Secure Downloads
by wpdevelop · Uncategorized
Also makes 3 other plugins · 45.7K+ installs across the portfolio →
Easy generate and distribute secure links for file downloads, that can expire, and track every download.
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 75/100
no flags
Active installs
600+
≈660 estimated
Momentum
+24%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “digital downloads” and “file downloads” for “secure download” and “distribute”. “digital downloads” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “secure download” sits at #9 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “file downloads” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “distribute” sits at #24 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
75 health vs 58 average across 25,735 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →1.8%
of downloads still active
At least 600 of 32.6K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,765 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Uncategorized 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
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.
Well optimized
Most to gain: Rating quality
Updated 332 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.9.11, the current branch or newer
4.1★ over 10 reviews, smoothed to 4.10★ 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.
33
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.8
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
13%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
-0.9
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| secure downloads | #3 | #11 | 0 |
| secure download | #9 | #19 | 0 |
| downloads your tag | #17 | #22 | down 2 |
| secure | #21 | #22 | down 5 |
| protected links your tag | #24 | #22 | 0 |
| distribute | #24 | #17 | down 1 |
| protected downloads | #11 | #20 | 0 |
| ip secure | #16 | #20 | — |
| secure website | #20 | #22 | down 1 |
| easy digital downloads style | #21 | #22 | — |
| protected download | #23 | #23 | down 3 |
| digital downloads your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| file downloads your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| links your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
20 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 11 listed. 9 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 3 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- Swap “digital downloads” and “file downloads” for “secure download” and “distribute”. “digital downloads” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “secure download” sits at #9 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “file downloads” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “distribute” 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 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 1K · 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
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
11mo ago
latest release · v1.2.5 · 3 Dec 2025
12
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 96% 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 “600+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 5 months ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 57% of the way through.
Install history since 8 Dec 2019
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceThe 1 disclosed vulnerability is patched in the current version (1.2.5). Sites still on an older version should update.
- 2024-09-03 CVE-2024-8031 Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory Affects <= 1.2.2 Patched in 1.2.3
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.
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 6.8.1
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 5 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
5 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 "Easy generate and distribute secure links for file downloads, that can expire, and track every download."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 5 questions in the FAQ.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 5 of 5 FAQ entries are headings, not questions ("Adding New Files").
- ! Names who it is for One audience phrase ("great for"); 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 2 headings and 2 lists.
- ✓ Enough to quote 1,567 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 5 tags appear in the text; "digital downloads", "protected links" do not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-05-26 700+ → 600+ down after 8 days in tier
- 2026-05-18 600+ → 700+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2026-05-17 700+ → 600+ down after 4 days in tier
- 2026-05-13 600+ → 700+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2026-05-12 700+ → 600+ down after 672 days in tier
- 2024-07-09 800+ → 700+ down after 261 days in tier
- 2023-10-22 900+ → 800+ down after 250 days in tier
- 2023-02-14 1K+ → 900+ down after 331 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).
-
Easy Media Download 8K+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags A -
Easy Digital Downloads Free Link 1K+ installs · 4.2★ · 2 shared tags A -
PayPal Digital Downloads 90+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags D -
Digital Product Showcase – Slider for Easy Digital Downloads 60+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags B -
Ultimate Downloadable Products for WooCommerce 20+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags A - E EDD Versions 20+ installs · 3.6★ · 2 shared tags
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Secure Downloads into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/secure-downloads" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Secure Downloads — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Secure Downloads: 600+ active installs, 4.1★ (10 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/secure-downloads
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