Gated Downloads locks your PDFs, guides and files — or any part of a post — behind a beautiful, accessible form. Visitors enter their details to unlock it; you get the lead. Works with any theme.
Gate any file or any part of a post, capture every lead, and stay compliant — without touching a line of code.
Upload a file from the Media Library or point to any URL — both lock behind your capture form. Or add no file at all and use it as a simple email opt-in / subscribe form.
Wrap any part of a post in [tslgd_lock] and it hides behind the same form — the rest of a guide, a pricing table, a coupon code. It unlocks in place, with no reload, and the hidden content is never in the page source, so view-source and page caching can't leak it.
A polished pop-up with focus trapping, keyboard & screen-reader support, and reduced-motion respect — rendered theme-proof in the footer, and matched to your brand colors.
Every submission is stored in your own database table — searchable, sortable, and one click to export as CSV. Built-in conversion analytics show views → opens → leads and a conversion rate for every form.
Each gated file is its own form — pick & reorder fields (Name, Company, Website, Country…), set its success message & redirect, and drop its unique [tslgd_download id="123"] or block anywhere.
Shortcode, block, or a native Elementor widget. Turn any wording into a trigger with an inline link. Or switch on automatic placement and every post gets a button — with per-post overrides, and duplicates skipped automatically.
Every lead records where it came from — UTM source, medium, campaign and the referring site — captured on the visitor's first page and kept for the session. It lands in the Details column and in your CSV export.
Organize gated files with a fully custom taxonomy — nothing hardcoded. Build the structure that fits your library.
Optional consent checkbox, salted-hash IP storage, admin email notifications, and clean uninstall. Passes WordPress.org Plugin Check.
No setup wizard, no code. Publish a gated file and start collecting.
Add a file, attach your PDF or URL, set a button label. No file? Use it to lock content instead.
Shortcode, block, Elementor widget — or let it place itself on every post.
They enter their details to get the download.
Every submission is saved and ready to export.
The free plugin is a complete lead magnet. Pro adds automation, integrations, and protection.
Launch offer — 30% off Gated Downloads Pro
For the first 50 buyers · discount applied automatically at checkout
Billed annually · 30-day money-back guarantee
✓ Every paid plan starts with a 7-day free trial — no credit card required.
Everything you need to launch a lead magnet.
Free on WordPress.org
For a single site that needs automation & integrations.
Billed annually · 1 site
For agencies & power users running multiple sites.
Billed annually · up to 10 sites
Compare every feature
| Feature | Free | Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Gated file downloads & lead capture | ✓ | ✓ |
| Content locker — gate part of a post | ✓ | ✓ |
| Accessible modal, shortcode, block & Elementor widget | ✓ | ✓ |
| Automatic placement on posts & inline link triggers | ✓ | ✓ |
| Custom categories & CSV export | ✓ | ✓ |
| Campaign tracking (UTM & referrer) on every lead | ✓ | ✓ |
| Brand colors (button & modal header) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Per-form fields, order, messages & redirect | ✓ | ✓ |
| Conversion analytics (views → opens → leads) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Download counter & social proof | ✓ | ✓ |
| Download-link email to each lead | ✓ | ✓ |
Developer hooks & tslgd:lead / tslgd:download events | ✓ | ✓ |
| Honeypot spam protection | ✓ | ✓ |
| Popup triggers — time, scroll & exit intent | — | ✓ |
| Double opt-in email confirmation | — | ✓ |
| Lead lists — segment, filter & export by list | — | ✓ |
| Analytics dashboard — funnel, trend & per-form rates | — | ✓ |
| Unlimited custom fields & field types | — | ✓ |
| Custom autoresponder (your subject & message) & webhooks | — | ✓ |
| Zapier integration (7,000+ apps, one-click test lead) | — | ✓ |
| Mailchimp, Brevo, FluentCRM & MailPoet sync | — | ✓ |
| GA4, Tag Manager & Meta Pixel conversion tracking | — | ✓ |
| reCAPTCHA v3 spam protection | — | ✓ |
| Protected, expiring download links | — | ✓ |
| Download limits & one-time links | — | ✓ |
| Insights dashboard | — | ✓ |
From the visitor's capture modal to the Pro insights dashboard — clean, accessible, and on-brand.
