This article refers to the new licensing system, based on the Freemius service, which we introduced in October 2021. If you're looking for the article related to our legacy licensing system, please find it here: How to manage your licences for the Aelia products (Aelia Licensing Service).
Introduction
Starting from October 2021, all our products are distributed through the Freemius platform. That platform handles the generation and validation of licences, by generating licence keys that you can activate on your site.
This guide is going to be updated on a regular basis, and the screenshots might not always reflect the latest version of the interface you will see on our site. Should you find any discrepancy or inaccuracy, please feel free to report it. Your feedback will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
1. How the Freemius licensing system works
The Freemius licensing system is based on licence keys, which are assigned to each product purchased through that platform. Activating a licence key on a site will grant access to the support service, as well as automatic updates, for that site.
Tip
You are allowed to install and use the products you purchased on more than one site, if you wish, and they will work just fine, even without entering a licence key. The key is used only to receive updates and support, and it can be activated on a certain number of live sites (usually, one site per licence, unless a multi-site package is available and purchased).
You can also activate a licence key on an unlimited number of staging/development sites, as long as their domain matches one of the test domains recognised by Freemius (see paragraph about staging licences).
2. Where to find the licence keys
Upon completion of an order, you will receive an email from the Freemius service, with the details of the products you purchased. The email will also include the licence key for the product. Below you can find an extract from a sample email, showing the licence key:
You can also find the licence keys by going to the Account page on the Aelia website. After logging in, you can head to the Licenses section, where you will see a list of the licences linked to your account. Example:
Tip
The Licenses section also allows to deactivate a licence. This can be useful if closed an old website and you wish to use the licence on a new one.
3. Can't find the licence keys? We can help!
The Freemius licensing system is quite user friendly, and it's designed to allow you to find your licences easily. In the unlikely case in which you can't find the information you're looking for, please feel free contact us. We will be happy to assist you.
4. How to activate a licence key
After installing an Aelia plugin, you should receive a prompt that invites you to complete its activation, by entering a licence key. Below you can find an example of such prompt.
By clicking on the link that says "Complete <product name> activation now", you will be presented with the steps to activate your licence.
If you don't see the prompt, you can also enter the licence key for a product by going to WooCommerce > Settings > Aelia > Freemius Licences. There you will find a section for each of the Aelia plugins that you purchased through Freemius. Below you can find an example of this interface.
To activate your licence, simply click on the activation link and follow the instructions on screen.
Tip
Licence keys are used to receive automatic updates for the plugins and to access the Aelia support service. If you wish to install a plugin on another site, e.g. for testing, you can simply upload and activate it on that site. The plugin will work even if you don't enter a licence key. Please just keep in mind that you won't be able to receive support, nor automatic updates for sites without an active licence.
5. How to use your licence keys on staging or development sites, free of charge
To simplify testing and development, you can activate each licence key on an unlimited amount of staging/development sites. This will allow you to receive automatic updates for these sites.
How is a staging, or development site, identified?
Staging and development sites are identified by their domain. Below is a list of the criteria used by the Freemius service to identify staging and development sites.
Top level domains that are considered staging or development sites
- *.dev
- *.dev.cc (DesktopServer)
- *.test
- *.local
- *.staging
- *.example
- *.invalid
- *.myftpupload.com (GoDaddy)
- *.cloudwaysapps.com (Cloudways)
- *.wpsandbox.pro (WPSandbox)
- *.ngrok.io (tunneling)
- *.mystagingwebsite.com (Pressable)
- *.tempurl.host (WPMU DEV)
- *.wpmudev.host (WPMU DEV)
- *.websitepro-staging.com (Vendasta)
- *.websitepro.hosting (Vendasta)
- *.instawp.xyz (InstaWP)
Subdomains that are considered staging or development sites
- local.*
- dev.*
- test.*
- stage.*
- staging.*
- stagingN.* (SiteGround; N is an unsigned int)
- *.wpengine.com (WP Engine)
- dev-*.pantheonsite.io (Pantheon)
- test-*.pantheonsite.io (Pantheon)
- staging-*.kinsta.com (Kinsta)
- staging-*.kinsta.cloud (Kinsta)
Additionally, if your domain is localhost (with any port), it will also be treated as a localhost domain.
Notes
- Any domain not matching the above list will be considered a live site, and it will require its own licence key.
- Unfortunately, we can't add free licences for custom development domains, nor modify the list of recognised test domains. Due to that, we recommend to use one of the supported staging domains instead.
- Activating the licence key on a staging, or development site, will enable automatic updates for that site, but won't extend the support service to it. Support is still be provided for a single, standalone site for each licence.
Need assistance with your licences?
Should you need any assistance retrieving, activating or managing your licence keys, please feel free to contact our support team. We will be happy to assist you, and ensure that you get the most of your Aelia products.