What Is GPL and Is It Legal to Sell GPL WordPress Themes & Plugins?
GPL Market · July 1, 2026
Every WordPress theme and plugin is, by law, licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL). WordPress itself inherits the GPL, and because themes and plugins extend WordPress, they inherit it too. The GPL guarantees four freedoms: the freedom to use, study, modify and redistribute the software — even commercially.
Why reselling GPL products is legal
The GPL explicitly permits redistribution. When you download a premium plugin from its original author, you receive the same GPL rights they hold. You are free to re-share it. That is exactly what a GPL marketplace does: it redistributes GPL-licensed software at a fraction of the original price, entirely within the terms of the license.
What you get — and what you don't
You get the full, unmodified product and all its features. What a GPL download does not include is the original author's premium support or their official one-click auto-updates. On GPL Market you always receive the latest available version, and you can re-download updates from your dashboard.
The bottom line
Buying GPL themes and plugins is legal, ethical and safe. You are paying for convenient, affordable access to software the license already grants you the right to use.
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