Prevent Direct Access – Protect… vs Easy Digital Downloads Free Link (2026)
Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.
Prevent Direct Access – Protect…
10K+ active installs
Free
Easy Digital Downloads Free Link
1.0K+ active installs
Free
Quick Verdict
As of April 2026, Easy Digital Downloads Free Link has a higher user rating (5/5 from 5 reviews) while Prevent Direct Access – Protect… leads in active installations (10K+ vs 1.0K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. Prevent Direct Access – Protect… has accumulated 264K+ total downloads while Easy Digital Downloads Free Link has 36K+.
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Prevent Direct Access – Protect… | Easy Digital Downloads Free Link | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.7/5 | ► | 5/5 |
| Total Reviews | 292 | ◄ | 5 |
| Active Installs | 10K+ | ◄ | 1.0K+ |
| Total Downloads | 264K+ | ◄ | 36K+ |
| Support Resolution | 0% | N/A | |
| Last Updated | 1 week ago | ◄ | 3 months ago |
| First Released | 2015 | 2014 | |
| Age | 11 years | 12 years | |
| WP Requires | 4.7+ | 4.0+ | |
| PHP Requires | 5.6.1+ | 5.6+ | |
| Business Model | Free | Free | |
| Latest Version | 2.8.8.6 | 1.1.0 |
Rating Breakdown
Prevent Direct Access – Protect…
Easy Digital Downloads Free Link
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, Prevent Direct Access – Protect… averaged approximately 453 daily downloads while Easy Digital Downloads Free Link averaged 6.
Recent Reviews
Prevent Direct Access – Protect… Reviews
Great protection
The pro plugin delivers, providing protection and security to files which contain commercial, sensitive or personal information. I have had a pro license for some time and even though the license h
Free Version barely usable
Almost every useful feature is locked away. Uninstalled immediately.
I’m completely impressed…
I’m not one to write reviews, but the WP Folio Team definitely deserves one. I’m completely impressed with their support. They are unparalleled! Whatever you need, you can be sure they will do everyth
Easy Digital Downloads Free Link Reviews
Perfect for the job!
This works great for my needs, I wanted to have a simple link, and this extension does it.
Works very well
Other plugin I used stopped working suddenly, I assume it is stopped by EDD because is too old and probably breaks some rules. This plugin, however works very nicely. Great job, webaware!
Useful plugin – top notch support
I have used this plugin for a number of years and find it very useful – it works exactly as advertised. I decided to post a review today because after something went wrong I needed a bit of support an
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.