Filr is a security-first document delivery plugin: encrypted links, expiring downloads, tight access control around individual files. FileDeck is a document library plugin: a searchable, filterable front-end library with access control around the whole collection. If your job is delivering sensitive files to specific people with expiry rules, Filr fits. If your job is a library visitors browse, search and download from — public or restricted — FileDeck fits.
We build FileDeck, so treat this as a source with a stake in it — we’ve tried to be fair about where Filr is genuinely the better tool. Filr’s details come from its wordpress.org listing and its own site.
Last updated: July 2026. Filr is a trademark of its respective owner; FileDeck is not affiliated with or endorsed by it.
Side by side
| FileDeck | Filr | |
|---|---|---|
| Free version | Unlimited documents, all layouts, instant search, filters | Basic shortcode library; most features are premium |
| Entry price | $59/yr (1 site) | $49/yr (1 site); lifetime from $149 |
| Multi-site pricing | $99/yr (5 sites) · $179/yr (50 sites) | $89/yr (3 sites) · $299/yr (unlimited) |
| Where Filr wins | ||
| Expire after N downloads | No — expiry by date only | Yes — downloads or date |
| Password-protected ZIPs | No | Yes |
| Filename encryption | Vault renames on protection, not user-set encryption | Yes |
| Lifetime licence option | No — annual only, price-locked renewals | Yes, from $149 |
| Where FileDeck wins | ||
| Free tier depth | Layouts, search, filters, unlimited docs — free | Limited |
| Full-text search inside files (+ scanned-PDF OCR) | Yes (Pro) | No |
| Client areas (per-user portals) | Yes (Pro) | No |
| Version history, review cycles | Yes (Pro) | No |
| Activity log, analytics dashboard | Yes (Pro) | Limited |
| Cloud storage (S3, Dropbox, Drive, OneDrive) | Yes (Pro) | No |
| PDF watermarking, view-only mode | Yes (AI tier) | No |
| Gutenberg block + Elementor widget | Yes, free | Shortcodes |
| Both have (premium) | ||
| Role-based access restriction | Yes | Yes |
| Front-end uploads with moderation | Yes | Yes |
| Expiring/secured download links | Yes (signed, 15-min) | Yes (encrypted) |
| External file support | Yes (free) | Yes (premium) |
Where Filr is the better choice
You deliver files that must stop working. Filr can expire a file after a set number of downloads, not just a date — genuinely useful for one-time deliverables, and something FileDeck doesn’t do.
You want a lifetime licence. Filr sells lifetime plans from $149. FileDeck is deliberately annual-only (with renewals that never increase) — if lifetime pricing is a dealbreaker for you, Filr offers it and we don’t.
Security features around single files are the whole job. Encrypted filenames, password-protected ZIPs, per-file expiry rules — Filr’s premium feature set concentrates exactly there.
Where FileDeck is the better choice
You want a real library, free. FileDeck’s free tier is a complete front-end library — unlimited documents, table/grid/folder layouts, instant search, filters, download counts. Filr’s free version is a basic shortcode list; its reviews are candid that the useful features are premium.
Visitors need to find things. Search-as-you-type is free in FileDeck, and Pro searches inside PDFs, Word and Excel files (with OCR for scans) on your own server. Filr’s search covers the library listing.
Documents are managed content, not just files. Versions, review cycles, supersede-with-evergreen-links, approval workflow, an audit trail, per-client portal areas — FileDeck treats a document as something with a lifecycle. Filr treats it as a file to deliver securely; both are legitimate, but they’re different jobs.
The bottom line
Pick Filr for secure, expiring delivery of individual files at a lower entry price (or lifetime). Pick FileDeck when the library itself is the product: browsing, search, organisation and access control that scale with the collection. Try FileDeck’s on the live demo — and if you’re switching from Filr, we’ll help move your library free.