A new website, WP Engine Tracker, shows the number of sites that have left hosting provider WP Engine since its dispute with WordPress co-creator Matt Mullenweg began in September. Automattic confirmed that it created this site but did not provide further information. The site’s URL is WordPressenginetracker.com. This is notable because Mullenweg and Automattic have argued that WP Engine misused the WordPress trademark and misled people into thinking it was connected to WordPress.com.
Currently, the page reports that over 16,000 domains have moved to a different hosting provider.
The official WordPress account on X has promoted offers and blog posts outlining alternatives to WP Engine.
Mullenweg, Automattic, and WP Engine are in an ongoing legal conflict. Last week, Mullenweg and Automattic filed court documents, asking the judge to dismiss some of WP Engine’s main claims. They also asked the court to deny WP Engine’s preliminary motion, which aims to restore WP Engine’s access to WordPress.org, a repository site owned by Mullenweg.
During TechCrunch Disrupt last week, Mullenweg said that WP Engine will lose more than 8% of its business in the coming weeks. In September, Mullenweg had asked WP Engine to pay 8% of their revenue as a licensing fee for using the WordPress trademark.
“They are losing a lot of customers. We will see what happens. We are at war with them, and we will work to take all of their customers,” Mullenweg said.
A developer, Duane Storey, has also created a plugin to restrict information passed through the WordPress HTTP API. This plugin is not affiliated with WordPress or Automattic. The plugin is available at: https://github.com/wp-privacy/wp-api-privacy.
more info: Techcrunch