GPL family — Free Marketplace for WordPress (A Review)
WordPress is fortunate to have countless developers building plugins and themes that make website customization quick and easy for users. Many plugins follow a freemium model, where basic features are free, but advanced ones come at a cost.
This article takes a closer look at GPLfamily.com, a platform offering WordPress items at reduced prices. But before diving into GPL family, we need to understand what the WordPress GPL license is all about.
🔥We highly recommend you check the top GPL platforms to buy Plugins and Themes (We’ve included the cream of the crop there).
What is GPL in WordPress?
Before understanding how WordPress is linked to GPL. Let’s first understand the term —
The term GPL stands for General Public License. It’s an open-source software license that gives users the freedom to use, modify, and share software. The purpose of the GPL license is to encourage collaboration between users and to fit the open-source nature of WordPress.
WordPress as an open-source platform is licensed under GNU GPL.
The GPL license is also open-source, which is why WordPress went with it in the first place.
As a platform under such a license, it basically means that all WordPress works (not just the cms alone) but also its derivatives (i.e., themes and plugins) are all inheriting the open-source nature.
Being open-source means everyone can see the source code and can modify the software as they see fit.
WordPress had intentionally adopted the GPL license to maintain its steady growth as the #1 content management system. Meanwhile, the fact that WordPress is open source is the reason why it has made lots of progress over the years.
The GPL grants four main freedoms:
- Use the software for any purpose.
This means you can install the software and use it however you see fit — whether for personal projects, client websites, or even to test new ideas. - Access and modify the software’s source code.
With GPL-licensed software, you’re not limited to the original design. You can tweak or enhance it to suit your preferences or business needs. Developers give users full access to their code. - Distribute the original software.
If you download a GPL product, you are free to share it with others just like the original developer does on their platform. - Share modified versions under the same GPL terms.
Any changes you make to a GPL product are still governed by the same rules. If you share your modified version, it must also be under the GPL license. This keeps it open and accessible to others.
What Do These Freedoms Mean for Developers?
Developers working under the GPL model (i.e., producing themes/plugins for WordPress) must accept the reality that they don’t have complete control over their software. Once a plugin or theme is released on WordPress, anyone can share or modify it legally — even without the developer’s permission.
What Do These Freedoms Mean for WordPress Users?
For users, the GPL license provides freedom and flexibility. You don’t need to be confined by a product’s original design or pay every time you want to use or tweak it. However, many people are unaware of these rights and as a result, do not take advantage of them.
Platforms like GPL family use the freedom to legally redistribute premium GPL products, so that everyone can have access. This not only helps users save money but also contributes to improvements.
Understanding these principles clears any doubt about the legality of platforms like GPL family. They operate well within the bounds of the GPL license.
What is GPLfamily.com?
GPLFamily.com is a platform offering a wide range of premium WordPress plugins, themes, WooCommerce extensions, and web templates under the General Public License (GPL).
This licensing allows users to freely use, modify, and distribute these resources, providing flexibility for both personal and commercial projects.
The site features over 5,000 products, including popular GPL-licensed items, all available at affordable prices.
How Legal is GPL family?
Any platform that utilizes the freedoms of the GPL license to distribute WordPress derivatives either freely or at a minimal cost is naturally legal.
GPL Theme and Plugin sites like GPL family directly obtain from actual developers. Later on, they engage in redistributing these items to a lot of people.
When they distribute these items, they still fall under the same GPL license. That is — others can still be able to share them even when they are modified.
What websites providing WordPress GPL themes and plugins do is — They typically modify the code from actual developers in a slight way. Their aim is always to get rid of license key restrictions, which is something builders charge for.
How Safe is GPL family?
Due to my lack of involvement and usage of the platform, I’ll only be providing generalized information.
Important: I always recommend you visit the best and the leading GPL marketplaces. I have used and completely approved those platforms. The one being reviewed is one of the least in the industry.
To identify the safety of GPLfamily.com, you must have tested it in the first place but I have not, unfortunately.
