Simple Sitemap – Recent Update to the Free Version

If you’re using the free version of Simple Sitemap then you might have noticed the latest update contained some breaking changes. This page covers these changes in more detail.

Specifically, the following features have been removed from the free version and are now part of the pro version:

  • Exclude/include specific pages in the sitemap.
  • Only core post types supported.

To compensate some features previously only available in the pro version have been added to the free version:

  • Global plugin settings.
  • Tabbed layout option.
  • Build sitemap visually in real-time.
  • Preview sitemap directly in block editor.

Two editor blocks are now available in the free version to mirror the functionality of the [simple-sitemap] and [simple-sitemap-group] shortcodes. So you now have the option of building the sitemap visually in the block editor without needing to use shortcodes at all if you don’t want to. And there’s no more having to remember all the shortcode attributes available or having to consult the documentation. The sitemap shortcodes are still available too, but now you have the option to use the visual blocks instead.

Also, the price for the single site license plan has been reduced by $10 making the pro version entry-level license even more reasonable.

I’d like to take this opportunity to apologize for any frustration these changes might have caused by removing existing features without warning. This could have been handled much better and a valuable lesson has been learned. The changes made were necessary but how they were implemented wasn’t acceptable and I feel bad about that.

The Simple Sitemap plugin has been actively developed for the last several years and I wouldn’t want to push users away whether they’re using the free or pro version. In-fact the motivation behind the recent changes was so that the plugin would still be around for the next several years.

It’s a simple fact that I can’t provide 100% free plugins with all pro features. I found out early on that it doesn’t work like that. Almost nobody makes donations to plugins which is a shame because I’d happily develop professional-level free plugins if there were enough donations to fund continued development.

Anyway, if you’d like to consider upgrading to the pro version then that would be great but you can also install the previous free version from wordpress.org and it will continue to work as before but you won’t be able to install plugin updates.

Thank you for patience and understanding. I hope you still choose to be a user of Simple Sitemap in whatever form that takes.

David – (plugin author and wpgoplugins.com owner)

If you have any questions, or would like to discuss this further, then please email me directly at d.v.gwyer(at)gmail.com