Email Before Download Review - In-Depth Analysis
Email Before Download allows users to submit their information before accessing downloads. It integrates with Contact Form 7 and WordPress Download Monitor for enhanced functionality.
Performance Overview
User Rating
4.3/5 (based on 44+
reviews)
Active Installations
5,000+
Update Frequency
Below Average
It is calculated using the weighted average of same category
plugins.
Security Score
5 / 10
(Medium Risk)
It is calculated using the weighted average of all versions.
What It Does
Email Before Download (EBD) presents your users with a form where they submit information, like their name and email address, prior to receiving a download. This plugin integrates with the popular Contact Form 7 and WordPress Download Monitor plugins, allowing you to create any form you like and manage/monitor your file downloads.
You can also export a list of users that have downloaded files from the plugin's settings page. As an option, you can configure Email Before Download to display a link to your file directly under the contact form once it is submitted, send the user an email with a link and/or attachment to download your file, or both.
To use the plugin, create a contact form with Contact Form 7 and upload a file using Download Monitor. Then, add the provided shortcode using the IDs collected. This plugin enhances user engagement by requiring email submission before access to downloads.
Comparing to Alternatives
Email Before Download is a plugin designed to require users to submit their email before downloading files, with several alternatives available that offer similar or extended functionalities.
Strengths
- Simple and effective email collection before downloads
- Good support responsiveness as reported by users
- Easy to use once familiar with the setup
- Reliable functionality for its core purpose
- No paid version means full features available for free
Weaknesses
- Known security vulnerabilities with medium risk scores
- Some users experience fatal errors during installation or activation
- Lack of clear documentation or guidance for new users
- No premium version to address advanced needs or support
User Sentiment Analysis
With a majority of positive reviews (over 77% rated 4 or 5 stars), users generally appreciate the plugin's functionality and support, though a minority report significant issues.
Positive highlights
- "Exactly what I needed. Easy to use and support was great." — tomoci
- "Works just fine, and support excellent." — rjfnz
- "Takes a little effort to get familiar with the plugin but worth doing so." — rjfnz
- "Good support quickly answered my requests." — rjfnz
Common complaints
- Plugin triggers fatal errors preventing activation
- Lack of clear instructions on how to create download links
Weaknesses
- Security vulnerabilities including CSRF and SQL injection in older versions
- Occasional PHP errors reported after updates
- No clear fix for some security issues as of last scan
Who Should Use This?
Best for
Users who need a straightforward, free solution to collect emails before downloads and are comfortable troubleshooting or seeking support if issues arise.
Not ideal for
Users who require guaranteed stability without errors, comprehensive documentation, or those concerned about unresolved security vulnerabilities should consider alternatives or wait for updates.
Pricing & Value
Free version includes
The free version includes all core features necessary to collect emails before downloads without restrictions.
Final Verdict
Email Before Download offers a practical and free solution for collecting emails before file downloads, supported by positive user feedback on its core functionality and support responsiveness. However, users should be aware of reported fatal errors and a lack of clear guidance for setup, which may pose challenges for beginners.
Security concerns remain due to known vulnerabilities, and no premium version exists to address these or provide enhanced features. Users prioritizing security and stability might consider alternative plugins or monitor updates before adopting this plugin.
Other Notable Features
Here are a few other notable features of this free
Email Before Download plugin.
FAQ
Yes. We store a log of the form submissions and generated links. You can view and export a CSV file of them from the Email Before Download settings page in your admin screens.
You will not be able to use this version of Email Before Download without these dependent plugins. If you have specific reasons to avoid using the dependent plugins, please contact us and let us know the reason so we can take it into consideration.
If you decide to configure the Email Before Download option to send the user an email with a link to the download, then you will want to name the email field “your-email” as shown in the example screenshots. Outside of that, nothing special.
By default, the user is presented with a link or links to download their file(s). There is also an option to email the user (with a link to the file and/or attachment) if you choose that route. You can even provide both the inline link as well as the email if you choose.
WordPress allows direct access to files in your upload directories using a direct URL and we do not change those permissions. We do provide an option to mask the URL to your downloads if you have cURL enabled.
This is the list of all short code attributes that can be used. Some of them override the global admin settings.
- download_id – either one single download id from WordPress Download Monitor, or a comma separated list of such ids, eg. ‘1,2,3’
- contact_form_id – Contact Form 7 ID. Overrides default contact for id from settings if used.
- title – this attribute overrides the title from Download Monitor. if multiple, put them in a comma separated list in the same order as your download_ids.
- file – use to point to external url
- delivered_as – possible values: “Send Email”, “Both”, “Inline Link”
- attachment – “yes”, “no” Attachments only work if files were uploaded with Download Monitor.
- force_download – any value that is passed considered as “yes” (we don’t have a global menu item for that) only works with a single download_id.
- checked – Loads form with item checked. If you are using checkboxes and have multiple items, the will all be checked, Accepts “no”, any other value is “yes”
- hide_form – “yes”, “no”
- radio – “yes”, “no”
- from_email – valid email address
- from_name – any alphanumeric string
You will not be able to use this version of Email Before Download without these dependent plugins. If you have specific reasons to avoid using the dependent plugins, please contact us and let us know the reason so we can take it into consideration.
Contributors and developers
“Email Before Download”
is open source software. The following people have
contributed to this plugin.
