Free versions are back for Joomla! 6

Hello KRJE Community,

I have been asked many times over the years whether there are demo versions of my extensions or whether they can be tested before purchasing the Pro version. Unfortunately, that was not possible until now.

The last free versions of my extensions date back to the Joomla! 3 era. Since then, I have focused entirely on the Pro versions. For Joomla! 6, however, I wanted to find a way to offer free versions again without having to maintain two separate codebases for every extension.

Over the last few weeks, I have therefore been working on an internal tool called the KRJE Free Builder Tool. It automatically creates a Free version from the current Pro version during the release process. The Pro version remains the single source of truth, while Pro-only code, files, configuration options, and language strings are removed or automatically adapted for the Free package.

The Free versions will be fully functional Joomla! extensions and can be used normally without any time limit. They will, however, have a much smaller feature set than their Pro counterparts. The main purpose is to allow everyone to install an extension on their own website, try it properly and decide whether it is a good fit before upgrading to Pro.

An upgrade from Free to Pro will work seamlessly. The Pro version can simply be installed over the existing Free version. The extension automatically detects the upgrade and runs the necessary routines to preserve or restore existing settings where required. There is no need to uninstall the Free version or to reconfigure everything.

I will start with SIGE – Simple Image Gallery Extended. It is one of the most widely used extensions in my portfolio and also one of the better-known gallery extensions in the Joomla! ecosystem, so it feels like the right place to start. More Free versions will follow step by step.

There is one important point I want to make very clear from the beginning: There is no support for Free versions.

The Free versions can be used normally and without a time limit, but they are provided without individual support and without any guarantee of functionality. Support is included only in the Pro versions. Please do not send support requests for Free versions by email, as these messages will be deleted without a reply. I have to be strict about this because otherwise offering and maintaining free versions for many extensions would not be realistic.

There is currently one exception: the Free Builder Tool is still being refined. Especially during the first releases, the Free version may not be correctly modified in the automated build process. A Pro feature might not be removed properly, an option might behave unexpectedly, or something might be missing from the generated package. In such cases, you can, of course, contact me by email and describe the problem. These reports are not support requests; they help me improve the build process.

I am honestly very happy to bring free versions back after such a long time. The last ones were available during the Joomla! 3 era, and it feels good to finally have found a technical approach that makes them manageable again.

The first Free version will be released soon, and more extensions will follow gradually.

Thank you for being part of the KRJE Community!

Yours
Viktor