A simpler way to get a free plugin out there

What happened when I needed a simple way to offer my free plugin before WordPress.org approval.

Here’s what happened

I just went through this myself while trying to set up a simple free download for my plugin, Signature Widget for Posts.

It’s currently waiting on approval in the WordPress repository, so I needed a way to offer it on my own website in the meantime.

Naturally, I looked at Easy Digital Downloads first.

And honestly? On paper, it sounds like the obvious choice.

It’s made for digital products, so you would think it would be the perfect fit.

But once I actually got into it, it still felt like more than I wanted to deal with for what I needed right now.

I wasn’t trying to build out some big digital store.
I wasn’t trying to create a bunch of extra steps.
I just needed people to be able to grab a free plugin download without me turning it into a whole project.

That’s when I tried Payhip.

And honestly? It was easy. Like… actually easy.

What I really needed

For this specific situation, I needed something simple.

My goal was to:

• offer a free download for my WordPress plugin
• get it live quickly while waiting on repository approval
• avoid turning one simple product into a bigger setup than it needed to be
• keep the process simple for my audience
• stop spending time on setup and get back to actually talking about the plugin

That last part matters.

As a web developer, yes, I can work through more complicated setups.
But that doesn’t always mean I should.

Sometimes the smarter move is the tool that gets the job done without turning a simple idea into a full project.

Why EDD Still Felt Like Too Much

Easy Digital Downloads makes sense in theory because yes, it’s built for digital products.

But in my hands-on experience, it still felt like more setup and more decisions than I wanted for this particular situation.

I kept running into extra steps and workflow questions that made a simple free plugin feel more complicated than it needed to be.

For me, it started feeling like I was building out a whole system just to let somebody download one file.

And that’s really the point.

Just because something can do it doesn’t always mean it’s the best fit for it.

Why Payhip Won

Payhip ended up being exactly what I needed.

I was able to:

• upload the plugin zip file
• create the product quickly
• set it up as a free download
• get it live without building out a whole store
• create a simple path for people to download it

That was the win for me.

It took the friction out of the process.

Instead of spending more time messing with ecommerce settings, I could focus on:

• talking about the plugin
• creating content around it
• getting it in front of bloggers
• building interest while it waits on WordPress.org

That’s where I think a lot of bloggers get stuck.

They spend so much time trying to set up the “perfect” system that the product never gets out there.

Sometimes you just need the thing to be easy so you can move on to the part that actually matters.

Why this matters for bloggers

If you’re a blogger selling or sharing:

• printables
• ebooks
• templates
• guides
• presets
• small digital products
• free downloads or lead magnets

…you may not need a more complicated WordPress setup right away.

Sometimes we assume that because we’re on WordPress, we automatically need a WordPress plugin to handle everything.

But if your goal is just to get a digital product out there without turning your website into a full ecommerce project, a simpler platform may actually be the better choice.

That’s where I think Payhip can make a lot of sense.

When Payhip makes more sense

Payhip may be a great fit if:

• you want to launch quickly
• you’re only selling (or giving away) a few digital products
• you don’t want a bunch of extra plugin setup
• you want a simpler experience for non-techy users
• you want less time spent troubleshooting store behavior
• you want to test a product idea before building a bigger shop

When EDD still makes sense

To be fair, Easy Digital Downloads can still make sense when:

• you want your digital product system fully inside WordPress
• you plan to grow beyond one or two simple offers
• you want more control over the customer experience
• you need deeper WordPress integration
• you’re building a more established digital product shop

So this isn’t about saying EDD is bad.

It’s about saying that for some bloggers, it may still be more than they need in the beginning.

The bigger takeaway

This was a good reminder that the “best” tool is not always the most powerful one.

Sometimes the best tool is the one that:

• solves the immediate problem
• doesn’t create unnecessary friction
• lets you move forward faster
• matches the size of the project

For my free plugin, Payhip was the right fit right now.

And for bloggers who want to sell or share digital products without getting bogged down in setup, I think it’s absolutely worth considering.

Bottom line

If you’re trying to sell (or even just offer) a simple digital product and you’re feeling overwhelmed by Easy Digital Downloads, you’re not doing anything wrong.

You may just be using a bigger tool than you need.

For me, Payhip made it easy to get my free plugin live while I wait for WordPress.org approval.

And sometimes, easy is exactly what you need.

Need help choosing?

If you’re a blogger and you’re not sure whether you need Easy Digital Downloads or a simpler platform like Payhip, that’s exactly the kind of thing I help with.

Sometimes the best setup is the one that keeps your site simple and gets your product out the door faster.