Title: Free plugin, until it wasn’t
Last modified: August 4, 2026

---

# Free plugin, until it wasn’t

 *  [bighrts](https://wordpress.org/support/users/bighrts/)
 * (@bighrts)
 * [2 days, 5 hours ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/free-plugin-until-it-wasnt/)
 * I built my entire storefront around Easy Digital Downloads specifically because
   it offered free PayPal integration for digital products. That was the whole reason
   I chose it.
 * Seven months later, an update added a 3% “Pay as you go” platform fee on top 
   of PayPal’s own processing fees. That fee did not exist when I originally connected
   my store through EDD to Paypal.
 * There was no clear warning before this rolled out, and the only way to avoid 
   it now is to pay for an Extended Pass license of $99+. The only fee-free option
   remaining is manual check payments** **which not viable for an actual online 
   store making the free version of the plugin completely useless.
 * **If you’re thinking of using EDD because it’s “free,” know that “free” does 
   not cover any real online checkout**. PayPal or Stripe both cost you 3% on top
   of standard processing fees unless you pay for a license.
 * Very deceptive and I’m not using them anymore.

You must be [logged in](https://login.wordpress.org/?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fwordpress.org%2Fsupport%2Ftopic%2Ffree-plugin-until-it-wasnt%2F%3Foutput_format%3Dmd&locale=en_US)
to reply to this review.

 * ![](https://ps.w.org/easy-digital-downloads/assets/icon.svg?rev=3455837)
 * [Easy Digital Downloads – eCommerce Payments and Subscriptions made easy](https://wordpress.org/plugins/easy-digital-downloads/)
 * [Frequently Asked Questions](https://wordpress.org/plugins/easy-digital-downloads/#faq)
 * [Support Threads](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/easy-digital-downloads/)
 * [Active Topics](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/easy-digital-downloads/active/)
 * [Unresolved Topics](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/easy-digital-downloads/unresolved/)
 * [Reviews](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/easy-digital-downloads/reviews/)

 * 0 replies
 * 1 participant
 * Last reply from: [bighrts](https://wordpress.org/support/users/bighrts/)
 * Last activity: [2 days, 5 hours ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/free-plugin-until-it-wasnt/)