Imprint Files vs SendOwl for Shopify
SendOwl is a digital storefront of its own that also connects to Shopify, so you can sell through payment links, an embeddable cart and its own sales pages as well as your Shopify store. Imprint Files works only with Shopify orders and is built around protecting PDFs. The right choice mostly depends on where you sell.
Last checked: October 2026. See sources
The short answer
Choose SendOwl if:
- You also sell outside Shopify, through payment links, an embeddable cart or SendOwl’s own storefront.
- You want upsells, cart abandonment emails and affiliates on sales through SendOwl’s own checkout.
- You stream audio or video, sell license keys, or sell very large files, since current plans have no per-file size limit.
- You want to set PDF permissions that restrict printing or copying text in compatible readers.
Choose Imprint Files if:
- You sell only through your Shopify store and want to run everything from one app in your Shopify admin.
- You want a free plan, or paid plans from $8.99 a month rather than $39.
- You want a unique copy code on every download and a log of each one.
- You want to trace a leaked PDF to its order and draft a takedown notice.
Imprint Files and SendOwl side by side
| Feature | Imprint Files | SendOwl |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free plan. Basic $8.99/month, Premium $18.99/month | Launch $39, Grow $87, Scale $159 per month on the Shopify App Store |
| Free plan | 20 products, 500 MB storage, 1 file per product, 100 MB per file | No free plan listed. 7-day free trial on every plan |
| What plans limit | Storage, number of products and file size | Orders and sales per year, and monthly bandwidth. Launch: up to 5,000 orders and $10,000 in sales a year |
| PDF stamping | Every plan, including Free | Every plan |
| What the stamp can include | Free: the buyer’s email. Basic and up: name, order number and ID, download date, company, up to 5 custom fields, copy and licence codes | Your own text with Liquid variables: buyer’s name, gift recipient’s name, order details and license codes. Adjustable font, size and colour |
| Download limits | 1 to 100 downloads per file, store-wide or per product | 3 (the default), 5 or 10 download attempts, account-wide or per product |
| Link expiry | 1 to 365 days, store-wide or per product | One day, one week or one month, account-wide or per product |
| Copy tracking | Basic and up: a copy code for every download, logged with time, country and device | Not listed |
| Leak tracing | Premium: look for a matching order and download using surviving clues in a leaked PDF | Not listed |
| Takedown notices | Premium: drafts DMCA or EU Digital Services Act notices | Not listed |
| Checkout downloads | Thank you and Order status pages, on Basic and up | A Thank you page link or button, from a block SendOwl enables per account |
| Selling outside Shopify | No. Shopify orders only | Yes: payment links, an embeddable cart, a storefront and sales pages |
| Streaming and license keys | No streaming. License keys are on the roadmap | Audio and video streaming. License keys |
| Languages | 11, for the app, emails and download pages | English listed on the App Store |
| File size limits | 100 MB (Free), 1 GB (Basic), no limit (Premium) | No per-file limit on current plans. Stamping works on PDFs under 175 MB |
“Not listed” means we didn’t find the feature on the App Store listing, pricing page or help docs for SendOwl when we checked in October 2026. Apps change, so check the sources before you decide.
The main differences
Where you sell
SendOwl runs as its own platform. With Shopify, you need a SendOwl account as well as the app, and you set up each product in both places and link them. In return you can sell the same products anywhere you can paste a link, through SendOwl’s checkout, payment links, embeddable cart and sales pages. SendOwl notes that some of its features only work on sales made through its own checkout.
Imprint Files works inside your Shopify admin. You add files to the products you already have in Shopify, and charges appear on your Shopify bill. If Shopify is your only sales channel, that’s one less system to run.
PDF stamping on both, set up differently
Both apps stamp PDFs on every plan. SendOwl’s stamp templates use Liquid variables for the buyer’s name, a gift recipient’s name, order details or a license code, with your choice of font, size and color. It also sets PDF permissions to restrict printing, copying text and editing the stamp. Those restrictions depend on the reader honoring them. Stamping works on SendOwl-hosted PDFs under 175 MB that aren’t password-protected.
