9 Best WordPress Download Manager Plugins in 2022 (Free and Paid)
Do you run a WordPress website that lets folks obtain information akin to music, video, or written content material? If that’s the case, do you discover it difficult to trace and handle these digital file downloads? Please proceed studying in case your reply to each questions was “sure,” as a result of right this moment, I will probably be taking a look at WordPress obtain supervisor plugins and what they’ll do for you.
What Is a Obtain Supervisor?
In easy phrases, a obtain supervisor does what the title suggests – it manages file transfers out of your web site to your customers.
In case you are providing only one obtain in your website – for instance, a free eBook – then you would add it to your host server and easily hyperlink to it out of your web site. Nonetheless, that’s not excellent, as you can not management or monitor downloads.
Nonetheless, in the event you supply many various downloads, you’ll doubtless want one thing with extra superior options that will help you handle them. That’s the place WordPress obtain supervisor plugins step into the limelight.
Why Would You Use a WordPress Obtain Supervisor? What Advantages Does It Present?
In case you are providing a number of information for customers to obtain, you want some technique of controlling them. For instance, it’s possible you’ll need to prohibit entry to them to registered customers or paying clients solely. You additionally might have to restrict the variety of downloads to preserve bandwidth.
Utilizing a WordPress obtain supervisor brings a number of benefits to the desk:
- You’ll be able to monitor how typically your information are downloaded and get different helpful statistical information.
- Entry to the downloads could be managed, e.g., to logged-in customers, paying clients, individuals who have been given an entry code, and so on.
- Many plugins can resume interrupted file transfers if a obtain suffers a disruption on account of a community connection failure or the person pausing it.
- Keep away from community congestion by scheduling the downloads to off-peak occasions.
- Place limits on the variety of concurrent downloads to preserve bandwidth.
- Some plugins can enhance switch occasions by initiating a number of connections to the identical server however at completely different factors within the file after which combining all of them.
My Prompt WordPress Obtain Supervisor Plugins
Listed below are my prime picks of WordPress obtain supervisor plugins for 2022. There are free, freemium, and premium ones to select from, so you need to be capable of discover one which fits your wants and price range.
Please notice that costs had been appropriate once I wrote this text, and the builders of every plugin had lately up to date them.
Simple Digital Downloads
In case you are trying to arrange an eCommerce website to promote digital downloads, Easy Digital Downloads is a free plugin that will help you obtain that. It comprises loads of instruments to handle, monitor, and promote your digital merchandise.
Moreover, extending the plugin’s performance is feasible through a variety of free and premium extensions. These can help you add software program licensing, opinions, recurring funds for subscriptions, and so on.
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Professionals
- Promote any sort of digital product
- Extensions imply you possibly can choose and select the options you need
- Properly supported (world full-time help workforce, IRC chatroom, and boards)
- Loads of documentation
- Open supply and developer-friendly
Cons
- A premium extension ($49) is required to supply free downloads
- Including a number of premium extensions could be costly, probably making this free plugin costly in comparison with the competitors. Nonetheless, extension passes can be found, which may scale back the associated fee considerably
Worth
- Easy Digital Downloads is free, though most of the helpful extensions are usually not. Extension passes (bundles) can be found and at the moment are on supply for between $99.50 and $499.50.
LearnDash
LearnDash just isn’t strictly a obtain supervisor plugin – it’s, actually, a studying administration system for WordPress. Meaning it should assist you create and handle on-line programs, which naturally embrace many downloadable information.
The plugin contains strong options for managing programs and, due to this fact, the content material inside them. That features controlling who has entry to information and when. For instance, it might be a prerequisite that college students efficiently full one element of a course earlier than being given entry to the supplies for the following.
Professionals
- Lets you intently management information, together with who can entry them and when
- Can deal with just about any media sort, together with photographs, audio, video, HTML5, SCORM, and so on.
- Detailed statistical stories
- 15-day moneyback assure
Cons
- Solely appropriate for on-line programs
Worth
- LearnDash is a premium plugin costing $159 per yr for a single website license, rising to $329 for as much as twenty-five domains.
