SolidWP is now Kadence Security. IconicWP, RCP, and MemberDash are gone. Here’s exactly what changed after the Liquid Web Merger, who pays more, and what Liquid Web isn’t telling you.
The official Liquid Web blog calls it a win: one portal, simpler licensing, cleaner experience. In some cases, that’s true. But a closer look at the pricing and product changes tells a more complicated story. Here’s a quick overview:
Price hike
SolidWP security alone was $99/year. To get the same plugin now, you need to buy Kadence Pro at $219/year. A 2.2X price jump, and it forces you onto the Kadence theme whether you want it or not.
Price hike
IconicWP’s cheapest plugin (WooThumbs) was $79/year standalone. Now it’s locked inside Kadence Pro at $219/year. And WooThumbs video features don’t even exist in the new Shop Kit add-on.
Price hike
Restrict Content Pro (RCP) started at $99/year for 1 site. The minimum equivalent is now $219/year (Kadence Pro), and it’s only accessible if you adopt the Kadence ecosystem.
Gone
SolidWP, IconicWP, Restrict Content Pro, and MemberDash are no longer sold. Their standalone websites now redirect to Liquid Web landing pages. No new purchases are possible (all licences works till April 2027)
Forced switch
MemberDash users who only wanted a membership plugin are now forced into a full LearnDash LMS. Now you have to pay for a course-building plugin that you never asked for.
Clock ticking
Existing users keep their plans. But only until their subscription lapses. Once it expires, the old plan no longer exists. Critical security patches for retired products end in April 2027.
Cheaper
Kadence Theme + Blocks dropped from $149/year → $99/year (Essentials plan). Theme and Blocks are no longer sold separately, and unlimited sites are now included at that price.
Better value
Kadence Pro plan at $219/year now includes security, backups, Shop Kit, and memberships. The same price as the old Full Bundle that had none of those. Existing Kadence users get more for the same money.
Improved
One unified portal at software.liquidweb.com replaces eight separate brand portals, login screens, and renewal cycles. It is genuinely less annoying for anyone who is managing multiple StellarWP products.
Let’s go through everything changed after Liquid Web Merger – product by product, price by price.
Liquid Web Merger: What Really Happened?
Liquid Web (via its StellarWP brand) spent years acquiring popular WordPress-focused brands: Kadence, LearnDash, The Events Calendar, GiveWP, SolidWP, IconicWP, Restrict Content Pro, and MemberDash.
Each product had its own site, its own portal, its own billing and renewal system. That sprawl was always going to get cleaned up eventually.
In 12th May 2026, Liquid Web merged all brands into a unified ecosystem under the Liquid Web platform. The new structure collapses everything into four flagships:
- Kadence: site builder (theme +blocks), security, backups, WooCommerce, & memberships.
- LearnDash: LMS, memberships, & AI course building.
- The Events Calendar: event management
- GiveWP: fundraising and donations (now tiered, no separate add-ons)
Four brands were discontinued as standalone products (SolidWP, IconicWP, Restrict Content Pro, & MemberDash). They are no longer sold at all & their features were absorbed:
| Old Brand | Now Lives In |
|---|---|
| SolidWP (Security, Backups, Central) | Kadence Security & Kadence Backups |
| IconicWP (WooCommerce plugins) | Kadence Shop Kit |
| Restrict Content Pro | Kadence Memberships |
| MemberDash | LearnDash |
There is now one portal at software.liquidweb.com for all plugins, themes, & add-ons. Now, let’s take a look at the individual products’ changes after Liquid Web merger.
1: Kadence: Price Drop on Paper, Price Hike in Practice
This is the most nuanced part of the whole merger. On the surface, Kadence got cheaper. In practice, it depends entirely on what you were buying before.
Previously, Kadence operated under kadencewp.com and sold its products both individually and in bundles. Theme and Blocks were sold separately. You could buy exactly what you needed.
