CatFolders Document Gallery & PDF Library

77 Quality Score

Active Installs

16/30

With around 3,000 active installs, CatFolders sits well below the leading alternatives, which suggests a niche audience rather than mainstream adoption.

Update Freshness

25/25

The plugin was updated within the last few days of the scoring window and shows a perfect maintenance score, indicating the developer is actively shipping fixes and improvements.

User Rating

14/15

A 90 out of 100 rating from 13 reviewers is strong, though the small sample size means the score should be read with some caution.

Support Health

8/15

Only one support thread exists in the dataset, but it was resolved, which is a positive signal even if the volume is too low to draw firm conclusions about response times under heavier load.

WP Compatibility

15/15

Requiring WordPress 6.1 and PHP 7.0, and tested up to WordPress 7.0, the plugin earns a full compatibility score and should run cleanly on current stacks.

Scores higher than 53% of indexed plugins

About

Display WordPress PDF gallery and file gallery from folders. Comes with a clean, searchable & sortable list/grid layout.

Active Installs 3k+

Rating ★★★★½ 4.5/5

Last Updated 2026-08-23 11:16am GMT

Requires WordPress 6.1+

Tested Up To 7.1

Requires PHP 7.0+

Security History

2 known vulnerabilities, all patched

2 Medium

Most recent: September 5, 2026

View details ▸

What It Does

CatFolders Document Gallery & PDF Library turns a folder of PDF and other files into a searchable, sortable list or grid layout on a WordPress site. It works as a front-end document browser so visitors can browse, search, and download files without needing to log into wp-admin. In practice, it behaves like a lightweight public-facing document library rather than a full file manager.

Who It's For

This plugin is a good fit for organizations that need to publish a structured library of PDFs or downloadable documents, such as law firms sharing client resources, schools distributing course materials, or nonprofits posting grant documents. It suits sites that already organise files into folders in the Media Library and want a tidy, filterable front-end view. Sites with under a few thousand documents will get the most out of it.

Who Should Skip It

If you only need to embed a handful of PDFs on individual pages, a simpler embed plugin like PDF Embedder will be faster to set up. WooCommerce shops needing branded invoices and packing slips should look at a WooCommerce-specific tool instead. Anyone needing granular per-user access control, expiring download links, or detailed download analytics will outgrow this plugin quickly.

The Bottom Line

CatFolders Document Gallery & PDF Library delivers a focused, well-maintained document gallery experience with strong ratings and excellent compatibility, but its small install base and limited support history mean you are betting on a smaller developer. It is worth a close look for anyone whose core need is a clean, searchable PDF library, yet buyers needing proven scale or advanced access control should weigh the more established alternatives. Overall Quality Score: 76.57/100.

Choose this if you run a WooCommerce store and need automated, branded invoices and packing slips rather than a public document gallery.

PDF Embedder 86/100

Pick this when you simply want to embed individual PDFs into posts or pages with a viewer, without the folder browsing experience.

Advanced File Manager 84/100

Go with this when you need a fuller file management interface inside wp-admin, including editing and organizing uploads at a deeper level.

Download Manager 82/100

Use this if your priority is controlling downloads with passwords, expirations, and usage limits rather than just displaying files.

Embed PDF Viewer 81/100

Select this when you want a lightweight viewer for embedding PDFs in pages with minimal configuration and a smaller feature footprint.