The plugin-finding method changes depending on the type of the plugin.
WordPress has an official plugin repository to help you find and download free plugins.
You can find any free plugin by going there.
All developers will upload their free plugins to the official repository because it is easy for the website owners to find and install them.
Having said that, WordPress provides access to this same official plugin repository from within the admin dashboard too.
This way, you can install any plugin without leaving the admin dashboard.
Inside the dashboard, you can find the free plugins by going to:
Admin Dashboard -> Plugins -> Add New
This will take us to the “Add New Plugin” screen.
And inside it, you can search for a particular plugin based on its functionality or name.
The search terms could be generic.
For example, if you want to install a plugin to create a contact form, you can use “contact form” as the search term.
Similarly, if you want to find a plugin that adds additional security measures to your website, you can use “Security” as the search term.
Using these generic search terms will help you find a lot of plugins that give you the functionality you are looking for.
A lot of WordPress sites get hacked because people download plugins from unknown sites on the internet.
Don’t do that.
I don’t want you to search for free plugins outside the WordPress admin dashboard.
These are the plugins with both free and premium versions.
The free version of a Freemium plugin is limited in terms of the support and features provided.
If you want additional fancy features, you need to purchase the plugin’s premium version.
The best example of a Freemium plugin is the WPForms plugin.
This plugin helps us create a contact form and other kinds of forms for our website.
If you’re using the free version of the WPForms plugin, you can only use a certain set of input fields for your contact form.
Advanced fields, such as a Phone number, File upload, etc., are reserved for premium users.
To be more elaborate, you can create a simple contact form with the following fields for free:
But if you want to collect a Phone number along with the above details, you must purchase a premium version of the WPForms plugin.
That’s how the business model of freemium plugins works.
This is all great!
Finding a Freemium is the same as finding free plugins.
Developers will upload the free version of their plugin to the official WordPress.org repository.
This will help them drive traffic to the premium version of the plugin.
And because the free version is available through the official repository, we can use the “Add New Plugin” screen to find and install the plugin.
So, it is just like finding free plugins.
Once you are happy with the free version of the Freemium plugin and if you want more features, you need to purchase the premium version by going to the official website of the plugin developer.
For example, if you want to purchase the premium version of the WPForms plugin, go to their official website:
And this is where you need to be extra careful.
Some malicious websites will lure you by saying you can download the premium plugin for free or at a small price.
But don’t choose that route because they will place viruses inside the plugins they are providing.
And when you install them, your website will get hacked.
So, don’t try to save money when purchasing premium plugins.
Only purchase them from their official websites.
Finally, let’s talk about…
The official WordPress plugin repository doesn’t provide developers a way to sell premium plugins.
So, the developers usually sell their premium plugins:
These are the only two ways to find premium plugins.
Most individual developers will sell their plugins here.
Codecanyon is primarily famous for finding premium image slider plugins, although you can find some great sets of other plugins.
But not all developers sell their premium plugins on Codecanyon.
The best example of a totally premium plugin is Gravity Forms.
You can purchase and download GravityForms from their official website only.
Again, this is where you need to be extra careful.
Don’t purchase premium plugins from non-official websites.
That’s all you need to know about finding plugins for now.
We will find and install a contact form plugin in the next lesson.