Side-by-side comparison · 24 data points
Sell online courses, quizzes, certificates and live webinars directly from your store.
| Courses Plus | Digital Downloads & PDF ‑ BIG | |
|---|---|---|
| Tagline | ||
| Description | ||
| Screenshots | images | images |
| Languages | ||
| Platforms | ||
| Developer |
Sell digital downloads, file, PDF, ebook, digital products and license keys in 3 quick steps
| Metric | Courses Plus | Digital Downloads & PDF ‑ BIG |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.9 ★ | 4.9 ★ |
| Total reviews | 217 | ★ 870 |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing | Free plan available | Free plan available |
| Built for Shopify | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing tiers | 4 tiers | 4 tiers |
| Listed features | 5 | 5 |
| Featured placements | 1 | ★ 3 |
| Languages | 24 supported | 6 supported |
| Listed since | Jan 2020 | Nov 2022 |
Courses Plus and Digital Downloads & PDF ‑ BIG are evenly matched on rating (4.9★ vs 4.9★) — the differentiator comes down to pricing fit, feature breadth, and which app's interaction pattern suits your team's workflow.
Pricing entry tiers: Courses Plus at Free plan available, Digital Downloads & PDF ‑ BIG at Free plan available. Check each app's tier structure for the capacity limits you actually need before deciding — the headline number is the same shape, but the gating shape per tier (seats, usage volume, integrations) varies.
Digital Downloads & PDF ‑ BIG has the larger user base (870 reviews vs 217), which usually maps to broader integration coverage, faster bug-fix cadence, and a deeper bench of community workflow patterns. Courses Plus's smaller cohort can be an advantage for niche workflows where the bigger app has accumulated bloat.
Recommended evaluation path: install both apps' free tiers (where available) and run them in parallel on a small cohort for 7-14 days before committing. The data tables below show the per-feature breakdown — for most merchants the deciding factor will be a single integration or workflow detail that's hard to compare from listing pages alone.
This verdict is generated from the live marketplace data on this page — rating, review count, pricing tier, and category position all refresh from the canonical Shopify App Store listing every 24 hours. AppRanks does not accept payment to influence comparison outcomes; the methodology is documented on the About page and applies identically to every pair on the site.
Read each app's audit: Courses Plus audit • Digital Downloads & PDF ‑ BIG audit
| Listed |
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| Last updated | — | — |
|---|
| Keyword | Courses Plus | Digital Downloads & PDF ‑ BIG |
|---|---|---|
| license | #8 | #3 |
| sell digital products | #12 | #1 |
| ebooks | #12 | #3 |
| license keys | #12 | #3 |
| courses | #2 | #14 |
Both Courses Plus and Digital Downloads & PDF ‑ BIG offer paid plans only. Courses Plus starts at Free plan available; Digital Downloads & PDF ‑ BIG starts at Free plan available. Compare the per-tier features in the Pricing section above before committing.
Courses Plus (4.9★, 217 reviews) and Digital Downloads & PDF ‑ BIG (4.9★, 870 reviews) are essentially tied on rating. Look at review velocity and individual reviewer quotes — both visible on each app's detail page — to differentiate.
AppRanks cannot separate these two on rating — both sit at 4.9★. Digital Downloads & PDF ‑ BIG does carry the larger published review base (870 vs 217). Read both apps' detail pages for the feature breakdown and recent listing changes.
Both apps are one-click installs from the Shopify App Store. Digital Downloads & PDF ‑ BIG has the deeper published review base (870 vs 217), which often — though not always — accompanies better-tested setup docs. AppRanks doesn't measure setup time directly: read the recent reviews on each app's detail page for user-reported install experience.
Courses Plus typically suits early-stage and growth-mode teams based on its published review base (217 reviews). Digital Downloads & PDF ‑ BIG typically suits early-stage and growth-mode teams based on its published review base (870 reviews). A larger review base generally means the app has been exercised at scale — relevant if you are processing high volume or handling enterprise compliance requirements.
Migration support varies by app and category. Courses Plus and Digital Downloads & PDF ‑ BIG both publish their export options on their marketplace listing pages (or in their support docs); some apps offer one-click import from competitors, others require CSV. The fastest check: search "import from Courses Plus" in each app's help center. AppRanks does not track migration tooling directly — this is a category-specific capability worth verifying before commitment.
