Updated 27 October 2026 after the WordPress Plugins Team replied to my question about required public credits.
DB-IP is not available in the released WPLocation Free 1.1.0, Pro 1.0.0, or the pending WordPress.org Free submission. An earlier development preview offered a DB-IP switch and footer-credit consent. That preview is historical; these controls are not part of the current Free release. WPLocation does not sell DB-IP access or managed lookup credits.
Why DB-IP is excluded
DB-IP’s free Country Lite data is under CC BY 4.0. For a web application, DB-IP says to link to DB-IP.com on pages that display or use its results. The WordPress Plugins Team replied that selecting the data source and consenting to a required footer link would not satisfy Plugin Directory guideline 10: public-facing credits must remain optional, and plugin functionality cannot depend on displaying them.
The team did not interpret DB-IP’s license for API responses, feeds, cached pages, or themes without wp_footer. Those questions need clarification from DB-IP or appropriate legal counsel. The old preview’s footer and machine-readable links did not establish a way to cover every output. I will keep DB-IP out of Free while this conflict remains.
Screenshot: DB-IP Lite licensing page, captured 27 October 2026.
Benefits and tradeoffs
| Potential benefit | Current tradeoff |
|---|---|
| Free Country Lite MMDB; local lookups do not consume per-visitor API credits. | DB-IP requires attribution on pages displaying or using results. This conflicts with making a plugin-imposed public credit mandatory. |
| Monthly data refreshes without a MaxMind account. | Lite coverage and accuracy are lower than DB-IP’s commercial data. |
| DB-IP says commercial databases do not require attribution. | Commercial pricing, permitted use, redistribution rights, and a compliant integration would need review before support. |
What to use in WPLocation now
Use a current, licensed GeoLite2 Country MMDB through your own MaxMind account or a private file you maintain. The illustrated MaxMind setup guide explains the local database and update steps. MaxMind’s free GeoLite data has its own attribution and update terms; the plugin does not require a public footer credit to function.
If a future DB-IP option becomes possible, I will document the applicable provider rights, test API/feed/theme output, and check it against the Plugin Directory Guidelines before release. No DB-IP switch is available in the current Free plugin.
Contact WPLocation with your software versions and the result you expected. Keep keys and customer data private.