Now, new Kadence pricing structure & features look like this.
| New Plans | New Pricing | What’s Included |
|---|---|---|
| Essentials | $99/year | Theme + Blocks Pro, unlimited sites, starter templates, & Kadence AI. |
| Pro | $219/year | Everything in Essentials plan + Security, Backups, WooCommerce Shop Kit, & Memberships. |
| Elite | $399/year | Everything in Pro plan + multi-site management (Central), A/B testing, white label, & Kadence Mail. |
The honest summary: Kadence Essentials plan is genuinely cheaper. Kadence Pro is the same price but includes more. However, Kadence Lifetime plans are gone with no replacement, and you can’t buy a standalone Kadence theme or just the kadence blocks plugin.
| What You Needed | Old Cost | New Cost | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Theme + Blocks only | $149/year | $99/year (Essentials) | ✅ Cheaper |
| Theme + Blocks + Security + Backups | $348/year combined | $219/year (Pro) | ✅ Cheaper |
| Full Kadence suite | $219/year | $219/year (Pro) | ✅ Same price, more Features |
| Multi-site management tools | $219/year | $399/year (Elite) | ❌ More expensive & Extra tools |
| Lifetime deal | $799 once | Not available | ❌ Gone entirely |
| Theme Pro only | $59/year | $99/year minimum | ❌ More expensive |
| Blocks Pro only | $69/year | $99/year minimum | ❌ More expensive |
2: SolidWP → Kadence Security: The Rebrand That Changes Everything
This is the part of the merger that deserves the most scrutiny. Because it represents the clearest case of a product being quietly phased out and absorbing its users pushed toward a more expensive bundle.
What Was SolidWP?
SolidWP (formerly iThemes) was a dedicated WordPress security, backup, and site management suite. SolidWP has three core products:
- Solid Security Pro: Malware scanning, 2FA, vulnerability patching, brute-force protection, Patchstack virtual patching, etc.
- Solid Backups: Automatic cloud backups, incremental backup technology (formerly known as BackupBuddy).
- Solid Central: Multi-site management dashboard.
It could be purchased as individual plugins or as the Solid Suite bundle.
| Old SolidWP Product | Old Price |
|---|---|
| Solid Security Pro | $99/year (1 site) |
| Solid Backup Pro | $99/year (1 site) |
| Solid Suite (Security + Backup + Central) | $199/year (1 site) → $949/year (25 sites) |
Customers bought these plugins because they wanted serious site protection, or complete site backup, and they could use these plugins with any theme – Astra, GeneratePress, Divi, Elementor, whatever.
Here’s the real problem:
- After Liquid Web merger, SolidWP is no longer sold separately. and it has become Kadence Security. It is a feature set bundled inside the Kadence Pro plan ($219/year).
- The security module was essentially turned into a Kadence site builder add-on. And the only way to access it is to pay for the whole Kadence platform.
For Kadence users already on the Full Bundle ($219/year), this is great news. You now get security and backups at no extra cost.
For everyone else, this is a forced ecosystem migration. Here’s a quick pricing comparison between old & new pricing:
| What You Needed | Old Cost | New Cost | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Security plugin (1 Site) | $99/year | $219/year (Kadence Pro required) | ❌ 2.2X more expensive |
| Security + Backups (1 Site) | $199/year | $219/year (Kadence Pro) | ➡️ Similar, but forces Kadence theme |
| Security + Backups + Central (5 sites) | $399/year | $399/year (Kadence Elite) | ✅ Same price, with extra features |
| Kadence Full Bundle + Security | $348/year | $219/year | ✅ Cheaper for Kadence users |
The brutal truth: If you use OceanWP, Astra, GeneratePress, or another WordPress theme, you can no longer buy security plugin separately. Now, you have to buy a Kadence Pro plan just to use Kadence Security – even if you never plan to use the Kadence theme itself. That means paying $219/year mainly for the security plugin. If you want Solid Security plugin alternatives, good options are Wordfence or MalCare.
3: LearnDash: The Least Disruptive Change
LearnDash is a solid course builder WordPress plugin. Old LearnDash pricing ran on a per-site model, starting around $199/year for a single site. And it also had a Cloud option (hosted WordPress + LearnDash) starting at $29/month ($348/year).
