Big Digital Downloads
5.0 stars rating
800+ verified reviews
15,000+ stores
85+ countries
Built for Shopify
The Numbers
Rating
5.0 vs 4.8 stars
Reviews
800+ vs 412
License keys from
Free plan vs $54.99/mo
PDF stamping from
Free plan vs $54.99/mo
Image stamping
Included vs Not available
Invisible PDF tracking
Included vs Not available
Bandwidth overage
None vs $1-2 per GB
Fraud protection
All plans vs Not available
API access from
$49.99/mo vs Not documented
Feature-by-Feature Breakdown
Both apps deliver digital files after a Shopify purchase. Both support multiple file types. Both have branded download pages. The differences show up in what you actually pay to unlock the features that matter to a growing digital product store.
License Key Delivery
Big Digital Downloads: Included on every plan, including the free plan. Upload keys in bulk, one unique key assigned per order automatically. No extra cost at any volume. No plan upgrade required.
Sky Pilot
Available only on the Growth plan at $54.99/month. Not accessible on Free, Starter ($9/mo), or Lite ($24.99/mo) plans.
PDF Stamping
Big Digital Downloads: Included from the free plan. Configurable stamp placement with 7 positions including middle, corners, and edges. Adjustable font size from small to extra large. Custom stamp color. Flexible page strategy: stamp all pages, first page only, last page only, specific page numbers, page ranges, even pages, odd pages, or every N pages. PDFs up to 50MB supported.
Sky Pilot
Available only on the Growth plan at $54.99/month. Basic PDF stamping without the placement, sizing, and page strategy options that Big Digital Downloads offers on its free plan.
PDF Locking
Big Digital Downloads: Included from the free plan. Locks PDFs with a randomly generated password so customers cannot edit the document or remove the stamp. The password is not stored anywhere, making the lock permanent and tamper-proof.
Sky Pilot
Not available on any plan.
Image Stamping
Big Digital Downloads: Included from the free plan. Stamps JPG and PNG images with custom text, configurable placement, font size, and color. Images up to 30MB supported. Protects photographers, designers, and template sellers from unauthorized sharing of image files, not just PDFs.
Sky Pilot
Not available. Sky Pilot offers video stamping on the Growth plan ($54.99/mo) but not image stamping for JPG/PNG files.
Invisible PDF Marking and Leak Tracing
Big Digital Downloads: Included from the free plan. Every delivered PDF is invisibly marked with the buyer’s order information. No visible stamp appears on the document. If a file is later found shared online, upload it to Big Digital Downloads’s tracing tool and it identifies exactly which customer received that specific copy. This is enterprise-grade digital forensics available on a free Shopify app.
Sky Pilot
Nothing comparable on any plan.
Fraud Protection
Big Digital Downloads: Included on all plans. Orders flagged as suspicious by Shopify are automatically blocked from downloading. No manual review needed.
Sky Pilot
No automated fraud protection documented. Merchants need to catch and cancel suspicious orders manually.
Bandwidth Overage Charges
Big Digital Downloads: No overage charges on Free, Starter, Pro, or Growth plans. Enterprise plan charges $0.023/GB after 1TB, which is dramatically cheaper than Sky Pilot’s rates.
Sky Pilot
Charges $2/GB on Starter, $1.50/GB on Lite, and $1/GB on Growth for bandwidth exceeding the monthly limit. A single viral product launch can trigger an unexpected bill.
Free Plan Comparison
Big Digital Downloads: Big Digital Downloads Free: 250MB storage, 500MB bandwidth, 50 orders, unlimited products, unlimited license keys, unlimited downloads, PDF stamping, image stamping, invisible PDF marking, PDF locking, download limits, fraud protection, custom branded emails.
Sky Pilot
Sky Pilot Free: 100MB storage, 1GB bandwidth, unlimited products/orders, email delivery only. No license keys, no PDF stamping, no image stamping, no email customization, no fraud protection, no download limits.
Custom Sender Email
Big Digital Downloads: Custom sender email domain (hello@yourbrand.com) from the Starter plan at $9.99/month.
Sky Pilot
White label email integration on the Lite plan at $24.99/month. Sky Pilot costs 2.5x more for the same capability.
Video Streaming
Big Digital Downloads: Not supported. Big Digital Downloads delivers video files for download, not streaming.
Sky Pilot
Full video streaming with a branded player, integrated with Vimeo, Wistia, and Sprout. This is Sky Pilot’s strongest feature and the primary reason to choose it over any file delivery app.
Subscription and Recurring Delivery
Big Digital Downloads: No native subscription integration.
