

File Vault Pro Tiers

File Vault Pro also offers four tiers, but its "Pay As You Go" model and starter prices are slightly lower:

• Pay As You Go (Free to install): Offers up to 50GB of storage, but likely incurs costs or has hidden caps not fully detailed in the base description, though it emphasizes storage over order count initially.
• Starter ($4.99/mo): Includes 5GB of storage and 50 orders.
• Lite ($9/mo): Provides 25GB of storage and 200 orders.
• Growth ($19/mo): Offers 100GB of storage and 400 orders.

When comparing plan costs against total course revenue, merchants may find that File Vault Pro is slightly cheaper at the lower tiers for high-storage needs, but Digitally ‑ Digital Products provides a more scalable path for stores with high order volumes due to its truly unlimited tier.

Customization and Brand Consistency

Maintaining a brand's visual identity throughout the post-purchase journey is key to building trust. If a customer buys from a high-end store and receives a generic, unbranded email for their digital download, it creates a jarring experience.

Branded Delivery in Digitally ‑ Digital Products

Digitally ‑ Digital Products places a strong emphasis on the customer-facing experience. It allows for the customization of both the emails sent to customers and the download pages themselves. This means merchants can include their logos, brand colors, and specific messaging. By using these customization tools, the digital delivery feels like a natural extension of the Shopify store rather than a third-party handoff.

Branded Delivery in File Vault Pro

File Vault Pro offers the ability to send and resend customer emails, but the provided data does not specify the depth of the customization available for those emails. While it allows for file access permissions and email delivery, it appears to prioritize the functional aspect of getting the file to the customer over the aesthetic customization of the delivery pages. For brands where the "unboxing" of a digital product is part of the value proposition, this lack of specified customization might be a factor to consider.

Performance, Reliability, and Social Proof

When a merchant installs an app that handles the fulfillment of their orders, they are trusting that developer with their reputation. If the app fails to deliver a file, the merchant is the one who deals with the customer support tickets and potential refund requests.

User Feedback for Digitally ‑ Digital Products

Digitally ‑ Digital Products has a clear advantage in terms of established reliability. With 28 reviews and a 4.5-star rating, there is a track record of merchant success. Users generally appreciate the ease of license key management and the security provided by PDF stamping. The presence of reviews allows a merchant to check merchant feedback and app-store performance signals before committing their data to the platform.

User Feedback for File Vault Pro

File Vault Pro currently has 0 reviews and a 0-star rating. This does not necessarily mean the app is poor; it simply means it is newer or less widely adopted. For a cautious merchant, this lack of social proof represents a risk. Without user testimonials or a history of performance, it is difficult to gauge how the app handles edge cases, such as large file downloads on slow connections or high-traffic periods like Black Friday.

Integration and Technical Fit

Both apps are designed specifically for Shopify and work with standard customer accounts and the Shopify checkout. This ensures that they don't break the basic functionality of the store.

Digitally ‑ Digital Products explicitly mentions compatibility with Checkout Extensions, which is a significant benefit for stores using Shopify Plus or moving toward the newer checkout structures. It also integrates with license key systems and code delivery, making it a more "tech-heavy" solution for merchants who need their digital goods to interact with other software.

File Vault Pro keeps its technical footprint light. It focuses on attaching files to variants, which is a native-feeling way to handle digital add-ons. It doesn't claim to work with complex logic or external APIs, making it a "plug-and-play" option for merchants who want to stay within the standard Shopify framework without adding too much technical overhead.

The Alternative: Unifying Commerce, Content, and Community Natively

While apps like Digitally ‑ Digital Products and File Vault Pro serve the specific need of delivering files, many merchants eventually find themselves hitting a ceiling. This ceiling is often caused by "platform fragmentation." Fragmentation occurs when a merchant uses one app for file delivery, another for a community forum, and perhaps a third-party site like Teachable or Thinkific for courses.

This fragmented approach creates a disjointed experience where customers have to manage multiple logins and navigate away from the merchant's brand just to access what they bought. It also scatters customer data across different platforms, making it nearly impossible to get a clear picture of customer lifetime value.

