# Download Monitor review (2026): is the free plan enough? > WordPress plugin for managing, tracking and gating file downloads Checked Nov 13, 2026 ยท graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA. 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. - **Category:** Selling Digital Products - **Made by:** WP Chill - **Website:** https://www.download-monitor.com - **Runs on:** Web - **Who should skip it:** Not for you if you're not on WordPress, since it runs only inside it. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 13, 2026 ## 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. - **Pricing model:** Free plan - **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 | $138 per 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 | $258 per 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 | $398 per 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 https://www.download-monitor.com/pricing/ on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Download Monitor before buying. ## Ways to pay less - **First-year introductory price on annual plans** (Other savings): Annual plans show $48, $90 and $139 for the first year with a Black Friday banner; they renew at the regular price. Source: https://www.download-monitor.com/pricing/ - **Lifetime licenses with 3 years of support** (Lifetime license): One-time payments listed at $483 for 1 site, $903 for 3 sites and $1,393 for 5 sites, with lifetime updates. Source: https://www.download-monitor.com/lifetime-pricing/ ## 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. ## Good for - WordPress site owners who share manuals, reports or lead magnets - Agencies running download tracking across several client sites - Publishers who want files behind a form or user role ## 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. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 2.4 out of 4**, graded Nov 13, 2026. 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. - **Value for money: C.** $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. - **Free plan and trial: B.** A free edition on WordPress.org with download tracking and terms gating. Captcha, custom buttons and email notification are paid. - **Features: C.** Tracking, 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. - **Ease of use: C.** No store rating on record. It's a plugin you install and configure on a WordPress site. - **Platforms and integrations: B.** WordPress only, with Amazon S3, Google Drive, Mailchimp and form plugin links. No standalone app. These are ToolGPA's own grades. 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. ## Where it 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. The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/digital-products ## Keep it, 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. - You could make: Digital downloads, reports and forms: an app builder makes these well. - You could not: Storing and serving files for other people. - You could not: It plugs into other products, WordPress, Amazon S3 and Google Drive among them. - You could not: What a company asks for before it lets staff use something: roles and permissions. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. ## Works with WordPress, Amazon S3, Google Drive, Ninja Forms, Gravity Forms, Mailchimp, WPForms, Contact Form 7 **Tags:** Digital downloads, File sharing, Reports, Forms ## Alternatives - [Easy Digital Downloads](https://toolgpa.com/tools/easy-digital-downloads): WordPress plugin for selling digital downloads from your own site. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/download-monitor-vs-easy-digital-downloads) - [Memberful](https://toolgpa.com/tools/memberful): Membership platform for paid newsletters, podcasts and communities. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/download-monitor-vs-memberful) - [E-junkie](https://toolgpa.com/tools/e-junkie): Sell downloads and goods with buttons, carts or a shop. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/download-monitor-vs-e-junkie) - [FetchApp](https://toolgpa.com/tools/fetchapp): Digital download and license key delivery for your own store. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/download-monitor-vs-fetchapp) - [Freemius](https://toolgpa.com/tools/freemius): Merchant of record, licensing and payments for software sellers. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/download-monitor-vs-freemius) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026: - https://www.download-monitor.com/pricing/ - https://www.download-monitor.com/lifetime-pricing/ - https://www.download-monitor.com/free-vs-pro/ - https://wordpress.org/plugins/download-monitor/ Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/download-monitor Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).