Startise
Startise is a Bangladesh-based holding company operating 45+ WordPress plugins, six Shopify apps, and SaaS products (Templately, easy.jobs, xCloud) serving more than 6 million SMB and prosumer users globally through freemium product-led growth.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2024
- HeadquartersDhaka, Bangladesh
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Startise does
Startise is a Bangladesh-headquartered holding company operating a portfolio of software products serving the WordPress and Shopify ecosystems. Founded in 2024 around the 2011-established WPDeveloper business, the company is led by Founder & Chairman M Asif Rahman and Founder & CEO Nazmul Hasan Rupok, with a team of 120+ employees primarily based in Dhaka and satellite offices in the USA, Dubai, and the Philippines. The portfolio spans 45+ WordPress plugins under WPDeveloper (including Essential Addons, Essential Blocks, BetterDocs, NotificationX, EmbedPress, BetterLinks, SchedulePress, and Better Payment, collectively accumulating 173M+ downloads and serving 6M+ users), six Shopify apps under the Storeware brand (StoreSEO, TrustSync, StoreFAQ, BetterDocs for Shopify, EasyFlow, and Vidify, serving 26,000+ eCommerce stores), and standalone SaaS products Templately (6,500+ WordPress templates), easy.jobs (AI-powered ATS serving 28,000+ businesses), and xCloud (WordPress hosting management platform launched 2024). Core technology is built on PHP, JavaScript, React.js, and Node.js stacks native to the WordPress and Shopify plugin ecosystems.
Revenue is generated through a freemium-first model: free plugin/app tiers on WordPress.org and the Shopify App Store drive adoption and conversion to paid premium tiers (annual billing predominant, monthly for xCloud). The go-to-market motion is product-led growth combined with strong community-led distribution, including Platinum-level WordCamp sponsorship (WordCamp Dhaka 2025 with 50+ team participants), 130+ hours/week of WordPress Core contributions from 30+ engineers, and direct brand websites for premium upgrades. Distribution is exclusively digital and self-serve across global markets, with no physical retail, channel reseller, or enterprise sales motion indicated. Customer segments are horizontal SMBs and individual prosumer users in three primary verticals: WordPress website builders, Shopify eCommerce merchants, and HR/recruitment teams.
Startise firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Startise
- Legal name
- Startise
- Website
- https://startise.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2024
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Startise is a Bangladesh-based holding company operating 45+ WordPress plugins, six Shopify apps, and SaaS products (Templately, easy.jobs, xCloud) serving more than 6 million SMB and prosumer users globally through freemium product-led growth.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Startise industry classification
Industry- Product category
- WordPress Plugins and Shopify Apps
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (51321), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Content Operations & Workflow Management (BPAFAIAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Web Content Management (WCM) & Experience Platforms (Content Services) (HDAEAGAK), Industry-Specific Low-Code Platforms (Vertical App Platforms) (HDAEAKAL)
Keywords
Where Startise is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Dhaka
- HQ country
- Bangladesh
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices3 records
Markets served
Startise business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Freemium WordPress Plugin Sales: Core revenue from freemium WordPress plugins (Essential Addons, Essential Blocks, BetterDocs, NotificationX, EmbedPress, BetterLinks, SchedulePress, Better Payment) distributed through WordPress.org repository. Free tier drives adoption; premium upgrades provide advanced features and support.
- Shopify App Sales: Revenue from Shopify apps including StoreSEO (with 'Built for Shopify' badge), StoreFAQ, BetterDocs for Shopify, EasyFlow, Vidify, and TrustSync distributed through Shopify App Store.
- SaaS Subscriptions: Recurring subscription revenue from SaaS products including easy.jobs (AI-powered ATS/hiring SaaS with 28,000+ businesses) and xCloud (hosting management platform with free plan and paid tiers).
- WordPress Template Cloud: Revenue from Templately, an AI-powered templates cloud for WordPress with 6,500+ ready templates, offering cloud workspace and premium template access.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Annual | Essential Addons - Free with optional premium |
| Freemium | Annual | Essential Blocks - Free with optional premium |
| Freemium | Annual | StoreSEO - Free to install |
| Freemium | Monthly | xCloud - Free plan available, paid upgrades |
| Freemium | Annual | Storeware portfolio - Free to install, varying paid plans |
| Freemium | Annual | EasyFlow - Shopify Product Options App |
Go-to-market motion4 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Startise product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Startise is a portfolio product company that builds, distributes, and monetizes a portfolio of WordPress plugins, Shopify apps, and SaaS tools through sub-brands including WPDeveloper, Storeware, Templately, easy.jobs, and xCloud. Its products cover website building (Essential Addons, Essential Blocks), eCommerce optimization (StoreSEO, StoreFAQ, EasyFlow, Vidify, TrustSync), marketing (NotificationX, BetterDocs, EmbedPress), operations (BetterLinks, SchedulePress, Better Payment), recruitment (easy.jobs), and hosting (xCloud), collectively serving 6+ million users across 180+ countries via freemium distribution.
