WP All Import has been sold with an unlimited, lifetime license since its release in 2011. Sometime later this year or next year, we will switch to an annual license. We may or may not make another announcement before actually making the switch, so this might be your last warning.
This will have no effect on existing customers. All lifetime licenses will continue to be honored.
Why change away from lifetime licenses?
WP All Import has been around for a long time. Back in 2011 when WP All Import 1.0 was released, most of the paid WordPress plugins were sold with a lifetime license. It was what customers expected, and it has worked for us for years. In fact, it continues to work for us to this day. We are not making this change because because lifetime licenses are inherently unsustainable or support costs are spiraling out of control.
WP All Import is a profitable business, support costs generally follow revenue up and down, and lifetime licenses for WordPress plugins are absolutely a sustainable business model.
We are moving to annual licenses simply because we will make more money.
Things have changed since 2011, and these days we're some of the only folks still selling professional-grade WordPress plugins with a lifetime license. Lifetime licenses are a bit of an oddity in 2022, and people just expect to have to renew their software licenses.
In addition, in the last 10 years, budgets for WordPress projects have grown. Also, the quality of our software has increased significantly since its initial release in 2011. We've released thousands of fixes and enhancements, our software is rock solid and has a stellar reputation, and many people tell us we should be charging more.
While lifetime licenses work, annual licenses are absolutely more profitable over the long term. This is why you see almost every piece of software on earth now being sold with one.
Will existing lifetime license holders continue to receive updates? What about customer support?
Again, these pricing changes will not affect existing customers. We have built a world-class support team over the years, earning us thousands of 5-star reviews. We routinely take care of support requests from customers who purchased their licenses 5-10 years ago, and nothing about that will change. Everyone who holds a lifetime license will continue to receive updates and support as long as WP All Import and WordPress continue to exist.
Do I need to renew? What will happen to my imports?
Users who only need to run a one-off import can buy a license, run their import, and then be done with it. You only need to renew your license if you need continued support or updates. Your imported data won't go anywhere after your license expires. If you want to, you can even keep using outdated versions of WP All Import after your license expires.
What if you release new products? Will those be added to my product bundle?
We may release new products and add-ons in the future. If we do, those who hold lifetime licenses will be able to purchase annual licenses for the new products at discounted rates.
When will you make the change?
We aren't exactly sure, but it will be sometime later this year or next year. We might provide further updates on timing, although most likely we will just flip the switch without warning.
