As a WordPress user, you may often hear the term nulled theme or nulled WordPress plugin. Not infrequently WordPress users also question whether it is permissible to use nulled WordPress themes or plugins?
Nulled WordPress themes and plugins are pirated copies of premium WordPress themes or plugin products.
So in this article, we will explain the dangers of nulled themes and nulled plugins, especially if you manage a business website.
What are Nulled WordPress Themes and Plugins?
Nulled WordPress themes and plugins are paid themes and plugins that have been modified and then distributed free of charge by third parties without the permission or license of the original copyright owner.
While nulled WordPress themes and plugins are free to use, they often do not have official support or updates from their developers. This creates a security and integrity hazard for websites that use these themes and plugins.
READ: What is a plugin? How they work in WordPress
And it’s not uncommon for nulled WordPress themes and plugins to be one of the main causes of our website being hacked by irresponsible people. In more detail, below are some of the main reasons why we don’t recommend you use nulled WordPress plugins or themes.
7+ Danger Nulled Themes dan Nulled Plugin
We found 7+ dangers of nulled themes and nulled plugins, explained below:
Safety Hazard
If you use nulled WordPress plugins and themes, it will be very dangerous for the security of your WordPress website, because usually nulled plugins and themes contain malware or even malicious code in the form of a backdoor.
The malicious code contained in it can easily spread to various files, the goal is to disguise itself so that it is difficult to detect and fix when your website is hacked.
If your website is hacked, one of your losses is data loss and your site may be de-indexed from search engines because it has been detected spreading malware.
Privacy Threatened by Hackers
As explained earlier, nulled themes and plugins have all kinds of malicious code hidden inside. This code can steal all the information on the WordPress website that you manage.
Information that is usually stolen such as usernames, email addresses, and passwords. If the website you manage turns out to be an online store or forum website, then your customer information can also be at risk of being stolen.
Bad Effects On SEO
Nulled WordPress themes and plugins can destroy your WordPress website’s SEO. The way it works is by adding spam links to your website or even worse hijacking your website and redirecting website visitors to malicious URLs.
This activity is difficult to detect, but search engines like Google can quickly notice it and will take action on your website by giving a penalty in the form of a decrease in ranking in search results, it can even be removed from the search index.
If that happens, you have to rebuild your website’s SEO to restore its ranking and sometimes in certain cases, you have to create a new website, then delete the old spammed website.
Still unsure about using nulled WordPress themes and plugins?
Illegal
Another problem if you use nulled themes and plugins is copyright law issues. Indeed, many WordPress themes and plugins are open sources/free, but it’s different if the plugins and themes are licensed for a fee and nulled to make them free.
Paid plugins and themes mean that all parts of the code are copyrighted and if you use a nulled version, you do not have permission to use it. If you insist on using it, you will be asked to pay a certain amount of fine.
The amount of the fine is usually not small, the risk of paying a fine is high and security is also not guaranteed. Are you sure you still want to use nulled plugins and themes?
No Access to Theme and Plugin Updates
The next bad impact if you use nulled themes and plugins is not having access to the latest updates. Nulled WordPress themes and plugins are not supported by the original developer and do not have access to official updates from WordPress.
Therefore, using nulled themes and plugins can result in your website being too buggy and vulnerable to security attacks.
Not having access to updates when using nulled WordPress themes and plugins can cause a lot of problems for your website.
Therefore, we recommend that you avoid using nulled themes and plugins and switch to trusted, official themes and plugins.
Rcommended: 11 steps to fix hacked website
No Access to the Latest Features
Another problem is that you cannot access the new features if you are using nulled WordPress themes and plugins. Because like the discussion at the beginning, you can’t access automatic updates.
This newly developed feature can help you grow your website significantly, and can even help you make more money online. However, you won’t get other features and changes if you use the nulled version.
Support & Documentation
We know that there are problems with systems and even experienced WordPress users sometimes can’t fix those problems. Therefore, we need support and documentation from service providers as well as WordPress theme and plugin developers.
But if you’re using a nulled version of WordPress themes and plugins, you won’t get that support and documentation. This means you have to do it yourself and you can’t ask a developer to help solve your problem.
Hindering Innovation and Harming Others
Many people argue that they are using the nulled version because they can’t afford the paid version. Still, did you know that these premium plugins and themes are the result of a person’s skill, talent, and hard work?
If you use a nulled version, it means you’ve stolen their work. In fact, we think it’s the same as you stealing money from them.
Developers of premium WordPress themes and plugins spend their time writing code, they also have to provide support, create documentation, create the website, pay the salaries of their employees, and spend a lot of money to finance the business.
Of course, if you use nulled WordPress plugins and themes it will hurt their business and they will also lose a lot of money. This unethical practice discourages potential developers from creating innovative products that are new and useful for millions of people.
Use Free Plugin and Theme Alternatives
If the reason is that you don’t have enough budget to buy premium WordPress themes and plugins, then the answer is to use the free ones. There is currently no reason for anyone to use nulled WordPress themes and plugins.
Because now there are millions of free plugins and themes that are suitable for all types of websites. For example, if you need a plugin to create a contact form, we suggest you use WPForms Lite.
If you need a plugin to help with website SEO, you can use the free version of All in One SEO or Yoast SEO and other best free SEO plugins.
If you’re looking for a WordPress theme for your blog, read our previous article on the 10 Best and Free WordPress Templates.
Conclusion
So the conclusion for this discussion is clear, never use nulled WordPress themes and plugins, because you cannot underestimate the dangers of nulled themes and nulled plugins.
If you can’t use the premium version, you can use the free version. Because WordPress.org has thousands of free plugins and themes. Even some of these free plugins and themes are better than the premium version.
The important thing is that you can use these themes and plugins legally and don’t weigh on your conscience.
We hope this article has helped you learn about the dangers of nulled themes and nulled plugins. You may be looking for the best WordPress hosting service, you can visit our web hosting page for more info.
