Title: Premium / pro plugin version vs guidelines Last modified: August 31, 2016 --- # Premium / pro plugin version vs guidelines * Resolved [Guido](https://wordpress.org/support/users/guido07111975/) * (@guido07111975) * [10 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/premium-pro-plugin-version-vs-guidelines/) * Hi, * I’m thinking of creating a premium version of my plugin, containing extra features. On the [Guidelines](https://developer.wordpress.org/plugins/wordpress-org/detailed-plugin-guidelines/) page I notice this: * > If you want to sell advanced features for a plugin (such as a “pro” version), > then you must sell and serve that code from your own site, we will not host > it on our servers. * I do not fully understand this part. My plugin, listed in repository of wordpress. org, will have build in extra features that become available when inserting a pass.. is this allowed? * Guido Viewing 9 replies - 1 through 9 (of 9 total) * [George Bikas](https://wordpress.org/support/users/geobikas/) * (@geobikas) * [10 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/premium-pro-plugin-version-vs-guidelines/#post-7010688) * WordPress repository hosts only free plugins. You can sell a pro plugin in your website. A lot of developers have a free and pro version. They offer the free through WP repo and the pro through their website 🙂 * Regards George * [Phil Erb](https://wordpress.org/support/users/philerb/) * (@philerb) * [10 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/premium-pro-plugin-version-vs-guidelines/#post-7010692) * What the guideline means is that you can continue to have the free version on wordpress.org. But the premium features cannot be contained in that free version– even behind an unlock code or license. * One option for the premium features is to use the free plugin on wordpress.org as the “core” feature set and sell an add-on plugin from your site with additional functionality. Plugins like WooCommerce and Easy Digital Downloads do this. * Or you can rebundle the free plugin with the premium features as one big plugin and distribute that from your site. * But the bottom line is that the premium features cannot be hosted on wordpress. org. * Thread Starter [Guido](https://wordpress.org/support/users/guido07111975/) * (@guido07111975) * [10 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/premium-pro-plugin-version-vs-guidelines/#post-7010706) * Hi guys, * Thanks for your response. I now fully understand. * Do 1 of you have experience with using a free vs premium plugin? * Is for example the plugin update process of a premium version completely outside wordpress.org repository? In other words, when a user has a premium version, it’s not attached to the wordpress.org repository anymore? * Guido * Moderator [Ipstenu (Mika Epstein)](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ipstenu/) * (@ipstenu) * 🏳️‍🌈 Advisor and Activist * [10 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/premium-pro-plugin-version-vs-guidelines/#post-7010710) * > Is for example the plugin update process of a premium version completely outside > wordpress.org repository? In other words, when a user has a premium version, > it’s not attached to the wordpress.org repository anymore? * Yes and yes. * If the plugin isn’t hosted on .org, it’s not updated from .org. * In general, I recommend you make an ‘add on’ plugin for the premium features. That way you don’t have to worry about the core plugin updates and only your add-ons. [https://easydigitaldownloads.com/](https://easydigitaldownloads.com/) does that and might be what you’re looking for. Unless you go the code canyon route. * [Miroslav Glavić](https://wordpress.org/support/users/miroslavglavic/) * (@miroslavglavic) * [10 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/premium-pro-plugin-version-vs-guidelines/#post-7010711) * the PRO plugin will have NOTHING to do with the WordPress.org repository. * All the paid plugins/themes I have for clients and myself still get updated. I have a theme that I bought on (insert place here) and I get an e-mail whenever the theme author updates the theme. * The (insert place here) place has a download page with my items, below each item there is a check box that if I check, I get an e-mail whenever there is an update. That e-mails tells me there is an update and a link to download the updated theme. * Thread Starter [Guido](https://wordpress.org/support/users/guido07111975/) * (@guido07111975) * [10 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/premium-pro-plugin-version-vs-guidelines/#post-7010735) * Thanks again! * [@miroslav](https://wordpress.org/support/users/miroslav/): if I’m not mistaken Theme Forest offers an api key feature for updating theme from your WP dashboard. Nice feature. * [@mika](https://wordpress.org/support/users/mika/): thanks for the link. Did not know this plugin. * > In general, I recommend you make an ‘add on’ plugin for the premium features. > That way you don’t have to worry about the core plugin updates and only your > add-ons. * Why not worry about core plugin updates? Or is it possible to integrate an add- on with plugin hosted on wordpress.org? * Guido * Moderator [Jan Dembowski](https://wordpress.org/support/users/jdembowski/) * (@jdembowski) * Forum Moderator and Brute Squad * [10 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/premium-pro-plugin-version-vs-guidelines/#post-7010745) * > Or is it possible to integrate an add-on with plugin hosted on wordpress.org? * It’s not, the add-on plugin would not be hosted on WordPress.ORG so the updates would not come from here. Updates for your add-on plugin would need to be handled by your own servers and update mechanism. * Thread Starter [Guido](https://wordpress.org/support/users/guido07111975/) * (@guido07111975) * [10 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/premium-pro-plugin-version-vs-guidelines/#post-7010757) * Hi Jan, * I understand now! * Guido * Thread Starter [Guido](https://wordpress.org/support/users/guido07111975/) * (@guido07111975) * [10 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/premium-pro-plugin-version-vs-guidelines/#post-7010835) * > In general, I recommend you make an ‘add on’ plugin for the premium features. * I’m a slow learner, but I now understand what you mean… Leave the plugin on wordpress.org and build an extension that hooks into the core plugin, containing the extra features .. Got it! * Guido Viewing 9 replies - 1 through 9 (of 9 total) The topic ‘Premium / pro plugin version vs guidelines’ is closed to new replies. ## Tags * [20q2016](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/20q2016/) * [guidelines](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/guidelines/) * [premium](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/premium/) * [pro](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/pro/) * [upsell](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/upsell/) * In: [Everything else WordPress](https://wordpress.org/support/forum/miscellaneous/) * 9 replies * 6 participants * Last reply from: [Guido](https://wordpress.org/support/users/guido07111975/) * Last activity: [10 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/premium-pro-plugin-version-vs-guidelines/#post-7010835) * Status: resolved ## Topics ### Topics with no replies ### Non-support topics ### Resolved topics ### Unresolved topics ### All topics