Imprint Files stamps the buyer’s email on Free. Basic and Premium add a template with the name, order number, order ID, date, company and up to 5 custom fields. You can also add a copy code to identify a single download. See PDF stamping.
Tracing a leak
SendOwl’s listing, pricing page and help docs don’t describe tracing a leaked file to its order, though you can stamp each buyer’s unique license code on their PDF.
On Imprint Files Basic, each order’s download log lists every copy code with its time, country and device. Premium hides the code inside every page, with an optional QR code that can still be read after printing or scanning. Upload a leaked copy to look for a matching order and download, then draft a DMCA or EU Digital Services Act notice. Read how DMCA takedown notices work.
Pricing compared
Imprint Files
- Free$0
20 products, 500 MB storage, PDF stamping with the buyer’s email, download limits and expiry, public PDF previews
- Basic$8.99/month or $89.90/year
500 products, 5 GB storage, custom stamp text, copy tracking, checkout downloads, your own SMTP, free samples for an email
- Premium$18.99/month or $189.90/year
Unlimited products and storage, tracing marks, leak tracing, takedown notices, licence stamping, priority support
SendOwl
- Launch$39/month
Up to 5,000 orders and $10,000 in sales over 12 months. Pricing card: 10 GB bandwidth a month
- Grow$87/month
Up to 25,000 orders and $36,000 in sales over 12 months. Pricing card: 20 GB bandwidth a month
- Scale$159/month
Up to 50,000 orders and $100,000 in sales a year. 50 GB bandwidth a month, priority support
Imprint Files: 14-day free trial on Basic and Premium. Charges appear on your Shopify bill.
SendOwl: 7-day free trial. Prices are from its App Store listing. Its pricing cards list 10/20/50 GB monthly bandwidth for Launch/Grow/Scale, but the same page’s FAQ says 20/30/50 GB. Confirm the allowance before subscribing. That FAQ lists $1 per extra GB and a move to a custom plan above 1 TB of storage.
SendOwl puts every feature on every plan and sizes plans by yearly orders and sales. Its pricing page says that if you pass a limit, you’re notified and moved up a tier. For a Shopify store that needs stamped PDFs and download limits, the Imprint Free plan or Basic at $8.99 a month costs less than Launch at $39. If you’d use SendOwl’s checkout tools, affiliates or selling outside Shopify, weigh those against the difference.
Frequently asked questions
Does SendOwl work with Shopify?
Yes. You install the SendOwl app from the Shopify App Store and connect it to a SendOwl account, then set up each product in both and link them. SendOwl emails a secure download link after purchase.
Does SendOwl have a free plan?
Its Shopify App Store listing shows a 7-day free trial and no free plan, with plans from $39 a month. Imprint Files has a Free plan that includes PDF stamping.
Can I sell outside Shopify with Imprint Files?
No. Imprint Files delivers files for Shopify orders only. If you also sell through other sites or payment links, SendOwl is built for that.
Which app can tell me who leaked a PDF?
Imprint Files Premium looks for surviving codes and customer details, then shows any matching order and download with a confidence level. A match doesn’t prove who shared it. We didn’t find a leak tracing feature in SendOwl’s listing, pricing page or help docs in October 2026.
Try Imprint Files on your store
The Free plan stamps every PDF with the buyer’s email and sets download limits and expiry dates. Basic and Premium come with a 14-day free trial.
Install Imprint Files for freeSources
SendOwl facts come from these pages, checked in October 2026. Imprint Files facts come from our documentation.
- SendOwl on the Shopify App Store
- SendOwl pricing
- SendOwl help: Stamping PDFs with order details
- SendOwl help: Limiting download attempts
- SendOwl help: Setting a time limit for downloads
- SendOwl help: Uploading large files
- SendOwl help: Download link on the Shopify Thank you page
- SendOwl help: Features that only work with the SendOwl checkout
- SendOwl help: Getting started with Shopify
Other comparisons
SendOwl is a trademark of its owner, and Shopify is a trademark of Shopify Inc. Imprint Files is an independent app made by Reach Web Agency and isn’t affiliated with or endorsed by SendOwl.