Document Library Lite
by Barn2 Plugins · Media
Also makes 5 other plugins · 21K+ installs across the portfolio →
Create a WordPress document library to manage, search and download files.
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
A 85/100
no flags
Active installs
4K+
≈4.7K estimated
Momentum
+5%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “download manager”, “file manager” and “media library” for “documents”, “lite” and “media library folder”. “download manager” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “documents” sits at #7 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “file manager” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “lite” sits at #14 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “media library” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #24. “media library folder” sits at #24 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
85 health vs 62 average across 3,287 Media plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →6.1%
of downloads still active
At least 4K of 65.7K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Media plugin keeps 0.8%, across 2,321 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 5 releases 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 11 reviews to 2025-10-22Most reviewers call it an easy way to publish a document library and one praises fast support, while others say the free version withholds too much and won't even show uploaded file names without manual work.
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 5 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.1.4, the current branch or newer
4.1★ over 12 reviews, smoothed to 4.10★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
1 of 1 support threads resolved in the last 2 months
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.
31
Momentum
Losing ground
-1.1
Velocity
places per keyword, 27d
8%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 27d
-1.1
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| document library your tag | #2 | #4 | 0 |
| document management your tag | #3 | #7 | down 1 |
| document | #4 | #9 | down 2 |
| library | #10 | #17 | down 2 |
| documents | #7 | #18 | 0 |
| document management plugin | #5 | #10 | down 2 |
| document manager | #6 | #14 | down 2 |
| media library categories | #13 | #22 | down 2 |
| media library your tag | #24 | #23 | — |
| the library | #11 | #17 | — |
| media library shortcode | #12 | #19 | down 1 |
| media library category | #13 | #21 | down 2 |
| media library folder | #24 | #22 | down 2 |
| media library folders | #24 | #20 | 0 |
| file library | #17 | #23 | down 3 |
| download media library | #20 | #23 | down 1 |
| download manager your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| file manager your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
70 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 16 listed. 54 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 “download manager”, “file manager” and “media library” for “documents”, “lite” and “media library folder”. “download manager” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “documents” sits at #7 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “file manager” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “lite” sits at #14 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “media library” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #24. “media library folder” sits at #24 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 · 1,489 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 5.4K · 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
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
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
Actively maintainedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
5
releases in the last 12 months
5d ago
latest release · v1.3.2 · 28 Oct 2026
21
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin. 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 “4K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 9 months ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 71% of the way through.
Install history since 4 Oct 2022
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ fabienpe1.0y ago
Unfortunately, as for so many plugins, the free version is useless.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Ko1.1y ago
This is a great plugin for creating a simple document archive. The setup process was simple, and I like that it includes a dedicated area for organizing files. You still upload or select files through the Media, but this makes it much easier to manage. The support was fantastic—quick and thorough. I was impressed that they developed a patch within just a few days.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Bradley Smith1.6y ago
For those users that need to serve up documents (like a COA/HOA), this make it easy to host those documents.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ omdx241.9y ago
good for free plugin
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Jason Coleman3.1y ago
Super useful plugin. The document table organizes documents exactly how users expect them. The AJAX search is very clean. The setup wizard is nice. There are premium features offered, but they are very clearly marked and for the use cases I had in mind completely optional. I didn’t realize at first that I had to add the doc_library shortcode to a page to insert the document table into my site, but the documentation linked to from the settings page is very clean and I found the info there. A block option would be nice to make it easier to insert the library into pages. I was able to use this with the Paid Memberships Pro plugin to protect my table of documents. I just marked the page with the shortcode to require membership and the table was hidden from view. The files are still accessible if the user knows the exact URL of the file. That’s okay for what I needed. If I had to hide them further, PMPro has documentation on how to do that for files on protected pages. I imagine Barn2 has this in the premium version or ready for a future release. I know it’s tough, but helps to protect the files. Overall a great plugin. Looks great. Works great. Team behind it is great. We’re going to recommend this to all of our users who need this kind of table or grid view for documents organized by categories and folders. This topic was modified 2 years, 10 months ago by Jason Coleman.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ willlifterlms3.1y ago
Love Document Library Pro excited about a lite plugin
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Edward Almasy3.4y ago
Will not just display the name of uploaded document files. Their solution for this is for you to either manually copy the file name into a separate text field yourself after upload, or upload files in bulk using a CSV file that you’ve manually created. This topic was modified 3 years, 1 month ago by Edward Almasy.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ johndeans3.7y ago
For a free plugin this more than gets the job done! I like how everything is so automatic, once you’ve set it up and added some files the plugin does the rest! There are some limitations that I’m sure the pro version solves, but that’s to be expected with a free plugin.
