Any website builder plugins without yearly fees

Hey everyone, I’m new to this kind of work and trying to figure some things out. I’m a small business owner building a website to show off our portfolio, about us, and the services we offer.

I’ve tried some plugins like Elementor, and while they’re cool, they require a subscription to access the good features. I’m okay paying for something upfront, but I don’t like ongoing costs.

So here’s what I need to know:

  1. If I pay for a subscription plugin like Elementor and stop paying after a year, will my website still work properly with the premium features I used?
  2. Are there any website builders or plugins that only require a one-time payment, are reliable, and have good options?

Thanks so much for your help and advice!

Most premium plugins and themes will keep working after your subscription ends, but you won’t get updates or support anymore. Updates are important, especially for fixing bugs and security issues, so be cautious about skipping them.

Lifetime licenses are rare now because they’re not great for developers. Without recurring payments, there’s little incentive for them to keep improving the product.

@Corin
That’s true. Many plugins used to offer lifetime deals, but now most are subscription-based. Luckily, the costs are usually reasonable, around $50-$60 per year.

Here are some premium plugins I’d recommend:

  • WP Rocket
  • Gravity Forms
  • Wordfence Pro (or the free version for basic needs)
  • Yoast or Rankmath Pro for SEO

For themes, GeneratePress Pro is solid and works well with the block editor.

Bricks Builder offers a lifetime license, but it’s not cheap: https://bricksbuilder.io/pricing/.

One-time payment options are harder to find these days since subscriptions are more common. With Elementor, your site will still work after the subscription ends, but you won’t be able to edit pages with premium features. Also, no updates mean you might eventually have issues.

You might be able to achieve your goal by using the full-site editing features in WordPress’s recent updates. They’re free and work well if you’re okay with sticking to the basics.

I’m not a fan of subscription models either, so I’ve been buying Lifetime Deals (LTD) for years. These one-time purchases save money in the long run, especially if you run multiple sites.

That said, sometimes you have to go with subscriptions for tools like Elementor. Another option is WPBakery, which offers lifetime access for one site and is pretty simple to use.

Gutenberg/blocks are free and can do a lot if you’re willing to work with them. I also like SiteOrigin’s builder, which is free too. It’s not super popular, but I’ve had good luck with it.

If you’re sticking with Elementor, the free version is decent, and you can buy templates from places like Envato for a small one-time fee to spice up your site.

For page builders, Gutenberg is free and solid. Divi is another great option, and they offer lifetime access here: https://www.elegantthemes.com/join/.

For plugins: