WordPress plugin directory complete submission without trialware
Submit a complete, stable plugin to the directory and keep paid upsell out of the bait-and-switch install path.
Why this can grow a startup
WordPress frames the plugin directory as a safe place for non-technical and technical users alike. That makes honesty part of growth, not a legal footnote. The directory page is expected to deliver a stable downloadable version, not a name reservation or a crippled teaser. Trialware is not permitted, and the plugin has to be complete at submission time. That forces the team to earn monetization with the real product experience instead of with a misleading first install.
Source guidance
The WordPress guidelines say a stable version must be available from the Plugin Directory page, trialware is not permitted, and a complete plugin must be available at the time of submission because the zip is reviewed before approval.
Source-reported evidence
Source: WordPress Plugin Handbook: Detailed Plugin Guidelines
WordPress reviews a complete zip before approval and requires a stable version on the directory page while disallowing trialware.
Attributed to the cited source; GrowthDex has not independently verified it. Use this as context, not as a forecast, benchmark, or recommended target.
Evidence scope: claims and metrics are attributed to the linked source; GrowthDex has not independently replicated the reported result. Check the original context and validate fit before applying it. Read the evidence methodology.
When to use it
Use this when Marketplaces, Trust, Product-led Growth is relevant to submission readiness, trialware, directory trust and you can run a bounded test with a free budget.
When not to use it
Do not use it as a substitute for customer evidence, a clear owner, or a measurable stop condition. Local platform rules and market behavior still need checking.
How to do it
- Choose one target segment and define the exact next action this tactic should prompt.
- Adapt the tactic to Marketplaces and Trust, using evidence from WordPress Plugin Handbook: Detailed Plugin Guidelines as context—not as a promised result.
- Record a baseline for: Target users who complete the tactic’s intended next action. Set a guardrail that would make you pause the test.
- Run a narrow pilot and choose a test window that fits the normal decision or use cycle; do not scale before you have observed the full cycle.
- Compare the signal with its baseline. Scale only if the intended action improves without crossing the guardrail; otherwise revise one variable or stop and record what you learned.
Compare a stack for your situation
Compare source-backed tactics against your product, stage, budget and channel strengths, then choose one experiment to test.
Explore the context
Did you launch this experiment?
Report a launch to help us understand which growth ideas founders put into practice.
Apply this with an operator
Choose product surfaces that compound distribution without hiding weak activation or retention.