Does PI Giveaways pick winners automatically?
No. Winner selection and award recording are deliberate administrator actions. Random, automatic and weighted draws are not included in Free or Pro. You review the entries, choose the winner and the plugin records the award.
Is PI Giveaways Free a complete plugin?
Yes. Free includes public giveaway pages, responsive entry forms, reusable default forms with per-giveaway field controls, current and past listings in grid, list and masonry layouts, a countdown, entry moderation, CSV export, manual winner records, confirmation and administrator emails, honeypot protection and optional reCAPTCHA v3. Pro adds promotion and operational tools.
Does Pro replace the free plugin?
No. PI Giveaways Pro is an add-on that installs alongside the current PI Giveaways Free plugin. It extends the same settings and uses the same giveaways, entries and awards, so upgrading needs no migration.
What happens when a giveaway expires?
The giveaway stays published. Its entry form is hidden, late submissions are rejected and administrators see a reminder when entries exist but no winner has been recorded. With Pro, the Winner Actions dashboard lists these giveaways and can email you once when one closes.
Are social bonus actions verified?
No. Pro bonus actions open the share or profile link in a new tab and credit the configured bonus entries once per entry when the entrant clicks. PI Giveaways does not verify an actual share, follow or subscription through social networks, so set your giveaway rules with that in mind. Bonus entries are recorded on each entry; winners are still chosen manually.
How long are entries retained?
Indefinitely by default. Automatic deletion only runs when you explicitly enable retention and choose a period, and you can still delete individual entries by hand. Uninstalling the plugin keeps entry and award records to prevent accidental data loss.
Does the plugin need Composer or an external email service?
No. PI Giveaways has no Composer dependency and sends email through the standard WordPress wp_mail() function. Google reCAPTCHA v3 is optional, disabled by default and loads only after you add your keys.
Which licence should I choose?
Every Pro tier includes the same complete feature set. Choose Standard for a single site, Business for a small group of sites, or Developer for agencies managing many client sites. Only the number of licensed domains differs.
How are Pro licences activated?
Install the free plugin, install the Pro add-on alongside it, then enter your licence key in the plugin’s integrated Licence tab. The server confirms the product and the licensed domain, and Pro features unlock on that site.
Does the plugin handle giveaway legal requirements?
PI Giveaways gives you a terms field, promoter details, a privacy page link and eligibility rules (Pro), but site owners are responsible for lawful giveaway terms, privacy information and data handling in their own jurisdiction. Check local rules before you launch.