Where do I need to Activate Premium Plugins License Keys, on Production or Staging Site?

The WP STAGING | PRO license key needs to be activated on the production site to be able to push the staging site to live, but what about using other premium plugins?

If you use another premium plugin and have a license key that can be activated on one site only, you usually activate this license key on the production site to get automatic updates.

If you want to test automatic updates for such a particular plugin, you have multiple options:

  1. Create a staging site
  2. Deactivate the license key on the production site
  3. Activate the license key on the staging site
  4. Update the premium plugin on the staging site and test if it works

Usually, this works fine, as many plugins do not stop working on the production site even if their license key is disabled.

If you have a premium plugin activated on a live site and you activate it on a staging site, it can happen that the license key on the live site is deactivated. Pushing then the staging site to live can result in an inactive license key on the live site, and you will have to activate the key again on the live site and deactivate it on the staging site.

If this is not possible and you can not switch the license key, you can ask the developer of the premium plugin to offer you another license key.- Most premium plugins give a discount if the second site is a staging site.
– Other premium plugins allow the free activation of the plugin on a test domain like *.local, *.test, and so on.

However, this is totally different from plugin to plugin, and in case of any premium plugin license questions, its best to get in contact with the developer of the specific premium plugin as they will know the best hope their plugin can be activated on a staging site and production site at the same time.

Read more:

Premium Plugins Like Borlabs Cookie Banner Activated as “Test-Version” After Pushing a Staging Site

How to Update Premium Plugins/Themes on Staging Sites?

Updated on August 8, 2022