Publish your documents—and manage what happens next.
FileDeck combines a searchable WordPress library with practical document management. Start with a public collection for free. Add private access, version history, editing locks, approval and review reminders with Pro from $59/year for one site.
For teams managing policies, manuals, member resources and client documents, those are often the functions that matter most.
Start free from WordPress.org
- Publish
- Free
- A searchable collection with four layouts, instant search and category and tag filters.
- Control
- Pro
- Private access, client areas, version history and check-out locks for the documents you manage.
- Maintain
- Pro
- An approval gate before publication, plus review dates and a reminder digest when a document is due.
01Your requirements
What do you need the system to do?
Start from the job rather than the category name. Each row shows the FileDeck capability and the plan that includes it.
| Your requirement | FileDeck capability |
|---|---|
| Publish and find | |
| Let readers search and filter a collection | Free — layouts, search and category/tag filters |
| Search inside supported locally stored documents | Pro — full-text search; OCR for scans when configured |
| Control changes | |
| Keep earlier revisions | Pro — version history and restoration |
| Avoid conflicting file replacements | Pro — check-out and editing locks |
| Review a document before publication | Pro — approval gate |
| Know which policies need updating | Pro — review dates and reminder digest |
| Control access and record activity | |
| Limit who can receive a document | Pro — access restrictions and client areas |
| Record document activity | Pro — logs and reporting with CSV export |
| Records governance | |
| Apply retention schedules or collect acknowledgments | AI & Governance |
See what each plan includes on the pricing page.
02A worked example
A practical policy workflow.
That is document management. It can be useful for internal teams as well as public readers; a public audience is not a prerequisite for FileDeck Pro.
1
Check out and revise
An editor checks out a policy, prepares the revision and submits it for review.
2
Approve and publish
An approver reviews the revision and publishes it.
3
Keep the history, set the next review
The library retains the prior version, the team sets the next review date, and readers find the current document in its collection.
The live demo shows the reader’s side of a library: browse and search it.
03Moving in
Bring your documents across.
Pro includes source-specific importers for eleven plugins, plus CSV import and import from a folder on your server. Free assisted migration is available if you want help.
- Choose your source. Review the matching guide and identify private files, custom fields and existing links.
- Import and check. Use drafts where supported or a private staging copy. Confirm files, categories, counts and the intended access rules.
- Publish your FileDeck library. Replace the page block or shortcode after the checks.
04Requirements to check
Where the scope needs a closer look.
FileDeck does not claim equivalence to every enterprise DMS. Evaluate those requirements individually.
A specialised enterprise system may be required for capabilities such as legal holds, eDiscovery, complex records classification, matter and email filing, real-time co-authoring or contractual assurance requirements.
An approval gate is not an arbitrary multi-stage workflow engine, an activity log is not automatically an immutable legal record, and a configured retention schedule is not a compliance certification.
Choose the smallest system that completes your workflow. If you need a searchable library with controlled access, revisions, reviews and reporting, evaluate FileDeck before commissioning a larger implementation. If an existing DMS already handles specialist work, FileDeck can provide the website-facing library alongside it.
05Questions
What people ask when choosing between the two.
What is the difference between a document management system and a document library?
A document library publishes documents so readers can search, filter and download them. Document management covers what happens to each document over time: revisions, editing locks, approval, reviews, access and records. FileDeck provides the library in Free and adds those management tools in Pro and AI & Governance.
Can FileDeck manage internal documents?
Yes. Pro supports restricted collections, client areas and document workflows. It is not limited to public downloads.
Do I need AI to use governance tools?
The AI & Governance tier includes records tools as well as optional AI. Governance tools do not require an AI provider; AI search and answers do, with separate provider usage charges.
Can I start without paying?
Yes. Use Free for public library display, then select the tier needed for your access and workflow requirements.
06Next step
Try the library, then compare your full workflow.
Browse the live demo to see what readers get, then check the requirements table above against the plan you need.
Start free from WordPress.org
Written by the FileDeck team, reviewed 26 September 2026. Prices exclude applicable taxes and may change. All product names are trademarks of their respective owners. FileDeck is an independent product and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any vendor mentioned on this page.