Not a free plugin!!

Hello,

Free plugins are great and all, but premium plugins are where it’s at if you’re running a professional website or building one for a client.
With premium plugins you can count on better features, code quality and documentation, as well as reliable support.

Yes, there are free plugins that also offer support, great code and decent manuals, but if you want to be confident that a plugin will be updated with new versions of WordPress, or even after a security scare, it doesn’t hurt to fork out a few bucks for that reassurance. Premium options step this up a notch with some fantastic additions.

The fee that is required to be paid to download the plugin is a really small price comparing to the quality of the plugin. It is well known that paid services are better than the free ones and that applies here too.

Read more about free vs premium
https://ithemes.com/2014/06/26/why-use-premium-wordpress-themes-plugins/

CleanTalk it’s a free plugin which works with premium Cloud Anti-Spam service. This plugin as a service.

Also, the plugin matches www.ads-software.com policies, please look at 6 here,
https://www.ads-software.com/plugins/about/guidelines/

5. Trialware is not allowed in the directory.

Attempting to upsell the user on other products and features is acceptable within limits.

Upsell notifications should not be overly prominent or annoying.
Plugins may not contain functionality that is crippled or locked, only to be unlockable by payment or upgrade. Paid functionality must be part of an externally hosted service or a separate plugin, that is not hosted on www.ads-software.com.
Plugins may not disable included functionality after a trial period or quota.

https://developer.www.ads-software.com/plugins/wordpress-org/detailed-plugin-guidelines/

How are you not violating this policy?

I don’t have a problem with premium plugins. I’ve bought many and used many. Your plugin was listed in the free directory and after 7 days we are told it is not free anymore. If you are only charging for the service, what exactly is the free version of the plugin doing?

Most plugins with premium features provide them as “add-on” features. This is common practice but the free version remains free. Does your free version provide any features? If yes, what are those features?

• This reply was modified 7 years, 11 months ago by brampt22.

Hello Brampt22,

Thank you for feedback.

First of all, we do not advertise the plugin as free. We say up front that the plugin is Premium (please look the short description) and you have free trial before switch to Premium version (please look the main description),
https://www.ads-software.com/plugins/cleantalk-spam-protect/

The plugin is part for Cloud services (SaaS) and the code of the plugin is free. This type of plugins are allowed in the WordPress directory, please look here,
https://www.ads-software.com/support/topic/is-this-plugin-free-to-use-after-trial/#post-5336850

Most plugins with premium features provide them as “add-on” features. This is common practice but the free version remains free.
Yes, we know about this. It is a great way to build great plugins. But in freemium model, not all WordPress users can buy a Premium version, because it’s sometimes expensive. As another way we offer the most fastest, strongest, wide functionality anti-spam for any WordPress users for a very cheap price.

Thanks.

Denis,
Project leader.

First of all, we do not advertise the plugin as free. We say up front that the plugin is Premium (please look the short description) and you have free trial before switch to Premium version (please look the main description),

This is the definition of trialware, which is in violation of policy no. 5 I quoted above.

The plugin is part for Cloud services (SaaS) and the code of the plugin is free.

The code is free?? What does the free code do exactly?

This is the definition of trialware, which is in violation of policy no. 5 I quoted above.

Please look for the answer here,
https://www.ads-software.com/support/topic/is-this-plugin-free-to-use-after-trial/#post-5336850

Yes, you are right. The code is free and communicates with CleanTalk cloud as a client part.

Thank you for the great questions and feedback.

@shagimuratov You should make it more clear in the description that the plugin uses a non-free service. As it stands, the plugin description is indeed deceptive, and this review is justified.

Sure, we are going to change the description to do it more clear for users who are looking for a free solutions.

Thank you.

Thanks for the warning. It is deceptive practices here. I will not download it for this very reason.