WordPress.org Has Launched Simple Tag For Commercial Addon

Thanks to the new section for commercial plugins, WordPress users can immediately recognize which plugin is completely free and which may have “hidden” charges for unlocking paid features. Some addons require one-time fees, while others may require payment on an annual or monthly basis. However, we are currently facing a significant problem. This labeling for plugins and themes is not required and is not mandatory. Therefore, it is always up to the plugin developer’s decision whether to label their plugin as commercial or not.

Given that many WordPress users try to avoid commercial plugins, it is evident that developers are reluctant to label their plugins as commercial. In this phase (until commercial labeling becomes mandatory), there is still no certainty that a downloaded plugin will not require fees to unlock certain additional features.

Will commercial labeling become mandatory?

Currently, there is consideration for making this labeling mandatory in order for WordPress users to have a clear indicator for distinguishing between completely free plugins and those that contain any paid components.

These filters should eventually appear in the WordPress administration itself, not only for plugins but also for themes. The goal is for users to have this key information from anywhere, even before installing the extension. This means not only from the main website https://wordpress.org but also from within their own WordPress administration environment.