WP File Obtain
WP File Obtain is a robust WordPress obtain supervisor plugin that’s super-easy to make use of because of a clear person interface built-in into the WordPress dashboard.
The plugin makes dealing with information simple because of drag-and-drop file administration performance. Moreover, it means that you can add and categorize information for simple entry.
Read WPLift’s detailed review of WP File Download.
Professionals
- Extraordinarily simple to arrange and use
- The plugin is up to date recurrently and properly supported by the developer
- Glorious file administration options, e.g., file import through FTP, file tags, drag-and-drop, date search, model historical past, and so on.
- Glorious obtain administration options, e.g., statistics, e mail alerts, front-end obtain buttons, and so on.
Cons
- The most affordable plan (Begin) works just for six months. Over a yr works out far more costly than the following plan up (Professional)
- Cloud and WooCommerce integrations are solely out there with the costliest plan (Professional + Addons)
- No moneyback assure or free trial supplied
- No lifetime subscriptions can be found
Worth
- WP File Obtain is accessible as Begin ($29 for six months), Professional ($39 per yr), and Professional + Addons ($69 per yr.) All plans embrace limitless website installs.
WordPress Obtain Supervisor
WordPress Obtain Supervisor is a well-liked freemium plugin for monitoring and controlling file downloads out of your web site.
The plugin means that you can prohibit file entry to particular person roles, plus information could be password protected if required. What’s extra, it is usually doable to restrict entry till customers settle for your phrases and situations.
Sadly, the free model solely offers entry management and password safety of information. Nonetheless, the premium plans add many extra options, together with front-end file supervisor, bandwidth management, stats, multi-file downloads, pay-as-you-want (discretional) pricing, and extra.
Professionals
- Loads of choices to limit entry to downloads
- Create customized replace entry durations for subscriptions, e.g., for software program downloads, you possibly can present one yr of free updates, with subsequent years topic to an everyday subscription payment
Cons
- You should buy further premium extensions to promote digital downloads
- The free model is just too primary and has restricted help
Worth
The core plugin of WordPress Downloads Supervisor is free. Premium plans price between $99 and $499, relying on what number of domains you’ve.
Get WordPress Download Manager
Use-Your-Drive
What units Use-Your-Drive aside from many of the different plugins on this listing is it hyperlinks instantly with Google Drive. That means that you can handle the information you retailer there and supply them in your website to exterior customers for obtain, all out of your WordPress dashboard.
Recordsdata could be uploaded and downloaded both through the plugin or instantly into Google Drive. You’ll be able to then embed button shortcodes or obtain hyperlinks in your website’s pages and posts to provide entry to customers. As well as, on-line previews of paperwork and pictures can be found, with the latter being introduced both in galleries or as thumbnails.
What’s extra, the plugin additionally has a file browser with highly effective filter and search options. That actually helps to supply an important person expertise.
Professionals
- Integrates a file browser, photograph gallery, and media participant into your WordPress website, all linked to information in your Google Drive
- Appropriate for a variety of purposes
- Properly documented
- Glorious worth for the options offered
Cons
- Solely works with Google Drive
Worth
- Use-Your-Drive is bought by way of Code Canyon and prices $36. That features future updates plus six months of help, upgradable to a yr for an additional $11.63.
Easy Obtain Monitor
I like Easy Downloads Supervisor. Although it’s fully free, this plugin contains many nice options for managing, monitoring, and monitoring your digital downloads. Lots of its options aren’t even out there on many costly premium plugins.
A clear person interface makes including, modifying or eradicating downloads a doddle, plus you possibly can assign classes and tags to them. Shortcodes can help you embed customizable obtain buttons wherever you need them in your website, whereas detailed stats and monitoring information assist you monitor every little thing.
Different nice options embrace including phrases and situations that customers should comply with earlier than being allowed to obtain a file, entry restrictions, and far more.
Professionals
- Spectacular feature-set for a freebie
- Can handle all widespread file varieties with no restrictions
- Sturdy monitoring and reporting options
- Surprisingly properly supported for a free plugin
Cons
Worth
- Easy Obtain Monitor is free, with no premium choices out there.
