AJAX Edit Comments Goes Commercial

Jan 4, 2010 by Matt | Posted in WordPress 8 Comments

AJAX Edit Comments, a popular WordPress plugin that allows commentators to edit their messages for a time after they post, has become a commercial plugin. Jeff of WP Tavern managed to ask the authors a few questions about their decision.

Are there plans to simultaneously develop a free version with the paid version or will the free version be discontinued in favor of the paid one?

I do plan to more-or-less discontinue the free version as far as features. However, I will continue to check the WP Extend version to make sure it works with the latest WordPress version.

Will the plugin continue to be licensed under the GPL?

Absolutely. What we’re trying to do with the new site is provide automatic upgrades (very similar to Gravity Forms), priority support, and affiliate opportunities.

A 5-domain license starts at $10/year for now, though the price will be going up to $50/year after January 31st.

On one hand, I like seeing more plugin developers make some money from their work. On the other hand, I think the pricing will put the plugin out of reach of many of its long-time users.

  • http://www.problogdesign.com/ Michael Martin

    I think it’s a little sleazy that their big headline is “Over 180,000 downloads… And Counting.” Doesn’t mention at all that those were all while the plugin was free. Has to be some sort of misleading advertising issue in there…

    But oh well, I suppose the nice thing about the GPL is that if people don’t like the $50 pricing, someone else can just pick up the development themselves.

    Or if the development keeps adding the awesome features it has now, then I guess it could be worth it! :)

  • http://blog.webassist.com Jon Crim

    I think it’s a neat product – the plus side is that often times the commercialization of a product allows for further development and better support.

    Also, it’s great to see the individuals who have worked hard and put hours of time into developing/supporting their product can start to generate some revenue for their work.

    • http://www.webmaster-source.com Matt

      I only wish they hadn’t gone with the “subscription” model. I don’t mind paying for a really awesome plugin once, maybe again at the next major version, but I don’t like the idea of paying $50 on an annual basis…especially for something that had once been free. That’s my only real problem with their decision. Their pricing is a little high for me, and for many small blogs.

  • http://www.ajaxeditcomments.com Ronald

    @Michael,

    We’re not trying to do any sleazy advertising. The headline is just to show that the plugin isn’t brand new and has already been put through its paces(most bugs ironed out).

    We revised our prices several weeks ago.

    The lowest option costs $10 a year and comes with a seven day free trial.

    All of our other prices have further been reduced to be more competitive.

    The $50 price you speak of no longer exists.

    Take care.

    • http://www.webmaster-source.com Matt

      +1 to you for ditching the $50 price. I think that might net you a lot more sales. :)

  • http://www.chicagocarless.com Mike Doyle

    I think it’s a great plug-in but I won’t pay for it. Not that it’s not worth money, but you don’t bait-and-switch your users by suddenly asking for an annual “license payment”–annual, of all things!–after offering your widely used product free for several years. That’s really bad mojo to create among tens of thousands of users.

    I’ll simply use the last free update (3.1) and then use a replacement plug-in when WordPress updates render that version useless. Next time, it might be a good idea to consult a marketing or PR professional before shocking your regular users in this manner.

    P.S. I am one, and I’d never tell my clients to spring something like this on customers so jarringly.

  • http://www.ajaxeditcomments.com Ronald

    @Mike,

    For a marketing guru, you sure need to look up what bait and switch really is.

    For us to come even “close” to bait and switch, we would have to advertise our “free” version and cripple it in a way that forces users to upgrade.

    We will maintain the free version to be compatible to the latest version of WP. We’re not exactly throwing the existing user base under the bus by doing this.

    By calling what we are doing fraud (which is what bait-and-switch is) is absolutely absurd.

  • http://ow.ly/1NRzE Bes Zain

    Hello. :)

    Wanted to let you and everyone else know that the Ajax Edit Comments plans mentioned in this article have now been updated: a new single download option for only $5 is now available.

    Would you all like to please share your views about that? Thanks in advance!