Licensing

The Licensing page is where you enter your licence key. It activates against the ModuleFest Hub and binds to this site’s domain (each licence covers a set number of sites, called seats). The page also shows how the system is divided by module — Shared (always included), Groomer, Walker, Sitter and Trainer — and which features belong to each.

There are three plans. Basic is free, for good, and covers everything you need to run the day: clients, pets, bookings, invoices, deposits, the client portal and the app. Standard adds the tools that save you admin — reminders, newsletters, finance reports and mileage. Premium adds what a business with staff needs — rotas, commission and tips, roles and permissions, automations and analytics.

Every plan includes all three; a higher one is the one below it plus more. The Tier column on this page shows which plan each feature belongs to, and a padlock next to a menu item means that feature is on a plan above yours.

What an upgrade actually involves

If you installed Pet Central from the WordPress plugin directory, the paid features are not in that package at all — they are not switched off, they are not on the disk. So an upgrade sends you two things: a licence key, and the Pet Central Pro plugin.

You do not have to fetch either of them by hand. Enter the key (or let the plugin fetch it after you pay) and Pet Central downloads and installs Pro for you, usually in the few seconds you are already waiting. Pro sits beside the main plugin rather than replacing it, so nothing of yours is overwritten and no data moves — then the padlocks come off. From then on the two update together, on the Plugins screen, like anything else.

On the full Pet Central package the code is already there, and a key on its own is enough. The Licensing page, the Upgrade page and every padlocked screen say which of the two applies to this site, so you are never told to go and find a plugin you already have.

The one exception is a site whose hosting forbids plugins from installing themselves — common on managed hosting, and deliberate. There, and only there, Pet Central hands you the file and asks you to add it under Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin. It says so on the screen, before you pay, not after.

Example

You start on the free Basic plan, run for three months on it, then take on your first employee — and move up to Premium for the rota and permissions, keeping every booking and client you already had.

FAQ

I have paid — why is everything still padlocked?
Because a key on its own is not enough on the free package: the paid code is not in it. Applying the key normally fetches it — press “Refresh licence” on this page and Pet Central will try again, or open Pet Central → Upgrade, which reports what happened and offers a retry. If your hosting will not let plugins install themselves it says so and gives you the Pet Central Pro file to add under Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin. Nothing is overwritten and no data moves either way — Pro sits beside the main plugin and puts the missing files back.

Do I have to reinstall Pet Central to upgrade?
No, and you should not. Upgrading happens in place: Pet Central Pro is a separate plugin that installs alongside it, on its own. Your bookings, clients, invoices and settings are untouched, and the plugin you already have is not replaced or removed.

Do I need a licence key at all?
Not for Basic. The free plan needs nothing — no key, no card, no account. A key is only for Standard and Premium.

It says “Linked — free Basic plan”, but I have never paid anything. Is that right?
Yes, and nothing is owed. When your site first connects, ModuleFest records that it exists and which plugin it is running, and hands it a licence key for the free plan automatically. That is why a key is shown even though you never bought one and never typed it in. It is how updates and support reach you. Nothing to pay, nothing on your card — and the plans are still on this page for whenever you want one.

Where do I find my licence key?
On this page, under Licence key — it is shown whether you are on the free plan or a paid one. Quote it if you ever contact support about this site. You do not need to enter it anywhere: your site already has it, which is how it is being shown to you.

Why is there no “Manage billing” button on my site?
Because there is nothing to manage yet. That button opens the payment portal for a subscription, so it appears once you are actually paying for one. It used to appear for free sites too, in 2.749.0 and earlier, where pressing it only produced an error — fixed in 2.750.0.

How do I buy?
Licensing → Choose a plan → Buy. You pay on Stripe and return here; the licence is applied to this site automatically.

Do I have to copy a key?
No. After paying, the plugin fetches your key from your account. You can also press “Fetch my licence”, or enter a key by hand if you prefer.

Change card, plan or cancel?
Use “Manage billing” on the Licensing page to open the Stripe billing portal.

Why is there no “Manage billing” button on my paid plan?
Because there is no card on file for this site. If we set your plan up for you — a trial extended into a plan, an account we arranged, a goodwill fix — it was never bought through the online checkout, so there is no subscription to manage and nothing is being charged to you. Ask us and we will change or end it. Before 2.752.0 the button appeared anyway and produced an error, which told you nothing useful.

Moving to a new site?
Deactivate on this site first to free the seat, then activate on the new domain.

What if my subscription lapses?
You drop back to the free Basic plan. Nothing is deleted, nothing is locked to read-only, and you carry on booking and invoicing exactly as before — only the Standard or Premium tools pause until you renew. This changed in 2.178.0: there used to be a read-only mode, which stopped making sense once Basic became free.

Which plan is my copy of the plugin?
See the “Which package am I running?” help topic. If you installed from the WordPress directory the paid features arrive as a companion plugin; if you got it from us, everything is already there.

Does the demo need a key?
No — the demo site is always fully licensed and shows no purchase buttons.

What is the “Plans & features” line at the top?
Whether our hub has confirmed it is holding the same feature-to-plan list this version of the plugin uses. If a feature somebody has paid for is not unlocking, that line is the first place to look — see the “Plans & features: does the hub agree?” topic.