Premium WordPress plugins and themes are easy to lose track of when purchases happen across projects, teams, and vendor accounts. A simple inventory helps you see what is installed, what each license covers, who owns the account, and what needs attention before the next renewal.
What the inventory should capture
A useful inventory starts with what is actually installed on each site. Record the site name and domain, the plugin or theme, its developer or vendor, the installed version, whether it is active, and the job it performs. This makes it easier to tell a product in use from an old installation that nobody has reviewed.
Keep the license details alongside that record: the account owner, plan name, number of sites covered, sites assigned to the license, purchase and renewal dates, renewal setting, update or support coverage, and the person responsible for the expense. Save the invoice and the vendor’s terms or account page as evidence. Do not put passwords or full license keys in a shared spreadsheet; store secrets in an approved password manager and link to the right entry.
Reconcile the list with the site
Compare the inventory with the Plugins and Themes screens in WordPress, then check the vendor account and purchase records. Premium products may use the vendor’s own update mechanism. WordPress documentation notes that updates for plugins installed from outside its directory depend on the author providing an updater, so confirm the current version and update path with the vendor when the dashboard does not show one.
Give every line a clear status: active and needed, installed but inactive, no longer used, renewal coming up, expired, or owner unknown. Add one next step and one person responsible. Avoid treating an expired subscription as proof that the software should be removed: first check whether the product is still needed and what the vendor’s terms say about continued use, updates, and support.
Review renewals before they arrive
A short review ahead of each renewal gives the team time to confirm access to the vendor account, check which sites use the license, and decide whether the current plan still fits. Confirm who receives billing notices and whether auto-renewal is enabled. The right choice depends on the product and its terms; record the decision and where it was verified.
If a plugin or theme is no longer needed, check for dependencies and site functionality before removing it. Plan the change, make a current backup, and test it in a staging environment when one is available. WordPress recommends keeping a current backup before plugin updates because problems can occur during the process; the same cautious approach helps when changing a production site.
Make the inventory a routine
Keep one shared inventory with a named owner and a date for the next review. Recheck it during renewals, site handovers, redesigns, and changes in the people responsible for purchasing. Limit access to billing and account records, and avoid storing credentials in the inventory itself.
A practical starting checklist:
- List every active and inactive premium plugin and theme by site.
- Match each item to its vendor account, plan, and proof of purchase.
- Record site coverage, renewal date, auto-renewal, owner, and next action.
- Verify update access and support coverage in the vendor’s current terms.
- Review anything with an unknown owner, expired license, or no clear purpose.
This does not need to become a large asset-management project. A clear, maintained list is enough to make renewals easier to review, spot forgotten subscriptions, and understand what a site depends on before making changes.
Sources
WordPress.org, Manage Plugins: https://wordpress.org/documentation/article/manage-plugins/
WordPress.org, Plugin and theme auto-updates: https://wordpress.org/documentation/article/plugins-themes-auto-updates/