Filr delivers a file securely. FileDeck runs the library it came from.
Filr is a security-first document delivery plugin: encrypted links, expiring downloads, tight access control around individual files. FileDeck is a document library: a searchable, filterable front end with access control around the whole collection.
- Free
- FileDeck front end
- Layouts, instant search, filters and no cap on documents, before you pay anything.
- $49
- Filr entry price
- One site for a year; lifetime from $149. Most of its features are premium.
- Files
- What Filr secures
- Encrypted filenames and links, and expiry by date or by download count.
01Side by side
Securing one file, against running a collection.
If your job is delivering sensitive files to specific people with expiry rules, Filr fits. If your job is a library visitors browse and search — public or restricted — ours does.
| Capability | Filr | FileDeck |
|---|---|---|
| Free version | Basic shortcode library; most features are premium | No document limit, all layouts, instant search, filters |
| Entry price | $49/yr one site; lifetime from $149 | $59/yr, one site |
| Multi-site pricing | $89/yr for 3 sites; $299/yr unlimited | $99/yr for 5 sites; $179/yr for 50 |
| Where Filr wins | ||
| Filename encryption | Yes | The vault renames on protection; not user-set encryption |
| Lifetime licence option | Yes, from $149 | No — annual only, at a price-locked renewal |
| Where FileDeck wins | ||
| Free tier depth | Limited | Layouts, search, filters, no document cap |
| Full-text search inside files, with scanned-PDF OCR | — | Pro |
| Client areas: per-person portals | — | Pro |
| Version history and review cycles | — | Pro |
| Activity log and analytics dashboard | Not advertised | Pro |
| Cloud storage: S3, Dropbox, Drive, OneDrive | — | Pro |
| PDF watermarking and view-only mode | — | AI tier |
| Gutenberg block and Elementor widget | Shortcodes | Free |
| Where the two are level | ||
| Expire after a number of downloads | Yes — by downloads or date | Pro — a per-document download limit, plus date expiry |
| Role-based access restriction | Yes | Pro |
| Expiring, secured download links | Yes — encrypted | Pro — signed, 15 minutes |
02The other side
Where Filr is the better buy.
Its premium feature set concentrates on security around single files, and that is a legitimate job we do not centre on.
Files that must stop working
Expiry by download countGenuinely useful for one-time deliverables. FileDeck Pro matches this with download quotas, so the difference now comes down to price.
Lifetime licences
From $149FileDeck is deliberately annual-only. If lifetime pricing is a dealbreaker for you, Filr offers it and we do not.
Single-file security
The whole jobEncrypted filenames and links, per-file expiry rules by date or download count, and restriction by user, role or email address.
03Our side
Where FileDeck is the better buy.
Pick us when the library itself is the product: browsing, search, organisation and access control that scale with the collection.
A real library, free
Before you pay anythingA complete front-end library — no document cap, table, grid and folder layouts, instant search, filters, download counts. Filr’s free version is a basic shortcode list.
Finding things
Search inside the filesSearch-as-you-type is free; Pro searches inside PDF, Word and Excel files, with OCR for scans, on your own server. Filr does not advertise search inside file contents.
A lifecycle, not a delivery
Documents are managed contentVersions, review cycles, supersede-with-evergreen-links, approval workflow, an audit trail and per-client portal areas.
04Moving across
If you are switching, we will move the library for you.
There is no one-click Filr importer yet, so this one is done by hand — by us, at no charge.
- 04.1Send us the libraryA CSV, a folder on your server, or access to the site. The switch page has the form.
- 04.2We map it acrossTitles, descriptions, categories and files land as FileDeck documents with their metadata intact.
- 04.3You check it before it goes liveIt arrives as drafts. Your existing setup keeps working the whole time.
06Before you go
Neither of us is the point until a document goes stale.
On 3 September 2026 we installed the five most-installed plugins in this category on clean WordPress and searched every one of them for a review date on a document — a next-review field, a Due badge, an Overdue badge. We found none.
FileDeck Pro puts a review date on any document, turns it amber three weeks out and red the day after it passes, and emails whoever owns the library each morning with what is due.
05Questions
What people ask about the two.
Which is cheaper?
Filr is cheaper to enter at $49/yr against $59, and it sells a lifetime licence from $149 where we sell annual only. Our free tier is much deeper, so the honest answer depends on whether you need the paid features at all.
Does Filr search inside file contents?
It does not advertise search inside file contents. FileDeck Pro indexes the text of PDF, Word and Excel files, with OCR for scanned PDFs, and that index is built on your own server.
Can FileDeck expire a download after a set number of downloads?
Yes — FileDeck Pro sets a per-document download limit as well as a date-based expiry, which is the row Filr used to win outright.
Which should I choose?
Filr for secure, expiring delivery of individual files at a lower entry price. FileDeck when the library itself is the product. See every option side by side.
Filr is a trademark of its respective owner; FileDeck is not affiliated with or endorsed by it. Filr’s details come from its wordpress.org listing and its own site, last checked 13 August 2026. Competitor prices and features were last checked in August 2026 and can change without notice — confirm on the vendor’s own site. We build FileDeck, so treat this as a source with a stake in it.