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 1.2.0 Release date 11 December 2025 Dev: Enhanced AJAX request security with proper nonce verification Dev: Added input sanitization to prevent XSS attacks Dev: Added premium options and changed the design structure Dev: Updat 1.2.0
- — Version 1.3.0 Release date 27 July 2026 New: Added the Help Scout beacon in the plugin settings New: Added the block editor to the single document page New: Added Grid layout, Content length and Image size features from the Pro versio 1.3.0
- — Version 1.3.2 Release date 28 October 2026 Dev: Tested up to WordPress 7.1.4 Fix: Corrected the list of the excluded files from the release See changelog.txt for more details. 1.3.2
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceAll 3 disclosed vulnerabilities are patched in the current version (1.3.2). Sites still on an older version should update.
- Patched Medium · 5.3 Document Library Lite <= 1.1.7 - Unauthenticated Insecure Direct Object Reference ↗2025-12-15 CVE-2025-67985 Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor Affects <= 1.1.7 Patched in 1.2.0
- Patched Medium · 4.4 Document Library Lite <= 1.1.7 - Authenticated (Administrator+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting ↗2025-12-15 CVE-2025-67986 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 1.1.7 Patched in 1.2.0
Vulnerability records provided by Wordfence Intelligence. Copyright 2012-2026 Defiant Inc. License and terms.
CVE records: Copyright 1999-2026 The MITRE Corporation. CVE terms of use.
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 7 languages, 0 at 90% or more
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
8 of 8 pass · checked 30 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Create a WordPress document library to manage, search and download files."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 11 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 11 of 11 read like questions a user would type.
- ✓ Names who it is for Names its audience or use cases ("use this", "perfect for", "if you have").
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions Advanced Custom Fields, ACF, Dropbox, Google Drive.
- ✓ Headings and lists 5 headings and 5 lists.
- ✓ Enough to quote 10,627 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text All 5 tags appear in the text.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-02-15 3K+ → 4K+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2026-02-14 4K+ → 3K+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-02-13 3K+ → 4K+ up after 353 days in tier
- 2025-02-25 2K+ → 3K+ up after 367 days in tier
- 2024-02-24 1K+ → 2K+ up after 335 days in tier
- 2023-03-26 900+ → 1K+ up after 19 days in tier
- 2023-03-07 800+ → 900+ up after 25 days in tier
- 2023-02-10 700+ → 800+ 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).
-
Download Manager 100K+ installs · 4.1★ · 3 shared tags B -
Download Manager Addons for Elementor 6K+ installs · 3.4★ · 3 shared tags B -
Filr – Secure document library 700+ installs · 4.3★ · 3 shared tags A -
Document Engine – Document Library, PDF Viewer & Post to PDF 100+ installs · 4.1★ · 3 shared tags A -
Download Monitor – CORS 70+ installs · 3.6★ · 3 shared tags -
Download Monitor – Migrate download counts 60+ installs · 3.6★ · 3 shared tags
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Document Library Lite into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/document-library-lite" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Document Library Lite — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Document Library Lite: 4K+ active installs, 4.1★ (12 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-02. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/document-library-lite
Spotted a number that looks wrong? Report a data issue and we'll check it against the source.