Actual plugin screenshots. Click any image to enlarge. Free Pro
Install Gated Downloads free from the WordPress directory, or start a 7-day free trial of Pro — no credit card required.
Common questions about gating files behind a lead form in WordPress.
A gated download is a file that a visitor can only access after submitting a short form. Instead of linking straight to a PDF or ZIP, you place a download button that opens a form asking for details such as name and email. Once the form is submitted, the file is delivered and the visitor's details are stored as a lead.
Install Gated Downloads, go to Gated Downloads → Add New Gated File, upload your file or paste an external URL, then copy the shortcode it generates and paste it into any post or page — for example [tslgd_download id="123"]. Visitors clicking the button must complete the form before the download unlocks. You can also insert the Gated Download block in the block editor instead of using a shortcode.
Yes. The capture form is rendered at the root of the page rather than inside your theme's markup, so theme wrappers with overflow or z-index rules cannot break it. No page builder is required.
Any file you can upload to the WordPress Media Library, plus any direct file URL. That includes PDFs, ZIP archives, images, spreadsheets and documents. Files hosted elsewhere, such as on cloud storage, can be gated by pasting their URL.
Yes. Leave the file empty and the form becomes a plain email opt-in — the visitor's details are captured and a success message (or your redirect) shows after they submit, with no download involved. Show just the email field and label the button "Subscribe". With Pro, new subscribers can sync straight to Mailchimp or Brevo.
Leads are stored in a custom table in your own WordPress database. Nothing is sent to any third-party service. You can browse them under Gated Downloads → Leads, and export them as CSV at any time.
Yes. Every gated file has its own form configuration. You can choose which of the standard fields it asks for, drag them into any order, and mark each one required or optional. The standard fields are Name, Email, Phone, Company, Job Title, Website and Country. Files you do not configure inherit the global defaults.
The plugin provides an optional consent checkbox with wording you control, stores only the fields you ask for, hashes IP addresses with a salt, and registers the WordPress personal-data exporter and eraser hooks so you can fulfil data requests. You remain the data controller and should pair it with your own privacy policy.
The free plugin gates unlimited downloads, locks any part of a post behind the same form, and places buttons automatically or via shortcode, block, Elementor widget and inline links. It also offers per-form field configuration, conversion analytics, a download counter, campaign (UTM) tracking on every lead, automatic download-link emails, honeypot spam protection, a leads dashboard and CSV export — and is fully functional on its own. Pro adds popup triggers (time, scroll, exit intent), double opt-in email confirmation, lead lists for segmenting and exporting, email-marketing integrations with Mailchimp, Brevo, FluentCRM and MailPoet, a guided Zapier integration, webhooks, a fully customizable autoresponder, GA4 / Tag Manager / Meta Pixel conversion tracking, protected and expiring download links with usage limits, reCAPTCHA v3 spam protection, extra custom field types, and a conversion-analytics dashboard.
Yes. Wrap any section of a post or page in [tslgd_lock] and it is replaced by a blurred placeholder with an unlock button. Visitors submit the same capture form and the content appears in place, with no page reload, then stays unlocked when they come back. The locked content is never included in the page source, so “view source” cannot reveal it and full-page caching cannot leak it to the next visitor.
Yes — every paid plan starts with a 7-day free trial, and no credit card is required to begin. You get full access to all Pro features (popup triggers, double opt-in, lead lists, Zapier, Mailchimp, Brevo, FluentCRM & MailPoet, autoresponder, webhooks, protected links and more) for 7 days. If you decide not to upgrade, your site simply reverts to the free plugin — nothing breaks and you keep every lead you captured.
Still stuck? Read the full documentation or contact support.
Questions about setup, licensing, or a bug to report — email us and we'll get back to you.
Setup help, bug reports, and licensing questions.
[email protected]Pre-sales questions, partnerships, and everything else.
[email protected]Prefer to read first? Browse the documentation.