As for the foundation of GPL websites, their products ought to be safe to use.
If the GPL site being reviewed obtains files directly from actual developers and then redistributes them, their offering will most likely be safe to use.
Because what it’s offering in that sense is a GPL familyduct (exactly the same file you get from actual developers).
So what’s the catch? —
Any GPL site is mostly safe to use at first glance given that they are actually operating according to their words, i.e., the act of sharing files from developers to help the entire community.
Anyway, I believe the reason why you’re here is to know for sure whether GPL family is safe to use.
We are here to say that GPL sites are likely safe to use by default.
Unfortunately, we don’t have an absolute answer regarding the safety of GPL family in this review.
In order to be on the safest side, we recommend you give attention to the industrial leaders that we have already tested — Trusted and safe to use GPL Websites.
Features of GPLfamily.com
Here are the best features of GPLFamily.com which can be identified externally from the site:
Note: The features here aren’t verified because I haven’t used the platform in the first place. What you can see are just claims from the platform itself and is also worked by an AI (i.e., the writing). To stay on the safest side, I suggest checking the platforms which I have actively used and reviewed — Biggest and reputable GPL websites.
1. Extensive Library of GPL Themes and Plugins
GPLFamily.com offers a comprehensive collection of over 5,000 original WordPress themes, plugins, WooCommerce extensions, web templates, and more. This extensive library provides users with the essential tools needed to customize and optimize their websites, all under one roof.
2. Regular Updates on All Products
Keeping your plugins and themes up-to-date is critical, and GPLFamily.com ensures that all products are regularly updated. The platform frequently uploads new products to their repository and monitors existing ones for updates daily. If a new version is released and you need it, you can request updates, and the team works to provide them promptly. This dedication helps users maintain the security and stability of their sites.
3. Affordable Pricing Plans
GPLFamily.com offers a variety of pricing options, tailored to meet different needs:
- Monthly Plan: $15 per month, with 20 downloads allowed per day.
- Half Yearly Plan: $59 for six months, offering 30 downloads daily.
- Yearly Plan: $129 per year, allowing 40 downloads per day.
- Lifetime Plan: A one-time fee of $299, providing 50 downloads per day.
These flexible pricing plans cater to various user requirements, ensuring access to premium resources at competitive rates.
4. 100% Clean Files
GPLFamily.com guarantees that all products are 100% original files from developers, free from advertising, viruses, or malicious code. All products presented on the site are purchased directly from developers and are not downloaded from other sites, ensuring authenticity and security.
5. Secure Payments
All payment gateways used by GPLFamily.com comply with PCI DSS security certificates, ensuring secure transactions. The platform guarantees a refund if the product you downloaded does not work and their support could not assist you, providing peace of mind with your purchases.
6. Fast Direct Downloads
Users can download products directly from the website without any waiting or advertisements. GPLFamily.com utilizes Amazon S3 to store and deliver files, ensuring fast and secure file storage and delivery.
7. Technical Support
Professional help is available for solving any technical problems. Support is included in the price, with a technical support team available 24/7 and an average response time of 24 working hours.
Note: The features above aren’t verified because I haven’t used the platform in the first place. What you can see are just claims from the platform itself and is also worked by an AI (i.e., the writing). To stay on the safest side, I suggest checking the platforms which I have actively used and reviewed — Biggest and reputable GPL websites.
Why can’t I find a particular plugin or theme on GPL family?
Sorry, if you didn’t find the plugin you’re looking for from GPL family.
It could be due to the following reasons —
The Platform is actually not large in terms of library size.
The theme or plugin you’re searching for might not be available to be distributed for free like others. And a major cause is that some plugins/themes aren’t fully released under GPL. Therefore, GPL sites like GPLfamily.com may not be able to uphold it.
In such cases where you didn’t find your desired solution, you can try checking GPL family alternatives.
We do recommend platforms like Pluginsforwp, Srmehranclub and GPL Vault over GPLfamily.com due to their extensive Library size and super features such as automatic upgrades right from WordPress.
