Looking for an easy way to upload and download PDFs on WordPress? This roundup will help you find the right plugin for your PDF file needs.
Approximate read time: 7 minutes
A quick Google search tells you that there are loads of WordPress plugins for uploading and downloading PDF files, but each offers different features and capabilities. Some act as a simple PDF reader plugins while others will only let you export blog posts as PDFs.
But if you’re just looking for a quick and effective solution to download or upload PDFs on WordPress, there are a few plugins that stand out above the rest.
Instead of wasting tons of time on trial-and-error, scroll down for our picks for the 5 best WordPress plugins for downloading PDFs and uploading them too!
But before we jump right in, let's first figure out what kind of PDF WordPress plugin you really need.
Why use a WordPress PDF download plugin?
There are lots of ways you can enhance user experience on your website with a WordPress plugin to download PDFs. Not sure what we mean? Here are a few ideas:
- Give site members access to exclusive content like templates or e-books
- Make it easy for users to find and download official forms
- Automatically generate PDF receipts for customer orders
- Create downloadable certificates for online courses
On top of that, a PDF upload plugin for WordPress can also make it much easier to insert and customize PDF download buttons, something which isn’t as simple as it should be with the default editor.
Why use a WordPress PDF upload plugin?
Using a WordPress plugin to upload PDF files makes it easy to upload PDFs from the front end of your website. No more need for team members, partners, or clients to log in to the back end of your site to upload documents!
You probably use this kind of PDF uploader in online forms all the time to:
- Upload a resume for a job application
- Send proof of ID
- Attach an order confirmation to a customer support request
- Submit a purchase receipt to ask for a refund
And with a PDF upload WordPress plugin, you can give your website users this same simple solution!
Top WordPress plugins to download/upload PDF files
Without further ado, here’s our list of the best WordPress plugins for uploading and downloading PDFs.
1. Formidable Forms ⭐ Top Pick: All-Around Best WordPress PDF Download Plugin
Rating: 4.7 stars (915+ reviews) | 300,000+ active installations
Need your users to be able to upload a PDF to WordPress from the front-end? Or maybe you’d like to automatically generate a custom PDF from form entries? Well then, Formidable Forms is the plugin you’re looking for.
Combined with our lightweight but powerful in-house add-ons Formidable PDF and Visual Views (both included in the Formidable Business Plan), you’ll have complete control to create fillable PDFs from form entries, upload PDFs or other media files, and offer your users PDF downloadables in WordPress. Plus a whole lot more.
And all while tying in seamlessly to your online forms. With Formidable, you can quickly create an upload form, and include either a PDF download button or a link to download the PDF on any of your WordPress website pages or posts.
You can also add automations to send download links via email or send the PDF as an attachment directly.
? Pricing: Formidable Forms has a free version and a Pro plugin. Premium plans start at $39.50 for the first year
⚠️ Formidable Forms may not be for you if: `
- You only want to export entire posts or pages to PDF
2. E2Pdf: Best PDF Download WordPress Plugin
Rating: 4.7 stars (40+ reviews) | 10,000+ active installations
E2Pdf is a straightforward PDF exporter, editor, uploader, viewer, and downloader. This multi-purpose PDF tool lets you easily export WordPress posts and pages and convert to PDF. It also lets you export form data as a PDF document.
One thing this plugin doesn’t have? A form builder. So you’ll need to install another form plugin if you’d like to use E2Pdf to turn form entries into PDFs or need to let users upload PDFs from a form.
? Pricing: There is a very limited free version of E2Pdf. Premium versions with additional features start at $20/year per site.
⚠️ E2Pdf may not be for you if:
- You want to let users upload PDFs to your WordPress website
- You'd like to personalize the PDF templates you download
3. WPForms: Best PDF Upload WordPress Plugin
Rating: 4.9 stars (12,000+ reviews) | 5+ million active installations
WPForms is a popular WordPress form builder that allows you to create forms with file upload fields, including PDFs. Simply add a media upload field to the form using the drag-and-drop builder, and you can collect PDFs from form entries.
This plugin also lets you print or download form entries as PDFs, but with very limited templates and customization options.
? Pricing: There’s a very limited free version of WPForms, with four paid plans ranging from $79/year to $599/year.
⚠️ WPForms may not be for you if:
- You’re looking for a simple, lightweight PDF download plugin
- You already have a form builder
- You need WooCommerce integration
- You want to automatically generate custom PDFs from form entries
- You want to be able to personalize the style of your forms
- You’d like to display charts and graphs of form data
4. PDF Invoices & Packing Slips for WooCommerce: Best PDF Download Plugin for WordPress & WooCommerce
Rating: 5 stars (1,500+ reviews) | 300,000+ active installations
Have a WooCommerce store and just need a way to create and send PDF invoices for your customers? PDF Invoices & Packing Slips for WooCommerce lets you automatically attach a PDF invoice to your order confirmation emails.
This WooCommerce extension comes with a basic PDF invoice template that you can customize, but you will need to know HTML and CSS.
? Pricing: From $39-$139/year
⚠️ PDF Invoices & Packing Slips for WooCommerce may not be for you if:
- You don’t run an eCommerce site
- You need to create and email PDFs for more than just WooCommerce orders
- You want to be able to customize your PDF template without coding
5. Easy Digital Downloads: The Best Digital Product WordPress PDF Download Plugin
Rating: 4.7 stars (400+ reviews) | 50,000+ active installations
Digital artists, photographers, template creators, and e-book authors, this one’s for you! Upload PDF files in WordPress with this plugin to then sell them directly on your website.
Easy Digital Downloads gives you a simple way to add digital products to your eCommerce site, without needing to use WooCommerce, Shopify, Etsy, or other similar platforms.
? Pricing: From $99.50/year for 1 site
⚠️ Easy Digital Downloads may not be for you if:
- You don’t sell digital products on WordPress
- You already have an eCommerce solution
- You want to allow users to upload PDFs on the frontend of your website
Honorable mention: Gravity PDF
Rating: 4.9 stars (300+ reviews) | 50,000+ active installations
Based on its name, you might think that Gravity PDF is an in-house add-on for Gravity Forms. But guess what? It isn’t! Gravity PDF is actually a completely separate third-party plugin made by a different company.
This freemium plugin lets you turn Gravity Forms submissions into PDFs and comes with four different PDF templates out of the box. You can create your own PDF templates, but you’ll need to know how to code.
? Pricing: Free version with premium starting at $199 AUD/year + minimum $59/year for Gravity Forms license
⚠️ Gravity PDF may not be for you if:
- You have a small budget
- You don’t already have a Gravity Forms license
- You want to create fillable PDFs from Gravity form entries — in fact you’d need another third-party premium plugin to do this (Fillable PDFs)
- You don’t want to slow down your WordPress site by having to install several different plugins for forms and PDFs
- You want to create custom PDFs with no code
Which PDF download or upload plugin for WordPress will you choose?
From whitepapers and pricing sheets to flyers and forms, there are so many different ways you can use PDF files on your website.
Whether you need a simple plugin to download a PDF on WordPress or want to create complex forms where users can upload PDF files, having the right plugin can make your life much easier.
Ready to get started? Get the best WordPress PDF download and upload plugin now!
Read More: PDFs with Formidable!
How To Use E2Pdf to Export Entries as PDF
How To Sign a PDF in WordPress (Without Coding!)
How To Create PDF Invoices in WordPressDid you know that Formidable Forms is one of the top WordPress form builder plugins available today? If you're not already using it, get started with our free plugin or go for the full-featured pro version.
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