GPL Vault — best site for WordPress GPL? (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 GPL Vault, a platform offering WordPress items at reduced prices. But before diving into GPL Vault, 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 the 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 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 Vault use the freedom to legally redistribute premium GPL products, so that everyone can have access. This not only help users save money but also contributes to improvements.
Understanding these principles clears any doubt about the legality of platforms like GPL Vault. They operate well within the bounds of the GPL license.
What is GPL Vault?
GPL Vault is a GPL (General Public License) site that offers a wide selection of WordPress themes and plugins for free.
GPL Vault has been in existence for a very long time and as a result, most people that know of GPL freedoms download their stuff there.
By exploiting WordPress GPL, the platform has advertised itself as a resource where Plugins and Themes can be downloaded at unbelievable price tags.
In our review of GPL Vault, we discovered that the site is one of the leading ones where automatic updates happen directly on WordPress, mimicking the same upgrade experience when purchased from actual developers.
To be able to download these GPL items, you must have a membership, starting from $16/month.
Let’s now go to the main business.
We’ll review GPL Vault in terms of legality, the rate at which Plugins/themes get updated and pros and cons.
How Legal is GPL Vault?
GPL Vault is one of the platforms that is making use of the GPL freedoms explored above to share WordPress plugins and themes, perhaps to benefit the entire community.
GPL Vault obtains software tools from actual developers directly and then distributes the product itself for free (without customer support, though).
The distributed products are backed up by the freedom of redistribution, allowing the platform to share free premium WordPress plugins and themes.
This means GPL Vault is a lawful platform in terms of legality, as it operates within the GPL license freedoms.
Typically, platforms like GPL Vault share only GPL products that have already passed safety guidelines for building for WordPress.
Note: All WordPress plugins and themes are GPL products. GPL (General Public License) means the freedom to use, modify, and distribute WordPress products.
In essence, what GPL platforms like GPL Vault are sharing are the original versions of WordPress themes and plugins that can be downloaded from actual developers, but in this case, they are shared for free.
In most cases, the only changes that platforms like GPL Vault makes on products — is bypassing the premium license field so that people can have access.
It’s worth mentioning that most GPL sites charge a small fee to keep renewing their subscriptions with the main developers. The same can be seen on GPL Vault.
In brevity, GPL Vault is safe to use because its products are original versions of WordPress that have already passed safety checks.
Are the Products on GPL Vault Updated?
Now that we have understood the underlying conditions for the legality of GPL Vault, an important aspect to explore is the rate at which the platform updates the products it distributes.
For popular themes and plugins, updates come regularly, just a few hrs/days after the developer releases it.
We explored lots of popular Plugins just to find that updates are consistent.
In the event of a product not being in its latest version, it’s always likely one update or a couple of upgrades away.
For unpopular items that don’t get so many downloads, we have found update issues with them as the platform prioritizes what people are downloading most.
Features that Set GPL Vault Apart
Here are GPL Vault features worthy to write home about.
1. Automatic Upgrades from WordPress Area
Through their API Updater Plugin, GPL Vault has managed to keep users at their latest versions.
Just after which it has been released by the developer, GPL Vault transfers the current version to users via an API.
This mimics the same upgrade experience you get if you’re patronizing the main owners of WordPress Plugins and Themes.
GPL Vault Pricing Breakdown
The platform has two pricing tiers — Recurring and Lifetime plan.
Their Monthly and Annual plan falls into the Recurring model.
With their Lifetime plan, you pay a one-time fee to access the whole WordPress ecosystem.
- $16/month (20 downloads/day)
- $99/year (25 downloads/day
- $299/lifetime (50 downloads/day)
GPL Vault Alternatives and Competitors
The urge to type “GPL Vault Alternatives” on search can come up because of these reasons —
GPL Vault lacks a good number of plugins and themes, let’s say unpopular ones that can enable a particular function on your site.
GPL Vault also doesn’t permit single-product downloads. Therefore, if you’re trying to get only one product, you have no other option than to select its big plans.
