The Etch timeline. Every date. Every source.
What was said in public about EtchWP and Etch Studio, and when: list emails, livestreams, the vendor's blog and changelog, and community posts. Dated events only, each with its source. Analysis lives in the articles.
Showing 32 of 32 entries.
Before launch
2021 – Sep 2024 · 4 entries
ACSS development begins (context for the Digital Gravy ecosystem).
Source: Aug 25, 2026 stream
Waiting list opens. Email: "The mission of Etch is intertwined with a larger mission of dramatically improving the WP ecosystem." "We do it together, or we don't do it at all."
Source: List email
Pre-sale livestream. No working product shown. Public development begins after the reveal.
Source: Blog (referenced Sep 2025 post)
Public r/WordPress thread: commenters predict ecosystem lock-in and that the architecture may not need WordPress.
Source: Reddit (public)
Building EtchWP in public
2025 · 4 entries
Public r/WordPress commenter notes a "last chance" investment round was followed by Round 2 within six months.
Source: Reddit (public)
"The WordPress Architecture Crisis" published: "All of this can be fixed without abandoning WordPress."
Source: Vendor blog
Cart reopens. Flex Pay LTD last call; pre-pay LTDs continue past v1 launch.
Source: Vendor blog
Year one: 2,657 commits, 40+ releases. "Pre-sale money … as an investment in our vision." v1 plan announced.
Source: Vendor blog
Version 1.0 and the end of lifetime deals
Jan – Jul 2026 · 9 entries
EtchWP still on 1.0.0-beta-10 — three weeks before the v1.0 release post.
Source: Circle release notice (date anchor)
v1.0 official release. "Welcome to Era 4." "What's Next" includes WooCommerce and "A Top Secret Exploratory Mission" that will "change the model again."
Source: Vendor blog
List poll on AI and web design. January still "traditional workflows"; Jan–Apr "AI everything" and "uncertainty levels are off the charts."
Source: List email
Founder tests vibe-coded side product alone; "Nobody on the Digital Gravy team can help me" — team stays on Etch.
Source: List email
Public API v1 teased. "Any model, any IDE" demo. "Etch static" (later renamed) teased as WordPress-light. LTD sunset teased on stream.
Source: YouTube
"Etch LTDs are disappearing in July."
Source: List email
Official: all LTD options removed from Etch + ACSS on July 15, 2026, 9pm ET. Same day: EtchWP 1.6.0 ships the Asset Manager.
Source: List email + changelog
EtchWP 1.6.2 — six new features: loop editing, taxonomy editing, nested asset collections, compression presets.
Source: Public changelog
LTDs end, 9pm ET.
Source: List email
Maintenance releases, then Etch Studio
Jul – Sep 2026 · 8 entries
EtchWP 1.6.3 — two fixes plus one feature flag.
Source: Public changelog
EtchWP 1.6.4 — one new field type, one improvement, four fixes.
Source: Public changelog
EtchWP 1.6.5 — three fixes, zero new features.
Source: Public changelog
EtchWP 1.6.6 — three fixes. One day before the Studio reveal.
Source: Public changelog
Studio revealed (alpha). Same UI. "Etch static" renamed. LTD does not include Studio. WordPress called "a dead platform."
Source: YouTube
EtchWP 1.6.7 — one API property, one improvement, three fixes. The latest release until October 2.
Source: Public changelog
Relationships demo: "Yes, it's coming to Etch Studio first … Etch Studio is a true relational database."
Source: Vendor community (staff post)
Community discussion of ≈$45–50/month for Etch + ACSS; member confirms LTD covers etchWP and ACSS as WordPress plugins only.
Source: Vendor community
EtchWP 1.7 and Etch Studio pricing
Oct – Nov 2026 · 7 entries
EtchWP 1.6.8 — two new dynamic-data modifiers and a shortcut, faster builder on large pages, one fix.
Source: Public changelog
EtchWP 1.7.0 — five new items: Yoast SEO and Rank Math now analyze rendered Etch content. The most new items in one release since 1.6.2 on July 8.
Source: Public changelog
Public Studio price rises to $59/month. Founder: "This new pricing ($59/mo) does not get public customers EtchWP or ACSSWP." Existing EtchWP customers get a separate $49 checkout link.
Source: Vendor community (founder post)
Founder sets the $49 terms: "Existing Etch users have to add it by the end of Nov and THEN you're grandfathered in." "You're grandfathered in as long as it stays active."
Source: Vendor community (founder replies)
EtchWP 1.7.1 — three fixes. The latest release as of Nov 2.
Source: Public changelog
Founder: "The eventual plan for etch studio is $99 a month which includes etch for WordPress." No $99 plan is published as of Nov 1.
Source: Vendor community (founder reply)
End of November: the stated deadline for existing EtchWP customers to add Studio at $49/month (stated Oct 15). After it, the public $59 applies.
Source: Vendor community (founder reply, Oct 15)
Go deeper
The timeline only says what happened and when. For what it means, and what to do instead: