Plugins Under Impact

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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. 

NamesActive Installs
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF)2+ million
Better Search Replace1+ million
PHP Compatibility Checker200,000+
WP Migrate Lite – WordPress Migration Made Easy200,000+
Genesis Blocks100,000+
WP Offload Media Lite for Amazon S3, DigitalOcean Spaces, and Google Cloud Storage40,000+
Genesis Connect for WooCommerce20,000+
WP Offload SES Lite20,000+
Genesis Custom Blocks10,000+
Atlas Content Modeler300+
Pattern Manager700+
WP Engine GeoTarget1,000+
Faust.js2,000+
Frost WordPress Theme2,000+

Here is an official notice regarding all these WP Engine related plugins: 

img-1

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

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Helpful external articles:


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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

Slideshow Se

9. Peepso WordPress Plugin

Matt Jaworski, Co-Founder of PeepSo.com, announced that PeepSo is leaving the WordPress plugin repository. Future updates will be provided directly from PeepSo’s servers. He expressed dissatisfaction with the repository, stating that its rules are convoluted, poorly defined, and open to interpretation, including the Plugin Guidelines and moderation of support and review forums.

The WP.org version is no more accessible: https://wordpress.org/plugins/peepso-core/ . The notice says: This plugin has been closed as of November 19, 2024 and is not available for download. This closure is permanent. Reason: Author Request. Here is the screenshot from Google Search.

Existing users of PeepSo will need to manually update the base plugin to version 7.0.0.0, after which all updates will be delivered directly from PeepSo’s servers. New users can download it gere here: https://www.peepso.com/get-free-peepso/

Peepso

10. Wooping

Luc Princen, a WooCommerce developer, has been planning to launch his new WooCommerce Shop Health plugin named Wooping for several months. The team initially intended to release it for free on WordPress.org to help address common issues in WooCommerce shops. However, they faced significant challenges due to tensions in the WordPress ecosystem, particularly a legal battle between Automattic and WP Engine, which resulted in WP Engine being banned from WordPress.org. This situation raised concerns about the power held by individuals in the WordPress community and the potential risks posed to the entire ecosystem. Ultimately, the team decided to explore alternative distribution methods outside of WordPress.org. Here is a detailed post about this, written by Luc Princen . This plugin has now launched and can be download from here

Please Contribute Mattisnotwp

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.

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