It’s been about a month since WordPress radically altered the deal with new binary plans. Now there’s new word on its plans to introduce a new middle plan between the ‘free’ and ‘pro’ tier, along with other plans in the works.
Closing the comments thread on Pricing Feedback, first opened April 3, WordPress announced under the radar a list of plans regarding their recently changed plan structure:
We are currently working on launching a new lower-priced plan with a price point in-between the Free plan and the Pro plan.
Following the launch of this new plan we will be revisiting our discounted pricing in a few regional areas.
Following that we still plan to launch a series of à la carte individual feature add-ons that can be purchased one-off across our various plans.
We also plan to experiment with bringing back monthly pricing at some point.
All along, I and others have called for, at minimum, a three-tier setup to adequately meet the needs of most. It’s the classic “small, medium, and large” concept, where it’s easy to nudge up the ladder as needed.
‘Free’ is fine for those getting started or whose needs are simple, like a static landing site.
‘Medium’ would be great for the numerous hobby, lifestyle, and personal bloggers like me.
‘Pro’ seems fine for those who need everything and the kitchen sink.
I’m glad to also see the plan to bring back MONTHLY PRICING. This will be a serious win, assuming the price-point is near the previous middle range.
Finally, the latest word is that the previously announced forthcoming à la carte options are slated for after the new middle plan is launched. So this is coming later than I expected.
With what should result in three pricing plans plus à la carte options across the board, this will likely address the needs of most WordPress.com customers. Overall, having three plans keeps things simple enough, but what remains to be seen is if the flexibility of à la carte add-ons introduces too much complexity.
While it’s very good to see this new information, I’ve already gained much momentum in seeking an alternative to WordPress. The plan changes at the beginning of April upended my secure position and brought some other WordPress related issues to the forefront, like my displeasure with the somewhat too complicated website-building paradigm.
I’ve now sat down on three separate occasions to learn and practice the new Full Site Editor, and so far it’s a strike out. Though hopeful at first, I found the FSE to be a bit confusing, lacking in theme style, and buggy.
When I tried to create my own Template Part, it simply wouldn’t work; it never loaded. Refreshing and restarting the browser didn’t fix anything. Sure, the FSE is labeled beta, but that means it will likely be several months before version one is nailed down. That means waiting for the FSE to get good, while already waiting for the WordPress pricing structure to get good.
Who likes waiting?
I had been waiting just for news on the à la carte options, and the closest we have now are the above plans. Maybe the new middle plan will be comparable to the previous ‘Personal’ and ‘Premium’ plans. But I might go ahead and migrate away from WordPress.