Curation rules
What a WordPress product has to meet to be listed, and how we checked it.
The checks are run by AI on public data: the wordpress.org API for the free versions and each vendor's own changelog. It is not hands-on testing of every product — the limits are listed below.
The five rules
- 13+ years on the marketA track record, not a launch.
- 2Updated in the last 90 daysRegular releases, not abandoned code.
- 3Compatible with the current WordPress and PHPWordPress is checked against 7.1.3. PHP compatibility is not verified yet.
- 4Support answers within 48 hNot measured yet — see the note below.
- 5Clear licence and refund policyTerms you can read in one minute.
How the check was done
The data comes from the wordpress.org API (free versions) and vendor changelogs, checked 7 Oct 2026. 7.1.3 is the current WordPress version we compare against.
- Alive & supported
- None of the watch triggers below apply.
- On watch
- Any one of: no update in 90+ days; tested with an older WordPress minor than 7.1.3; under 50% of forum threads resolved (wordpress.org forum, free version, last 2 months). A single thread is too small a sample, so one unresolved thread alone doesn't trigger it. A product on watch stays listed, with the reason shown.
- Retired
- A product that stops meeting the rules moves to Retired. None so far.
- Service
- Hosting, marketplace and AI tool providers. They have no wordpress.org listing or release changelog to check, so they get no health line. For AI tools we check the plan prices and the free tier instead.
What we don't verify
- Support response time. The forum figure is the share of threads resolved on the wordpress.org forum of the free version over the last 2 months. It says nothing about how fast a premium helpdesk answers.
- PHP compatibility. We show the minimum PHP version wordpress.org lists. We don't test whether a product runs on a given PHP version.
- Licence and refund terms. Not checked automatically.
- Products without a wordpress.org listing. Premium-only products have no installs, rating, tested-with or forum figures here. We show only what we could check, and leave the rest out.
- Prices. List prices, not live quotes. Check the vendor site before you buy.
- Ratings. The only ratings shown are wordpress.org's, for the free version. We don't collect reviews or give scores.
How we check a design
Designs are ready-made websites from Elementor Kit Library and Astra Starter Templates. We open each design's live demo once, in a real browser, and list it only if all four of these hold:
- The demo answers. The page returns HTTP 200.
- It loads fast. 5 seconds or less until the browser's load event, on a 1280 px wide desktop screen.
- It fits a phone. No sideways scrolling at 375 px wide (we allow 2 px for sub-pixel rounding).
- It isn't heavy. 8 MB or less transferred on the first load.
A check is one automated load per demo, from our test machine in Europe. It is not hands-on testing, and your numbers will differ. Console errors are counted and shown on each design's page, but they don't decide whether it is listed.
Elementor Kit Library has 119 designs. 116 are checked: 108 passed, 8 didn't pass. 3 are not checked yet (no successful load recorded so far).
Astra Starter Templates has 180 designs. 180 are checked: 166 passed, 14 didn't pass. 0 are not checked yet (no successful load recorded so far).
The 22 designs that didn't pass
- Shared Workspace — scrolls sideways on mobile (+3 px)
- 3D Designer Portfolio — load time 20.2 s
- Wedding Invitation — scrolls sideways on mobile (+34 px)
- Private Tutor — scrolls sideways on mobile (+64 px)
- Drone — page weight 12.8 MB
- Flooring Company — scrolls sideways on mobile (+5 px)
- Personal Trainer — scrolls sideways on mobile (+13 px)
- Design Conference — scrolls sideways on mobile (+18 px)
- Shoe Store — scrolls sideways on mobile (+15 px)
- Furniture Haven — scrolls sideways on mobile (+19 px)
- Book Store — scrolls sideways on mobile (+70 px)
- Visual Artist Portfolio — load time 11.3 s
- Black Friday — scrolls sideways on mobile (+11 px)
- Home and Garden Decor — scrolls sideways on mobile (+536 px)
- Locksmith — scrolls sideways on mobile (+20 px)
- Black Friday Sale — scrolls sideways on mobile (+76 px)
- Wildlife Safari — scrolls sideways on mobile (+148 px)
- Lotus Spa — load time 6.0 s
- Flute Artist — scrolls sideways on mobile (+24 px)
- Covid 19 Prevention — scrolls sideways on mobile (+36 px)
- Limousine Rental Agency — scrolls sideways on mobile (+15 px)
- Skin Cleanser Store — scrolls sideways on mobile (+6 px)
Affiliate links
Some links on this site are affiliate links — they never change what we list. Read the disclosure →