You can check out the reviews of these platforms directly — Pluginsforwp Review, Srmehranclub Review, and GPL Vault Review.
GPLfamily.com Alternatives and Competitors
GPL family is not the best in the industry. There are a few sites that can give you a better experience though it all boils down to your use case.
Here are the best GPL family alternatives online at the time of writing.
- Pluginsforwp: Best overall GPL site for WordPress themes and plugins | Best for WordPress Plugins | Best for rare item availability (11,000+ products verified ✔)
- Srmehranclub: A GPL site that offers solutions beyond WordPress | Best for WordPress themes (40,000+ products allegedly | 18,200+ for WordPress verified ✔)
- GPL Vault: best for flagship, most-used, and must-have wordpress items with early update (4,160+ products verified ✔)
- WorldPressIT: Another WordPress GPL club with competitive pricing (7,300+ products verified ✔)
GPL family Review: Pros and Cons
Here are the pros and cons that come with going with a GPL platform other than actual developers.
GPLfamily.com Pros
- Handy for short-term usage of plugins or themes like for testing or review
GPLfamily.com Cons
- Plugin or Theme’s upgrade experience is not the same with actual developers
- Customer support isn’t included or limited
🥳 Access superior features with Leading GPL Platforms
While there are dozens of GPL websites, I rely on a few of them for my product testing before final purchase from actual developers.
Here are the ones I highly recommend
Why use the most well-known names among WordPress GPL Platforms?
There are many advantages that follow when you opt for a better place for your needs.
Here are some of them
1. Automatic Upgrades from the WordPress Area
With the leading GPL marketplaces, you get access to automatic upgrades right from WordPress.
That is to say, you won’t need to visit their site to download newer versions.
Updates occur mimicking the regular way it happens for Plugin and Themes on WordPress.
2. Access to a large library of WordPress solutions
With the top sites, you’ll be getting access to a huge number of WordPress Plugins and Themes.
That translates to a greater chance of finding the item you need.
3. Access to genuine and first-hand products
With other GPL sites, it becomes so much easier to fall into a platform that doesn’t offer genuine GPL products or first-hand solutions.
By genuine, I mean if actually, the platform hosts WordPress solutions obtained and reshared through the GPL freedoms.
By first-hand, I mean if the platform concerned (that is offering premium WordPress) actually downloads from actual developers directly.
Because lots of GPL marketplaces offer a Reseller plan (which gives more download rate per day) and it’s a gateway to tons of these sites on the internet.
Above all, instances can exist on GPL platforms where you download a non-working (such as a free version) following the information that has been given on their page. I don’t know what to call it — kind of a mistake or sth else?
But when you’re going with top GPL platforms, you reduce your chances of catching up with unoriginal or non-working versions.
🔥Spotlight —
Here are the biggest and best GPL platforms for peace of mind
- Pluginsforwp: Best overall GPL site for WordPress themes and plugins | Best for WordPress Plugins | Best for rare item availability (11,000+ products verified ✔)
- Srmehranclub: A GPL site that offers solutions beyond WordPress | Best for WordPress themes (40,000+ products allegedly | 18,200+ for WordPress verified ✔)
- GPL Vault: best for flagship, most-used, and must-have wordpress items with early update (4,160+ products verified ✔)
- WorldPressIT: Another WordPress GPL club with competitive pricing (7,300+ products verified ✔)
Conclusion
While GPLfamily.com is legal and can provide you with hefty slashes for your website needs, it has its shortcomings.
You don’t get any customer support from GPL platforms. And the updates also from actual developers aren’t the same.
Plus, using a GPL site rather than the main builders could cause something to go wrong if abused.
Unless for review, testing or any other short-term activities that don’t need active or long usage of WordPress solutions, using GPL family or any other GPL platform should be considered unethical.
Ensure you visit the masterpiece (to make the best decision and to get latest information)— Best and biggest GPL Marketplaces for WordPress and other CMS.
