AAM Protected Media Files
by AAM Plugin · Media
Also makes 4 other plugins · 100.7K+ installs across the portfolio →
Add-on to the free Advanced Access Manager plugin that protects media files from direct access for visitors, roles or users
Try it live opens a temporary test site in your browser, which can take about 20 seconds to load. Plugins that rely on outside services or a full server may not work completely there.
Health
B 79/100
Few reviews
Active installs
500+
≈590 estimated
Momentum
-4%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “documents” and “media library” for “protected” and “media files”. “documents” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “protected” sits at #4 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “media library” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “media files” sits at #14 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
79 health vs 62 average across 3,279 Media plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →2.6%
of downloads still active
At least 500 of 19K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Media plugin keeps 0.8%, across 2,318 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Media plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
This plugin shipped 1 release in the last 12 months, and every existing install that updated counted as another download. wp.org publishes no split between first installs and updates, so we show the raw rate rather than guess at one.
Details
Recent review vibe
read from the latest 2 reviews to 2021-01-06Both reviewers are happy, with one confirming it works as expected on their WordPress version and the other just thanking the developer.
Directory ranking optimization
How it's scored →How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.
Excellent listing optimization
Most to gain: Rating quality
Updated 191 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.9.11, the current branch or newer
5.0★ over 2 reviews, smoothed to 4.13★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Too few reviews to rank on quality — nudge happy users to leave one.
Get the full rank-higher report →Search visibility
How it's tracked →Directory searches this plugin turns up in, and which way each one is moving. WordPress.org publishes no history of search positions, so this starts the day we first tracked a keyword and never backfills.
39
Momentum
Mixed: one swing, the rest drifting
+0.1
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
20%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
-0.3
Acceleration
recent half vs earlier
wp.org is where the directory puts the plugin for that search. On merit is where it would sit if results were ranked on rating, support and updates, without the install boost. The last column is how far the wp.org position moved, from our first reading in the last 90 days to the latest.
| Keyword | wp.org | On merit | wp.org move, 90 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| protected media your tag | #2 | #17 | 0 |
| protected | #4 | #20 | down 1 |
| protected videos your tag | #5 | #22 | 0 |
| media files | #14 | #24 | 0 |
| files your tag | #23 | #24 | 0 |
| documents your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| media library your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
15 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 5 listed. 10 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 2 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- Swap “documents” and “media library” for “protected” and “media files”. “documents” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “protected” sits at #4 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “media library” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “media files” sits at #14 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 1.2K · peaks are release surges
Directory rank vs rivals
wp.org popularity rank over time · higher is better · when a rival's line climbs above yours, they've overtaken you
Health trend
Composite health score, snapshotted daily
Update activity
How busy the existing users are, measured as downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites. A spike means a new release everyone's pulling; a long, slow decline means an aging user base that updates less.
Release cadence
Occasionally updatedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
1
releases in the last 12 months
6mo ago
latest release · v1.3.3 · 23 Apr 2026
19
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 75% run the current release. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.
Estimated active installs
The public count shows “500+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 39 days ago and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just under 600.
Install history since 4 Oct 2022
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ treetex5.8y ago
Tested on WordPress 5.6 and works as expected.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ BijouLePou6.5y ago
Thanks for your great product!
Read on wp.org ↗
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 7.0.1
AI assistants
How it's measured →Whether ChatGPT and Claude name this plugin when asked the category question, and whether the readme gives them something to quote.
Not measured yet for this plugin’s topics. Its tracked searches are not among the measured topics. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
3 of 8 pass · checked 28 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Add-on to the free Advanced Access Manager plugin that protects media files from direct access for visitors..."
- ! Has a FAQ No FAQ section.
- ! FAQ asks real questions No FAQ to judge.
- ! Names who it is for One audience phrase ("use it"); say who the plugin is for and what they use it for.
- ! Names what it works with Names no plugin, service or platform it works with.
- ! Headings and lists 1 heading and 1 list; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 1,320 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 5 tags appear in the text; "documents", "protected videos" do not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-09-22 600+ → 500+ down after 3 days in tier
- 2026-09-19 500+ → 600+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2026-09-18 600+ → 500+ down after 3 days in tier
- 2026-09-15 500+ → 600+ up after 9 days in tier
- 2026-09-06 600+ → 500+ down after 3 days in tier
- 2026-09-03 500+ → 600+ up after 12 days in tier
- 2026-08-22 600+ → 500+ down after 9 days in tier
- 2026-08-13 500+ → 600+ up after 1 days in tier
Competes with
The plugins that solve the same job, ranked by shared tags then reach, closest match first. The letter on the right is each plugin's health grade (A best, F worst).
- O Overwrite Uploads 1K+ installs · 3.7★ · 2 shared tags C
- D Documents Shortcode 80+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags D
- O OverWrite It 10+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags D
-
PDF Embedder – PDF Viewer & Embed PDF Files for WordPress 300K+ installs · 4.7★ · 1 shared tag A -
Instant Images – One-click Image Uploads from Unsplash, Openverse, Pixabay, Pexels, and Giphy 100K+ installs · 4.6★ · 1 shared tag A -
Media Cleaner: Delete Unused Images & Clean Your Media Library 90K+ installs · 4.6★ · 1 shared tag A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for AAM Protected Media Files into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/aam-protected-media-files" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="AAM Protected Media Files — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> AAM Protected Media Files: 500+ active installs, 5.0★ (2 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/aam-protected-media-files
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