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When you have no money to buy premium plugins, you often think getting the WordPress nulled plugin version is best. 

Well, I’m here to give you the sad news.

Nulled WordPress plugins or themes are pirated products and can expose your blog to several security attacks, such as malware, DDoS, ransomware, and viruses.

In today’s post, you will learn the ten reasons you must avoid WordPress nulled plugins and themes and the best ways to get premium plugins or themes for a lower price. 

Let’s get started. 

What Are WordPress Nulled Plugins or Themes?

As I said earlier, nulled plugins or themes are cracked or pirated versions of premium WordPress themes and plugins sold or given freely on the internet.

Because WordPress uses the GPL software license, which makes WordPress an open-source platform, anyone can contribute, modify, distribute, share with others, or do whatever with the core software.

So, the people who pirate the original copy of a plugin or theme believe what they do is right and within the law. 

This is because the GPL license allows anyone to modify, copy, or use WordPress in any way they think necessary.

While this is true and helps WordPress reach where it is today, bad actors have taken advantage of compromising WordPress security and spread all kinds of viruses.

Often, cracked or null plugins or themes are why your website gets hacked or infected with viruses, malware, and security vulnerabilities.

However, you may want to ask if detecting or knowing pirate plugins is possible before installing them.

How to Know If a Theme or Plugin is Pirated 

Even for the most experienced blogger, knowing a cracked or pirated plugin during installation is almost impossible. 

The best way to ensure you’re safe from installing pirated themes or plugins on your site is to get it directly from the developer. 

You can also get it from a reputable marketplace like Envato, Code Canyon, etc.

And if it’s a free theme or plugin, you will get it from the WordPress.org directory

I will get more in-depth into how you can safely get premium products for less than the price legally—even up to 70% less. 

To learn more about why WordPress pirated plugins and themes are bad for your website security, here are ten reasons to consider.

Ten Reasons to Avoid WordPress Nulled Plugins/Themes

If you’re still unconvinced about why you should not use nulled WordPress plugins, the reasons below should give you some thought.

Aside from the security of your website, you’re also making the WordPress plugins or theme developers lose money by patronizing nulled themes and plugin distributors.

1. Security

Your website security is essential to your business growth, and you must take it seriously.

Pirated themes or plugins can expose your website security to malware, viruses, and other known and unknown security threats. 

If your website is attacked by malware, it could be difficult to detect where the malicious code is on your website files, and it may require more time and help from WordPress security experts to fix it.

Depending on the severity of the attack, search engines may remove your website from its index for distributing malware, or your web host might suspend your hosting account temporarily.

2. Lack of Update

One of the most obvious reasons you should refrain from using pirated or nulled plugins and themes is the need for updates from the developers.

Since you didn’t purchase from the developers directly, you won’t get access to updates. 

Most WordPress plugins and theme developers regularly provide updates to bugs and features and ensure their products fix compatibility issues with the core WordPress installation.

If you’re not downloading from the developer’s website, you risk using outdated WordPress themes or plugins. 

Also, you cannot register an account on the developer’s website or have a license. 

3. Lack of Support

Support is another important issue to consider.

WordPress product developers spend time providing support services to their customers, which helps increase the value of the product and service.

Some developers even provide dedicated support teams for premium users; if you’re using a pirated version of their product, you don’t have access to contact support. 

And there is every tendency you will need help getting around using the product, configuring some settings, or reporting an issue. If you don’t have a valid license or registered account, you can’t request help.

4. No Documentation

Another feature you will be missing for using cracked or pirated WordPress products is documentation.

Most developers provide help documentation for using their products and services, which is mostly available for paid users.

Though you might get access to it on the developer’s website (by searching on Google or directly visiting), even if you’re using the cracked version, the information may have been updated to the latest product version.

In this case, the information might not apply to your unique situation, and you have no right to ask for support questions or request help.

5. Risk Breaking Your Site

If nothing scares you not using pirated WordPress products, this one should.

You risk breaking your site when you install cracked or nulled WordPress plugins or themes on your site.

There are lots of reasons that could make this happen.

The pirated or cracked plugins/themes may already be outdated, contain harmful malware, viruses, or missing essential files.

When you install and activate it on your site, you infect your website files and content with harmful codes and materials.

The consequences are that your website may stop functioning as expected, become unresponsive, load slowly, or even in a worse situation, redirect to another domain.

It might take experienced WordPress users to fix it, or you hire a professional, which might add to monthly expenses.

6. SEO 

Another factor to consider is your website’s SEO.

Pirated plugins or themes can come with hidden codes that add redirect links to your website and drive your site users to another page. 

It could even include spam links in your website comment sections. 

Search engines might pick up these links, index them, and drop your website ranking in SERP. 

So, if you want to keep your WordPress SEO clean and valuable, don’t use pirated plugins or themes. 

