GPL Times: Premium WordPress for Less (A Review)
WordPress is blessed with tons of developers creating plugins and themes for the platform. As a user, you benefit from the quick installation of the styles you need on your website.
Most WordPress plugins run on a freemium model, where you can access some features for free, but others are only available through a premium subscription or purchase.
In this article, I will quickly review the GPL Times platform, which serves as a marketplace to get WordPress items at a fraction of the price.
🔥 Important: We highly recommend you visit our masterpiece — The Leading GPL Clubs for WordPress and other CMS.
Understanding WordPress GPL Themes and Plugins
Before we can understand what GPL Times is, we first need to understand WordPress GPL.
What exactly is GPL on WordPress?
GPL is an open-source software license used mainly by open-source applications, including WordPress, to freely showcase their work and its derivatives.
The GPL (General Public License) gives users four main freedoms:
- Use the software for any purpose.
- Access and modify the software’s source code.
- Distribute the original software to help others.
- Share modified versions under the same GPL terms.
Let me carefully dissect these four freedoms that come with the GPL license.
The first freedom is the ability to use the software for any purpose. That’s self-explanatory.
The second freedom is to access and modify the software’s source code. This lets users of WordPress plugins and themes interact with the source code of the software and alter it however they want.
The third freedom is to distribute the original software to help others. This takes it a little further. Aside from interacting with and modifying the source code, users are also allowed to share any software from WordPress just like the actual developers do on their websites.
Normally, when a GPL product is shared, it retains the same privileges. The fourth freedom says that even when modified by users, the altered version will still fall under the same terms (i.e., the four freedoms being explained).
What do these freedoms mean for actual developers?
Unfortunately, if you want to build for WordPress, you must comply with the four freedoms that have made the platform what it is today.
As a developer, you agree to the fact that anything you’re releasing on WordPress isn’t only your own. Others can distribute your product in their name freely and legally.
What is GPL Times?
GPL Times is a GPL site that provides access to a vast collection of WordPress themes and plugins at a fraction of their original price.
Unlike traditional marketplaces where you pay for each theme or plugin individually, GPL Times offers these products under GPL, allowing users to download, modify, and use them freely, all within the legal framework of WordPress’s open-source philosophy.
The platform boasts an extensive library of over 22,000 WordPress items, making it a resource for WordPress users who are looking for a cost-effective way to enhance their websites without breaking the bank.
With GPL Times, users can access premium WordPress products that are regularly updated and supported by a team dedicated to ensuring the quality and security of each file.
Having introduced GPLTimes.com, let’s now put it through its paces.
We will look at the following areas —
- How safe the platform is
- The rate at which upgrades come
How Safe and Legal is GPL Times?
To investigate the safety of GPL Times, you should first understand the framework for which it operates.
My probe found GPLTimes.com mostly safe to use.
The plugins and themes it distributes are certainly files from the WordPress directory that have passed safety checks by WP experts.
The platform buys from actual developers to feed users at a much-reduced price.
As long as the GPL freedoms have them covered, GPLTimes will continue to be a place where WordPress solutions are distributed for free to help the whole community.
Mind you, despite how legal the platform might claim to be, it is advisable to run additional scrutiny before uploading any of its products to your site.
You can use sites like VirusTotal for that.
Note: All WordPress Themes and Plugins inherit the GPL license freedoms. As a result, folks can distribute other people’s work without facing any legal complications. While sites like GPLTimes offer products at much reduced prices, it’s worth noting that their services don’t include customer support.
Are the Products on GPL Times Up-to-Date?
Another question to address in our comprehensive review of GPL Times is whether they actually have up-to-date solutions.
Before I go any further, I want to make it clear that no GPL platform can be in the same phase as the actual developers.
GPL Times seems to be playing its game well.
At least for popular themes and plugins, updates come on a steady basis, although not immediately after the developers release them.