After Liquid Web merger, MemberDash’s membership and content restriction features have been folded into Liquid Web for all subscriptions. Now, you can create unlimited courses and unlimited learners on a single website, but if you want to use LearnDash on another site, you must purchase a separate license for that site.
Now, Learndash product has AI-powered course building tools, AI Quiz Builder, instructor management, and a cleaner tiered structure. It now uses a tiered plan structure (Essentials, Pro, Elite) where different features are locked per tier, not just site counts.
| What You Needed | Old Cost | New Equivalent | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| LearnDash for 1 site | $199/year | $259/year | ❌ more expensive & more features |
| LearnDash for 10 sites | $399/year | $259/year/site | ⚠️ More Exensive & needs seprate license |
| LearnDash + MemberDash | $398/year | $259/year | ✅ Better value |
The notable addition: MemberDash is now folded into LearnDash subscription. Previously, if you wanted LearnDash and a membership restriction on your site, you needed to pay for both plugins separately. Now it’s bundled into one. That’s a genuine improvement for course creators who needed membership features.
The concern: The new tier structure locks different features per plan level. The old LearnDash pricing model was simple (you paid more only for more sites). Now you pay more for more features too. Budget-conscious users on lower tiers may find key tools locked. As a LearnDash alternative, you can use LiferLMS, Kajabi, or Masteriyo.
4: The Events Calendar: Now tiered, No Separate Add-Ons
The Events Calendar ran a free core plugin + paid add-on model. You bought the add-ons you need to for your website event management. Add-ons were purchased separately with their own license keys. Here’s all old Old Events Calendar plugin Pricing:
| Product | Old Price (1 site) |
|---|---|
| Events Calendar Pro | $149/year |
| Event Tickets Plus | $149/year |
| Virtual Events (add-on) | $89/year |
| Filter Bar (add-on) | $89/year |
| Event Aggregator (importing) | $99/year |
| Community Events + Tickets (both) | $299/year combined |
| Event Marketing Bundle | $289/year |
| Complete Collection Bundle (all plugins) | $499+/year |
Virtual Events and Wallet Plus were previously separate paid add-ons. Community Events and Community Tickets were two separate plugins sold individually.
What is The Events Calendar Now?
After the merger, the events calendar pricing based on three tiers. Virtual Events is now merged into Events Calendar Pro. Wallet Plus is now merged into Event Tickets Plus. Community Events and Community Tickets are now one single plugin called Community.
Here’s the complete The Events Calendar plugin pricing comparison between before & after merger:
| What You Needed | Old Cost | New Cost | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Events Calendar Pro only | $149/year | $259/Year | ❌ More expensive |
| Pro + Virtual Events add-on | $238/year | $259/Year | ✅ Cheaper |
| Pro + Tickets Plus | $298/year | $259/Year | ✅ Cheaper |
| Pro + Tickets + Community | $597/year | $399/Year | ✅ Cheaper |
| Just one or two add-ons | $89–$149 per add-on | $259/Year | ❌ More expensive |
The honest summary: If you previously bought multiple Events Calendar add-ons, the new pricing tiers likely save you money. If you only needed one or two add-ons, now you need to pay for an entire tier that includes things you don’t need. The à la carte option is gone for new buyers.
Part 5: GiveWP: Now tiered, No Separate Add-Ons
GiveWP had a popular free core plugin plus a tiered paid plan model. It also sold individual add-ons separately, which you could mix and match. For example, Recurring donations, Stripe, fee recovery, and P2P fundraising add-ons are sold separately and you could buy them individually for $79 (basic) or $149 (premium).
| Plan | Old Price | What It Included |
|---|---|---|
| Individual add-ons | $79–$199 each | Buy only what you need |
| Basic Plan | $149/year | Core payment gateways, marketing integrations, recurring, annual receipts |
| Plus Plan | $349/year | All basic + all premium add-ons |
| Pro Plan (with P2P) | $499/year | Everything + Peer-to-Peer Fundraising |
After Liquid Web merger, Give is now a three-tier product under Liquid Web. The individual add-on model for new buyers is gone. All add-ons are bundled into tiers, and you don’t need to manage all add-ons license keys separately.
