Want to drive conversions? Try offering exclusive members-only downloads or accepting submission uploads. Transform your WordPress site with these five WordPress file sharing plugins.
Approximate read time: 5 minutes
Want to add file hosting and sharing to your WordPress website?
As a quick review, file hosting and sharing are the abilities to accept and give users digital content through a WordPress website. And there are a lot of benefits to adding file sharing to your website.
With the right plugin, you can trade files with your visitors and encourage conversions by offering free downloadable content.
This post will cover five of the best WordPress file sharing plugins. And to accommodate every budget, we’ve included a mix of WordPress file sharing plugins for free and paid.
Let’s get started!
Can WordPress share files?
Unfortunately, WordPress doesn’t support this downloadable media without WordPress plugins or add-ons.
You can upload files to WordPress, but it doesn’t have a native way to share them with users.
So, you need a WordPress plugin to help bridge the gap between you and your visitors.And that’s why we have the best plugins here for you 👇.
Best WordPress file sharing plugins
1. Formidable Forms
First, we have Formidable Forms, the best WordPress document sharing plugin.
This form builder plugin has a powerful drag-and-drop interface that allows you to display form data with Views.
The View feature allows you to easily create a form that displays a list of media from real-time submissions. Luckily, this includes all of the different file types that visitors download:
Formidable Forms allow you to upload your files to WordPress. Formidable Views lets you easily display user feedback results on your website with a few simple clicks. You can even use the permissions-based rules system to share multiple files as gated content.
This makes Formidable Forms perfect for membership website forms or offering file downloads as a lead generation strategy.
And the best thing about Formidable is that the plugin's features go far beyond managing gated content with a file explorer. This drag-and-drop plugin allows you to build countless forms and landing pages that store member data straight from your WP admin.
Features:
- Upload documents, files, music, and photos for avatars, galleries, or email attachments.
- Password-protect your files.
- Display downloaded files after successful form submission.
- Monetize your gated content by placing it behind a payment form.
- Convert form entries to PDFs for payment forms, survey forms, and more
- WooCommerce integration
Pricing: An annual Formidable Forms license starts at $39.50 per year.
Get Your File Sharing Plugin Now!
2. Download Monitor
Next is Download Monitor.
This file-sharing plugin provides a user-friendly interface where you can share and manage your content. It's also easy to insert a download link for uploaded files on any of your website's pages or posts:
This plugin can also log your total number of successful downloads and download attempts. This allows you to identify your best-performing content. You can then adjust your strategy to deliver better results.
In addition, Download Monitor has everything you need to sell access to your downloadable files if you want to monetize your content. For example, if you’re running a membership site, you might restrict downloads to logged-in users only.
Features:
- Add, edit, or remove downloadable files using the familiar WordPress user interface.
- Offer multiple versions of each file.
- Provide alternative ‘mirror’ links for each version.
Pricing: You can download the core plugin for free. There are also several paid extensions available.
3. WordPress File Upload
This WordPress file share plugin lets users submit files to a WordPress website.
Add an automatic-generated shortcode to any page, post, or widget. Then your visitors will be able to upload files from that location:
This plugin displays your uploaded files on the back end in a separate menu in your WordPress dashboard. It also provides a file browser that you can use to access and manage all of these submitted files.
Features:
- This plugin is General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliant.
- It supports additional form fields, including checkboxes and dropdowns.
- Following a successful upload, you can automatically redirect to another URL.
Pricing: WordPress File Upload starts with a free version.
4. Easy Digital Downloads
Fourth on our list is Easy Digital Downloads.
If you want to monetize your content, check out this file share plugin. This e-commerce plugin enables you to sell a wide range of files. These file types include PDFs, music, software, and e-books:
The free Easy Digital Downloads plugin supports Stripe and Amazon Payments. You can also add a range of payment gateways with free and premium extensions. This includes some more unusual payment methods, such as BitPay and Coinbase.
Even when you’re monetizing your files, it may make sense to offer some content for free. For instance, you may want to provide teaser content or a complimentary gift.
However, if you want to bypass standard checkout forms with this plugin, you'll need the Free Downloads extension.
Features:
- Take advantage of a complete e-commerce system.
- Prevent unauthorized visitors from accessing your files without paying.
- Track your downloads, sales, and refunds with detailed e-commerce reports.
Pricing: You can download this plugin for free. A pro version is also available, starting at $99.50 per year.
5. Download Manager
Download Manager is fifth on the list.
This simple file management plugin is handy for digital content. For example, this plugin lets you restrict access to your files based on user roles:
Download Manager lets you control the download speed and limit the number of downloads per user.
You can use this plugin's CAPTCHA lock and IP blocking features. This prevents malicious third parties and bots from accessing your content or uploading some of their own.
Download Manager also supports many popular file share services for hosting your content. This includes Google Drive, Dropbox, and OneDrive.
A downside to this plugin is that it is limited to downloading and managing content. It doesn't come with the ability to build extensive forms like other plugins.
However, you can access more features using WordPress Download Manager Pro, which requires a subscription.
Features:
- Leverage the user-friendly, integrated document viewer.
- Attach files directly from your server using the file browser.
- Use an easy drag-and-drop file upload.
- View your total download count, thanks to the built-in counter.
Pricing: You can download this plugin free from the official WordPress Repository.
WordPress File Sharing Plugins Conclusion
As you can see, countless reasons exist to provide visitors with a WordPress file sharing portal.
You can offer gated content on your membership site or accept resumes on your job board. Either way, a file-sharing plugin is a fantastic choice to provide digital content and downloads on WordPress!
No matter the circumstance, you'll need a dependable tool.
Get Your File Sharing Plugin Now!
Let's recap the five best plugins on WordPress.org:
- Formidable Forms: Our powerful plugin displays downloaded files after successful form submission.
- Download Monitor: Manage your shared folders and shared files and insert the download buttons and links anywhere on your site.
- WordPress File Upload: Enable your users to upload files using simple shortcodes.
- Easy Digital Downloads: Sell various media files, including PDFs, music, and e-books.
- Download Manager: Limit downloads, add security features, and use popular file storage tools.
Are you ready to create gated content forms with file sharing abilities? Try out Formidable Forms today!
See more about downloading files in WordPress
How To Require Email To Download Files in WordPress
How to Know When You Need a Membership PluginDid you know that Formidable Forms is one of the fastest WordPress form builder plugins available today? If you're not already using it, get started with our free plugin or the full-featured pro version!
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