Table of Contents
- Introduction
- EDP ‑ Easy Digital Products vs. Astronaut ‑ Digital Downloads: At a Glance
- Deep Dive Comparison
- The Alternative: Unifying Commerce, Content, and Community Natively
- Practical Migration and Implementation Considerations
- Comparison Summary: Strengths and Weaknesses
- Conclusion
- FAQ
Introduction
Adding courses, downloadable files, or membership content to a Shopify store is straightforward—until merchants must stitch together multiple apps and external platforms. The choice of digital delivery tool affects customer experience, support load, and the ability to bundle digital content with physical products.
Short answer: EDP ‑ Easy Digital Products is a mature, feature-rich app focused on secure file delivery, license keys, and advanced delivery controls; Astronaut ‑ Digital Downloads appears aimed at simple digital-file storefronts with tiered storage and bandwidth pricing but lacks public reviews or a visible reputation. For merchants seeking a unified experience that keeps customers inside Shopify and tightly links content with commerce, a native platform like Tevello is worth evaluating as an alternative.
Purpose of this post: provide an objective, feature-by-feature comparison of EDP ‑ Easy Digital Products and Astronaut ‑ Digital Downloads so merchants can match tool capabilities to operational needs. The comparison covers core functionality, pricing and value, integrations, security and delivery, onboarding and usability, support and review signals, and recommended use cases. After the comparison, the article explains the advantages of using a natively integrated platform and introduces Tevello as a single-system alternative with real-world merchant results.
EDP ‑ Easy Digital Products vs. Astronaut ‑ Digital Downloads: At a Glance
| Aspect | EDP ‑ Easy Digital Products (Axel Hardy) | Astronaut ‑ Digital Downloads (Nx8Apps) |
|---|---|---|
| Core Function | Structured digital product delivery with license keys, PDF stamping, download limits | Basic digital file hosting and delivery with tiered storage/bandwidth |
| Best For | Merchants who need advanced controls (license keys, stamping, API), mid-to-large digital catalogs | Merchants who need a simple file-delivery solution with predictable hosting tiers |
| Rating / Reviews | 5.0 (177 reviews) | No public reviews (0) |
| Native vs External | Shopify app, integrates with checkout & customer accounts | Shopify app listing; limited public traction and fewer stated integrations |
| Storage / Bandwidth | Paid tiers: 100GB / 200GB / 500GB (plus free limited plan) | Free to paid tiers: 50 MB free; up to 250GB storage, bandwidth caps per month |
| Notable Features | License keys, PDF stamping, customizable emails, API, SMTP | Storage and bandwidth tiers, customizable email templates, security settings |
| Free Plan | Yes — 3 digital products, 100MB storage, license keys, API | Yes — 50MB storage, 10GB bandwidth/month |
| Pricing Orientation | Flat monthly tiers by storage | Monthly tiers with overage cost per GB |
Deep Dive Comparison
Feature Set
EDP ‑ Easy Digital Products: What it offers
EDP is positioned as a feature-rich digital product manager for Shopify. Its prominent capabilities include:
- Attaching files to products or variants (up to 10 files per product/variant).
- Customizable download button on the order confirmation page and hosted download pages.
- Customizable customer emails for delivering download links.
- License keys generation and management for digital goods that require activation.
- PDF stamping (adds buyer data to files), download limits, and files-by-URL.
- API access and SMTP support for custom workflows.
- Integration with Shopify checkout and customer accounts (built to work within the Shopify ecosystem).
Strengths in practice:
- Strong control layer for creators who need license enforcement, PDF watermarking, or per-user download limits.
- Useful APIs for connecting delivery events to third-party tools or internal systems.
- Clear pricing tiers based on storage, enabling planning for catalog size.
Limitations:
- Storage tiers are flat; very large catalogs may require higher-tier plans.
- Designed primarily as a delivery tool rather than a course-building or community platform—no built-in community forum, drip schedules, or quizzes.
Astronaut ‑ Digital Downloads: What it offers
Astronaut focuses on file hosting and delivery with an emphasis on simple setup:
- File uploads and attachment to products, enabling downloads after purchase.
- Basic email template customizations and download pages.
- Security settings and bandwidth management.
- Tiered plans that combine storage and monthly bandwidth allowances, plus overage pricing.
Strengths in practice:
- Straightforward plan structure that matches hosting needs to budget.
- Bandwidth caps and per-GB overage make costs predictable for stores with variable traffic.
- Good fit for stores selling a small set of large files (e.g., video masters) that require controlled delivery.
Limitations:
- No visible advanced features like license keys, PDF stamping, or an API in public descriptions.
