How we build Joomla extensions, and how the subscription works in practice

The news category description above sets out who we are and what is in the directory. This first post takes a closer look at how Multizone builds Joomla extensions, what the 30-day free trial does, and what the subscription pays for. The weeks that follow take each extension on its own.

How we build

The approach is straightforward. We treat extension development the way a software team would treat any product: continuous integration, automated testing on multiple Joomla and PHP versions, version-controlled releases, and Joomla Extensions Directory compliance built in rather than retrofitted. Every release goes through the same pipeline. When Joomla itself releases a new minor or major version, we test against it before shipping anything new. When a PHP version reaches end of life, we update the extensions before the EOL date, not after.

Security work runs in parallel. Static analysis, dependency scanning, and a deliberate posture of fixing rather than feature-stacking when something does come up. Extensions get into customer Joomla installations, where they hold subscription keys and, in the case of our payment extension for Stripe, can move money. Treating that responsibility seriously is part of what the subscription pays for.

How the subscription works

All six extensions are released under the GPL. You can install them, inspect the code and share them with colleagues. The subscription does two things: it unlocks the feature tiers at runtime via a subscription key, and it funds the ongoing testing, security, JED compliance and Joomla and PHP version maintenance described above.

The trial is 30 days, feature-limited. You install the extension, it runs the trial automatically. At the end of the trial we'd like to think you'll consider buying a subscription key. Nothing breaks; trial features continue to work.

There is no annual price increase by default, no forced upsell to a higher tier, and no add-on charges for support during the subscription period. If you raise a support question and the answer involves a fix, the fix ships to everyone in the next release. We think of paying subscribers as the small group whose subscriptions make ongoing quality possible for everyone running the extensions, paid or free.

What we have shipped recently

Two releases in the last few weeks worth flagging now, both of which we will dig into properly in the weeks ahead.

AI Assisted Article Generator now includes Topic Hoppers. A topic hopper is a list of subjects you want Joomla articles written on, each topic with its own cadence. You can have as many topics as you like, each with its own schedule, and the extension generates articles automatically as scheduled tasks. It turns the article generator from a one-at-a-time helper into a content stream for sites that need a steady flow of new articles.

Subscriptions Manager now supports third-party security key management. This is a more niche extension: it means that developers building their own subscription-based Joomla extensions can use Subscriptions Manager to issue and manage their own keys, with the same security model we use for our own extensions.

What is coming next

A new Proposals extension is in development. It is aimed at organisations that contract for services, subscriptions or products, and gives Joomla a structured way to author, send and manage proposals through to acceptance. More on this when it is closer to release. Let me know if this is of interest.

What to do with this post