Obtain Monitor
Obtain Monitor is a extremely fashionable plugin that provides an interface to the WordPress dashboard for importing and managing downloadable information. Then, you possibly can promote these information by putting obtain hyperlinks in your pages and posts.
For lovers of Gutenberg, you’ll be happy to know that the plugin features a block, so including downloads to your website is straightforward. Alternatively, shortcodes are additionally out there for embedding the obtain hyperlinks wherever you want them.
Whereas the core model of Obtain Monitor is free, it’s a little naked. Subsequently, investing in a premium subscription can be sensible because it provides far more performance. Anticipate finding issues like e mail notifications when clients have downloaded their purchases, obtain duplicator, Captcha spam prevention, cloud integrations, and extra within the premium plans.
Professionals
- Premium plans add tons extra performance at a smart value
- You’ll be able to attempt the premium variations risk-free utilizing the 14-day moneyback assure
Cons
- The free model has few options and restricted help
- Precedence help is barely out there with the costliest plan
Worth
- The core plugin of Obtain Monitor is free, though I like to recommend upgrading to the In style ($99 per yr) or Full ($159) plan as they comprise probably the most helpful options. Sadly, the most cost effective premium choice, Fundamental ($39), presents little over the free model.
WooCommerce
WooCommerce is greatest recognized for being a massively fashionable eCommerce platform plugin for WordPress. Nonetheless, it’s possible you’ll be stunned to see you could additionally use it for promoting or freely giving digital merchandise on-line.
The WooCommerce plugin contains strong options for importing and organizing your digital information and, after all, for providing them in your web site.
Most main file varieties are supported, so it is possible for you to to supply software program, music, movies, eBooks, and so on., on your clients to obtain as soon as they’ve bought. Downloads could be offered instantly upon completion of a sale, or emails containing obtain hyperlinks could be despatched afterward.
Professionals
- Set up downloads into collections
- Set person restrictions akin to limits on the variety of downloads per merchandise
- Downloads could be made out there without spending a dime or for buy
- Properly supported with loads of tutorials and documentation out there from the developer and different sources akin to YouTube
- The core plugin is free, and a variety of free and premium extensions can be found from the developer and third-party distributors to boost performance
Cons
- WooCommerce is for eCommerce websites, so if you’re simply providing just a few downloads without spending a dime, different plugins could be extra appropriate
Worth
- WooCommerce is a free plugin, however as I’ve already talked about, tons of developer and third-party extensions can be found to tailor it to your particular wants. Simply watch out to not add too many as that might trigger your website to ‘bloat,’ which could be detrimental to hurry.
Ending my listing is one other glorious free plugin: Simple Media Obtain.
Regardless of its title, this light-weight plugin means that you can supply free downloads not just for media information however different varieties too, akin to zip information, scripts, Microsoft Workplace paperwork, and plenty of extra.
Simple Media Obtain additionally contains monitoring and monitoring options, whereas customizable buttons and shortcodes could be embedded wherever you need them to seem in your website.
Professionals
- Handles a variety of file varieties, with no measurement limitations
- Fully free
- Light-weight code
Cons
- Fewer options than Easy Obtain Monitor, which can also be free
Worth
- Simple Media Obtain is totally free. Nonetheless, premium help is accessible for $29.99 per yr for a single website.
What’s Your Favourite WordPress Obtain Supervisor Plugin?
Should you supply digital downloads to your customers, a WordPress obtain supervisor plugin will convey you so many benefits. For instance, you possibly can maintain a tighter grip on who has entry to the information and when, plus you possibly can observe and monitor the downloads. Moreover, you possibly can management your bandwidth utilization and customarily supply your customers an enhanced expertise.
In case you are on the lookout for a wholly free obtain supervisor so as to add to your WordPress website, I’d say that Easy Obtain Monitor can be a wonderful alternative. Nonetheless, in case you have some price range out there, WordPress Obtain Supervisor is worthy of consideration.
Do you supply digital downloads to your website customers? If that’s the case, what type are they, and are they free or paid. Are you utilizing a specific plugin to assist handle them, or is it one thing you’ve but to do?
