WordPress is an excellent platform for blogging or hosting a website. However, it has evolved into much more than that. WordPress is now a powerful content management system which powers over 27% of the web, and thanks to a few external plugins, can handle a variety of different file download needs.
The native WordPress user interface does have the ability to manage file downloads. However, this is not the easiest nor most efficient way to manage files. Plus, the native function doesn’t have half the features of many of the new and popular WordPress download manager plugins now available to help you manage files.
Depending on your needs, you can easily add password protections, track the number of downloads, organize files, and stop unregistered users from accessing files. You can also use a file download plugin to track file revisions and even collaborate with a team. And, of course, you can use file management plugins to manage and sell digital downloads!
So depending on your specific goals and needs, there are a variety of both free and premium WordPress plugins that can handle any file download management needs.
WordPress download manager plugin
The free version of WordPress Download Manager includes password protection, limited viewing, and works on multiple domains. The password protection package allows users to protect a full package of files, or each specific file in a package by using passwords. It’s a simple, easy-to-use download manager. It is also one of the most actively updated WordPress download manager plugins. As of writing this it currently has 100,000+ active installs with a 4 out of 5-star rating.
WP-DownloadManager plugin
WP-DownloadManager is a simple download manager plugin developed by Lester Chan. It doesn’t have a long list of features but is still a viable option for webmasters who don’t need/want all the bells and whistles. As of writing this it currently has 10,000+ active installs with a rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars.
Download Monitor plugin
Download Monitor has an intuitive UI that allows you to easily upload and manage downloadable files and insert download links to files in posts. The goal of Download Monitor is to help users keep files organized and to provide a way to track files. As of writing this it currently has 90,000+ active installs with a 4.4 out of 5-star rating.
Features of the plugin include:
It also has premium extensions available, such as Email-Lock, which allows you to require a user to enter their email address before they are able to download the file.
Easy Digital Downloads plugin
Easy Digital Downloads is primarily an e-commerce solution for any type of digital download, but it can also manage multiple file downloads per downloaded product. This makes it a great option if you have different prices for multiple products or have bundled products. It comes with PayPal and Manual as the default payment options, but others can be added for a fee. If you want to learn more about Easy Digital Downloads here is this comprehensive guide. It currently has 60,000+ active installs with a 4.8 out of 5-star rating.
Features of the plugin pertaining to file downloads include:
WooCommerce plugin
WooCommerce is a free eCommerce plugin that allows you to sell anything, beautifully. Built to integrate seamlessly with WordPress, WooCommerce is one of the world’s favorite eCommerce solution that gives both store owners and developers complete control. As of writing this it currently has 3+ million active installs with 4.6 out of 5-star rating. With the newer versions of WooCommerce you can now manage downloadable and virtual products.
Make sure to check out our in-depth WooCommerce tutorial.
Delightful Downloads plugin
Delightful Downloads is a downloads manager for WordPress that allows you to easily add download links, buttons and download information to posts, pages and widget areas. You can then track your download statistics from right within the WordPress dashboard. This is developed by Ashley Rich, on the team over at Delicious Brains. It currently has 10,000+ active installs with a 4.7 out of 5 star rating.
Features of the plugin include:
Lana Downloads Manager plugin
The Lana Downloads Manager plugin is super simple and free. It allows the management of local files via WP upload and remote files. If you are looking for something basic and lightweight, this works great.
Features of the plugin include:
WordPress Download Manager pro plugin
The Pro version of WordPress Download Manager has three separate levels: Pro, Business, and Developer. The major difference is the number of domains allowed. The Pro version ($45) only allows for one domain, the Business ($125) allows up to five, and the Developer ($210) version supports numerous domains.
The Pro version has very extensive features and capabilities, especially when compared to the free version:
WP-Filebase Pro plugin
The premium version of WP-Filebase, the Pro version includes all features found in the free version plus the following:
There are three different licensing options, including the Personal License ($59) which licenses two sites, the Freelancer License ($79) which licenses up to five sites, and the Business License ($199) which has no limitations on the number of sites. All offer free support and updates for one year. This is a great option if you need to allow users to download files from Dropbox, Amazon S3, Google Drive or WebDav.
