Many people and companies create the pirated copies of paid WordPress themes and plugins and offer them free of cost to the users (or at the fraction of the real cost.) In technical terms, such themes/plugins are known as nulled WP themes or plugins.
While it may sound lucrative to get the premium WP themes and plugins either for free or at a fraction of the cost, it can put you on the disadvantageous position and may even create legal complexities compelling you to pay huge costs and penalties. In this blog, we are going to present the strong reasons why you should not use nulled themes.
Before we start it is imperative to know (for the uninformed) that selling nulled themes or using one is illegal. So, you break the law as soon as you start using the nulled theme. Let’s read other disadvantages in details in this blog:
Lack of Security
Most of the nulled WP themes come packaged wit harmful malware that is strategically hidden across numerous files that prevent your system from recognizing it. It allows hackers to steal your vital data and harm your site in various ways. You only detect this malicious code when the site is hacked and then also fixing it is extremely challenging.
In fact, due to the way it is packaged, the search engines identify your site as a distributor of the malware and as a penalty, your site can get de-indexed that harms your online reputations and wastes all your SOE expenses.
Compromised privacy
Various purpose-specific malicious codes are packed into nulled themes including the ones that transfer your vital information (login, email id, and password) to the hackers, enabling them to misuse it in any way they like.
These codes are so smartly hidden that they work perfectly underground without affecting the normal functioning of your WordPress site which makes it almost impossible to detect.
SEO disadvantages
Nulled WP themes can plugins ruins your site SEO by adding spam links programmed to take your visitors to the unsuitable, or irrelevant sites.
The smart hackers prevent these redirecting links from working for the logged-in admits, so you may never know how these links are tarnishing the image of your website. The powerful search engines can instantly detect these links and blacklist your site or at least hurl it down several ranks.
Complex and costly legal proceedings
Some of the WP themes come with the mixed licenses and specific portion of the code is being protected by applicable copyright laws. With nulled WP plugins, you can face legal permission to do so.
The data theft, loss, and unconnected distribution can initiate the intricate legal suites and processes that not only cost you the reputation but also compel you to pay huge amounts to the lawyers.
Lack of updates
As the nulled WP themes slack eh required license keys they don’t receive the required updates when the original theme is updated to the latest version. Thus you continue using the same old version with security vulnerabilities; performance lags limited features and bugs.
It not only impacts site performance but also opens many avenues of security threats.
Conclusion
Nulled themes may seem to be the best option to save huge costs without compromising on the premium features or high efficiency. After all, you can use the premium and expensive WP products free of charge or at a fraction of the original cost. However, it is fully illegal to buy sell or use the nulled themes and it can cost you the online reputations. In this blog, we mentioned the key disadvantages of using nulled themes which clearly shows the no wise blogger or site owners would ever use a nulled WP product.