Simple Download Monitor

How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.

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

How often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.

Share 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.

Refined from the date this plugin crossed into its current band.

No paid tier is visible, so we don't put a figure on revenue or sale value: that would be guessing. The install base is a real asset to an acquirer, just not one public data lets us price. A declining trend compresses what a buyer would pay.

1. ★★★★★ loop20

   1mo ago

   Very good this plugin SDN

   Read on wp.org ↗
2. ★★★★★ George Young

   4mo ago

   I’ve been using it since 2018, now have over 1200 download links for GPS track files. Recently added tacking “clicks” to URLs outside of the web site .. thanks. I suggestions: don’t count downloads when performed by user with admin account. provide way to place custom title on download counter button. Still very pleased even without these suggestions. Thanks. george in albuquerque

   Read on wp.org ↗
3. ★★★★★ jvsteen

   4mo ago

   Always fails after some time, have to go into shitty PHP config to raise memory limits to get it going again. Finally the piece of crap dies completely. And all this to redirect to a fucking ZIP file. Very frustrating experience. This topic was modified 2 months, 1 week ago by jvsteen. This topic was modified 2 months, 1 week ago by jvsteen. Reason: profanity

   Read on wp.org ↗
4. ★★★★★ plat4m

   4mo ago

   Does exactly what I need it to do and is much more straightforward than other plugins I tried. A popular plugin required payment to display a simple button. This is right there, with lots of flexibility on how the button is displayed. Easy settings, detailed stats on downloads. It’s perfect.Could use with some customization options for the button and the download count, but nothing you can’t fix with a simple custom CSS. This topic was modified 2 months, 3 weeks ago by plat4m.

   Read on wp.org ↗
5. ★★★★★ bud8ie

   5mo ago

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

   Read on wp.org ↗
6. ★★★★★ goerage

   5mo ago

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

   Read on wp.org ↗
7. ★★★★★ Nico Visagie

   5mo ago

   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 easy and it just works! No issues, no guess work, clean and simple! If you want something simple that works out of the box, then look no further!

   Read on wp.org ↗
8. ★★★★★ rrvoigt

   5mo ago

   Hi there,Great plugin – really enjoying it so far. The only thing I’m missing is the ability to add an image to a category (taxonomy) item. At the moment the category preview card shows an empty image area, which doesn’t look very polished. Is there any way to add or enable a category image?If this could be addressed, it would definitely be a 5‑star plugin for me.Thanks for the good work!

   Read on wp.org ↗

Recent releases and news for this plugin

1. — Version 4.0.8 Added checks/guards so unpublished items cannot be downloaded via direct link. 4.0.8
2. — Version 4.0.7 The ‘Export Logs’ option now works with the ‘Admin Dashboard Access Control’ feature. 4.0.7
3. — Version 4.0.6 Added output escaping functions to the fancy display templates. 4.0.6
4. — Version 4.0.5 Added output escaping functions to the ‘sdm_show_download_info’ shortcode. 4.0.5
5. — Version 4.0.4 Added a new parameter ‘search_button_text’ to the ‘sdm_search_form’ shortcode. This parameter allows you to set the text of the search button in the search form. The ‘button_text’ parameter of the search shortcode can be 4.0.4
6. — Version 4.0.3 Added filtering by Download ID option to the stats menu. 4.0.3

17 disclosed vulnerabilities on record for this plugin, all fixed in the current version. Sites on older versions stay exposed until they update.

