Easy Social Proof comes in two versions: a free plugin (Lite) and a paid plugin (Pro). The free version is not a limited trial or a crippled demo — it is a fully functional trust widget that works on any WordPress site. The Pro version adds features that extend social proof beyond the basic widget.
This guide explains exactly what each version includes, so you can decide which one fits your needs.
What the Free Version Gives You
The free plugin — Easy Social Proof Lite — gives you a single, powerful block: the trust widget.
The trust widget is a row of overlapping customer avatars alongside a star rating and a line of trust text. It is the element you see on high-converting landing pages everywhere: “Trusted by 2,347 marketers ★★★★★.”
Free Features
Overlapping avatar stack — upload up to 10 images that overlap to create the stacked crowd effect. Images are cropped to circles automatically. Recommended size is 200px by 200px.
Trust text — a customisable text field where you write your trust line. “Trusted by 500+ customers,” “Join 2,347 marketers,” or whatever fits your brand.
Star rating — a decimal slider that lets you display precise ratings like 4.7 or 4.8. Toggle stars on or off. Customise the star colour.
Two layouts — horizontal (avatar row beside text) or vertical (avatar row above text). Both are responsive on mobile.
Full colour customisation — border width, border colour, and star colour all have hex pickers so the widget matches your site design.
Mobile-responsive — the widget automatically adapts to smaller screens.
“Powered by Easy Social Proof” branding — a small link appears below the widget.
What You Can Do With Free
For many WordPress sites, the free version is all you need. If your goal is a professional trust widget on your homepage, landing page, or pricing page — with avatar faces, a star rating, and trust text — the free plugin delivers that completely.
The free version is particularly effective for:
- Single-product landing pages where one trust widget in the hero section is sufficient
- Blog sidebars where a compact trust element builds credibility alongside content
- Pricing pages where a trust widget above the plan comparison establishes confidence
- Any page where a single social proof element is the right amount
What Pro Adds
Easy Social Proof Pro is a separate paid plugin that includes everything in the free version plus four additional capabilities:
Trust Badges
Four pre-built badges that signal security, guarantees, and reliability:
- SSL Encrypted / DATA PROTECTION (blue padlock)
- Money Back / 30-DAY GUARANTEE (green icon)
- Free Shipping / ON ALL ORDERS (orange truck)
- Verified Seller / TRUSTED & APPROVED (red shield)
Each badge has customisable background, text, and border colours, adjustable sizing and spacing, and centre/left/right alignment. You select which badges to display and reorder them.
Trust badges are most effective near payment forms and CTA buttons — the points where visitor anxiety about security and risk is highest.
Review Cards
A grid of cards displaying individual customer feedback. Each card has a title, star rating, description text, and optional avatar. You choose 1, 2, 3, or 4 column layouts with customisable card colours, text alignment, and borders.
Review cards show specific customer voices rather than an aggregated rating. They answer “what did people actually say?” while the trust widget answers “how many people and what’s the rating?”
Cards are flexible enough to display customer testimonials, research citations, or case study highlights.
Toast Popup Notifications
Small notifications that slide into the corner of the screen showing recent activity: “{name} just subscribed” or “{name} just made a purchase.”
Three data sources:
- WooCommerce — real purchase data from your store
- SubPress — real subscription data
- Simulated — generated names for sites without real transaction data yet
Full timing controls including initial delay, display duration, randomised pauses between notifications, and burst behaviour. Customisable colours and screen position.
Toast popups add a dynamic layer of social proof on top of the static trust elements.
AI Avatars
AI-generated portrait images for the trust widget’s avatar stack. Useful when you do not have customer photos, when customers prefer privacy, or when you need to represent a diverse audience visually.
No Branding
The “Powered by Easy Social Proof” link is removed entirely. The widget, badges, and cards display without any third-party attribution.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Free | Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Trust widget (avatars + stars + text) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Up to 10 avatars | ✓ | ✓ |
| Horizontal and vertical layouts | ✓ | ✓ |
| Full colour customisation | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mobile-responsive | ✓ | ✓ |
| Decimal star rating | ✓ | ✓ |
| Trust badges (4 pre-built) | — | ✓ |
| Review cards (grid layout) | — | ✓ |
| Toast popup notifications | — | ✓ |
| WooCommerce popup integration | — | ✓ |
| SubPress popup integration | — | ✓ |
| AI-generated avatars | — | ✓ |
| No branding | — | ✓ |
| Priority support | — | ✓ |
Which Should You Choose?
Stay on Free If:
You only need a trust widget. If a compact avatar stack with a star rating and trust text is sufficient for your site, the free version delivers that completely. There is no artificial limitation forcing you to upgrade.
The branding link does not bother you. The “Powered by Easy Social Proof” link is small and unobtrusive. Many site owners leave it without issue.
You are testing social proof for the first time. Start with the free trust widget, measure the impact, and upgrade to Pro if you want more social proof elements later.
You have a simple site with one or two key pages. A single trust widget on your homepage or pricing page might be all the social proof you need.
Upgrade to Pro If:
You run a WooCommerce store. The combination of trust badges at checkout, toast popups from real orders, and review cards on product pages creates a complete trust system that addresses abandonment at every step.
You want social proof across multiple page types. Pro gives you different elements for different contexts: widgets for hero sections, badges for CTAs, cards for testimonial sections, popups for site-wide activity.
You need the branding removed. For client work, professional sites, or any context where third-party branding looks out of place, Pro gives you a clean display.
You want review cards. If you have customer testimonials worth showcasing individually — specific quotes with names and ratings — review cards present them in a polished, structured format.
You want live activity signals. Toast popups showing real purchases or subscriptions add a sense of immediacy that static elements cannot.
Upgrading From Free to Pro
If you start with the free version and later upgrade, the process is straightforward. Install the Pro plugin, activate your licence key, and the additional blocks and features become available. Your existing trust widget keeps all its settings — avatars, text, colours, placement. Nothing is lost or reset.
The Pro plugin extends your setup. It does not replace it.