Security advisorywp2shell: WordPress core vulnerability. Updated August 4, 2026.

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How to Use License on Staging or Dev Sites

Instructions on using WP Security Ninja license on dev and staging sites. Our guide ensures you can manage and protect your testing environments efficiently.

Yes, you can use your license on test or staging sites. they do not count against the license limit.

TLDs that are considered as dev or staging:

*.dev
Dev or staging TLD
*.dev.cc
DesktopServer
*.test
Dev or staging TLD
*.local
Dev or staging TLD
*.staging
Dev or staging TLD
*.example
Dev or staging TLD
*.invalid
Dev or staging TLD
*.myftpupload.com
GoDaddy
*.cloudwaysapps.com
Cloudways
*.wpsandbox.pro
WPSandbox
*.ngrok.io
Tunneling
*.mystagingwebsite.com
Pressable
*.tempurl.host
WPMU DEV
*.wpmudev.host
WPMU DEV
*.websitepro-staging.com
Vendasta
*.websitepro.hosting
Vendasta
*.instawp.xyz
InstaWP

Subdomains that are considered as dev or staging:

local.*
Dev or staging subdomain
dev.*
Dev or staging subdomain
test.*
Dev or staging subdomain
stage.*
Dev or staging subdomain
staging.*
Dev or staging subdomain
stagingN.*
SiteGround (N is an unsigned int)
*.wpengine.com
WP Engine
dev-*.pantheonsite.io
Pantheon
test-*.pantheonsite.io
Pantheon
staging-*.kinsta.com
Kinsta
staging-*.kinsta.cloud
Kinsta

Additionally, if your domain is localhost (with any port), it will also be treated as a localhost domain.

You can check out more details here:

freemius.com/help/documentation/selling-with-freemius/license-utilization/

Still stuck? Get help or contact us.