There are many issues about replacing WordPress plugins on a web site. Depending on the functionality being replaced, it can be somewhat painful for the web site users, as the functionality can change or even pieces of it disappear. So, in general, it is a problem a web developer wants to reduce.
There are also many reasons why you might need to replace a WordPress plugin, but in today’s marketplace, the most common one is that the plugin has not kept up with the technology marketplace. WordPress versions, PHP versions, security issues – these things constantly change, and plugins have to keep up.
But many plugins fail to keep up. Why?
Often it is lack of revenue.
This makes the freemium model for established plugins a bit dicey for established developers. If I am building a website using WordPress, I want to know that the plugins I am choosing will be around next year, and feel confident they will be around the following years as well. I don’t want to have to keep fixing things that aren’t maintained by the software developer. There’s already so much work involved in website maintenance, this just pours gas on the fire.
What’s your best chance of that plugin being around next year and the following year? Use plugins with subscription payment options. Pay for it. Help the revenue stream.
And pick popular plugins that have a chance of making enough money to continue.
Yes, times have changed. 5 years ago, more of the competitive WordPress plugin marketplace was free, and development was being paid for by future expectations. But that future is now here. WordPress sites need software that lives in the technology marketplace, that provide support, that are working for a plan for tomorrow.
No revenue stream for the plugin? That makes tomorrow seem less likely for the plugin.