1. Medium · 6.4 Simple Download Monitor <= 4.0.5 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting via Custom Field ↗
   2026-02-26 CVE-2026-2383 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') Affects <= 4.0.5 Patched in 4.0.6
2. Medium · 6.5 Simple Download Monitor <= 3.9.33 - Simple Download Monitor <= 3.9.33 – Authenticated (Contributor+) SQL Injection via order parameter in Log Export functionality ↗
   2025-08-27 CVE-2025-8977 Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection') Affects <= 3.9.33 Patched in 3.9.34
3. Medium · 6.4 Simple Download Monitor <= 3.9.34 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting ↗
   2025-08-27 CVE-2025-58197 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') Affects <= 3.9.34 Patched in 3.9.35
4. Medium · 4.9 Simple Download Monitor <= 3.9.25 - Authenticated (Administrator+) SQL Injection ↗
   2025-01-24 CVE-2025-24663 Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection') Affects <= 3.9.25 Patched in 3.9.26
5. High · 8.8 Simple Download Monitor <= 3.9.8 - Multiple Cross-Site Request Forgery vulnerabilities ↗
   2021-12-21 CVE-2021-24696 Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) Affects <= 3.9.8 Patched in 3.9.9
6. Medium · 5.4 Simple Download Monitor <= 3.9.10 - Contributor+ Stored Cross-Site Scripting via Shortcodes ↗
   2021-12-21 CVE-2021-24694 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') Affects <= 3.9.10 Patched in 3.9.11
7. Critical · 9.0 Simple Download Monitor <= 3.9.4 - Contributor+ Stored Cross-Site Scripting via File Thumbnail ↗
   2021-10-05 CVE-2021-24693 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') Affects <= 3.9.4 Patched in 3.9.5
8. Medium · 4.3 Simple Download Monitor <= 3.9.5 - Contributor+ Arbitrary Thumbnail Removal ↗
   2021-10-05 CVE-2021-24698 Improper Access Control Affects < 3.9.6 Patched in 3.9.6
9. Medium · 5.3 Simple Download Monitor <= 3.9.5 - Sensitive Data Exposure ↗
   2021-10-05 CVE-2021-24695 Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor Affects < 3.9.6 Patched in 3.9.6
10. Medium · 4.3 Simple Download Monitor <= 3.9.5 - Log Reset ↗
    2021-10-05 Missing Authorization Affects <= 3.9.5 Patched in 3.9.6
11. Medium · 6.1 Simple Download Monitor <= 3.9.4 - Reflected Cross-Site Scripting ↗
    2021-10-05 CVE-2021-24697 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') Affects < 3.9.5 Patched in 3.9.5
12. Medium · 6.5 Simple Download Monitor <= 3.9.4 - Contributor+ Arbitrary File Download ↗
    2021-09-02 CVE-2021-24692 Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') Affects < 3.9.5 Patched in 3.9.5
13. Medium · 6.1 Simple Download Monitor <= 3.8.8 - Unauthenticated Stored Cross-Site Scripting ↗
    2020-10-21 CVE-2020-5650 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') Affects <= 3.3.8 Patched in 3.3.9
14. High · 8.8 Simple Download Monitor <= 3.8.8 - SQL Injection ↗
    2020-10-21 CVE-2020-5651 Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection') Affects <= 3.8.8 Patched in 3.8.9
15. Medium · 6.4 Simple Download Monitor < 3.5.4 - Authenticated Stored Cross-Site Scripting ↗
    2018-01-02 CVE-2018-5212 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') Affects < 3.5.4 Patched in 3.5.4
16. Medium · 5.4 Simple Download Monitor < 3.5.4 - Authenticated Stored Cross-Site Scripting ↗
    2018-01-02 CVE-2018-5213 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') Affects < 3.5.4 Patched in 3.5.4
17. Critical · 9.9 Simple Download Monitor <= 3.2.8 - Missing Authorization ↗
    2016-01-19 Improper Authorization Affects <= 3.2.8 Patched in 3.2.9

Automated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 7.0

Translated into 75 languages, 3 at 90% or more

Plus 51 more locales with partial translations.

Growth timeline

Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow

1. 2023-12-02 30K+ → 20K+ down

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 9K+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags B
• Post View Count 4K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags B
• WP-DownloadManager 3K+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags B
• Easy Digital Downloads Free Link 1K+ installs · 4.2★ · 2 shared tags A
• W WP-DownloadCounter 100+ installs · 3.7★ · 2 shared tags D
• Post-counter 100+ installs · 3.6★ · 2 shared tags D

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Drop a live Pulse card for Simple Download Monitor into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.

Simple Download Monitor: 20K+ active installs, 4.7★ (156 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-08-29. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/simple-download-monitor