Sky Pilot
Integrates with Klaviyo, Mailchimp, Omnisend, and subscription apps to deliver files on a recurring basis. Strong for membership and course businesses.
Customer Accounts and Login Gates
Big Digital Downloads: Delivery via email and download page. No in-store customer portal.
Sky Pilot
Customers log into your store and access purchased files from a My Files account section. Useful for stores with repeat digital buyers.
Bulk Import and Export
Big Digital Downloads: Full bulk import and export of products, orders, and license keys on all plans. Essential for migration or managing large catalogs.
Sky Pilot
Data export on Lite plan ($24.99/mo). CSV migration assistance from support team.
API and Webhooks
Big Digital Downloads: REST API and outgoing webhooks from the Growth plan at $49.99/month.
Sky Pilot
No public API documented.
Languages
Big Digital Downloads: Multi-language support on all plans including free.
Sky Pilot
20 languages natively including Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Thai, Turkish, Portuguese. Sky Pilot has broader built-in language coverage.
Where Sky Pilot is the better choice
Sky Pilot is the right pick if your business depends on video streaming. Not video files customers download, but actual in-browser streaming with a branded player inside your Shopify store. If you sell online courses, fitness videos, music for streaming, or any content where customers expect to press play rather than download a file, Sky Pilot does this better than any other Shopify app. It also has stronger subscription integration through Klaviyo and Mailchimp, a customer account portal where buyers re-access their files by logging in, and broader built-in language support across 20 languages. If those three capabilities are your top priority, Sky Pilot earns its price.
What it actually costs to get the features most sellers need
A typical digital product seller needs license keys, PDF protection, and enough storage for a growing catalog.
Big Digital Downloads Free Plan
$0/month
Includes:
250MB storage, 500MB bandwidth
Unlimited products and license keys
PDF stamping with 7 placement options and page strategies
PDF locking (password protection)
Image stamping (JPG/PNG)
Invisible PDF marking with leak tracing
Fraud protection
Custom branded emails
Download limits
Total monthly cost: $0
Sky Pilot Growth Plan
$54.99/month
Required to access:
License keys
PDF stamping (basic)
Video streaming
Subscription integration
Unlimited storage
200GB bandwidth ($1/GB overage after)
Total monthly cost: $54.99 + potential overage
Everything in Big Digital Downloads’s free plan costs $54.99/month on Sky Pilot. And Big Digital Downloads’s free plan includes features Sky Pilot does not offer at any price: image stamping, invisible PDF marking with leak tracing, PDF locking, and automated fraud protection.
FAQ
Does Sky Pilot include license keys on its free plan?
No. License keys require Sky Pilot’s Growth plan at $54.99/month. Big Digital Downloads includes unlimited license keys on every plan including the free plan.
Does Sky Pilot charge for bandwidth overages?
Yes. Sky Pilot charges $2/GB on Starter, $1.50/GB on Lite, and $1/GB on Growth for bandwidth exceeding the monthly limit. Big Digital Downloads has no overage charges on plans up to Growth. Enterprise charges $0.023/GB after 1TB.
Can Big Digital Downloads stream video?
No. Big Digital Downloads delivers video files for download. Sky Pilot offers a branded video streaming player integrated with Vimeo, Wistia, and Sprout. For video streaming specifically, Sky Pilot is the better choice.
Which app has better reviews?
Big Digital Downloads holds 5.0 stars with 800+ reviews. Sky Pilot holds 4.8 stars with 412 reviews.
What is invisible PDF marking?
A feature unique to Big Digital Downloads. Every PDF delivered to a customer is invisibly marked with their order information. No visible stamp appears on the document. If the file is later found shared online, you upload it to Big Digital Downloads and it identifies exactly which customer received that copy. Sky Pilot does not offer anything comparable.
How much does PDF stamping cost on each app?
Big Digital Downloads includes PDF stamping on the free plan with configurable placement (7 positions), font size, color, and page strategy (all pages, first/last page, specific pages, ranges, even/odd). Sky Pilot includes basic PDF stamping only on the Growth plan at $54.99/month.
Can I switch from Sky Pilot to Big Digital Downloads?
Yes. Big Digital Downloads supports bulk import of products and order history for straightforward migration.
Who owns each app?
Sky Pilot is owned by Shop Circle, a company that acquires Shopify apps. Big Digital Downloads is built by Penida, an independent bootstrapped company founded by Marc and Charles.
Resources
Big Digital Downloads is built by Penida, an independent bootstrapped company based in France and Estonia. We help Shopify merchants sell and deliver digital products to customers in 85+ countries.
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