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Download After Email – Subscribe & Download Form Plugin

By mkscripts

Forms & Data Collection / Form Builders & Creators

Download After Email – Subscribe & Download Form Plugin Review - In-Depth Analysis

Download After Email is a free Subscribe & Download plugin that helps you gain subscribers by offering free downloads. Users must enter their email to receive download links.

Performance Overview

WPS Score

6.31/10

User Rating

4.4/5 (based on 30+ reviews)

Active Installations

7,000+

Update Frequency

Below Average It is calculated using the weighted average of same category plugins.

Security Score

1 / 10 (Very Low Risk) It is calculated using the weighted average of all versions.

What It Does

Download After Email is a free Subscribe & Download plugin that allows you to gain subscribers by offering free downloads.

Creating a new subscribe & download form is straightforward, similar to creating a new post or page, with additional options. You can save the form and place the generated shortcode on a page, post, or widget. Multiple subscribe & download forms can be created.

A visitor must enter their email address before the download link is sent via email. You can set limits on download links, such as one-time, unlimited, or time-based access, and protect the download process against unauthorized use. Email notifications can be sent to specified addresses.

The Ajax-based opt-in form is fully responsive and customizable, allowing you to adjust the layout and text for all notifications, including the email sent with the download link. HTML and images can be used in the email content.

Download After Email is GDPR ready, offering tools to comply with regulations. You can enable required and optional checkboxes, with customizable text. Data such as IP address and form content is stored, and the download link functions as a double opt-in.

Hooks and filters are available for developers to customize or extend functionality. You can write your own HTML for form fields or emails, and add actions after a download link is sent or used.

For additional features, Download After Email Plus is available as an extension, allowing you to create custom form fields, export subscriber data to CSV, and integrate with Mailchimp.

Comparing to Alternatives

Download After Email offers a unique approach by requiring email subscription before download, setting it apart from typical form builders.

Top alternatives

Strengths

Simple setup with shortcode integration
Allows multiple download links with email restriction
Customizable buttons, headings, and text colors
Immediate file delivery upon email submission

Weaknesses

Limited to PDF file uploads only
Cannot change 'from' email address easily
No option to collect additional user data like names
Editing download file headings can be cumbersome

User Sentiment Analysis

Users generally appreciate the plugin's ease of use and functionality but note some limitations and areas for improvement.

Positive highlights

'Plugin is awesome' - srdjan777
'Helped me a lot, great support!' - Maurizio
'Works like a dream, straightforward install' - alanparker73
'Files are sent immediately, customizable interface' - stephunique

Common complaints

Cannot change 'from' email address from no-reply
Only PDF files supported for download
Editing download file headings does not update properly
Lacks ability to collect additional user information

Weaknesses

Issues with multiple download links delivering same file
No built-in multilingual email content support
Limited frontend customization options

Who Should Use This?

Best for

Users who want a simple, effective way to offer downloadable PDFs in exchange for email subscriptions without complex form building.

Not ideal for

Those needing support for multiple file types, advanced form fields, or multilingual email content may find this plugin limiting.

Pricing & Value

Free version includes

The free version provides essential features like creating download links with email restriction and basic customization options.

Pro version

The premium version typically offers enhanced features such as support for more file types, advanced customization, and possibly multilingual email content options.

Final Verdict

Download After Email is a straightforward plugin that effectively combines email subscription with file downloads, ideal for users focused on PDF distribution.

While it excels in simplicity and immediate delivery, it has limitations in file type support and customization that may require consideration depending on user needs.

Other Notable Features

Here are a few other notable features of this free Download After Email – Subscribe & Download Form Plugin plugin.

Download Form

Mailchimp

Screenshots

FAQ

Our plugin uses the wp_mail() (WordPress core) function to send the emails, just like WordPress and many other plugins. This function uses PHP’s mail function by default, but can be configured to use SMTP instead.

If you are using an SMTP plugin, it might be better to leave the options “From Email” and “From Name” empty (Admin Menu > Downloads > Messages) and let the SMTP plugin handle these settings. If not, to avoid your email being marked as spam, it is highly recommended that your “from” domain match your website. Some hosts may require that your “from” address be a legitimate address. If these settings have no effect, there is probably another plugin that overrules these email settings. You could disable other plugins to find out which plugin this is and if there is a setting available that will lower its priority.

Email problems are often solved by using SMTP to send emails. If your hosting allows you to send emails via SMTP, you can try this first. If this is not possible, you could try one of the (free) SMTP providers available.

Here you can find a great article about the common causes of not sending emails (and SPAM issues) and solutions to fix it.