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Developers Remove Plugins From WordPress.org Repository After ACF Controversy

Following the recent ban and ACF to Secure Custom Fields fork/takeover incident, some plugin authors have announced their decision to remove their plugins from the WordPress.org repository.

Gravity PDF Plugin

The Gravity PDF plugin with over 50k active installations and a 4.9 rating is leaving the plugin repository. Its founder Jake Jackson stated that “WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg has weaponized WordPress.org and appropriated the popular Advanced Custom Fields plugin from its creators. This action sets a dangerous precedent, and violates the integrity and security of the platform. To minimize the risks to ourselves and our users, the canonical (primary) version of the free and open-source Gravity PDF plugin is now being distributed directly from GravityPDF.com.”

The team reassured users that all existing PDF settings, custom templates, and fonts will be preserved when transitioning to the new release. Future reviews will be hosted on G2.com. The canonical plugin will use “gravity-pdf” for the slug and text domain, replacing the “gravity-forms-pdf-extended” used on WordPress.org. Updates for the premium version and its extensions will continue directly from GravityPDF.com.

BE Media from Production & Display Posts Plugins 

Bill Erickson, author of BE Media from Production and Display Posts, also expressed concerns, stating, “I am no longer comfortable hosting my code on WordPress.org given recent actions by Matt Mullenweg.”

BE Media from Production plugin has been closed and Future updates to this plugin will only come from the official GitHub repo.

He also tweeted: “If you use my plugin BE Media from Production, it’s now hosted only on GitHub.”

Paid Memberships Pro Plugin

The Paid Memberships Pro team released version 3.3 and their CEO Jason Coleman explained, “This is the first update of the core Paid Memberships Pro plugin that will be served off our own license server instead of the wordpress.org repository. We have been serving our premium plugins and several of our free plugins from our own license server for many years. We will now be serving downloads and updates of our core plugin ourselves.”

He continued, “We plan to follow suit for all of our plugins that are hosted at wordpress.org, excepting a few that are co-maintained with other folks there. The core plugin is still free and users will always be able to update it for free.”

Version 3.2.2 will be available in the repository for a day or so and then closed. Jason said on X that “We’ve had this planned for over a year. Recent events motivated us to expedite things.”

Given the current situation, it doesn’t seem like things will settle down anytime soon. It remains to be seen if other developers too will follow suit.

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24 Comments

24 Comments

  • Author
    Posts
    • Stephen
      October 19, 2024 at 5:01 AMView in Forum

      Ah, the exodus has begun. Not surprising really. No-one can feel sure that all their hard work will be safe if Matt suddenly decides he doesn’t approve of you.

      Reply
    • Aaron Reimann
      October 19, 2024 at 5:02 AMView in Forum

      I’m assuming that this is just the beginning.

      Reply
    • Takis Bouyouris
      October 19, 2024 at 5:03 AMView in Forum

      Refreshing to see that WPTavern is not enforcing the same tactics of suffocating contributors by blocking them, as the official WordPress dot org account is doing.

      Reply
    • Ron
      October 19, 2024 at 5:03 AMView in Forum

      This is getting wayyyy out of hand.

      Is there no way that the self-proclaimed KING MM can be ousted from his .org role?

      He’s already likely destroyed WP forever with his childishness but it’s worth a shot that those remaining can right the ship.

      Reply
    • Fernando
      October 19, 2024 at 5:06 AMView in Forum

      Dumb choice. Good luck to them.

      Reply
    • Miroslav Glavic
      October 19, 2024 at 5:06 AMView in Forum

      It wasn’t appropriation, it was more of a fork. That can happen under GPL.
      Yes, the anti-Matt/WPE side is wrong. they harassed beyond belief a couple of the moderators of the Reddit WP sub.

      No this is not the end of the world, no there is no exodus, yes those plugins (or any plugins) can be closed and moved off the W.

      I will not renewing any licences with the plugins/companies mentioned above.

      Reply
    • J
      October 19, 2024 at 5:06 AMView in Forum

      Matt has dug in so deep, he’d rather destroy WordPress than admit he’s wrong. This seems like a solid continuation of the beginning of the end.

      Reply
    • Christian Zumbrunnen
      October 19, 2024 at 11:53 AMView in Forum

      No, it’s not just a fork because then it would run under a new name. Actually it’s not better or even worse than what Matt is accusing WPEngine of.

      It’s really, really sad.

      Reply
      • Luke B
        October 22, 2024 at 10:04 PMView in Forum

        You mean, a different name like “Secure Custom Forms”?

        I am sure that what you specifically mean is that the WordPress.org would release it as a separate plugin alongside ACF, But if MM genuinely has an issue with some security flaw, that would still leave the unpatched version running in thousands of instances of wp.

        Pulling plugins out of WordPress only ensures that people won’t use them at any level of volume as they have before.

        Reply
    • Al
      October 20, 2024 at 10:51 PMView in Forum

      As a developer as well as a web design house we believe that Automatic has the right to do what they want (legally) to protect their intellectual property.

      I don’t see this as ‘the end’ because there really is nothing out there as ‘good’ or with such a large eco-system/community as WP.

      I’ve read that a few people are talking about dropping WP. So where are they going to go? They are not going anywhere because there is no place to go!

      Reply
    • alprado
      October 20, 2024 at 10:51 PMView in Forum

      The only good thing about this whole mess is that WordPress has recognized the importance of Custom Fields. Without ACF, WordPress would barely function as a CMS.

      Reply
    • Alan Stewart
      October 22, 2024 at 10:03 PMView in Forum

      It wasn’t appropriation, but more of a fork, which is permissible under the GPL. Yes, the criticism of Matt and WPE is misguided, and unfortunately, a few moderators of the Reddit WordPress subreddit faced extreme harassment.

      Reply
    • Nancy Taylor
      October 22, 2024 at 10:03 PMView in Forum

      It will be interesting to see how these actions shape the broader WordPress ecosystem moving forward.

      Reply
    • WPSlash
      October 22, 2024 at 10:04 PMView in Forum

      I hope that everything will be back to normal soon!

      Reply
    • shaheen
      October 24, 2024 at 10:45 AMView in Forum

      It will be intriguing to observe how these developments affect the larger WordPress ecosystem in the future.

      Reply
    • Bezos
      October 24, 2024 at 10:50 AMView in Forum

      This is an interesting development in the WordPress community! The removal of plugins after the ACF controversy really highlights the need for stringent quality control. It’s crucial for maintaining user trust and ensuring a secure environment. I hope this leads to clearer guidelines for developers moving forward. It would be great to see the community come together to improve standards and transparency. Looking forward to seeing how this evolves!

      Reply
    • Stephen
      October 24, 2024 at 10:50 AMView in Forum

      It wasn’t a fork Miroslav. Forking doesn’t involve actively blocking access to the original version and directing current users over to your fork. This was clearly spiteful appropriation.

      Reply
    • Matthew
      October 30, 2024 at 12:25 PMView in Forum

      I am not comfortable with hosting code on wordpress.org, however I also am not comfortable with the absolute fracturing of the plugin community.

      Reply
    • jani87
      January 2, 2025 at 10:10 PMView in Forum

      Several developers have removed their plugins from the WordPress.org repository following the controversy surrounding (ACF), as the incident raised concerns about plugin policies. This move reflects the growing frustrations over perceived unfair treatment and lack of transparency in plugin management.

      Reply
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