10 Best File Manager Alternatives in 2026
Updated September 7, 2026 · Ranked by how closely each plugin matches, from WordPress.org data · How this works
File Manager sits at #1 in the WordPress.org File Manager Plugins ranking. These 10 plugins share its category or its tags on WordPress.org, are actively maintained, and each has at least 100 active installs. They are ordered by how closely they match, not by our opinion.
The 10 closest alternatives to File Manager
- 1
Advanced File Manager – Ultimate File Manager for WordPress And Document Library Solution
4.8 (438) 100,000+ active installsUse Advanced File Manager to manage WordPress files, create archives, and build document libraries—all directly from your WordPress dashboard!
#2 in the WordPress.org File Manager Plugins ranking. 100,000+ installs against 1 million+, rated 4.8 against 4.6, last updated 25 days ago.
- 2
File Manager Pro – Filester
4.9 (152) 100,000+ active installsBest WordPress file manager without FTP access. Edit code with built-in editor, upload files, download plugins, download themes, manage wp directory, …
#4 in the WordPress.org File Manager Plugins ranking. 100,000+ installs against 1 million+, rated 4.9 against 4.6, last updated 15 days ago.
- 3
4.3 (202) 10,000+ active installsManage WordPress files and folders from your dashboard with a built-in code editor: upload, edit, delete, move, rename, and archive, no FTP needed.
#7 in the WordPress.org File Manager Plugins ranking. 10,000+ installs against 1 million+, rated 4.3 against 4.6, last updated 5 days ago.
- 4
FileBird – WordPress Media Library Folders & File Manager
4.7 (1,121) 200,000+ active installsOrganize thousands of WordPress media files in folders / categories with ease.
#5 in the WordPress.org File Manager Plugins ranking. About a quarter of the installs, rated 4.7 against 4.6, last updated 16 days ago.
- 5
FileOrganizer – WordPress File Manager
4.8 (48) 200,000+ active installsFileOrganizer is an intuitive file manager to easily edit, delete, upload, download, and manage all your WordPress files and folders right from the da …
#3 in the WordPress.org File Manager Plugins ranking. About a quarter of the installs, last updated June 10, 2026.
- 6
Download Monitor
Paid version available4.5 (524) 80,000+ active installsPowerful Download Manager Plugin for WordPress
#9 in the WordPress.org File Manager Plugins ranking. 80,000+ installs against 1 million+, rated 4.5 against 4.6, last updated 5 days ago.
- 7
Download Manager
Paid version available4.1 (1,007) 100,000+ active installsThis File Management & Digital Store plugin will help you to control file downloads & sell digital products from your WP site.
#8 in the WordPress.org File Manager Plugins ranking. 100,000+ installs against 1 million+, rated 4.1 against 4.6, last updated 17 days ago.
- 8
Real Media Library: Media Library Folder & File Manager
4.8 (290) 100,000+ active installsOrganize uploaded media in folders, collections and galleries: A file manager for WordPress. Media management made easy with Real Media Library! (Alte …
#6 in the WordPress.org File Manager Plugins ranking. 100,000+ installs against 1 million+, rated 4.8 against 4.6, last updated 6 days ago.
- 9
WPIDE – File Manager & Code Editor
4.8 (302) 40,000+ active installsWPIDE is a powerful file manager and code editor for WordPress with tabs, code completion, and full access to the entire wp-content folder.
#10 in the WordPress.org File Manager Plugins ranking. 40,000+ installs against 1 million+, rated 4.8 against 4.6, last updated July 27, 2026.
- 10
UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin
4.8 (8,637) 3 million+ active installsBackup, restore or migrate your WordPress website to another host or domain. Schedule backups or run manually. Migrate in minutes.
About 3 times the installs, rated 4.8 against 4.6, last updated 17 days ago.
File Manager against each of them
Head to head on installs, ratings, reviews and updates. Each measure names its own leader; there is no overall winner.
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File Manager vs Advanced File Manager1 million+ vs 100,000+ installs · 4.6 vs 4.8
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File Manager vs Filester1 million+ vs 100,000+ installs · 4.6 vs 4.9
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File Manager vs File Manager1 million+ vs 10,000+ installs · 4.6 vs 4.3
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File Manager vs FileBird1 million+ vs 200,000+ installs · 4.6 vs 4.7
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File Manager vs FileOrganizer1 million+ vs 200,000+ installs · 4.6 vs 4.8
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File Manager vs Download Monitor1 million+ vs 80,000+ installs · 4.6 vs 4.5
Switching from File Manager: common questions
What is the best alternative to File Manager?
Advanced File Manager is the closest match: it shares the File Manager Plugins top 10 with File Manager and has 100,000+ active installs with a 4.8 out of 5 rating.
Which File Manager alternative has the most users?
UpdraftPlus, with 3 million+ active installs reported by WordPress.org.
Which File Manager alternative is rated highest?
Filester, rated 4.9 out of 5 by 152 reviewers. Only plugins with at least 50 reviews are counted.
Are these File Manager alternatives free?
Every plugin listed here is free to install from WordPress.org. Where WordPress.org marks a plugin as commercial, the developer also sells a paid version or add-ons, and that is shown on each plugin.
How are alternatives chosen?
Automatically, from WordPress.org data: plugins that share a category top 10 with File Manager score highest, then plugins that appear in the same WordPress.org rankings, then plugins with the same tags, weighted so rare tags count more than common ones. Plugins by the same author and plugins rated under 4.0 are left out.
How we choose these alternatives
Nothing on this page is picked by hand. Every day we walk the whole WordPress.org directory, then score every plugin against File Manager on three signals: sharing a category top 10 counts most, then appearing in the same WordPress.org rankings, then carrying the same tags, with rare tags counting for more than common ones like "wordpress". Plugins by the same author are excluded, so an author's own add-ons cannot fill the list, and so is anything rated below 4.0 or with fewer than 100 active installs. The ten highest scores are what you see, in that order. Full methodology.
The bottom line
Advanced File Manager is the closest match to File Manager by the data we track, and UpdraftPlus has the widest reach with 3 million+ active installs. File Manager shipped the most recent release, on September 2, 2026. The list is rebuilt every day from WordPress.org, so a plugin that stops being maintained drops out on its own.
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What moved this week
One email a week, built from the same daily snapshots these rankings come from: the plugins that climbed, what launched, and one ranking worth a look.