No one likes spending unnecessary money when the complete premium theme is available for free of cost! In my initial days, even I was reluctant to buy those premium themes and plugins, instead I relied on Nulled themes and plugins. Only few months later, I realized that was a BIG MISTAKE! As a developer and being in the industry for more than a decade, here is my experience and reasons to stop using nulled premium WordPress plugins and themes.
What are Nulled Plugins and Themes?
Nulled refers to premium WordPress plugins and themes that have been hacked to contain malicious code. These are re-distributed on the internet via third-party website for free of cost (not the original author or creator). Sometimes these nulled WordPress plugins and themes can work without a license key.
Is it illegal to use Nulled WordPress Plugins and Themes?
No. They aren’t illegal. All plugins and themes are developed using the core WordPress software and therefore any plugin or theme development should be GPL-compliant in order to be listed in the WordPress.org directory. Though premium plugins aren’t required to have a GPL license, many because of their free versions, tend to require a GPL license.
GPL License allows for anyone to freely distribute GPL-licensed software (yes, even premium GPL-license software).
9 Reasons why you should stop using NULLED WordPress Plugins and Themes
Just because they are not illegal, that doesn’t mean it’s good to use on your site. Here are reasons why you still shouldn’t use NULLED WordPress plugins and themes on your site:
- Security
- Privacy
- SEO
- No Access to updates
- Access to new features
- Discourage innovation
- Support from developers
- Free Alternatives
- Reputation
1. Security
These nulled WordPress Plugins and Themes have extremely harmful hidden pieces of code called malware, which makes your website vulnerable to be hacked. The code can disguise itself across different files which makes it hard to detect and fix! You shall pay a hefty penalty in terms of listing on search engines for distributing malware – your website shall get de-indexed!
Learn to secure your WordPress website.
2. Privacy
Nulled WordPress Plugins and Themes having hidden code inside can steal information from your website and makes it available to hackers on the dark web. The leaked information could include username, email address, and customers’ personal information in case of an online store. These hacks are very difficult to detect as you would see your site working normally.
3. SEO
Nulled plugins or themes might have added spam links to hijack your users and redirect them to bad websites or hackers’ websites. These are hard to detect by human eyes as the links are well hidden in the code. However, search engines are fast enough to notice that and penalize your website by dropping your search rankings or de-indexing your website completely!
4. No access to updates
Without a valid license key, you’re not going to have automatic updates. A few problems with this are:
- If the version you installed has a vulnerability and the developer has released an updated version with a fix, you need to wait until there is a corresponding updated nulled version.
- WordPress itself regularly releases new versions and the NULLED theme or plugin needs to be compatible with the latest changes. Otherwise, your website may start misbehaving or become inaccessible.
- You’ll not get noticed about the update. That means you need to figure out the alert mechanism for regular updates from the developers.
5. Access to new features
Besides bug fixing and code patching, developers keep pushing new features. You will be completely barred from new features which might be a game-changing feature for your website or a new solution that makes your workflow better! You’ll miss it!
6. Discourage innovation
Developers need money for their effort, create documentation, hire staff to support, marketing and business operation (Office space) besides just coding to continue improving their products. By using a NULLED WordPress theme or plugin, you’re taking away revenue from those developers who’ve put in their skill, talent, and hard work.
7. Support from developers
Even the most experienced WordPress user, sometimes need support and documentation to properly put the use of WordPress themes or plugins. Without a valid license, you cannot contact the developers in case of any support is required. Sometimes you do not even get access to the documentation too!
8. Free Alternatives
If WordPress is been the widely used CMS, it’s because of its plenty of plugins and themes available for free. Instead of going to NULLED plugins or themes, it’s better to find a free alternative, and still, you can run a full-fledged website. Of course, when you need to scale, you’ll have problems. If your website needs scaling, then it’s a good sign of your business growth, and go for the premium plugins or themes.
9. Reputation
Last but not least is your website’s reputation. It’s not easy to build credibility overnight, instead takes years of hard work and promotions. Just by using NULLED WordPress plugins or themes, you lose all those credibility overnight. Take utmost care of your website as it is very critical while doing online business and it is your responsibility too!
Say no to Nulled WordPress Plugins and Themes
Getting premium WordPress themes and plugins at no cost seems fantastic, but the problems it brings along with it are too BIG! So in my personal opinion, if you would like to try before buying any premium themes or plugins, then download a NULLED WordPress theme or plugin, install it on an isolated host (not in the network), and once you are convinced go for buying.
