I’m not primarily a PHP developer, but I’ve been working on WordPress sites, mainly with WooCommerce, for a few years. I’ve made a couple of small plugins, all for specific sites.
Recently, I had a request for an e-commerce feature that didn’t have a suitable plugin available. Since I enjoy creating plugins, I built it myself. It’s finished, working, and solving the problem.
Now I want to keep improving it and maybe turn it into a source of recurring income.
For those who’ve done this, I have a few questions:
What did you do first after getting your plugin ready to find your first users?
I’m considering a free version (with fewer features) for the WordPress.org repository. Did you try this? Was it helpful?
(Seems like a way to get feedback on bugs and features.)
This plugin targets a niche, so I’m not expecting a large market. Pricing it at 100€/year—do you think that’s viable?
I want to plan my marketing strategy. What worked best for you—SEO, paid ads, affiliates, or getting reviewed on blogs?
Where’s the best place to sell it?
(I’d prefer my own shop but want to hear opinions.)
Lastly: Is it even worth it? I enjoy making plugins, and if I can earn from this regularly, I’ll make more in the future.
PS: If this works out, I might document the journey for others trying the same thing.
I’ve released free versions of pro plugins before, and they’re great for gaining users, but free users can be demanding. You’ll encounter unreasonable requests for unrelated issues, but it does help with bug testing.
100 euros is reasonable if the plugin directly impacts a website’s performance and is high quality.
Networking is key. See if the company you built it for can recommend it to their network. Offering them a referral bonus might help. Writing a blog post on the problem your plugin solves could also be effective.
I’d go for your own shop. Standing out on marketplaces is tough, and the competition often drives prices down.
Is it worth it? Maybe. There are other ways to earn with PHP, but if WordPress is your thing, it’s a good use of time.
My agency used to distribute many plugins, and the free ones had thousands of downloads. But very few upgraded to the pro version. Supporting free users was overwhelming. After four years, I shut it down. It was barely profitable and definitely not worth the effort.
If you can’t provide solid support, think twice. Bad reviews can ruin your chances quickly.
@Taylor
We’ve managed to avoid that with clear boundaries. We handle basic queries and point users to docs or videos. Most serious questions lead to upgrades. This balance has worked well, with a 7% conversion rate and almost no bad reviews over the past year.
Taylor said: @Zan
That’s probably because you’re managing a smaller user base. With larger numbers, it becomes a nightmare.
True. It’s all about balancing the workload. With enough revenue, scaling up support becomes manageable. The real issue is offering premium service to free users—it’s unsustainable.
@Zan
It sounds tough to find that balance. Starting small might make it easier to manage, but scaling up could bring challenges. Let’s see if I even get there!
Griff said: @Taylor
Thanks for sharing. Do you remember the conversion rate to pro users?
Not exactly, but our best plugin had around 100k users and 1500 paid subs. It wasn’t worth the time and money, though. You’ll need solid infrastructure to handle large numbers of users.
