Download Monitor vs WooCommerce PayPal Payments
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| Feature | Download Monitor v5.3.5 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free + paid · ★ 4.5/5 Visit Details | WooCommerce PayPal Payments v4.2.0 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free · ★ 2.9/5 Visit Details |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Active installs | 80,000+ | 800,000+ |
| Last updated | October 20, 2026 | October 21, 2026 |
| Editions | Download Monitor · Download Monitor Pro ($) | WooCommerce PayPal Payments |
| Pros | Free core with download logs and reports; Shortcodes, a block and a widget place links anywhere; Basic built-in shop with PayPal for selling downloads | Official PayPal gateway with smart buttons on product and checkout pages; Pay Later, card fields and Apple Pay or Google Pay wallets; Subscriptions, saved payment methods and ShipStation order tracking |
| Cons | Email lock and gated-content extensions need the paid Pro add-ons; Pro features require a licence key from the vendor | Available payment methods depend on PayPal account and country eligibility; Many modules are switched on in settings, so the setup has several steps |
| More features | ||
| Other features | Versioned downloads, Download logging, Protected files via media library, Download reports dashboard, Download shortcodes, Download button block, Downloads widget, REST API keys, Sell downloads (built-in shop), Pro licence key activation ($), Legacy data upgrader | PayPal smart buttons on product, mini-cart and checkout, Pay Later messages on product, cart and checkout blocks, Apple Pay gateway, Google Pay gateway, Card fields module, Pay upon invoice alternative payment method, PayPal subscriptions and renewals, Saved payment methods, Fraud protection module, Order tracking through the ShipStation plugin |
| Integrations | ||
| Payment | PayPal | PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay |
| Plugins | Polylang, WPML, Yoast SEO | ShipStation |
| Requires WordPress | 6.4 | 6.5 |
| Requires PHP | 7.4 | 7.4 |
| Tested up to | 7.1 | 7.1 |
| Phones home | No | No |
| External services | wp-modula.com | api-m.paypal.com, www.paypal.com, api-m.sandbox.paypal.com, www.sandbox.paypal.com, api.woocommerce.com, www.paypal.ai, d.joinhoney.com, www.google.com |
| Blocks | 1 | 6 |
| Shortcodes | 10 | — |
| Custom tables | 10 | — |