Is commercial WordPress plugin development a viable business?

[NarolaInfotechn]

All your replies will be helpful to me.

 

[Rob Whisonant]

It can be. As long as the plugins you develop solve a problem that enough people are having. Also anything you create really needs to solve the problem easier, faster and better than any free plugins available.

 

[Hostens]

Most of the money comes from creating free plugins with the basic features and if the client needs more features, he needs to buy a premium account or pay a one time fee. This usually works best as the clients can try out your plugin before buying fully.

 

[LearnTheNew]

Yes, In WordPress you can develop your own plugin for your website. It will not create any issue unless your written function code has an error.

 

[ORLOVA]

Dont think it will work, as individual or even developer have tendency to search for free WordPress plugins, they are not willing to pay for plugins which cost are superior than their complete project cost.

 

[professorrosado]

professorrosado

I agree with this. However, there is a big space for plugins that are really heavy load lifters. Plugins that do automation, especially for blog promotion will always find a market. The more that plugin can be activated and do wonderful things on its own to bring in sizable traffic, the more money people would be willing to pay and I am one of them.

Another space to develop is website platform converting plugins. These are plugins that would take an empty wordpress installation and with a few settings, create a platform the owner can then tweak and create their unique website/platform with.

These are the next generation of WP plugins I am waiting for and big money maker for the genius who puts it all together! I'm off to the races!

 

[ORLOVA]

ORLOVA

Yes it might work in this scenario, but again budget is the key, as it might be really difficult for a company to say their client that we also charge for a word press plugin.

 

[Waqass]

I would agree with ORLOVA...the segment is too much saturated. People have almost all the plugins for any thing they would ever want to do with the WP. Most of them as described above use the upselling method. Give basic features and you can ask the user to buy premium ones. But you never know you might be having plugin that is required by certain niche which is also willing to pay. But I highly doubt you have such plugin.

 

[Ruesnam]

Nothing is impossible, but you have to keep in mind that it's nowaday a highly competitive field where it's getting more and more rare to have the idea of a plugin that a lot of people would pay for.

 

[appsalgo]

Plugin development could be a great career.

It can be. but make sure your plugin should definitely resolve the maximum number of problems people are facing. Also, keep in mind it should be easy to use and reliable.

 

[Aby]

It works, if you are solving the problems that are faced by the populace. And if you are solving that problem in a faster and easier way than the free plugins than you'd be able to commercialize it as well.
So, go ahead with that idea. You're gonna rock.