Start here: the decision
Is Etch Studio included in the Etch lifetime deal?
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Analysis
Full breakdown
This is the single most valuable page on etchwpstudio.com: a money question thousands of Etch lifetime deal holders need answered, and one the vendor answered only in passing on a live stream.
The direct quote
“No, no, cuz that is etch for WordPress. That's a WordPress plugin.”
Geary's reasoning on the same stream: WordPress plugins cost the vendor nothing to deploy infinitely; Studio has direct cost because they operate and maintain the database. That explains a hosting fee. It does not, by itself, explain why the same Svelte canvas requires a second product entitlement rather than an adapter upgrade for people who already paid. For the layer-by-layer breakdown — database, media, compute versus the canvas LTD holders already funded — see How much does Etch Studio cost?.
The LTD sale timeline
The sequence matters. This page reports dates and quotes; it does not claim the vendor sold lifetime deals while planning to exclude them from Studio.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Jun 10, 2026 | Public API v1 teased on YouTube. LTD sunset teased: "going away in July … not officially announced yet." |
| Jun 11, 2026 | Email: "Etch LTDs are disappearing in July." |
| Jul 1, 2026 | Official email: all LTD options removed Jul 15, 2026, 9pm ET, "will not return." |
| Jul 15, 2026 | LTD deadline passes. |
| Aug 25, 2026 | Studio revealed. LTD confirmed to exclude Studio. |
See the full documented timeline for context before and after these dates.
What the LTD does cover
An Etch lifetime deal covers EtchWP — the WordPress plugin that writes Gutenberg blocks into your WordPress database. Community members discussing Studio pricing have confirmed the same framing: the LTD is for etchWP and ACSS as WordPress plugins, not for the hosted Studio canvas.
The January 2026 signal
“A Top Secret Exploratory Mission — We're working on something we're not ready to talk about yet. But when we are, it's going to change the model again.”
On January 30, 2026, six months before the LTD deadline, the vendor publicly announced an unnamed project that would "change the model again" and continued selling lifetime deals with urgency messaging through July. Reporting that sequence is documented. Asserting they knew Studio would exclude LTD holders is not.
What to watch for
Geary said on stream that the Etch community would be first to receive an offer for Studio. If LTD holders receive Studio free or heavily discounted, this page must be rewritten the same day. Until then, the answer stands: the lifetime deal is for the WordPress plugin, and Studio is a separate subscription.
For the product comparison behind this entitlement split, see EtchWP vs Etch Studio.
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
- Did Etch lifetime deals end?
- Yes. On July 1, 2026, an official email announced that all lifetime deal options for Etch and ACSS would be removed on July 15, 2026 at 9pm ET and would not return. A June 11 email warned that Etch LTDs were disappearing in July. The deadline passed; no new Etch LTD purchases are available as of September 2026.
- What did the Etch lifetime deal include?
- The Etch lifetime deal covered EtchWP, the WordPress plugin — confirmed again on August 25, 2026 when Geary said the LTD is etch for WordPress and that is a WordPress plugin. It did not include Etch Studio, which has separate hosting and database costs. ACSS lifetime deals are a separate product covering the Automatic.css WordPress plugin.
- Will lifetime deal holders get a discount on Studio?
- As of September 2026, no official Studio pricing or LTD-holder offer has been published. On the August 25, 2026 stream, Geary said the Etch community would be the first to learn about Studio, get access, and receive an offer. Community members have discussed roughly 45 to 50 dollars per month — figures circulated by members, not a published price list.
- Is ACSS included in Etch Studio?
- On the August 25, 2026 stream, Geary said ACSS could be bundled with Studio and that he was considering including it as part of the workflow. ACSS is built for WordPress and requires a PHP-to-JS conversion for Studio. As of September 2026, the bundle terms are unconfirmed; community discussion suggests Etch plus ACSS together, not ACSS replacing the LTD entitlement.
- Can I still buy an Etch lifetime deal?
- No. The July 15, 2026 deadline has passed and the vendor stated those plans would not return. Annual subscriptions remain available for EtchWP. Anyone evaluating Etch today faces a WordPress plugin license plus a separate Studio subscription if they want the hosted canvas with the newer architecture.
Evidence
Sources used
YouTube streams
- WDD LIVE 128 (Aug 25, 2026) — 2026-08-25
Email broadcasts
- We're Ending LTDs for All Products on July 15th — 2026-07-01
- Etch Can Now Use Any AI Model in Any Harness — 2026-06-11
Blog and marketing pages
- Etch v1.0: The Official Release — 2026-01-30
Where this leads
The path they skipped
One Svelte app with adapter-based backends — WordPress headless, SQLite, or Postgres — and hosted or self-hosted output. Same canvas, no second checkout.
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