FileBird tidies your Media Library. FileDeck publishes a library your visitors can search.
FileBird is a Media Library folder plugin with a document-gallery add-on. FileDeck is a document library plugin: documents get their own post type, metadata, a searchable front-end library and access control. Different jobs — and plenty of sites want both.
- Free
- FileDeck front end
- All three layouts, instant search and filter dropdowns, with no cap on documents.
- $39
- FileBird add-on
- Its Document Library add-on starts at $39/yr for one site; lifetime from $89.
- Both
- Can run together
- One organises attachments in wp-admin, the other publishes documents to visitors.
01Side by side
The same files, two different jobs.
FileBird organises what is already in your Media Library. FileDeck gives documents their own content type so they can carry a summary, a category and a review date.
| Capability | FileBird | FileDeck |
|---|---|---|
| Free version | FileBird media folders, now unlimited | All layouts, no document limit |
| Entry price | Document Library add-on from $39/yr; lifetime from $89 | $59/yr, one site |
| Where FileBird wins | ||
| Media Library folder tree | Yes — the best folder UI in the category | No |
| Organises existing media in place | Yes — virtual folders, permalinks unaffected | No |
| Drag-and-drop between folders | Yes | No |
| Where FileDeck wins | ||
| Dedicated documents post type | — organises the Media Library | Yes |
| Per-document metadata: excerpt, description, tags | Limited | Yes |
| Instant search for visitors | Limited | Free |
| Filter dropdowns | — | Free |
| Sortable columns | — | Free |
| Access control by password, role or person | Limited | Pro |
| Signed, expiring download URLs | — | Pro — 15 minutes |
| Version history | — | Pro |
| CSV import and export | — | Pro |
| Lead capture before download | — | Pro |
| Where the two are level | ||
| PDF auto-thumbnails | Yes — via its Document Library add-on | Pro |
| Grid layout | Yes | Yes |
| Folder / category structure | Yes | Yes |
| Gutenberg block | Yes | Yes |
02The other side
Where FileBird is the better buy.
If your problem is a Media Library with three thousand unsorted files in it, FileDeck does not solve that at all.
The mess is your media
Not your documentsFileBird creates virtual folders, so your files do not move and permalinks keep working. The drag-and-drop interface is the nicest in this category.
Files stay where they are
No migrationFileBird works with your existing Media Library. FileDeck asks you to create documents as their own content type — deliberate on our part, but it is a migration.
Gallery presentation
Its focus, not oursFileBird’s add-on presents files as a gallery. FileDeck’s presentation is a document table, grid or folder list.
03Together
You can run both, and it is a sensible combination.
They do not conflict: one manages attachments, the other manages documents.
FileBird to organise your Media Library for your own sanity in wp-admin; FileDeck to publish the subset your visitors actually need as a searchable library. They use separate post types, so neither gets in the other’s way.
The one thing to be deliberate about is which files live where, or you will end up maintaining two catalogues of the same thing.
04Moving across
If you do want the documents out of the Media Library.
FileDeck Pro has a one-click FileBird importer that reads your folders and files straight from your own database.
- 04.1Run the importerDocuments → Import & Export → Migrate. Your folder tree comes across as document categories.
- 04.2Keep FileBird runningNothing is removed at the other end, so you can compare the two side by side before you commit.
- 04.3Place the blockDrop the Document Library block on a page and your visitors get search, filters and sortable columns.
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.
Does FileBird create a document library?
FileBird plus its Document Library add-on displays files from a folder as a front-end gallery in grid or list style. It is a display of your Media Library folders rather than a dedicated document system with its own metadata and access control.
Does FileBird have PDF thumbnails?
Yes — via its Document Library add-on, which auto-generates first-page PDF thumbnails. FileDeck also renders automatic PDF thumbnails, in its Pro tier, so this is no longer a reason to pick one over the other.
Does FileBird’s free version limit the number of folders?
Not any more. It historically capped free users at 10 folders, but that limit has since been removed, so the current free version allows unlimited folders.
Does FileDeck have folders?
Yes — a collapsible folder layout built from your document categories, included in the free version with no limit. It is a display layout for documents rather than a Media Library folder tree, which is a different thing.
Which should I choose?
If your problem is a disorganised Media Library, FileBird. If your problem is that visitors cannot find your documents, FileDeck. If it is both, use both. See every option side by side.
FileBird is a product of NinjaTeam. FileDeck is not affiliated with them. 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.