Here’s the quick GiveWP pricing comparison between before & after merger:
| What You Needed | Old Cost | New Cost | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic donations + Stripe + recurring | $228/year | $199/year | ✅ Cheaper |
| Full suite including P2P | $499/year | $399/year | ✅ Cheaper |
| One or two add-ons only | $79–$149 per add-on | $199/year | ❌ more expensive |
The honest summary: Nonprofit organizations that only needed one or two GiveWP add-ons and kept costs low will likely pay more under the new tiered model. However, If you needed the full GiveWP suite, new pricing tiers may actually be cheaper.
Important for nonprofits: GiveWP offers a 15% discount for verified nonprofit organizations. This remains available – contact Liquid Web support with proof and you’ll receive a discount.
The Liquid Web Absorbed Brands – IconicWP, Restrict Content Pro, SolidWP, and MemberDash
These four brands no longer exist as standalone products. They are not sold anywhere. Their features live inside Kadence or LearnDash. I already talked about SolidWP; here’s what each was and where it went.
1: IconicWP → Kadence Shop Kit
IconicWP brands made WooCommerce enhancement plugins. They were widely used by WooCommerce store owners, regardless of their theme or plugin ecosystem. The most used IconnicWP plugins are:
- WooThumbs: advanced WooCommerce product image gallery.
- WooCommerce Delivery Slots: delivery date & time picker.
- Flux Checkout: optimized WooCommerce checkout experience.
- Attribute Swatches
After Liquid Web merger, all IconicWP features are now inside Kadence Shop Kit, which is included in Kadence Pro plan ($219/year).
The problem for existing IconicWP users:
- You can no longer buy WooThumbs for $79/year as a standalone plugin.
- Two specific WooThumbs features do not exist in Kadence Shop Kit: inline video playing in the product gallery, and global product video settings. If your store relied on those, you face a real disruption after one year.
Quick Pricing Comparison:
| What You Needed | Old Cost | New Cost | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| WooThumbs only | $79/year | $219/year (Kadence Pro) | ❌ 2.7X more expensive |
| Attribute Swatches only | $79/year | $219/year (Kadence Pro) | ❌ 2.7X more expensive |
| All Access Club (14 plugins) | $299/year | $219/year (Kadence Pro) | ✅ Cheaper (if on Kadence) |
| Any IconicWP plugin on non-Kadence theme | $79–$299/year | No equivalent option | ❌ Effectively discontinued |
2: Restrict Content Pro (RCP) → Kadence Memberships
Restrict Content Pro was one of the most popular and trusted membership WordPress plugins. RCP was respected for being lightweight, developer-friendly, and working with any theme or page builder. Developers loved it.
After Liquid Web merger, RCP’s features are now inside Kadence Memberships, bundled in Kadence Pro plan ($219/year).
The problem for RCP users:
- RCP’s standalone buying option is gone.
- To use a membership plugin, you need to buy Kadence Pro plan ($219/year).
- For developers who used RCP on client sites with different themes, this is a dead end.
Quick Pricing Comparison:
| What You Needed | Old Cost | New Cost | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Memberships plugin for 1 site | $99/year | $219/year (Kadence Pro) | ❌ 2.2X more expensive |
| Memberships plugin for unlimited sites | $249/year | $399/year (Kadence Elite) | ❌ 60% more expensive |
| RCP on non-Kadence theme | $99–$249/year | No standalone option | ❌ Effectively discontinued |
3: MemberDash → LearnDash
MemberDash was a standalone membership community WordPress plugin made by the LearnDash team. It was sold separately from LearnDash and focused only on online communities and gated content.
After Liquid Web merger, MemberDash is now folded into the new LearnDash plans. Its membership and content restriction features are now part of the LearnDash bundle.
