{"id":5209,"date":"2025-05-03T17:10:43","date_gmt":"2025-05-03T17:10:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pluginthemehub.com\/?p=5209"},"modified":"2025-05-18T09:47:55","modified_gmt":"2025-05-18T09:47:55","slug":"why-gpl-license","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pluginthemehub.com\/why-gpl-license\/","title":{"rendered":"Why GPL License Is The Powerful Money Saving Wizard"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Being an open-source content management system (CMS), WordPress uses the GNU General Public License (GPL License) to protect software based on its source code. It means all derivative work, including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hostinger.co.uk\/tutorials\/what-is-a-wordpress-theme\" rel=\"follow noopener\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" target=\"_blank\">WordPress themes<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hostinger.co.uk\/tutorials\/what-is-wordpress-plugin\" rel=\"follow noopener\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" target=\"_blank\">plugins<\/a>, automatically inherits the GPL license.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Knowing how the GPL license works is vital for WordPress developers to ensure their compliance when distributing themes, plugins, and software patches. The same goes for WordPress users who implement byproducts of the WordPress code in their websites.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This article will explain the function of GPL licensing, including its impact on the WordPress community as well as themes and plugins. We will also compare GPL with other types of software licenses.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s start by learning how the free software license works in the\u00a0WordPress\u00a0ecosystem.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_81 counter-flat ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #117a8d;color:#117a8d\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #117a8d;color:#117a8d\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/pluginthemehub.com\/why-gpl-license\/#How_Does_WordPress_GPL_Work\" >How Does WordPress GPL Work<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/pluginthemehub.com\/why-gpl-license\/#GPL_Compared_to_Other_Licenses\" >GPL Compared to Other Licenses<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/pluginthemehub.com\/why-gpl-license\/#LGPL\" >LGPL<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/pluginthemehub.com\/why-gpl-license\/#BSD\" >BSD<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/pluginthemehub.com\/why-gpl-license\/#MIT\" >MIT<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/pluginthemehub.com\/why-gpl-license\/#How_GPL_License_Works_With_WordPress_Plugins_and_Themes\" >How GPL License Works With WordPress Plugins and Themes<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h3 id=\"h-how-does-wordpress-gpl-work\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_Does_WordPress_GPL_Work\"><\/span>How Does WordPress GPL Work<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<p>Originally created for the GNU operating system, GPL aims to counter proprietary digital products. It guarantees software users four freedoms:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The freedom to run GPL-licensed software for any purpose.<\/li>\n<li>The freedom to study and modify the software\u2019s source code.<\/li>\n<li>The freedom to redistribute the software to benefit the community.<\/li>\n<li>The freedom to share the software\u2019s modified versions under the same licensing.\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>WordPress licenses its source code under GPL since it suits the platform\u2019s open-source nature. The free software license gives site owners and developers free access to WordPress code, allowing them to create new features and make suggestions to improve the CMS.<\/p>\n<p>Accordingly, all derivative work automatically inherits the same WordPress licensing terms. Plugin and theme developers must guarantee GPL\u2019s four freedoms when publishing their work on WordPress\u2019 official directory.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>With GPL License, WordPress creates a collaborative community that encourages knowledge sharing in improving the CMS. In short, WordPress remains free to this day mainly due to GPL License.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-gpl-compared-to-other-licenses\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"GPL_Compared_to_Other_Licenses\"><\/span>GPL Compared to Other Licenses<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>To better understand why WordPress chose GPL, let\u2019s review how it compares to other software licenses.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The following is a breakdown of the three most common software licenses besides GPL \u2012 LGPL, BSD, and MIT.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"LGPL\"><\/span>LGPL<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>While the GPL license impacts all components of software programs, the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gnu.org\/licenses\/lgpl-3.0.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL)<\/a>\u00a0only applies to open-source software libraries. This software license enforces weak copyleft requirements, making LGPL code more flexible for building commercial software.<\/p>\n<p>Developers who dynamically link their proprietary software to an LGPL-licensed library can distribute their application code under any license. However, if you modify the library and later distribute it, you must disclose the source code of the modified version.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"BSD\"><\/span><strong>BSD<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>BSD is a permissive license with minimal usage and redistribution restrictions. Initially published for a Unix-based operating system called Berkeley Standard Distribution, the BSD license is now applicable for freeware, shareware, and open-source software.<\/p>\n<p>Like LGPL, this open-source license doesn\u2019t require developers of BSD software to share their source code with users. Developers can release their work under a different license as long as they don\u2019t use the names of the original code\u2019s developers for self-endorsement.