Imagine you buy a house. You pay the mortgage, you paint the walls, and you move your furniture in.
But six months later, you decide to change the locks. The architect shows up and says: “I’m sorry, but if you change the locks, the roof will disappear, and the heating will stop working. I own the blueprints.”
This sounds absurd in real life. Yet, this is exactly how 80% of web design agencies operate.
They build your business on leased land. They use “Developer Licenses” that tie your website’s survival to their monthly invoice.
At AgilePress, we believe this is unethical. Here is why we build with Open Standards and why we hand you the keys from Day One.
The “Developer License” Trap
Most agencies use premium tools (Page Builders, Form Plugins, Galleries) that cost money. To save costs, they buy an “Unlimited Agency License” for $500 and use it on 100 client sites.
It seems like a good deal. You get premium tools for free, right?
The Trap: The license belongs to the agency, not you. The moment you decide to leave that agency, cancel your maintenance plan, or bring your site in-house, they revoke the license key.
The Consequences:
- Security Holes: Your plugins stop updating. A security vulnerability is found in Elementor or WP Rocket, and you cannot patch it. Your site gets hacked.
- Broken Features: Some plugins simply stop working or display “License Expired” banners on your front end.
- The Ransom: You are forced to scramble and buy hundreds of dollars worth of individual licenses just to keep the site you “own” running.
You are not a client; you are a hostage.
The Code Trap (Proprietary Junk)
It’s not just about licenses. It’s about the code itself.
If your agency built your site using a proprietary theme or a heavy page builder (like Divi or Avada), they have locked you into their ecosystem. If you try to move that content to a clean, modern theme later, you will find that your database is full of “shortcodes” ([et_pb_section]...[/et_pb_section]).
Your content is trapped inside their software. To leave them, you have to rebuild the website from scratch.
The AgilePress Standard: Open Ownership
We build differently. We build so that you can fire us.
It sounds counter-intuitive. Why would we make it easy for you to leave? Because we want you to stay with AgilePress because our service is excellent, not because you are locked in a cage.
A. The “Bus Factor” (Standard Code)
We use Native WordPress Blocks (Gutenberg) and standard PHP/HTML.
- We don’t use obscure, proprietary builders.
- The Benefit: If AgilePress disappears tomorrow (or gets hit by a bus), any competent WordPress developer in the world can look at your site and understand it in 5 minutes. You are never dependent on one person.
B. Client-First Licensing
- The Core: We use high-quality free/open-source tools (FluentSMTP, The SEO Framework, AgilePress Content Block) whenever possible.
- The Premium: If your project absolutely requires a paid plugin (e.g., a specific WooCommerce extension), we are transparent. We recommend you buy the license in your name.
- Result: You own the asset. If we part ways, you keep your license. Your business continues without interruption.
C. Full Admin Access
Many agencies give you an “Editor” role and hide the “Plugins” menu so you “don’t break anything.” We treat you like an adult. It is your business. You get Administrator access. We are here to guide you and protect the site, not to hide secrets from you.
Conclusion: Retention by Quality, Not Force
Your website is likely your most valuable digital asset. It should appear on your balance sheet, not your agency’s.
When you hire a developer, ask them this question: “If I stop working with you tomorrow, what happens to my software licenses?”
If the answer is “They get deactivated,” run.
At AgilePress, we hand you the keys. We bet on our quality to keep you as a partner. That is true freedom.
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