File Manager plugin for WordPress
The File Manager Plugin for WordPress is quite powerful and has a great user interface. The regular license is $15, while the extended license will set you back $75. Core features include:
Groups File Access WordPress plugin
The Groups File Access WordPress plugin provides file download links only for authorized users. All other access to files is restricted, depending on the user’s group membership. The regular license is $15, while the extended license is $75.
Features of the plugin include:
WordPress File Center plugin
WordPress File Center costs the same as the previous premium plugins.
Features of the plugin include:
CM Download Manager plugin
The CM Download Manager plugin enables you to upload, manage, track and support documents or files in a directory listing structure for others to use and comment. They do have a free version, but it is very limited. However, the premium version has a lot of features!
Features of the plugin include:
Depending on your specific needs, there’s pretty much a WordPress download manager plugin for every scenario. With capabilities ranging from group collaboration, download tracking, and even simple file organization, you can be sure that you’ll find the file management plugin that is right for you.
Did we miss any important ones? If so, let us know below in the comments.
Join 20,000+ others who get our FREE weekly newsletter with WordPress tips on how to drive more traffic and revenue to your business!
Send this to a friend
Hello,
I’m finding a wordpress download manager plugin which it
has this feature: I can choose a download page to redirect users if they
click to download button. Then they must waiting for 5 (or a few)
seconds before downloading.
I’ve tested many wordpress plugins
(Delightful Downloads, Download Monitor, WP-DownloadManager…) but they
haven’t this feature.
Please help me. Thanks so much !
Hey! This is possible with Download Monitor and our Downloading Page extension: https://www.download-monitor.com/extensions/downloading-page/
Hello,
I’m finding a wordpress download manager plugin which it
has this feature: I can choose a download page to redirect users if they
click to download button. Then they must waiting for 5 (or a few)
seconds before downloading.
I’ve tested many wordpress plugins
(Delightful Downloads, Download Monitor, WP-DownloadManager…) but they
haven’t this feature.
Please help me. Thanks so much !
Hi Kinsta, Is there a way to integrate one of these plugins with an existing ldap server. We built a wordpress site but want to take advantage of the ldap to file share. Also unsure where the shared files would reside..
Hi,
I already have a directory stored outside of my webroot folder on the host server. Is it possible to create links to these files using one of these plugins? The links/posts thus created would be used in wordpress posts. Help please.
wp-filebase is not availble anymore.
Hi Kinsta, are there any plugins that you recommend to collect a user’s email address and then allow them to download a file? The only one I’ve heard of is the “Email before Download” plugin, but I was curious if there are others available. Thanks!
Download Monitor has multiple extensions that will allow you to do this. You can check them out at download-monitor.com/extensions/. If you have any further questions, I’d be happy to answer them via download-monitor.com/contact/
Thanks for the heads up Barry! Those are some useful extensions :) I added the Email Lock one to the post above.
Great to know about these plugins and some options are pretty famous in the Industry. Easy Digital Downloads is the most emerging option among of them and it’s really the most promising option for the Online E-Commerce Store owners and developers.
Paid options are also looking fantastic, but I think EDD is the incredible one among of them. Thanks for sharing valuable information through this post.
I am a huge fan of Backup & Restore Dropbox by WPAdm. At first ,I was using free version, but when I launched my second site I moved to use their Online Service. That allows good schedule features and migration.
Hey hows it going guys, developer over at smarty pants plugins here. I would also like to include our plugin in this list. We offer a free and premium document manager for wordpress with tons of features and use cases. Check it out!! feel free to contact us, we pick up the phone! http://smartypantsplugins.com/
Thanks, Is there a plugin to limit download amount per user level? As a example free users can download any 3 files per month.
