Download Monitor review (2026): is the free plan enough?
WordPress plugin for managing, tracking and gating file downloads
Black Friday: is there a Download Monitor sale?
Download Monitor report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 13, 2026
Best for tracking and gating file downloads on a WordPress site
Download Monitor is a WordPress plugin that tracks downloads, keeps versions under one link and gates files behind terms or email. The free edition lacks captcha, buttons and email notice, and the paid plans renew at $138 a year after a $48 first year.
Who Download Monitor is for
- Fits if you run WordPress and want to count who downloads what
- Works for sites that give out files after an email sign-up
Who Download Monitor is not for
- Not for you if you're not on WordPress, since it runs only inside it
- Pricey if you stay past year one, because plans renew at $138, $258 or $398
- Watch out: email notification, CSV tools and cloud hosting need Popular or above
- Watch out: access rules and form locks need Complete at $398 a year
- Skip it if you want to sell files, as there's no checkout of its own
Why Download Monitor gets a 2.4
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- CValue for money$138 a year for 1 site after a $48 first year, about $11.50 a month, which sits above the cheapest quarter of $8.99. Three sites is $258 and five is $398 a year.
- BFree plan and trialA free edition on WordPress.org with download tracking and terms gating. Captcha, custom buttons and email notification are paid.
- CFeaturesTracking, versions, access rules, email before download, S3 and Drive hosting. But it's a download manager, not a store with its own checkout, and email, CSV and cloud hosting need Popular.
- CEase of useNo store rating on record. It's a plugin you install and configure on a WordPress site.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWordPress only, with Amazon S3, Google Drive, Mailchimp and form plugin links. No standalone app.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Download Monitor's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
Make Download Monitor? Put this grade on your site
Paste this where you want the badge. It links here and follows the grade if it changes. About badges
<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/download-monitor#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/download-monitor.svg" alt="Download Monitor: 2.4 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Download Monitor stands among tools for selling digital products
Download Monitor's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 23 of the 50 other tools for selling digital products we grade, and level with 11.
It stands best on free plan and trial (B, above 23 of 50) and worst on features (C, above 1).
Its paid plans start at $11.50 a month when paid by the year, against a middle price of $16.74 for the category: 9 of the 22 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. 8 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 51 tools for selling digital products we grade, cut by the letter each got. Download Monitor’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 5 of 50, level with 35
- BFree plan and trialAbove 23 of 50, level with 18
- CFeaturesAbove 1 of 50, level with 27
- CEase of useAbove 1 of 50, level with 47
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 14 of 50, level with 36
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 33 tools for selling digital products. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Keep Download Monitor, or make your own?
Keep it
The plain part of Download Monitor you could make: digital downloads, reports and forms. What surrounds it you could not. The 3 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
It costs $138 a year.
What you could make
- Digital downloads, reports and forms: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- Storing and serving files for other people.
- It plugs into other products, WordPress, Amazon S3 and Google Drive among them.
- What a company asks for before it lets staff use something: roles and permissions.
What this rests on. Download Monitor’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Download Monitor?
Download Monitor is a WordPress plugin for uploading files, organizing them with categories and versions, and logging every download. A free edition covers the basics, and paid plans for 1, 3 or 5 sites add email notifications, CSV import and export, cloud file hosting and access rules.
Worth knowing
- Runs only inside WordPress; it is a download manager, not a storefront with its own checkout.
- Annual plans renew at the regular price after the introductory first year.
- Email notification, CSV tools and cloud hosting need Popular or above; access rules and form locks need Complete.
- Free edition lacks captcha, custom buttons and email notification.
Key features
- Download tracking
- Logs each download with user data, IP address and timestamp, with reports on trends and top files.
- Versions under one link
- Keep several file versions under a single download link so visitors get the current release.
- Access control
- Role-based permissions and password protection, with rule-based access management on the Complete plan.
- Email before download
- Form locks for Ninja Forms, Gravity Forms, WPForms, Contact Form 7 and Mailchimp can collect an email first.
- Cloud file hosting
- Serve files from Amazon S3 with secure, expiring links, or use files hosted on Google Drive.
- Document library
- Build searchable, filterable document libraries and use shortcodes to place buttons and lists anywhere.
Download Monitor pricing
As of Nov 13, 2026, Download Monitor has a free plan, and paid plans start at $138 per year for 1 site, after a first year at $48.
- Starts at
- $138 per year for 1 site, after a first year at $48
- Free plan
- Free edition on WordPress.org with download tracking and terms-and-conditions gating; PRO features such as captcha, buttons and email notification are not included.
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Core download management and terms-and-conditions gating, without the PRO extensions. |
| Basic | $138per year for 1 site, regular price after a first year at $48 | 1 site, 1 year of support and updates, Enhanced Metrics, anti-spam and bot protection. First year shown at $48. |
| Popular | $258per year for 3 sites, regular price after a first year at $90 | Adds email notification, CSV import and export, Document Library Manager and Amazon S3 and Google Drive hosting. |
| Complete | $398per year for 5 sites, regular price after a first year at $139 | Adds rule-based access management, priority support and form locks for Ninja Forms, Gravity Forms, WPForms and more. |
Read from download-monitor.com on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Download Monitor before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Other savingsFirst-year introductory price on annual plans
Annual plans show $48, $90 and $139 for the first year with a Black Friday banner; they renew at the regular price.
Stated on download-monitor.com - Lifetime licenseLifetime licenses with 3 years of support
One-time payments listed at $483 for 1 site, $903 for 3 sites and $1,393 for 5 sites, with lifetime updates.
Stated on download-monitor.com
Works with
- WordPress
- Amazon S3
- Google Drive
- Ninja Forms
- Gravity Forms
- Mailchimp
- WPForms
- Contact Form 7
Download Monitor alternatives
- Download Monitor vs Easy Digital Downloads
Free plan · from $199/yr
- Download Monitor vs Memberful
Free trial · from $49/mo
- Download Monitor vs E-junkie
Free trial · from $8/mo
- Download Monitor vs FetchApp
Free plan · from $5/mo
- Download Monitor vs Freemius
Free plan
Common questions
Does Download Monitor have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Download Monitor is listed for Web.
Does Download Monitor have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Download Monitor is listed for Web.
Is Download Monitor open source?
Download Monitor is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 13, 2026.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026.