The second year is where plugin pricing gets expensive.
A first-year price is an introduction. The number that matters is the one the vendor calls the regular price, because that is what every later year costs. Some document plugins renew at what you paid; some renew at double. This guide shows which, and what to do about a renewal you did not expect.
Prices read on 13 October 2026. Part of the cost guides.
- $138
- Download Monitor Basic, year two
- The published regular price, after a $69 first year.
- $199
- SearchWP Standard, year two
- After a $99 first year. Its pricing page says renewals are at full price.
- $59
- FileDeck Pro, year after year
- The renewal is the price you bought at, on every plan size.
The short answer
Why a plugin renewal costs more than the first year
Many WordPress plugin vendors sell the first year at a discount from a higher regular price and renew at the regular price. The discount is shown as the headline; the regular price is shown struck through or in the small print. Download Monitor and SearchWP publish regular prices that are double their first-year prices. Document Library Pro, Filr and FileDeck publish one price and renew at it. WordPress Download Manager and FileBird publish no renewal price at all.
This is a pricing choice, not a trick, and vendors who make it say so on the page. It does mean that the cheapest first year is often not the cheapest plugin. Over three years, a $69 plan that renews at $138 costs $345, while a $59 plan that renews at $59 costs $177.
Published renewal prices, one site
The first-year price and the regular renewal each vendor publishes for its single-site plan, and what three years adds up to.
| Published annual plan | First year | Regular renewal | Sites | 3-year total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FileDeck Pro, 1 site | $59 | $59 | 1 | $177 |
| Document Library Pro Essentials, 1 site | $149 | $149 | 1 | $447 |
| Download Monitor Basic, 1 site | $69 | $138 | 1 | $345 |
| SearchWP Standard, 1 site | $99 | $199 | 1 | $497 |
| WordPress Download Manager Pro, 1 site | $99 | $99* | 1 | $297 |
| FileBird Document Library 1 site | $39 | $39* | 1 | $117 |
| Filr Single, 1 site | $49 | $49 | 1 | $147 |
Published list prices in USD, read from each vendor’s own pricing page on 13 October 2026. Totals are the first year plus regular renewals; hosting, tax and lifetime plans are not included. *This vendor publishes no renewal price, so the table assumes the listed price repeats.
How to read a plugin pricing page
Four lines to find before you buy any annual plugin licence.
- The struck-through price. If the headline price sits next to a higher crossed-out figure, the crossed-out figure is usually the renewal. Download Monitor labels it “regular price”; SearchWP says renewals are at full price.
- A renewal discount. Some vendors renew at a percentage off the list price rather than at the first-year price. No plugin on this page publishes one, which means the list price is the renewal where a renewal is stated at all.
- What happens at expiry. Document Library Pro states that an expired licence keeps working without updates or settings changes. Other vendors stop the paid features. Either way, a plugin without security updates is a liability on a public site, so “keeps working” is a grace period, not a plan.
- Automatic renewal. Most annual plans renew automatically until cancelled. Put the renewal date in a calendar the day you buy, with a reminder a month before, so the decision is yours and not the card’s.
What to do before a renewal lands
Write down what you use
List the features your library actually relies on: which layouts, whether any document is restricted, whether anyone searches inside files. Most sites use less of a plugin than the plan they bought.
Price the alternatives at the renewal, not the first year
Compare your renewal price with the other plugin’s renewal price, not its introductory one. The price comparison shows both columns for every plan.
Trial the move before the date
FileDeck Pro imports from eleven document plugins on your own site, as drafts you can review, and paid plans have a 30-day money-back guarantee. Start a month before the renewal so there is time to check the import and change your mind.
FileDeck’s renewal policy, in one sentence
Every FileDeck plan renews at the price you bought it at: Pro at $59, $99 or $179 a year and the AI tier at $119, $199 or $399, for 1, 5 or 50 sites. The renewal amount is set in the payment gateway to equal the purchase price, so it is not a promise that depends on anyone remembering it. If a renewal ever surprises you, the 30-day money-back guarantee applies to renewals as it does to first purchases.
Questions about plugin renewals
Why did my WordPress plugin renewal cost more than I paid last year?
Most likely because the first year was sold at an introductory discount from a regular price, and the renewal is charged at the regular price. Download Monitor, for example, publishes a $69 first year and a $138 regular price for its Basic plan; SearchWP publishes $99 and $199 for Standard. The regular price is usually shown struck through on the pricing page.
Which document library plugins renew at the same price?
Of the plugins compared on this page, Document Library Pro, Filr and FileDeck publish one annual price and renew at it. Download Monitor and SearchWP renew at double. WordPress Download Manager and FileBird publish no renewal price on their pricing pages, as read on 13 October 2026.
Can I just let the licence expire and keep using the plugin?
It depends on the vendor. Document Library Pro states that an expired licence keeps working but cannot change settings or receive updates. FileDeck Pro’s paid features stop at expiry, although access rules keep being enforced so restricted files stay restricted. In either case an unpatched plugin on a public site is a security risk, so expiry is a short grace period rather than a free plan.
Does FileDeck ever raise the renewal price?
The renewal amount on every FileDeck plan is set equal to its purchase price in the payment gateway, so the renewal is the price you bought at. A future list-price change would apply to new purchases, not to an existing licence’s renewal.
Will switching plugins to avoid a renewal cost me my documents?
FileDeck Pro’s importers read the other plugin’s data on your own site and bring across documents, files, categories, tags and, where the source records them, download counts, and can import as drafts for you to check. Restricted documents get their own protected copy of the file, so the old plugin keeps working while you compare. Access rules usually import as logged-in-only and are recreated by hand.
A price that is the same next year.
FileDeck Pro from $59 a year, renewing at $59, with a 30-day money-back guarantee and free help moving your library.
Written by the FileDeck team. Prices and renewal wording were read from each vendor’s pricing page on 13 October 2026 — read about our methods. Part of the cost guides.
Sources, as published on 13 October 2026: Document Library Pro · Download Monitor · SearchWP · WordPress Download Manager · FileBird Document Library · Filr.
Document Library Pro, Download Monitor, SearchWP, WordPress Download Manager, FileBird, Filr are trademarks of their respective owners. FileDeck is an independent product and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any of them; the names and prices are used only to identify the products being compared. Prices are the vendors’ published list prices on the date shown and may change.