Hi,
I would like to know if there is a plugin, free or premium, doing the following:
The visitor can go to the attachments page but, when he clicks on an attachment to download, a form will pop up (lightbox, modal etc).
The visitor must fill up the form and submit it successfully.
After form submission, the download will start.
Thank you in advance.
Hi,
I would like to know if there is a plugin, free or premium, doing the following:
The visitor can go to the attachments page by filling up first a form with his/her details and submit it successfully.
Thank you in advance.
Be careful with “WordPress Download Manager”. A great plugin in my opinion. But limited. Does not work well with other plugins. It uses its own system. Not the normal WP Core coding. Can skip the idea of using it with SiteOrgin Page Builder. It kills all info on the page and only shows what you added in the PageBuilder. Then a one of their “addons” breaks other plugins via JavaScript by calling a jquery datepicker function. Something not all plugins load! I easily fixed it for myself. A normal user your would not know how to.
Easy Digital looks pretty nice too! But the pricing is straight out outrageous! $108 for start package! $800 for Core Bundle!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!! $800!!!!!!!
Hey Shawn! Thanks for the feedback.
Also, I personally use EDD and it’s pretty awesome. You don’t have to get the bundles. I didn’t. EDD itself is free and you can start accepting PayPal payments built-in. Essentially you can sell products without any cost. If you want Stripe or something more advanced, you’ll need an extension. But many can start with EDD for free :)
One thing which is rarely addresses in evaluating download managers is whether the download folder is secured with .htaccess so hackers can not bypass the application and download the files directly with the URL. Most I have seen do not actually secure the download files from hacking.
Hi thanks for the post, very informative!
I was wondering if any of the plugins above allow for user-specific downloads, not based on roles or groups but rather each iuser having his own unique files to download… and whether that could be synched with ftp?
Thanks again
WP-filebase pro appears to have been abandonded by its author Fabian Schlier: no activity since September 2017 and clearly I and other are having problems with it. I suggest you remove it from this list.
Thanks Chris, we appreciate the heads up. I made a note of this to take a look at this in a couple months. Usually, we remove things at the 6-month mark of no activity.
Hey Brian, I think you miss one of the most popular in the list, WP File Download ;) Cheers!
Thanks Tristan, we’ll get this added in our next round of updates.
Thanks for noting this. I’m starting to get people contacting me about this and WP-Filebase Pro has now locked me out from being able to upload any new files or update an already loaded file. It is still serving files correctly on my site but for how much longer … and I have to switch now, or run two download managers on the same site, which seems like a very bad idea. Given that I have I think (I can’t see now) between 50 and a 100 files on the site this is a complete nightmare. I think a working but not updating limit of six months seems fair but this is now a broken tool that the author hasn’t updated since 9/9/17, nor has he replied to any public messages on his site since then, but he’s still inviting people to buy the software from him. I do encourage you to remove the entry or flag these issues very prominently in the block about the plug-in and not rely on people finding this down here.
Aargh. Now I have a huge amount of work to do on my site!
Hey Chris! We’ll be replacing WP-Filebase Pro with WP File Download in our next rounds of updates :)
Hi Brian!
Is there good plugin which allows not only PDF but also Excel and Word files? I have templates which would be more helpful to the user if they could edit and adapt them to their needs. Thank you
Hey Dorit,
I don’t think any of these plugins will do that. You might have better luck searching for a “WordPress document management” solution.
Thanks for the info. please tell me, is there a solution to manage 500,000 files in different formats? not just images..
Thanks
Hey Sathoshi,
Many of the plugins mentioned above should be able to handle thousands of different types of files.
I’m looking for a system where I can have membership to the site, and members manage their own uploads on a dashboard. Which of these plug ins would work best? The downloads on the site would be free.
Hey Kat!
A number of the plugins mentioned above can do this. You might also want to take a look at different membership plugins: https://kinsta.com/blog/wordpress-membership-plugins/