- No public reviews or ratings to evaluate real-world reliability and support responsiveness.
- Bandwidth caps and overage fees can be a downside if content suddenly spikes in downloads (marketing events, viral posts).
Direct Feature Comparison (selected)
- License Keys: EDP supports license keys natively; Astronaut does not advertise license key functionality.
- PDF Stamping: EDP offers PDF stamping; Astronaut lists security options but not stamping.
- API Access: EDP includes API; Astronaut’s description does not list API.
- Download Limits / Throttling: EDP explicitly supports download limits; Astronaut manages bandwidth via monthly caps.
- Customizable Delivery Emails: Both apps support customizable emails.
- Files per Product/Variant: EDP documents up to 10 files per product/variant; Astronaut’s limits are not explicit publicly.
Pricing & Value
Pricing choices play a major role for merchants with many files or bandwidth-heavy digital products.
EDP Pricing Overview
EDP’s pricing model is simple: a free plan with extremely limited storage and a set of paid tiers keyed to storage:
- Free Plan: Free install; allows 3 digital products, 100MB storage, license keys, API.
- PRO 100GB: $14.99 / month — unlimited digital products, 100GB storage, license keys, API, customizable email, PDF stamping, download limits, files by URL.
- PRO 200GB: $24.99 / month — same features with 200GB storage.
- PRO 500GB: $44.99 / month — same features with 500GB storage.
Value observations:
- EDP’s storage tiers are generous for most creators at reasonable prices.
- The flat rate per month makes cost predictions straightforward when storage is the main constraint.
- Advanced features (license keys, stamping, API) are available even on the lower paid tier, delivering strong value for software sellers, authors, and professional creators.
Astronaut Pricing Overview
Astronaut’s plans focus on combined storage and monthly bandwidth limits, plus overage charges:
- Free: 50 MB storage, 10GB bandwidth per month.
- Basic: $9.99 / month — 10GB storage, 20GB bandwidth/month; $1/GB overage.
- Gold: $25.99 / month — 50GB storage, 70GB bandwidth/month; $0.75/GB overage.
- Diamond: $59.99 / month — 250GB storage, 500GB bandwidth/month; $0.50/GB overage.
Value observations:
- Lower base price at entry (Basic) than EDP’s first paid tier, but storage and bandwidth are modest.
- Predictable for low, stable traffic shops; overage fees can escalate fast during spikes.
- For large catalogs where downloads are many and regular, bandwidth-heavy plans could be expensive compared to flat-storage tiers.
Which Pricing Model Is Better?
- If the priority is predictable monthly cost tied to storage and advanced delivery features, EDP’s flat-storage tiers provide clearer budgeting and include advanced tools useful for monetization and protection.
- If the priority is paying for only what’s used with predictable bandwidth caps, Astronaut’s per-GB approach may fit some merchants, but it requires traffic forecasting and raises the risk of overage charges during promotions.
Avoiding a common pitfall: merchants must plan for spikes. Marketing campaigns, partnerships, or viral moments can elevate downloads and quickly turn a modest bandwidth plan into a larger expense. EDP’s flat-storage approach mitigates this risk where storage, not transfer volume, is the primary cost driver.
Integrations & Native Shopify Experience
Integration depth determines how smoothly digital products fit within the shopping and post-purchase flow.
EDP: Shopify-Centric Integration
EDP advertises compatibility with Shopify checkout and customer accounts and works as a Shopify app extension. Features like the download button on the order confirmation page and customizable delivery emails leverage Shopify’s native experience. API and SMTP options allow bespoke setups, but the core design keeps customers on the store for buying and downloading.
Implications:
- Easier bundling of digital products with physical inventory because customers stay in Shopify during checkout and account management.
- Fewer customer friction points from redirected authentication or separate portals.
- Better alignment with Shopify flows for automations and order triggers.
Astronaut: Integration Signals
Astronaut is listed as a Shopify app intended to attach files to products and manage downloads, but public materials show fewer declared integrations and no clear mention of deeper Shopify Flow or native checkout hooks. It is likely workable for standard delivery, but merchants should validate specifics (checkout behavior, account delivery pages, and support for Shopify’s evolving features).
Implications:
- Merchants should confirm whether Astronaut’s downloads appear on the Shopify order confirmation page and whether access is preserved in customer accounts.
- Lack of explicit integration claims means merchants may need extra testing or custom work to ensure a seamless customer experience.
Security and Delivery Reliability
Protecting digital assets and delivering files consistently matters for refunds, license enforcement, and brand trust.
EDP: Focus on Protection
EDP provides features that directly address abuse and unauthorized sharing:
- PDF stamping for visible ownership/traceability.
