SLB free vs paid: what each edition includes
SLB is one product with two editions: a free plugin on WordPress.org (version 1.0.3) and a paid edition (version 0.3.11) with extra developer features. Both share the same editor and the starter sections.
Comparison
| Capability | Free | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Full-screen schema-driven editor | Yes | Yes |
| Starter sections (about 36: marketing, WooCommerce, content, global) | Yes | Yes, plus Minimal Footer |
| WooCommerce pickers, product, cart, checkout and account sections | Yes | Yes |
| Global header, footer, announcement and theme settings | Yes | Yes |
| Preview links for clients (7-day token) | Yes | Yes |
| Presets, conditional fields, validation, spacing box | Yes | Yes |
| Renders on any theme with no code | No: the theme needs one line, slbuild_render_page() |
Yes: the_content filter, optional SLB Canvas template |
| Bundled starter theme (Tailwind scaffold) | Separate download | Installs in one click from SLB settings |
| A/B testing of page layouts | No | Yes |
| Developer Mode (writes section PHP files from inside WordPress) | No, never | Yes, off by default |
| MCP server and REST dev routes for AI agents | No | Yes (needs Node 18 or later, Developer Mode and an Application Password) |
| Licence key | None | Required for Developer Mode and MCP only |
The free edition has no Developer Mode because WordPress.org does not allow plugins to write PHP at runtime.
Licence behaviour (paid)
Published pages always render, even if the licence lapses. A lapsed licence only disables the authoring extras: Developer Mode and MCP.
Limits of the free edition
- It needs the one-line theme call; there is no automatic rendering.
- There is no Tailwind JIT. Custom sections use the theme’s own Tailwind build; the bundled stylesheet covers only the starter sections.
- The Single Product section does not fire third-party WooCommerce hook extensions.
- No Developer Mode, no AI or MCP, no A/B testing.
- Switching from free to paid does not yet carry your data over, because the two editions use different data keys. A migration path is coming.
Which one should I use?
Use the free edition if you build themes by hand and want a safe editor for clients. Use the paid edition if you also want automatic rendering on any theme, A/B testing, or an AI agent that builds sections and pages.
Pricing
Paid edition pricing: coming soon.
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