Easy Digital Downloads Software Licensing

Description

The Software Licensing addon generates unique license keys for each digital product sale in Easy Digital Downloads, managing activation limits, expiration, and automatic renewal directly from the store dashboard. The extension enables the complete software licensing workflow, including remote verification via API, automatic updates for commercial WordPress plugins and themes, and recurring renewal billing before keys expire.

Key Features

• Automatic key generation
  Creates a unique license key linked to the order immediately after payment confirmation.
• Site activation control
  Defines how many domains can activate the same key, preventing usage beyond the purchased limit.
• Remote verification API
  Provides an endpoint for client software to validate keys, expiration, and domains in real time.
• Integrated automatic updates
  Connects sold plugins and themes to the WordPress updates dashboard only when the license is active.
• Renewals and upgrades
  Sends reminders before expiration and processes renewals with configurable discounts at checkout.

Benefits of Software Licensing

• Recurring revenue model
  Transforms one-time sales into annual renewal cycles, stabilizing store revenue.
• Protection against unauthorized use
  Restricts unauthorized installations by validating each activation against the store server.
• Professional software distribution
  Standardizes the delivery, updating, and support of digital products as SaaS tools.
• Centralized customer management
  Consolidates license statuses, activation history, and renewals within the same EDD dashboard.

Who Is It For?

• Developers who sell WordPress plugins, themes, or applications and need to license installations.
• Independent software vendors (ISVs) that distribute desktop applications or digital tools.
• Digital product stores that want to operate under an annual subscription model with automated renewals.

Designed for those who sell software as a product and need a robust access control layer, this addon equips Easy Digital Downloads with the infrastructure typically found in plugin and theme marketplaces. The result is a professional sales cycle, with traceable keys, updates conditional on an active license, and predictable revenue through recurring renewals.

Frequently asked questions