- Download limits to prevent bulk sharing.
- License keys for software or gated access.
- Option to deliver files via URL or attach directly to orders.
These features are meaningful for creators that sell high-value digital goods and need to enforce single-user access or trace leaks.
Astronaut: Bandwidth and Security Controls
Astronaut emphasizes security and safety in its public description, along with bandwidth controls. Its model focuses on managing access and protecting delivery, but without explicit mention of watermarking, stamping, or license key enforcement. For many merchants that need straightforward, secure delivery without anti-piracy controls, Astronaut may be adequate.
Considerations for both:
- Ask about file CDN distribution (speed and cacheability) and geographic delivery performance—important for large video downloads.
- Verify how temporary download links are generated (signed URLs), link expiration behavior, and whether email delivery includes secure links rather than direct file attachments.
Onboarding, Setup, and Usability
Time to value depends on how quickly a merchant can attach files, configure delivery, and test purchase flows.
EDP Onboarding
EDP’s user-friendly interface is emphasized: pick a product, upload files, and the download button appears on the confirmation page. Its UI appears geared toward store owners who want control without deep technical setup. For stores that require license key workflows or stamping, extra configuration is required but provided in the admin.
Pros:
- Clear flow from upload to delivery.
- Features accessible from the Shopify admin; minimal custom coding for most use cases.
- API available for custom automations if needed.
Potential friction:
- Merchants must map their product catalog if they have many variants with individual files.
- If a merchant wants learning management features (drip, lessons, quizzes), EDP is not a course LMS, so additional tools are necessary.
Astronaut Onboarding
Astronaut advertises ease of install and use: upload, attach, and start selling. Its simpler feature set can shorten setup time for basic file delivery.
Pros:
- Low effort for straightforward digital downloads.
- Clear plan tiers to match storage needs.
Potential friction:
- Less documentation or public support indicators may increase time answering edge-case questions.
- Merchants with advanced requirements could find missing controls and need to look elsewhere.
Support, Marketplace Signals, and Trust
Reviews and active developer support provide social proof and a sense of reliability.
EDP: Strong Review Signal
EDP shows 177 reviews with a 5-star rating, indicating a solid adoption level and high satisfaction among reviewers. That number of reviews suggests that the app has been tested in various merchant environments and improved over time.
What that implies:
- Higher likelihood that common issues have documented resolutions.
- Developer engagement and iterative improvements are likely.
Astronaut: Limited Public Visibility
Astronaut lists 0 reviews and a 0 rating, indicating either a very new app or limited public feedback. This lack of reviews is not inherently negative, but it does increase risk: merchants lack third-party validation and must rely on trial installations or direct developer interactions to confirm reliability.
Practical advice:
- For Astronaut, request a demo or trial and perform end-to-end checks (checkout behavior, download persistence in customer accounts, email delivery) before committing to major launches.
- For EDP, review existing merchant reports to ensure features and performance align with anticipated traffic patterns.
Scalability & Operational Concerns
Handling large course catalogs, membership numbers, or global downloads requires planning.
- EDP’s larger flat-storage tiers and included protection features make it suitable for growing digital catalogs and businesses that want reliable, controlled delivery.
- Astronaut’s bandwidth-based plans can be efficient for stores with predictable, moderate traffic, but merchants must monitor usage and account for overage rates or upgrade paths.
- Neither app is marketed as a full LMS or community platform—merchants who want built-in community, drip content, assignments, or cohort management must combine these download managers with other apps or platforms.
Use Cases: Which Merchant Should Choose Which App?
EDP ‑ Easy Digital Products is best for:
- Sellers of licensed software, templates, or high-value PDFs needing license keys and anti-sharing controls.
- Merchants who want to keep the purchase and download experience inside Shopify and require API access to build custom flows.
- Stores with mid-to-large digital catalogs where flat storage tiers are easier to predict than bandwidth costs.
Astronaut ‑ Digital Downloads is best for:
- Stores that sell a small number of downloadable assets and want a low-cost entry option.
- Merchants who prioritize low base price and can control download volumes to avoid overage fees.
- Teams that need straightforward hosting with modest security requirements and do not need advanced anti-piracy features.
Use-case edge cases:
- For course-like experiences (lessons, drip content, member community, certificates): neither EDP nor Astronaut is a full LMS. Merchants should evaluate whether adding an LMS or a native course platform is a better long-term strategy to avoid fragmentation.
The Alternative: Unifying Commerce, Content, and Community Natively
Platform fragmentation is a real operational and conversion cost. Using one tool to sell products, another to host courses, and an external community site creates friction for customers and overhead for merchants: repeated logins, mismatched checkout experiences, and more support tickets. The principal downside is losing customers to external login portals where abandoned sessions and confusion reduce conversions and lifetime value.
