Sandhills Development

Overview

Sandhills Development was a prominent software development company known for building essential WordPress tools like Easy Digital Downloads, AffiliateWP, and Restrict Content Pro. In late 2021, the company's entire software portfolio was acquired by Awesome Motive, the parent company of WPBeginner and OptinMonster. The original Sandhills team subsequently pivoted their primary focus toward nature conservation and local community projects like Sandhills Brewing.

Founder story

Founded in 2009 by Pippin Williamson in Hutchinson, Kansas. Pippin began as a linguistics student who wrote code as a hobby, eventually building some of the most critical infrastructure in the WordPress world. His commitment to 'doing things the right way' rather than the fast way earned him a global following among developers.

What it does

• Developed and scaled high-traffic WordPress plugins for e-commerce and memberships
• Provides ongoing support and development for its legacy products under new ownership
• Manages a suite of digital products including Sugar Calendar and WP Simple Pay
• Operates community-focused ventures including a microbrewery and land conservation projects
• Contributes extensively to the open-source WordPress ecosystem through code and tutorials.

Who it's for

• WordPress Developers
• E-commerce Store Owners
• Membership Site Creators
• Digital Product Sellers

Why it works

• Technical Excellence: Built a reputation for high-quality, developer-friendly code that followed WordPress best practices
• Community Trust: Founded by Pippin Williamson, a highly respected figure in the WordPress community
• Niche Focus: Identified and solved specific gaps in the WordPress market (like lightweight e-commerce)
• Sustainability: Operated as a profitable, bootstrapped business for over a decade before exit.

Growth strategies

• Used high- quality educational content (Pippin's Plugins) as a primary lead generator for paid tools.
• Built a multi- product ecosystem where users of one plugin (e.g., EDD) naturally needed others (e.g., AffiliateWP).
• Maintained a 4- day work week and human-centric culture to attract and retain top engineering talent.
• Exited strategically to Awesome Motive to ensure long- term product growth and resource backing.

Alternatives

• WooCommerce
• MemberPress
• Post Affiliate Pro
• WPForms

Comparison overview

• WooCommerce: Massive and complex; Sandhills' Easy Digital Downloads is the specialized, lightweight choice for digital goods.
• MemberPress: A close rival to Restrict Content Pro; Sandhills' suite was often preferred for its clean developer hooks.
• Now under Awesome Motive, the products are part of the world's largest WordPress software portfolio.