Smart DL Redirect is a lightweight and powerful WordPress plugin that lets you add a timer-based interstitial page before a file download starts.
It’s perfect for: – Affiliate marketers – Download site owners – Resource-sharing blogs – Anyone who wants to delay download with ads or messages
Once a visitor clicks a download link, they are redirected to a customizable “preparing download” page, where a timer counts down, shows ads or custom HTML, and then auto-redirects to the actual file.
Important — redirect behavior: This plugin redirects the visitor’s browser to the file URL you provide — the plugin does not download, host, or proxy the file server-side. Authors should only supply links to files they trust.
Ad/snippet sanitization: Any ad/snippet HTML entered in the plugin settings is sanitized using wp_kses_post() before output. Note that wp_kses_post() strips <script> tags and other potentially dangerous elements — if your ad provider requires inline scripts, follow the provider’s recommended safe-install instructions or use a trusted ad plugin.
✨ Key Features
- ⏱️ Countdown Timer – Set the delay (in seconds) before download starts.
- 🎯 Auto-Redirect – Automatically starts the file download when timer ends.
- 🧰 Manual Fallback Link – If download fails, users can click a manual download link.
- 💡 Ad Placement or Custom HTML – Insert ads, promotional banners, or instructions in the waiting area.
- 🧩 Easy Shortcode Usage – Just add
[smart_dl file="https://example.com/file.zip"]to any post or page. - ⚙️ Lightweight and Fast – No external dependencies, optimized for performance.
License
Smart DL Redirect is licensed under the GPLv2 or later. See https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html for details.