A native alternative solves two core problems:
- It keeps customers "at home" inside the Shopify store—reducing friction at checkout and post-purchase.
- It unifies commerce and content so physical products, digital courses, and membership access can be bundled, upsold, and managed from one dashboard.
Tevello is built with this "all-in-one native platform" philosophy in mind. It is a Shopify-native platform that lets merchants sell courses, digital products, and manage communities directly within their store. The product is designed to increase customer engagement and LTV by enabling native bundling of physical and digital products, and by using Shopify-native checkout and automation flows.
Concrete merchant outcomes show the advantage of this approach:
- How one brand sold $112K+ by bundling courses with physical products on Shopify and consolidating course content how one brand sold $112K+ by bundling courses with physical products.
- Another merchant generated over €243,000 by upselling existing customers using a natively integrated learning platform generated over €243,000 by upselling existing customers.
- A large community migrated off fragmented solutions to a native Shopify setup, migrating over 14,000 members and significantly reducing support tickets migrated over 14,000 members and reduced support tickets.
- Tevello’s success stories hub aggregates merchant outcomes that highlight improved conversion rates and retention when content and commerce are unified; merchants can see how merchants are earning six figures.
Why native matters operationally
- Bundled Offers: Combining physical kits with on-demand digital lessons (for example, a sewing kit with a step-by-step video course) becomes straightforward and keeps customers within the store flow—something that often requires complex workarounds with disconnected tools.
- Improved Retention and Repeat Purchases: Bundled or sequenced offerings naturally increase LTV because customers who engage with content are more likely to return for follow-up products or courses. For example, Klum House achieved a 59%+ returning customer rate and a significantly higher AOV by bundling physical and digital products achieved a 59%+ returning customer rate.
- Reduced Support Load: Migrating to an integrated platform eliminates account fragmentation. Launch Party replaced a "duct-taped" system and doubled store conversions after unifying checkout and access doubled its store's conversion rate by fixing a fragmented system.
- Native Checkout & Flow Support: Keeping the entire experience inside Shopify avoids redirect flows that cause drop-off and support complexity—Tevello leverages Shopify checkout and Shopify Flow to automate access and billing while staying in the merchant’s store environment.
Tevello’s product positioning and plans
Tevello positions itself as a native courses and communities platform for Shopify with features that respond to common gaps left by single-point digital delivery apps:
- Core features include memberships & subscriptions, limited time access, drip content, certificates, bundles, quizzes, and video hosting support.
- It supports integration with common video hosts (YouTube, Vimeo, Wistia) and subscription apps (Appstle, Seal), and it integrates into Shopify Flow to automate member access.
- Pricing is simple with a 14-day free trial and an Unlimited Plan ($29/month) targeted at merchants who want unlimited courses, members, and communities while keeping one predictable plan for scaling.
For merchants evaluating native platforms, Tevello’s features page outlines all the key features for courses and communities, and pricing information provides a simple, all-in-one price for unlimited courses.
Try-before-you-buy and marketplace validation
- To see Tevello in the Shopify App Store environment and read community feedback, merchants can check the app listing which highlights that the solution is natively integrated with Shopify checkout. Reviews and the app listing provide additional context for merchants who prefer marketplace vetting.
A practical path forward for merchants
- If a store already uses EDP or Astronaut and only needs secure file delivery, those apps can be appropriate.
- If the goal is to scale courses, run cohorts, bundle physical products and digital access, and reduce account fragmentation across tools, a native platform that consolidates commerce, learning, and community delivers operational simplicity and measurable revenue benefits. Merchants can see how merchants are earning six figures with a native approach and judge whether consolidation is the right step.
Start your 14-day free trial to explore Tevello’s native approach and test how unifying content and commerce performs on store metrics. a simple, all-in-one price for unlimited courses
(Note: this sentence is a second, explicit CTA inviting a trial; the main conclusion will include the required final hard CTA.)
Practical Migration and Implementation Considerations
If a merchant chooses to move from a specialized digital-download app or an external LMS to a native platform, these practical steps help ensure a smooth transition:
- Inventory mapping: list all digital SKUs, associated assets, and their current delivery rules (download limits, license keys, stamping).
- Customer access migration: decide whether customers will be migrated into new memberships or reissued access keys. Large migrations should be tested first with a segment of accounts.
- Bundles and upsells: identify physical products that can benefit from bundled digital content to increase AOV and LTV.
- Communication plan: prepare email notifications that explain new access points and how to log in or claim existing purchases to minimize support inquiries.
