The ongoing dispute between WordPress and WP Engine has led to significant disruptions in the plugin ecosystem. The controversy began when WordPress.org took control of the Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) plugin, creating a fork called Secure Custom Fields due to alleged security concerns ( many calls it a hijack).
This unprecedented move prompted several developers to withdraw their plugins from the WordPress.org repository, fearing similar actions.
Here is a list of notable plugins impacted by this controversy:
1. ACF (2M+ active installs) and all WP Engine Plugins
As WP Engine is officially banned to access WordPress. All the WordPress plugins developed by WP Engine has been directly impacted. WP Engine associated developers and contributers can not login to WordPress to update the plugins in WP Repo or offer any kind of support. Here is a list of them and the active number of installs as displayed on WP.org repo.
| Names | Active Installs |
|---|---|
| Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) | 2+ million |
| Better Search Replace | 1+ million |
| PHP Compatibility Checker | 200,000+ |
| WP Migrate Lite – WordPress Migration Made Easy | 200,000+ |
| Genesis Blocks | 100,000+ |
| WP Offload Media Lite for Amazon S3, DigitalOcean Spaces, and Google Cloud Storage | 40,000+ |
| Genesis Connect for WooCommerce | 20,000+ |
| WP Offload SES Lite | 20,000+ |
| Genesis Custom Blocks | 10,000+ |
| Atlas Content Modeler | 300+ |
| Pattern Manager | 700+ |
| WP Engine GeoTarget | 1,000+ |
| Faust.js | 2,000+ |
| Frost WordPress Theme | 2,000+ |
Here is an official notice regarding all these WP Engine related plugins:
The WP.org version for ACF is still accessible: https://wordpress.org/plugins/advanced-custom-fields/ but it has been renamed/forked to SCF without the original dev’s permission (GPL gives this authority at least technically, if not ethically) . Below is the screenshot taken on 24th October 2024
Helpful external articles:
- The Battle for Advanced Custom Fields: WordPress Takes Control Amidst Dispute with WP Engine
- Matt Mullenweg Talks About WordPress and WP Engine
- Security Implications of WordPress Repository Access Restrictions and Plugin Closures
- Developers Remove Plugins from WordPress.org Repository After ACF Controversy
2. Gravity PDF (50K+ active installs)
The Gravity PDF plugin, with over 50k active installations and a 4.9 rating, is leaving the repository. Founder Jake Jackson stated that “WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg has weaponized WordPress.org and appropriated the Advanced Custom Fields plugin, violating the platform’s integrity. To minimize risks, the primary version of the free Gravity PDF plugin will now be distributed from GravityPDF.com.” Here is the official post regarding this – https://gravitypdf.com/news/installing-and-upgrading-to-the-canonical-version-of-gravity-pdf/
The WP.org version is still accessible: https://wordpress.org/plugins/gravity-forms-pdf-extended/ but it is not updated here anymore. Below is the screenshot taken on 24th October 2024
3. Paid Membership Pro (90K+ active installs)
On 17th October 2024, an official post was published by the PMP Pro dev, which states that the core Paid Memberships Pro plugin will now be updated and downloaded from its own license server instead of the WordPress.org repository. The core plugin remains free, and users can update it without needing an account or license key. Here is the official post: – https://www.paidmembershipspro.com/pmpro-update-3-3/
The WP.org version is no more available here: https://wordpress.org/plugins/paid-memberships-pro/#description . Below is the screenshot taken on 24-10-24
4. NitroPack (100+ active installs)
This is also owner by WP Engine. So, the developer is banned from WP repo. so, as per their recent blog post, users need to manually update to a version with the new update server to receive future updates. Here is the post: https://support.nitropack.io/en/articles/9991759-installing-and-upgrading-to-the-latest-version-of-nitropack
The WP.org version is still accessible: https://wordpress.org/plugins/nitropack/ but it is not updated here anymore. Below is the screenshot taken on 24th October 2024
5. BE Media from Production & Display Posts Plugins
Bill Erickson, the creator of the BE Media from Production and Display Posts, voiced his worries, saying, “I am no longer comfortable hosting my code on WordPress.org given recent actions by Matt Mullenweg.”
The BE Media from Production plugin has been discontinued from WP repo, and future updates for this plugin will exclusively be available through the official GitHub repository.
The WP.org version of Display Posts is still accessible: https://wordpress.org/plugins/display-posts-shortcode/ but it is not updated here anymore. However, the Be Media from Production plugin has been compltely removed – https://wordpress.org/plugins/be-media-from-production/ Below is the screenshot taken on 24th October 2024
6. Powder and Powder Zero Theme
Brian Gardner, the creator of the free WordPress themes Powder and Powder Zero, requested the removal of his themes from the WP repository due to his lack of access to his WordPress.org account. His request has been granted. The theme link: https://wordpress.org/themes/powder/ now displays a message stating, “This page doesn’t exist.”
7. The SEO Framework ( 200K+ active installs)
The SEO Framework, developed by Sybre Waaijer, has announced a temporary suspension of support through WordPress.org because of this ongoing conflict. He further added that support can still be achieved via the official website https://theseoframework.com/support/contact/
The WP.org version is still accessible: https://wordpress.org/plugins/autodescription/ but it is not updated here anymore. Below is the screenshot taken on 24th October 2024
8. Slideshow SE ( 2000+ Installs)
Developed by John West, Slideshow SE offers an easy way to add a slideshow to any WordPress installation. The author added a note on the WP repository: “This plugin is on hiatus. Due to the WP/WPE dispute, I am unable to log in to wordpress.org to maintain this plugin. If you are interested in taking over maintenance of this plugin, please contact me via the plugin’s GitHub page.”
The WP.org version is still accessible: https://wordpress.org/plugins/slideshow-se/ and it was last updated on 31st October 2024. Below is the screenshot taken on 31st October 2024
I try my best to gather the latest information on themes and plugins, but it can be hard to stay updated. If you know of any WordPress items that should be included, please contribute via this easy submission form.
Thank you.
2 comments
Ace
I also started creating a list for this. I see you are missing display posts shortcode on there and Ajar Productions in5-embed –
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1b-Qywbudl4x2FIuR8hBqJRyURRU68fdHhF0wMqyi5GQ/edit?tab=t.0
Bryan
Wow! That’s a lot of very useful plugins removed from wp.org.