Download Plugin vs Simple Download Monitor (2026)

Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.

Download Plugin

Download Plugin

4.4(22)

50K+ active installs

Free

Updated 4 weeks ago
View Download Plugin
VS
Simple Download Monitor

Simple Download Monitor

4.6(151)

20K+ active installs

Free

Updated 1 week ago
View Simple Download Monitor

Quick Verdict

As of April 2026, Simple Download Monitor has a higher user rating (4.6/5 from 151 reviews) while Download Plugin leads in active installations (50K+ vs 20K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. Download Plugin has accumulated 942K+ total downloads while Simple Download Monitor has 1.3M+.

Detailed Comparison

Rating
4.4/5Download Plugin
Simple Download Monitor4.6/5
Total Reviews
22Download Plugin
Simple Download Monitor151
Active Installs
50K+Download Plugin
Simple Download Monitor20K+
Total Downloads
942K+Download Plugin
Simple Download Monitor1.3M+
Support Resolution
N/ADownload Plugin
Simple Download Monitor67%
Last Updated
4 weeks agoDownload Plugin
Simple Download Monitor1 week ago
First Released
2016Download Plugin
Simple Download Monitor2009
Age
10 yearsDownload Plugin
Simple Download Monitor17 years
WP Requires
4.8+Download Plugin
Simple Download Monitor6.0+
PHP Requires
5.6+Download Plugin
Simple Download Monitorfalse+
Business Model
FreeDownload Plugin
Simple Download MonitorFree
Latest Version
2.4.0Download Plugin
Simple Download Monitor4.0.6

Rating Breakdown

Download Plugin

4.4/5(22 reviews)
5
82%
4
0%
3
5%
2
5%
1
9%

Simple Download Monitor

4.6/5(151 reviews)
5
83%
4
8%
3
5%
2
1%
1
4%

Recent Reviews

Download Plugin Reviews

by indrayn

Nice – multiple download and upload plugins

Please fix on Theme download; in downloaded zip, theme files are not inside theme folder. Thanks

by Josh Journey

Great Plugin and idea

Very helpful for collaborating with plugin developers and testing on different environments.

by disco2000

I Love It

I’ve been using it for more than a year now and it’s a real helpful plugin. Super clean and works perfectly. Thanks to the team!

Simple Download Monitor Reviews

by bud8ie

Love it

Been using it for years and it does the job perfectly. Plenty of features but simple enough to use.

by goerage

Great Plug-in

Lifesaver, if in need for a simple and reliable download app. Thanks!!!

by Nico Visagie

Clean, Simple and it just works!

I have been using this plugin for a few years now on two of the websites I manage and I cannot imagine using another plugin like this. I tried to, but I always come back to this one! Setup is fairly e

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Download Plugin or Simple Download Monitor more popular?
Download Plugin has 50K+ active installations while Simple Download Monitor has 20K+. Download Plugin is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — Download Plugin or Simple Download Monitor?
Download Plugin has a 4.4/5 rating from 22 reviews, while Simple Download Monitor has a 4.6/5 rating from 151 reviews.
Are Download Plugin and Simple Download Monitor free?
Download Plugin is free and Simple Download Monitor is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — Download Plugin or Simple Download Monitor?
Support resolution data is not available for all plugins. Check each plugin's WordPress.org support forum for current response quality.
Which plugin is updated more frequently?
Download Plugin was last updated 4 weeks ago and Simple Download Monitor was last updated 1 week ago.

Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.