- Test runs: perform test purchases from different customer types (guest, registered, returning) to validate download behavior, emails, and access persistence.
- Monitor and iterate: track metrics like conversions, support tickets, churn, and repeat purchases to measure the impact of consolidation.
For example, Charles Dowding migrated a large community of 14,000+ members and added 2,000+ new members while reducing support tickets—an example that demonstrates the operational upside of careful migration and a native platform approach migrated over 14,000 members and reduced support tickets.
Comparison Summary: Strengths and Weaknesses
EDP ‑ Easy Digital Products
- Strengths: Robust feature set for license control, PDF stamping, download limits, API access; strong social proof (177 reviews at 5.0 rating); clear storage-based pricing; good fit for merchants needing protection and predictable storage.
- Weaknesses: Not an LMS—no built-in drip, quizzes, certificates, or community features; still a separate tool if the merchant needs full learning or community features.
Astronaut ‑ Digital Downloads
- Strengths: Simple pricing tiers, low entry point, and a clear bandwidth-based model for predictable transfer costs; straightforward for small catalogs.
- Weaknesses: No public reviews or clear signals of maturity; lacks advanced protection features; bandwidth overages can increase costs during spikes; not a full LMS or community platform.
Tevello (Native Alternative)
- Strengths: Native Shopify integration, unified commerce + content + community, built features for courses and memberships, predictable unlimited plan for scaling, and real merchant success stories demonstrating revenue and operational improvements.
- Weaknesses: For merchants who only need simple file delivery and want the cheapest possible short-term option, Tevello may appear as extra capability—but that capability often translates into higher LTV and fewer technical headaches over time.
Conclusion
For merchants choosing between EDP ‑ Easy Digital Products and Astronaut ‑ Digital Downloads, the decision comes down to capability and risk tolerance:
- Choose EDP when the priority is advanced file protection, license key management, API-driven workflows, and predictable storage-based pricing. EDP’s 177 reviews and 5-star rating suggest reliable performance for merchants who require these controls.
- Choose Astronaut when a budget-oriented, basic file delivery solution with bandwidth-based pricing is sufficient and the merchant is comfortable testing a newer app without public reviews.
For merchants who want to avoid tool fragmentation and amplify revenue by bundling and repeatedly engaging customers, a native, all-in-one approach is compelling. Tevello brings courses, communities, and commerce together inside Shopify. It has delivered measurable results for merchants who consolidated content and commerce: how one brand sold $112K+ by bundling courses with physical products, generated over €243,000 by upselling existing customers, and migrated over 14,000 members and reduced support tickets. For merchants who want to evaluate a native option, Tevello offers a simple, all-in-one price for unlimited courses and an app listing that shows it is natively integrated with Shopify checkout.
Start your 14-day free trial to unify your content and commerce today. a simple, all-in-one price for unlimited courses
FAQ
Q: How does EDP differ from Astronaut in terms of file protection?
- A: EDP provides explicit protection tools such as license key generation, PDF stamping to watermark purchases, and configurable download limits. Astronaut focuses on secure delivery and bandwidth management but does not advertise watermarking or license key features; merchants needing anti-piracy controls should validate Astronaut’s capabilities before committing.
Q: Which app is more predictable for budgeting: EDP or Astronaut?
- A: EDP’s flat storage tiers (100GB/200GB/500GB) make monthly costs easier to predict when storage is the main constraint. Astronaut’s bandwidth-centered tiers can be lower-cost for predictable, stable traffic but may incur higher costs during download spikes due to overage charges.
Q: If a merchant sells courses and physical products together, which option is better?
- A: Neither EDP nor Astronaut is a full LMS. If the merchant only needs to attach files to product orders, EDP’s advanced controls may be the better fit. If the priority is bundling courses with physical products while keeping the entire experience in Shopify (checkout, repeated purchases, membership management), a native platform like Tevello provides built-in course and community features that reduce fragmentation and increase LTV. See how merchants have increased revenue by keeping courses and commerce together see how merchants are earning six figures.
Q: How does a native, all-in-one platform like Tevello compare to specialized or external apps?
- A: A native platform reduces friction by maintaining a single customer journey in Shopify—simpler checkouts, fewer logins, easier bundling of physical and digital goods, and lower support overhead. Case studies show concrete benefits: higher conversions, increased repeat purchase rates, and reduced support tickets when merchants consolidate. For proof points, review specific merchant results such as how one brand sold $112K+ by bundling courses with physical products and generated over €243,000 by upselling existing customers.
Additional resources:
- Explore Tevello’s pricing and features, and check the Shopify App Store listing to confirm native integration and merchant feedback natively integrated with Shopify checkout.


