WordPress and Bitcoin

Created by the anonymous online persona of Satoshi Nakamoti back in 2009, Bitcoin is the web’s most popular form of cryptocurrency (digital currency). The world of Bitcoin has garnered plenty of attention since its inception but the peak of Bitcoin’s intrigue was reached in late 2017 when it seemed as though there were daily breaking news stories about the much-discussed currency.

Given that Bitcoin is gaining popularity and doesn’t appear to be slowing down any time soon, should you consider accepting it for transactions that take place on your WordPress website?

Today’s post is not going to focus on whether or not you should accept Bitcoin, as this is a decision personal to each business and industry and we suggest talking this through with your technical and financial teams before coming to a decision. Instead, we’re going to take a look at five different ways you can integrate Bitcoin payments into your WordPress website if you do choose to accept the digital currency.

Easy Digital Downloads

With 60,000 active installs and over two dozen different language options, Easy Digital Downloads is one of WordPress’ most popular payment plugins and allows website owners to easily sell digital products via a variety of payment options. PayPal Standard and Amazon Payments are available via the free option, with premium payment gateways (including BitPay) available in premium extensions.

Digital Paybox (Formerly Donate & Download)

Digital Paybox allows site owners to sell digital files through Bitcoin payments, as well as PayPal, EgoPay, credit cards and other traditional payment methods. Site owners can set fixed prices for products or set up a ‘pay what you feel’ system where the buyer sets their own price.

BitMate Author Donations

BitMate Author Donations is a little different from the other options on our list. Instead of a  standard payment platform, this plugin allows site owners to accept Bitcoin donations at the end of their posts. This donation option has been spotted more and more over the past year and is a way for content creators for diversify their revenue streams, while giving consumers a way to effectively sponsor their favourite websites.

Note: This plugin has only been tested up to WordPress 4.7.8 so do exercise caution before installing on a live site.

GoUrl Bitcoin Payment Gateway

GoUrl Bitcoin Payment Gateway is one of the more popular options for WordPress, with over 5000 active installs. There are many different payment structures here, including pay-per-product, pay-per-download, pay-per-page or pay-per-membership, making this an extremely versatile payment plugin that’s suited to a range of different product types – from standard e-commerce to subscription platforms and e-courses.

Cryptocurrency All-in-One

Cryptocurrency All-in-One is your one stop shop for all cryptocurrency payments, not just Bitcoin. As well as allowing you to accept cryptocurrencies as payment methods, you can also display prices and exchange rates in a variety of currencies and feature a handy exchange rate calculator right there on your product pages.