The premium WordPress plugins actually worth paying for…

The requirements of a modern website can, at times, be complex…after all; no two websites are the same. Whether it’s a single page website, or a technical e-commerce setup, the help that a plugin can provide is always an option worth considering. The pros and cons of plugin use is a much-debated topic in the web development world, something best saved for another day. All I will say at this point is the benefits of carefully chosen premium plugins can be a real asset if integrated into a well built, cleanly coded web platform.

If you’re familiar with WordPress, you will no doubt have seen the vast collection of free-to-use plugins aimed at providing additional functionality to a website. There are also a number of premium plugins that come at varying costs. During the redesign and development of our company website here at Quadrant2Design, as well as working on a number of client websites, we have invested in a selection of premium plugins, some having extended features to their free counterparts. From this process, we’ve found the premium WordPress plugins actually worth paying for are…

1. WP Rocket

   WP Rocket is ‘an all-in-one web performance plugin’ aimed at optimising a website’s core vitals and performance. From our experience, a very lightweight plugin that delivers positive results from the moment it’s installed.

   Cost:
   $49/year (Single), $99/year (Plus), $249/year (Infinite)

2. Filebird Pro

   Filebird Pro allows you to organise the contents of your media library into categories, subfolders etc. If like us, you regularly upload large quantities of media to your website, it doesn’t take long for a lack of organisation to become a real problem. Filebird Pro removes this issue with its simple-to-use interface allowing you to create a folder structure that matches your site architecture.

   Cost:
   $51.75/year

3. Advanced Custom Fields Pro

   Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) is a revolutionary plugin for websites using a completely bespoke theme without a page builder. Made for developers, this will allow your clients to update their website content seamlessly. Simply ‘create a field group, add your fields and define the location rules.’ The pro version has additional features including The Repeater Field, Flexible Content Fields, Option Pages and The Gallery Field. ACF Pro has easily been our most heavily used and adapted purchased plugins. Over 90% of the content on our website is created using the fields set up in ACF.

   Cost:
   $49/year (Personal), $149/year (Freelancer), $249/year (Agency)

4. MemberPress

   MemberPress is a ‘WordPress paywall, membership and monetization plugin’ allowing you to create and manage membership subscriptions. Looking to add it to an existing website? No problem, MemberPress can seamlessly integrate into your live site due to its robust and flexible development. Given the nature of its functionality, it would be easy to think that the setup would be a longwinded process; however it was quite the opposite.

   Cost:
   $179.50/year (Basic), $299.50/year (Plus), $399.50/year (Pro)

5. The Events Calendar

   If you promote and sell tickets to events via your website, this plugin is an absolute necessity. The Events Calendar provides ‘calendars, ticketing, and powerful WordPress tools to manage your events from start to finish.’ Integrating this plugin during development has always been a smooth process and the feedback from our clients very positive.

   Cost:
   $99/year (1 site), $199/year (3 sites), $399/year (10 sites/Multisite), $799/year (Unlimited)

6. Plugin Republic

   Plugin Republic creates WordPress plugins to specifically enhance the functionality of your WooCommerce shop. These include product add-ons, fees and discounts, request a quote etc. and can be purchased individually depending on your requirements. Alternatively, they offer an option to purchase the entire library which comes at a higher initial cost, but with lifetime support and no annual renewal fees.

   When creating our ecommerce platform, we identified the need to customise each product with a variety of parameters, so purchasing the complete set of plugins allowed us the flexibility to do this.

   If you have a WooCommerce shop on your website, I would highly recommend looking at Plugin Republic to see if, like us, you can benefit from the plugins they have to offer.

   Cost:
   $69/year – $900 (on-off payment)

7. WPVR – Virtual Tour Creator for WordPress

   WPVR allows you to create an unlimited number of professional virtual tours and 360-degree panoramic views on your site.

   The plugin makes it really easy to impress your visitors and hook them on your site with interactive content.

   With features like Custom Interactive Hotspots, VR Glass Support, Floor Plan Support, Panorama Gallery, and Explainer videos, you can create a complete virtual tour for your business.

   Cost:
   $79/Year to $269/Year

8. Subscriptions for WooCommerce Pro

   Subscriptions for WooCommerce Pro is a comprehensive plugin that adds advanced subscription functionality to your WooCommerce store. With this WooCommerce subscription plugin, you can create and manage a variety of subscription products, including recurring payments, installment plans, and trial periods.

   WooCommerce Subscription plugin supports multiple payment gateways, including Stripe and PayPal. This ensures that your customers can easily and securely make payments for their subscriptions, using their preferred payment method.

   Cost:
   $99/year (1 site), $299/year (5 sites), $599/year (10 sites/Multisite)