7. Lack of New Features

I have touched on this above, but it is worth explaining further.

Your WordPress core installation is regularly updated for bug fixes, new features, enhancements, user experience, etc.

WordPress product developers strive to create new features that let users get the best of WordPress. 

These product features are only released to registered and paid users. 

You will only receive product updates or bug fixes if you’re on the developer customers’ database. 

Though WordPress is an open-source project, anyone can contribute to its core updates, fix bugs, recommend features, edit files, etc. 

Some of its products or services come with multiple licenses. 

A product might be open source, while some of its code is protected by copyright law. 

Most websites give out pirated copies of a plugin or themes that don’t read the fine print, which can lead you into data theft and land you in serious trouble. 

If you reside in a country where data theft is a serious crime, you must avoid using WordPress nulled plugins or themes. 

You could pay more than you’re trying to save. 

9. It Might Slow down Your Website 

When you install a pirated plugin or theme on your website, the files and codes get buggy and outdated as time passes and without receiving updates.

Eventually, your website becomes large, loads very slowly, and fails many speed and performance optimization tests, like core web vitals. 

You must use up-to-date website tools and features to improve website speed and performance. 

Technology is moving at an unprecedented speed; your website must ensure it’s catching up with the latest application and feature enhancements. 

10. Privacy Concern 

Users’ privacy and data breaches are other factors you should never use nulled WordPress themes or plugins.

It worsens if you run an e-commerce site using a cracked plugin or pirated themes. 

Your user’s data is at risk of being downloaded and used by hackers. 

Nulled themes or plugins can include malicious code that injects hidden malware and viruses into your website. 

This type of malware can be very difficult to discover since your website will run smoothly without any sign of infection. 

How to Get WordPress Plugins And Themes at Cheap Price.

Now that you’ve understood why you must not use WordPress nulled plugins and themes let’s talk about how you can legally access premium WordPress plugins and themes without going through backdoors. 

You can access paid tools in several ways for an unbelievable discount or without putting down a dollar. 

Yes, you can access premium tools and features without paying for them.

Here are some ethical ways to use paid tools without breaking the bank.

Free Trial 

A free trial is an excellent way to access premium tools and services without commitment.

You don’t need to pay for access, though some free trials require payment details; you will be charged once the trial period ends. 

If you don’t require long-term use of the product or services, consider looking for a free trial. 

Most developers offer trial periods you can use to test their product. It is an excellent way to use a product directly from the developer. 

Discount offer 

Another viable way to buy premium WordPress plugins and themes is through discount offers. 

During discount sales, some products or services go on sale for up to 80% off the regular price. 

For example, if a plugin is sold for $100 regular price and it’s available for 60% off during the discount period, you will pay $40 for its full license.

The good news is that some developers allow a discount price on renewal, which means you will pay the same discount if you decide to renew your license when it expires. 

Many WordPress plugin developers offer pricing models that allow customers to renew their licenses at discount prices, such as WP Rocket. 

If you purchase WP Rocket during the discount deals, you also renew at the same price.

Group Buy 

I’m not recommending group buying with random people on the Internet, being part of scam activities. 

Several SEO groups buy tools that offer numerous SEO and marketing tools for an unbelievable price. Still, behind the scenes, you will waste more time and risk exposing your marketing data to every user on the account.

It is morally and business wrong to be involved in such a shady practice. Don’t do it.

However, if you have friends who are also interested in a particular tool, and the tools offer unlimited or multiple licenses, you can buy in groups to access it.

For instance, WP Rocket offers unlimited website uses for its Infinite license; if you have friends interested in speeding up website performance and loading time, you can share the cost and buy the Infinite license.

Though only one user will have access to the administrative role, it is safer and more ethical if you do this with people you know and can vouch for. 

For example, I have friends who purchase the business plan of Grammarly and share team access with friends. 

Offer Something Valuable

If you build a valuable blog, gaining access to many premium services and tools is easier.

Brands often request collaboration in exchange for access to their premium tools. But your blog must be valuable, attract decent traffic and engagements, and have high-quality content.

Many brands and marketers are looking for platforms to increase awareness, reach more audiences, build links, and get mentioned; if your blog guarantees these benefits, you can access premium tools for free.

From experience, this is the best way to gain free access to premium tools. 

Personally, I have gained free access to many premium tools and services in exchange for a review, awareness, or other collaboration.

But as I mentioned, you must improve your blog’s quality and value to attract relevant brands and advertisers.

Conclusion

Using WordPress nulled plugins or themes is bad on many levels, and you must not engage in such practice.

First, you’re making the business or developers lose money; if many customers use pirated products, the business will not profit and have enough resources to continue production.

Many tools we use and love today will not be here for long before they file for bankruptcy or are permanently shut down.

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