GPL Vault only distributes WordPress products. If you want items for Shopify, and other CMS (that works like WordPress), then the platform is not a place to find them.
Here are the best GPL Vault alternatives you might consider exploring before going with the platform.
- 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)
Other GPL Vault alternatives
Here are other alternative platforms to GPL Vault. 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 – Reputable GPL Platforms for Plugins and Themes.
GPL Vault Pros and Cons
Here are the pros and cons of downloading from GPL Vault instead of actual developers and other GPL sites.
GPL Vault Pros
- Great for short-term usage and testing of products without paying the original price
GPL Vault Cons
- Uncommon Plugins and Themes are mostly not in its library
- No option for single-item purchase unlike the likes of WorldPressIT
- WordPress GPL Products only unlike the likes of Srmehranclub.com
Conclusion
GPL Vault exists as a platform that exploits WordPress GPL to distribute its derivative work at ridiculously cheap prices.
The goal of the platform is to share WordPress items to benefit the entire community and it aligns with the freedoms from the GPL license.
In terms of legality and safety, GPL Vault has also generated for itself a trusted name among leading sites offering GPL items at a low cost.
The platform can be a game changer for those who are financially incapable of building a desired site or it can be a place of testing before final order from actual developers.
While people can create WordPress websites at a low cost using GPL Vault, we don’t recommend it at all because it’s a threat to those who own the WordPress items.
Unless for testing or for review purposes, intentional use of platforms like GPL Vault should be seen as an unethical practice.
🔥We highly recommend you check the top GPL platforms to buy Plugins and Themes (We’ve included the cream of the crop there).
FAQs
What’s the coupon code for GPL Vault?
The GPL Vault platform may run seasonal sales and promotions and they may offer coupon codes to reduce the cost of their service.
As of the time of updating this piece, there’s currently no promotion going on.
You can always check out here — GPL Vault Biggest discount.
Are wordpress themes and plugins GPL?
Yes, all the items used on WordPress both the ones found directly on WordPress.org directory are all licensed under GPL.
Must a theme or a plugin be GPL on WordPress?
Yes, before submitting a theme or a plugin to WordPress, you must first comply with the GPL license.
In essence, every themes and plugins on WordPress are GPL products.
What’s a GPL club site?
A GPL club or a GPL website is a platform that exploits the licensing loophole (of wordpress, in this case — the GPL or any other CMS) to provide themes and plugins for free which aren’t initially meant for free (as in price).
A GPL club is legal because the GPL license which wordpress uses gives it the full right in the first place.
It’s worth noting that these GPL platforms charge a small fee (not 100% free in price) to continue to provide WordPress products at a lower cost.
Is GPL Vault legal?
GPL Vault is one of the long-standing GPL website. It’s legal on every side and is not breaking any laws.
It appears in our collection of the best GPL websites. So it’s one of the top ones.
Is GPL Vault safe?
Yes, the platform is mostly safe to use. The products shared are actual WordPress derivatives gotten from the main developers.
What GPL Vault team normally do is to remove the license key restriction so that everyone can use for free.
What’s the best GPL website for themes and plugins?
There’s no one-size-fits-all to this question.
GPL websites change everyday. Features are upgraded and new ones are being added.
But you can always find the best website currently for your GPL needs on our collection – Best GPL clubs for themes and plugins.
Right now, it’s Pluginsforwp.
When should I use content from GPL websites?
Content from these GPL sites can be beneficial for testing purposes or any short term usage need.
Such purposes don’t require or won’t pay for full purchase from direct developer. So in those cases, using a GPL website can be recommendable.
When should I not use free GPL Redistributed Themes and Plugins?
If you want to launch a certain functionality on your site that will last for long, you shouldn’t be using GPL clubs.
An actual license key from the main developers will not only be helpful to you in terms of quick update and better security, but will also keep those in production going forward.
Therefore, it’s crucial to understand when to use and when to say NO to GPL websites.