The likelihood of a plugin or theme being current depends on the demand rate. The higher the demand, the sooner the updates are provided.
Here’s an interesting story —
GPLTimes.com has a Plugin through which it sends upgrades to users right on WordPress.
To obtain the same upgrade experience as you would get from actual developers, you just need to install and activate the GPL Times Auto Updates Plugin.
After set-up, updates happen by itself as soon as the platform uploads newer versions to its server.
Features that made GPL Times stand out
Here are amazing features of GPL Times worth writing home about
Automatic Upgrades right on WordPress
With their Auto Updates Plugin, users get updates as soon as they are uploaded on GPLTime’s server.
That eliminates the hassle of downloading recent versions and uploading them to sites.
Version Control
Out of the 100 GPL themes and plugins websites, less than 2% allow users to revert back to older versions. This feature is particularly important when you consider the nature of GPL products distributed by these sites.
Sometimes, the latest version may not work properly. In this case, you can use the older versions until the issue is resolved.
White-labeling for Reselling
The GPL freedoms seem to be abused. Anyone who wishes to also take advantage of the game can enter into the Reselling game.
GPL Times offers reselling plans that allow upcoming GPL themes and plugin websites to grow in library size.
Access other GPL items not just for WordPress
Platforms like Shopify, Joomla, and Magento share identical licensing freedoms with WordPress.
Therefore, the same freedom of redistribution exists.
In my review of GPL Times, I discovered that it has products for Shopify, Joomla, and Drupal.
If you also use these CMS, GPL Times can be a good choice when it comes to choosing the right GPL websites for your use case.
GPL Times Pricing Breakdown
GPL Times has several plans that will likely suit every need. From single item purchase to Lifetime plan (buy once, have access to whole WordPress GPL forever)
- $17/month (18 downloads/day)
- $79/year (20 downloads/day)
- $149/year (25 downloads/day)
- Developer plan at $33/month (50 downloads/day)
- $399 for a lifetime (18 downloads/day)
The Developer plan caters to high download rates for Reselling.
GPLTimes.com Alternatives and Competitors
- Pluginsforwp, best overall GPL site for WordPress themes and plugins (10,000+ products)
- Srmehranclub, a GPL site that offers solutions beyond WordPress (33,500+ products)
- WorldPressIT, the best GPL site for single-download preferences (3,500+ products)
- GPL Vault, another great place for GPL Downloads (4,700+).
Other GPL Times alternatives
Here are other alternative platforms to GPL Times. Unlike the previous ones, they aren’t the leading ones, so they may lack important features like the ability to get Automatic Updates on WordPress.
We also haven’t deeply covered or tested them. Therefore, do your homework properly before giving any of them a try.
Clicking the links lead to our review pages.
Note: We highly recommend you use the ones that made it to our list – Best GPL Clubs Websites.
GPL Times Pros and Cons
Let’s explore where GPLTimes.com excels and where it falls short.
GPL Times Pros
- Premium WordPress plugins and themes at 97% off
- Great for short-term usage and testing of products without paying the original price
- Offers GPL products beyond WordPress CMS
- Automatic Upgrades right from the WordPress area
GPL Times Cons
- Unpopular products don’t receive updates as frequently as they should
- Delays in updates are common
- Customer support isn’t included
- You could be undermining the efforts of the main developers
Conclusion
To wrap up our review of GPLTimes.com, it’s clear that the platform offers more than just affordable WordPress plugins and themes. With features like automatic updates, version control, and access to products beyond WordPress, GPL Times stands out as a reliable resource for website owners.
However, it’s essential to note the balance between cost savings and supporting original developers. While GPL Times provides significant benefits, relying solely on these platforms may inadvertently affect the creators behind the tools you rely on. Use it wisely — especially for testing and short-term needs — and support developers when possible.
🔥 Important: We highly recommend you visit our masterpiece — The Leading GPL Clubs for WordPress and other CMS.
