Thinking about making a plugin… licensing issues?

Hey everyone,

I’ve been thinking of developing my first WordPress plugin and also setting up a server for licensing. But I’m stuck on one big issue and wanted to ask for advice.

If I put a license check in the plugin, like an API call to verify it on my website, can’t people just edit the plugin code to always return true and bypass the license check? Feels like this could be easily tricked.

Has anyone dealt with this before? How do you protect your plugins?

Thanks for any help you can give!

Yep, that’s always a possibility. Anyone with some coding skills can mess with the licensing code.
But when you sell a WordPress plugin, you’re really selling more than just the source code. Focus on providing good support and regular updates—that’s what most customers care about. Sure, people can download cracked versions, but they miss out on the support and updates that only come with a legit license.

I’m no expert, but that’s never stopped me from jumping in :laughing:.

WordPress, like its themes and plugins, is open-source, so any decent coder can crack the protection. That’s not your main issue though. WordPress plugins have to be released under a GPL license, which basically means anyone can access the code. Your best bet is to charge for things like a secure, malware-free download, plus offer solid support and updates to those who register and pay.

Honestly, making money with WordPress plugins is tough. The market is saturated, and there are free alternatives everywhere. If you do it, it’s more for experience or offering custom plugins to demanding clients. There’s some money in that, but finding clients is tricky.

A suggestion: start by releasing a free plugin on the official WordPress site. It’s great practice.

@Dakota
Yeah, and if you’re good at selling your service, you might still make a good income. People believe all kinds of stuff these days… just saying :sweat_smile:.

To answer your question: yes, people can bypass license checks.

Here’s what I’d suggest: use a freemium model. Offer a free version on the WordPress site, then sell a Pro version separately. That’s what I do, and it works well.

I add a small bit of code to the free version that checks if the Pro version’s license is valid. If not, a message pops up on the update screen asking, “Having trouble getting updates? Is your license valid?” It’s a subtle nudge without being too annoying.

Also, only popular plugins get cracked. So if you’re just starting, it’s less of a worry. Focus on getting your plugin out there first!

I’m not sure what your plugin does, but one way around it could be to handle some of the functionality on your own server, including the license check.

Thanks, everyone! You’ve given me some great points I hadn’t considered before. Really appreciate the help!