Tevello addresses these issues by offering a Shopify-native platform that unifies courses, communities, and digital products. Instead of just sending a link to a file, merchants can create an immersive environment where the digital product lives directly inside the store's ecosystem. This philosophy is about keeping customers at home on the brand website rather than outsourcing the most valuable part of the customer journey to external apps.

By staying native, merchants can see significant improvements in their bottom line. For example, some brands have doubled its store's conversion rate by fixing a fragmented system. When the friction of separate logins is removed, customers are much more likely to engage with the content and, more importantly, return for future purchases. Another brand demonstrated the power of this unity by achieving a 100% improvement in conversion rate after replacing a "duct-taped" system with a unified platform.

Scaling a digital business also requires a predictable cost structure. Many external platforms charge "per user" or "per member" fees, which effectively penalizes a merchant for being successful. Tevello offers a flat-rate plan that supports unlimited members, ensuring that as the community grows, the software costs remain stable. This predictability is essential for evaluating the long-term cost of scaling membership and ensuring that profit margins aren't eroded by success.

The results of moving to a native platform are often transformative for high-volume merchants. Consider the success of brands migrating over 14,000 members and reducing support tickets. By solving login issues by moving to a native platform, these merchants reduce the administrative burden on their teams while providing a more stable home for their followers.

Furthermore, the ability to bundle digital content with physical products natively opens up massive revenue opportunities. Merchants have seen how one brand sold $112K+ by bundling courses with their existing inventory. These strategies for selling over 4,000 digital courses natively show that when the digital product feels like part of the store, rather than a separate file attachment, the perceived value increases significantly.

If unifying your stack is a priority, start by assessing app-store ratings as a trust signal.

Conclusion

For merchants choosing between Digitally ‑ Digital Products and File Vault Pro, the decision comes down to the specific requirements of the products being sold and the current stage of the business. Digitally ‑ Digital Products is the more robust choice for merchants who need advanced security features like PDF stamping and license key automation. Its established history of positive reviews makes it a reliable partner for those who are already processing a steady stream of digital orders.

File Vault Pro, on the other hand, is a viable option for merchants who need a simple way to attach large files to their products without the bells and whistles of a complex digital management system. Its "Pay As You Go" model might appeal to those just starting out, though the lack of existing reviews means merchants should proceed with a "test-and-verify" mindset.

However, as a store grows, the goal often shifts from "how do I send this file?" to "how do I build a brand around this expertise?" Simple file delivery apps are excellent tools for fulfillment, but they don't inherently increase customer engagement or lifetime value. A natively integrated platform amplifies sales by removing the barriers between the purchase and the experience. By keeping customers within the Shopify environment, merchants reduce support tickets related to login issues and create a seamless path for upselling and community building.

Choosing a platform that can grow with the brand is just as important as solving today's delivery hurdle. Whether a merchant is just starting with a single PDF or migrating over 14,000 members and reducing support tickets, the priority should be a stable, unified customer experience.

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

FAQ

Which app is better for selling software licenses?

Digitally ‑ Digital Products is significantly better for selling software licenses or any product requiring a unique code. It includes specific features for license key management, allowing for both automated and manual delivery. File Vault Pro is primarily designed for file attachments and does not have a dedicated license key distribution system in its provided feature set.

How do file size limits compare between these two apps?

Digitally ‑ Digital Products has specific file size limits that scale with the pricing plan, starting at 100MB per file on the Free plan and going up to 2GB (or more upon request) on the Unlimited plan. File Vault Pro mentions 5GB file uploads in its features, which may make it more suitable for merchants selling very large assets like high-definition video files or large software installers on a budget.

Can I protect my PDFs from being shared with these apps?

Digitally ‑ Digital Products offers PDF stamping, which is a powerful deterrent against unauthorized sharing. It puts the customer's information directly on the file. File Vault Pro allows you to set download limits, which prevents a single link from being used multiple times, but it does not modify the file itself to include purchaser details.

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

A native, all-in-one platform resides directly within the Shopify ecosystem, meaning customers use their existing Shopify accounts to access digital content. This eliminates the need for external logins and third-party hosting sites. While specialized external apps are great for one-off file deliveries, a native platform allows for deeper integration, such as bundling courses with physical goods and using Shopify Flow to automate customer journeys, leading to higher retention and lower support costs.