Quick Pricing Comparison:
| What You Needed | Old Cost | New Cost | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Membership features (1 site) | $199/Year | $259/year | ❌ More features than needed, & more expensive |
Where Liquid Web Merger Gets It Right
To be fair to Liquid Web:
- One Liquid Web portal is a real improvement. Managing multiple licenses across Kadence, SolidWP, LearnDash, GiveWP, and IconicWP was a mess. One login at software.liquidweb.com is genuinely better, if you’re using multiple subscriptions.
- Existing customers are protected (for now). Your pricing, features, and license keys stay the same. That’s a reasonable transition.
- Kadence Essentials at $99/year is genuinely cheaper than the old $149/year Essential Bundle. Real savings for users who only needed Kadence Theme pro + Blocks pro.
- Kadence Pro at $219/year includes security + backups at no extra cost compared to the old Full Bundle at the same price. Better value for existing Kadence users.
- Events Calendar and GiveWP consolidations eliminate the headache of managing renewal dates on a dozen separate add-on licenses.
What the Merger Gets It Wrong
- Non-Kadence users with SolidWP are stuck. If you used Solid Security or Solid Backup plugin with another theme, you’re now forced to buy into the Kadence plan or switch to a differnt plugin. I reocmmend using Malcare as Solid Security & BlogVault as a Solid Backup plugin alternatives.
- IconicWP users on non-Kadence themes have no good path forward. WooThumbs, Attribute Swatches, Delivery Slots plugins now locked inside Kadence plans. If you’re not switching themes, you’re access to these plugins in future.
- The Lifetime deal is gone forever. Kadence’s $799 lifetime bundle was one of the most popular WordPress deals. It’s gone. No explanation, just quietly removed.
- Restrict Content Pro had a loyal developer fanbase for it’s clean code, theme-agnostic, simple. Now it’s buried inside a Kadence site builder. Many developers will move to other standalone membership plugins.
- SolidWP’s security education resources “Solid Academy” are gone. Real loss for the security-focused WordPress community.
- Liquid Web says migration is optional. But when your license lapses, the old plan doesn’t exist anymore. You must buy a new Liquid Web plan or swtich to different platform.
FAQs related to Liquid Web & StellarWP Merger
Can I buy Kadence Blocks Pro without the Kadence Theme bundle?
No. After Liquid Web mergers, you need to purchase the Kadence Essentials Bundle plan to access Pro features for either the theme or the blocks.
How will the Liquid Web merger affect my LearnDash and GiveWP support?
All plugins & themes support is being centralized. While the technical teams remain specialized, these brands now operate directly under Liquid Web support. It means billing and high-level account management will likely go through Liquid Web’s support.
Do I need to switch to Kadence Theme to use the new Kadence Security plugin?
No. Security plugin remains compatible with other themes. However, the UI and marketing are now heavily optimized for Kadence theme users. And future feature updates will likely prioritize integration with the Kadence theme.
Final Thoughts
The Liquid Web consolidation makes sense as a business strategy. Maintaining eight separate brands, payments portals, and dozens of overlapping SKUs is expensive and confusing.
But “business strategy” and “good for customers” are not the same thing.
But the people hurt by this restructure are real:
- SolidWP users on other themes are forced to pay for a Kadence site builder, when they don’t need to keep their WordPress security plugin.
- IconicWP users on non-Kadence themes: their WooCommerce add-ons plugins are now gone without a clean migration option.
- RCP developers: Their favorite membership tool is absorbed into a product built for a different purpose.
- MemberDash Users are now paying for an LMS plugin to get a membership features.
- Small nonprofits using one or two GiveWP add-ons are now pushed into tier pricing that costs more.
- Kadence lifetime buyers or those who were planning to buy: this option is permanently gone.
The critical security patches for retired products (like: Solid Security) continue only through April 2027. After that, StellarWP-era plugins get no updates at all. That’s not a forever-guarantee – it’s a sunset timeline dressed up in polite language.
If you’re an existing StellarWP customer, the single most important thing to do right now is check whether your use of plugins/add-ons is covered by the new structure before your next renewal cycle, not after.
Explore Liquid Web New PluginsThat’s all for this article. I’ll update this article when I receive more information about these subscriptions.
Thank you for reading. Have a nice day.
