Prevent Direct Access – Protect WordPress Files vs WordPress Download Counter
Two WordPress plugins head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
These aren’t all alternatives to each other — they do different jobs — so this page compares popularity only, not features.
At a glance
Prevent Direct Access – Protect WordPress Files leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #1,851, ahead of WordPress Download Counter at #34,131. Over the last 7 days Prevent Direct Access – Protect WordPress Files climbed 2 places and WordPress Download Counter slipped 775 places. Prevent Direct Access – Protect WordPress Files has the largest install base, roughly 1000× the next: 10K+ active installs against 10+ for WordPress Download Counter. Downloads this week: Prevent Direct Access – Protect WordPress Files 682 and WordPress Download Counter 17.
| Metric | Prevent Direct Access – Protect WordPress Files | WordPress Download Counter |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #1,851 ▲ 2 | #34,131 ▼ 775 |
| Active installs | 10K+ | 10+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 682 | 17 |
| Rating | 4.6★ (297) | no ratings |
| Last updated | Aug 27, 2026 | Jun 16, 2009 |
| Current version | 2.8.9.1 | 1.0.2 |
| Best rank on record | #1,850 | #31,150 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Nov 2015 | Jun 2009 |
Highlighted cells mark the strongest figure in each row. Rank and installs are from the latest WordPress.org capture; downloads are the last seven captured days.
Ranking history Lower is better
Active installs
Downloads per day
More comparisons
- Prevent Direct Access – Protect WordPress Files vs Secure Copy Content Protection and Content Locking
- Prevent Direct Access – Protect WordPress Files vs Simple Download Monitor
- Prevent Direct Access – Protect WordPress Files vs Add From Server
- Prevent Direct Access – Protect WordPress Files vs WP Offload Media Lite
- Prevent Direct Access – Protect WordPress Files vs Disable Media Sizes
- WordPress Download Counter vs Blocksy Companion
- WordPress Download Counter vs Shortcode Widget
- WordPress Download Counter vs Simple Download Monitor
Frequently asked questions
Which is more popular, Prevent Direct Access – Protect WordPress Files or WordPress Download Counter?
By active installs, Prevent Direct Access – Protect WordPress Files: 10K+ sites run it against 10+ for WordPress Download Counter, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 17, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Prevent Direct Access – Protect WordPress Files or WordPress Download Counter?
Prevent Direct Access – Protect WordPress Files, at #1,851 on the WordPress.org popular plugins list today, with WordPress Download Counter at #34,131. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Are Prevent Direct Access – Protect WordPress Files or WordPress Download Counter alternatives to each other?
Not all of them. Some of these plugins do different jobs and many sites run more than one. This page compares their popularity, not their features.
Where do these numbers come from?
WordPress.org publishes each plugin’s active install count and its position on the popular list. This site records both every day, along with per-day downloads and ratings, so the charts above show how the plugins have moved over time rather than a single day.