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"MIT\"><\/span><strong>MIT<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Like BSD, MIT is a permissive license that allows developers to use, duplicate, modify, merge, publish, and sell copies of the original software for any purpose. The MIT license doesn\u2019t contain patent provisions, so it\u2019s compatible with other open-source licenses like GPL.<\/p>\n<p>This license, created at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, allows developers to incorporate open-source code into their closed-source projects. You don\u2019t have to disclose the source code or its modifications as long as you include the original copyright notice in the copies.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, the MIT license allows for software use, modification, and redistribution under different license terms \u2012 making it the opposite of GPL.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-how-gpl-license-works-with-wordpress-plugins-and-themes\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_GPL_License_Works_With_WordPress_Plugins_and_Themes\"><\/span>How GPL License Works With WordPress Plugins and Themes<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Any theme or plugin listed on the WordPress official directory automatically inherits the GPL license since it counts as derivative work. Users can download and activate any GPL software, from the\u00a0best plugins\u00a0to\u00a0popular free themes, on their WordPress site for free without buying license keys.<\/p>\n<p>While GPL seems to favor end users, theme and plugin developers can earn money from their work without breaching license terms. Making money using GPL-licensed code is still ethical, as the term \u201cfreedom\u201d only refers to the software\u2019s use, modification, and distribution instead of price.<\/p>\n<p>For instance, many developers market their WordPress themes and plugins as premium products by offering dedicated support for bug fixes and automatic updates via a subscription model. It\u2019s primarily a marketing strategy since developers often store their software code in a Git repository for public access as per GPL license terms.<\/p>\n<p>The reason why average WordPress users don\u2019t use this opportunity to save money is that most of them don\u2019t understand how GPL works. Furthermore, most beginners consider obtaining WordPress themes and plugins from popular channels much easier than installing them independently.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 23.04px; color: #333333;\">Conclusion<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<p>Whether you\u2019re a WordPress developer or a website owner, knowing how WordPress licensing works helps you leverage the platform to the fullest. It might even encourage you to contribute to the open-source community by suggesting modifications and developing your own theme or plugin.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"background-color: #ffff00;\"><strong>GPL is the best way to save money &amp; maximize profits. It&#8217;s like a powerful Wizard who turns the dream of Million Dollar into reality at the cost a couple of bucks.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline; color: #117a8d;\"><a style=\"color: #117a8d;\" href=\"https:\/\/pluginthemehub.com\"><strong>GPL STORE &#8211; ACCESS THOUSANDS OF PREMIUM THEMES &amp; PLUGINS<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>NOTE<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The GPL license under which the WordPress software is released is the GPLv2 (or later) from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fsf.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Free Software Foundation<\/a>. A copy of the license is included with every copy of WordPress, but you can also\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gnu.org\/licenses\/old-licenses\/gpl-2.0.en.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">read the text of the license here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Part of this license outlines requirements for derivative works, such as plugins or themes. Derivatives of WordPress code inherit the GPL license.<\/p>\n<p>There is some legal grey area regarding what is considered a derivative work, but we feel strongly that plugins and themes are derivative work and thus inherit the GPL license. If you disagree, you might want to consider a non-GPL platform such as\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/docs.s9y.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Serendipity<\/a>\u00a0(BSD license) instead.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Being an open-source content management system (CMS), WordPress uses the GNU General Public License (GPL License) to protect software based on its source code. It means all derivative work, including WordPress themes\u00a0and\u00a0plugins, automatically inherits the GPL license.\u00a0 Knowing how the GPL license works is vital for WordPress developers to ensure their compliance when distributing themes, [&#8230;]\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5210,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5209","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pluginthemehub.com\/vovipeg\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5209","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pluginthemehub.com\/vovipeg\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pluginthemehub.com\/vovipeg\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pluginthemehub.com\/vovipeg\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pluginthemehub.com\/vovipeg\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5209"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/pluginthemehub.com\/vovipeg\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5209\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32762,"href":"https:\/\/pluginthemehub.com\/vovipeg\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5209\/revisions\/32762"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pluginthemehub.com\/vovipeg\/wp\/v2\/media\/5210"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pluginthemehub.com\/vovipeg\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5209"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pluginthemehub.com\/vovipeg\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5209"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pluginthemehub.com\/vovipeg\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5209"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}