If you’ve been selling WordPress plugins or themes for a while, you know that comparing WPBay and Envato isn’t just about comparing two websites. It’s about two completely different ways of building a business.
I am Szabi, founder of WPBay. I spent years selling on Envato, you can still find me there listed, as CodeRevolution. Like many of you, it’s where I started. Back then, it felt like the only place to be: massive traffic, daily sales, my only worry was to write new code and to provide support to customers… and the most awesome thing was the feeling that if you just built something useful, the marketplace would handle the rest. For a while, that was true. But eventually, this changed…
That experience is exactly why WPBay exists. It wasn’t built to be “just another marketplace”… it was built because the WordPress ecosystem needed something created from a developer’s perspective.
The Big Difference: Ownership vs. Borrowed Traffic
The real gap between WPBay and Envato isn’t just about commission, it’s about ownership.
In the beginning, we all ignore this because we just want sales. But eventually, you have to ask:
- Who actually owns the customer relationship?
- Can you email your buyers to tell them about a new launch?
- Are customers loyal to you or just to the marketplace?
On Envato, the relationship belongs to the platform. You do the hard work: support, updates, bug fixes. But you’re not allowed to directly contact your customers. WPBay flips this. We believe the seller should own the business. Your customers stay your customers and your store reflects your brand. That single shift changes everything. You are allowed to do email campaigns directly inside WPBay, sending emails to your customers.
Let’s Talk Money (The Honest Way)
No developer wants to spend months on a plugin just to give away half the income. Envato has always been expensive, but the real issue is the complexity: high fees and rules that change overnight.
At WPBay, we kept it simple. Sellers start at 70% income and can reach up to 88% as they grow. The logic is simple: if sellers keep more money, they stay motivated to build better products. Everybody wins.
Envato will switch from 1st July 2026 to a 50% commission share for all authors selling on their marketplaces.
Why Licensing Flexibility is the Future
The “zip file with lifetime updates” model is a relic of the past. Modern WordPress businesses need:
- Recurring Subscriptions (to avoid the “sales treadmill”)
- Tiered Plans (1-site, 10-site or unlimited)
- Agency Licenses and Lifetime Deals
WPBay was built for this reality. We know that recurring revenue changes your psychology. It gives you the predictability to plan for next year instead of just next week. Envato was built for a different era and their lack of subscription support makes it hard to build a sustainable, long-term business.
Reviews: Developers Reviewing Developers
We’ve all been there… waiting weeks for a reviewer to tell you to rewrite a feature because they “preferred” a different style. It makes launching a nightmare.
At WPBay, we still care about quality and security, but our mindset is different. We don’t create friction for the sake of bureaucracy. We review products like developers reviewing developer products. We want to get you live, not slow you down with red tape.
The “Email Superpower” and Developer Tools
This was personal for me. Most plugin businesses grow through repeat relationships, not just one-time discovery. WPBay gives you direct email access to your customers. This allows you to run campaigns, announce updates and handle retention, that’s how a real business scales.
We also built the infrastructure I wished I had years ago:
You shouldn’t have to duct-tape your business stack together.
Resilience Over Exclusivity
Envato no longer rewards exclusivity, but that creates a dangerous dependency. This change impacted many developers who earned their income from Envato, their income disappeared over night… We encourage you to sell on your own site, use WordPress.org for free versions and also use WPBay as a powerful channel. Building multiple streams is just healthier.
Why I Built WPBay
Just to be clear: WPBay isn’t trying to replace Envato. The raw traffic there still has value. But if you’re looking to build a business you actually own, the tradeoffs are clear.
I built this because I lived the frustrations myself. Ownership matters more than raw traffic ever will and I’m glad to finally offer an option where your business can actually become yours.
Thank you for being part of this journey! I can’t wait to see what you build on WPBay! 🙂