Simple Download Monitor

81 Quality Score

Active Installs

19/30

About 20,000 active installs puts it solidly in the mid-tier range, well below tools like Post Views Counter at 200,000 installs but ahead of niche counters, indicating steady but not mainstream adoption.

Update Freshness

25/25

Updated within the last week of the data snapshot and tested with WordPress 7.0, showing the developer is actively shipping changes against the latest core release.

User Rating

14/15

An average user rating of 92 out of 100 across 154 reviews is genuinely strong and suggests most users are satisfied rather than merely tolerant.

Support Health

8/15

Only 2 support threads exist in the tracked period but both are resolved, which is a small sample size that prevents any firm conclusion about responsiveness.

WP Compatibility

15/15

Tested with WordPress 7.0 and requiring WordPress 6.0 or higher shows modern compatibility requirements with no reported PHP version conflict in the available data.

Scores higher than 83% of indexed plugins

About

Easily manage downloadable files and monitor downloads of your digital files from your WordPress site.

Active Installs 20k+

Rating ★★★★½ 4.7/5

Last Updated 2026-09-11 4:57am GMT

Requires WordPress 6.0+

Tested Up To 7.1

Security History

17 known vulnerabilities, all patched

2 Critical 2 High 13 Medium

Most recent: February 26, 2026

View details ▸

Simple Download Monitor <= 4.0.5 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting via Custom Field Medium

February 26, 2026 Patched in ["4.0.6"] CVE-2026-2383

Simple Download Monitor <= 3.9.33 - Simple Download Monitor <= 3.9.33 – Authenticated (Contributor+) SQL Injection via order parameter in Log Export functionality Medium

August 27, 2025 Patched in ["3.9.34"] CVE-2025-8977

Simple Download Monitor <= 3.9.34 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting Medium

August 27, 2025 Patched in ["3.9.35"] CVE-2025-58197

Simple Download Monitor <= 3.9.25 - Authenticated (Administrator+) SQL Injection Medium

January 24, 2025 Patched in ["3.9.26"] CVE-2025-24663

Simple Download Monitor <= 3.9.8 - Multiple Cross-Site Request Forgery vulnerabilities High

December 21, 2021 Patched in ["3.9.9"] CVE-2021-24696

Simple Download Monitor <= 3.9.10 - Contributor+ Stored Cross-Site Scripting via Shortcodes Medium

December 21, 2021 Patched in ["3.9.11"] CVE-2021-24694

Simple Download Monitor <= 3.9.4 - Contributor+ Stored Cross-Site Scripting via File Thumbnail Critical

October 5, 2021 Patched in ["3.9.5"] CVE-2021-24693

Simple Download Monitor <= 3.9.5 - Contributor+ Arbitrary Thumbnail Removal Medium

October 5, 2021 Patched in ["3.9.6"] CVE-2021-24698

Simple Download Monitor <= 3.9.5 - Sensitive Data Exposure Medium

October 5, 2021 Patched in ["3.9.6"] CVE-2021-24695

Simple Download Monitor <= 3.9.5 - Log Reset Medium

October 5, 2021 Patched in ["3.9.6"]

Simple Download Monitor <= 3.9.4 - Reflected Cross-Site Scripting Medium

October 5, 2021 Patched in ["3.9.5"] CVE-2021-24697

Simple Download Monitor <= 3.9.4 - Contributor+ Arbitrary File Download Medium

September 2, 2021 Patched in ["3.9.5"] CVE-2021-24692

Simple Download Monitor <= 3.8.8 - Unauthenticated Stored Cross-Site Scripting Medium

October 21, 2020 Patched in ["3.3.9"] CVE-2020-5650

Simple Download Monitor <= 3.8.8 - SQL Injection High

October 21, 2020 Patched in ["3.8.9"] CVE-2020-5651

Simple Download Monitor < 3.5.4 - Authenticated Stored Cross-Site Scripting Medium

January 2, 2018 Patched in ["3.5.4"] CVE-2018-5212

Simple Download Monitor < 3.5.4 - Authenticated Stored Cross-Site Scripting Medium

January 2, 2018 Patched in ["3.5.4"] CVE-2018-5213

Simple Download Monitor <= 3.2.8 - Missing Authorization Critical

January 19, 2016 Patched in ["3.2.9"]

What It Does

Simple Download Monitor lets you upload or link to digital files (PDFs, ZIPs, MP3s, courses, software) and track how many times each one is downloaded through your WordPress site. It logs each download event with timestamps and can display download counts on the front end, giving site owners basic analytics on what their audience actually grabs.

Who It's For

This plugin fits creators and small businesses distributing free or paid digital assets directly from their WordPress site, including indie musicians, ebook authors, course creators, and developers sharing software builds. It is best suited to site owners who only need download tracking and do not require full e-commerce checkout or licensing workflows.

Who Should Skip It

If you need a full storefront with payment processing, license key generation, or recurring billing, you should look at WooCommerce, Easy Digital Downloads, or Paid Memberships Pro instead. Sites that already use a dedicated analytics platform like Google Analytics or Plausible for download tracking gains little additional value from this plugin.

The Bottom Line

With an 80.56 overall score, 92 out of 100 user rating, and a recently maintained codebase, Simple Download Monitor is a solid pick for distributing and tracking digital file downloads on a WordPress site. The 20,000 install count suggests real-world use without mass-market hype, and the lack of an updated PHP requirement is a minor gap. Recommend it for straightforward download tracking needs, and skip it if you need a full commerce engine.

Related Plugins

Post Views Counter 86/100

Pick this if you only need lightweight page view counts and do not require per-file download logging or a download manager interface.

Download Plugin 82/100

Choose this if you want a simpler, lighter-weight download button with minimal admin UI and do not need built-in analytics.

StatCounter – Free Real Time Visitor Stats 81/100

Select this when general real-time visitor analytics matters more than tracking individual file download counts.

Download Plugins and Themes in ZIP from Dashboard 81/100

Use this only if your goal is packaging installed plugins and themes into ZIP files from wp-admin, which is unrelated to public download distribution.

Counter live visitors for WooCommerce 80/100

Pick this instead if your store runs on WooCommerce and you specifically want live visitor counts rather than file download tracking.