Are GPL themes and plugins safe or not? Let’s find out in this post.
If you are a beginner blogger and have heard that you need a premium theme to make your blog fast, it is not true. I use a free theme, and still, my blog loads within a few seconds.
While browsing the internet, you may have come across various websites that provide premium WordPress themes and plugins at a very cheap cost. How?
They claim that they purchase the developer’s original license for the theme or plugin, and because it is under the GPL, they are free to use it however they please, including selling it.
If you search for GPL themes on Google, you will also find websites running ads to promote their products. They sell GPL products for just $2–5. Some of them even offer a monthly subscription.
Are GPL themes and plugins safe?
So, the main question arises: if these premium themes and plugins that cost a lot are being sold at a very cheap price, are they safe? Isn’t there any malicious code or malware in them?
The answer is “no.” Never trust a website selling GPL products. These websites may say that they don’t edit the code or do anything with the files, but no one knows.
It is better to use free themes and plugins instead of buying GPL ones. If you want to use a premium one, go buy it from the official developer. It’s no risk, plus you help the developer cover the cost.
If someone is recommending a website to buy GPL products, don’t get into that trap. The people who recommend these websites receive payment for their promotion. At last, all of them are working for just one thing: money.
Why you should avoid GPL themes?
Here are some genuine reasons to avoid buying GPL themes and plugins:
- They may contain malicious codes and scripts. You never know when your website will be hacked or exploited.
- You are not helping the real developer. They have put their efforts into creating the product.
- You will not receive automatic updates. Though GPL selling websites say they provide updates, it takes some time and has to be done manually.
- You will not get any support from the developer. GPL selling websites don’t provide support.
Reading the reasons above, it is clear that there are a lot of disadvantages to using GPL products. There exists an alternative version of these products, known as nulled.
Nullified Themes and Plugins
Let’s talk about the nullified ones. Though GPL products are somewhat reliable, the nulled ones are the worst. You can download them for free, but they will undoubtedly contain malicious codes.
Things that can happen if you use nulled products:
- Your website may get hacked.
- Your site might display pop-up ads.
- Your data can be stolen.
- Your website may break or have a lot of errors.
- If you have an eCommerce site that stores customers’ information or a big business website, using nulled products is a big risk. Don’t take the risk.
So What To Do?
A simple answer: use free themes if you can’t afford the premium version. The free ones also provide excellent features and functionality. You can find some of the best free WordPress themes here.
There are thousands of free plugins available on WordPress that can solve any problem and are useful in various situations. They also provide support for free.
Whether it be for SEO, security, customizations, functionality, etc., plugins are available for free for all kinds of work. The same goes for WordPress themes.
Conclusion
Say no to GPL products. Even if you think that the website selling them is safe, go ahead at your own risk. But it is recommended to stay away from GPL selling websites.
Note: I have just written my opinion. I am not saying that all the websites are fake. Some of them provide genuine GPL themes. You can try these products on a staging site first. If you have no issues, use them on your main site.