Product overview
Startise is a portfolio company operating across WordPress and Shopify ecosystems with multiple sub-brands and products. The company is structured around parent brand WPDeveloper (with 45+ WordPress plugins, 173+ million downloads serving 6M+ users) and Storeware (Shopify growth ecosystem with apps for SEO, reviews, FAQs, docs, options, and AI video). Core products include Essential Addons for Elementor (110+ widgets, 2M+ websites), Essential Blocks for Gutenberg (70+ blocks, 200K+ users), and BetterDocs knowledge base plugin (40K+ users). The marketing/productivity suite includes NotificationX (FOMO/social proof), EmbedPress (250+ content sources), BetterLinks (link management), SchedulePress (social sharing), and Better Payment (Elementor checkout). Shopify portfolio includes StoreSEO (AI SEO Agent with Built for Shopify badge), TrustSync, StoreFAQ, BetterDocs for Shopify, EasyFlow, and Vidify. Supporting products include Templately (6,500+ WordPress templates), easy.jobs (AI recruitment/ATS, 28K+ businesses), and xCloud (WordPress hosting control panel). Collectively serving over 6 million users across 180+ countries.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- WPDeveloper: Leading WordPress product company with 45+ advanced plugins and 15 years of experience, empowering 6 million+ happy users to grow their businesses
- Storeware
- Templately
- easy.jobs
- xCloud
- Essential Addons
- Essential Blocks
- BetterDocs
- NotificationX
- EmbedPress
- BetterLinks
- SchedulePress
- Better Payment
- StoreSEO
Products and services
- Essential Addons for Elementor
Quantifiable outcome
- Essential Addons is used every 1 minute to create a new Elementor website
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Startise
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Startise technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability7 records
Feature12 records
Startise partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- WordCamp Dhaka 2025 Organizing CommitteecoreStartise served as Lalbagh Legacy (Platinum) sponsor of WordCamp Dhaka 2025, the largest WordPress gathering in Bangladesh. More than 50 team members participated as official Organizers, Volunteers, Speakers, and Contribution Table Leads. The company hosted an exclusive sponsor booth with swags, games, and mega giveaways (iPhone Air).
- WordPress Bangladesh Community (via Campus Connect Program)minorStartise supports the WordPress Bangladesh community's Campus Connect Program which connects students across Bangladesh to WordPress, helping them build portfolios, careers and professional experiences. 7 partner campuses and 305 students joined the program in 2025.
Scale indicators15 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Startise competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- WP Engine: WP Engine is a managed WordPress hosting platform with strong ecosystem positioning, directly comparable to Startise's xCloud hosting management product. Both serve WordPress SMBs and agencies with infrastructure and tooling bundles.
- Yoast: Yoast is one of the most established WordPress SEO plugin companies, operating on the same freemium distribution model and targeting the same SMB and agency audience that Startise serves across its WordPress portfolio.
- Kinsta: Kinsta is a premium managed WordPress hosting provider competing with xCloud in the WordPress hosting and management space, particularly for agencies and high-traffic WordPress sites.
- Privy: Privy is a popular Shopify marketing/conversion app targeting SMB merchants in the same segment Startise's Storeware portfolio serves. Both compete for Shopify merchant share of wallet across SEO, email, and conversion tools.
- Rank Math: Rank Math is a fast-growing WordPress SEO plugin competing for the same search-optimization share as StoreSEO's Shopify offering. Both use freemium + upsell mechanics distributed through WordPress.org.
- Elementor: Elementor is the leading WordPress page builder whose ecosystem Startise builds on directly via Essential Addons (110+ Elementor widgets, 2M+ sites). Both target the same WordPress SMB/freelancer segment with freemium plugin distribution through WordPress.org.
- Judge.me: Judge.me is a leading Shopify reviews app (similar to Startise's TrustSync) with a similar freemium, SMB-merchant target customer. Both operate in the Shopify App Store ecosystem with similar review-aggregation and trust-signal value propositions.
Broad incumbents
- Webflow: Webflow is a broader no-code website building platform competing in the same SMB/agency digital presence category that Startise's WordPress plugin portfolio serves, though with a different technology foundation.
- Automattic: Automattic (parent of WordPress.com, WooCommerce, Jetpack, Akismet) is the largest incumbent in the WordPress ecosystem, providing both competing plugins and the underlying platform Startise depends on. Relevant for ecosystem positioning and competitive threat assessment.
- HubSpot CMS Hub: HubSpot offers CMS Hub and content management tools that compete with Startise's documentation, knowledge base, and content marketing products (e.g., BetterDocs, NotificationX) for mid-market and SMB content operations budgets.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Startise social profiles
Digital presenceStartise financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Startise leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Startise subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries14 records
Startise funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Startise M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Startise
What does Startise do?
Startise is a portfolio product company that builds, distributes, and monetizes a portfolio of WordPress plugins, Shopify apps, and SaaS tools through sub-brands including WPDeveloper, Storeware, Templately, easy.jobs, and xCloud. Its products cover website building (Essential Addons, Essential Blocks), eCommerce optimization (StoreSEO, StoreFAQ, EasyFlow, Vidify, TrustSync), marketing (NotificationX, BetterDocs, EmbedPress), operations (BetterLinks, SchedulePress, Better Payment), recruitment (easy.jobs), and hosting (xCloud), collectively serving 6+ million users across 180+ countries via freemium distribution.
Is Startise a public or private company?
Startise is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Startise founded?
Startise was founded in 2024. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Startise based?
Startise is headquartered in Dhaka, Bangladesh, in the Asia region.
How does Startise make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Freemium WordPress Plugin Sales are the primary driver. The others are shopify App Sales, saaS Subscriptions and wordPress Template Cloud.
Who are Startise's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are WP Engine, Yoast, Kinsta, Privy, Rank Math, Elementor and Judge.me. Broad incumbents are Webflow, Automattic and HubSpot CMS Hub.
Does Startise have an API?
No public API is recorded for Startise.
What industry is Startise in?
Startise's product category is WordPress Plugins and Shopify Apps. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAFAIAI, Content Operations & Workflow Management, with a secondary code of HDAEAGAK, Web Content Management (WCM) & Experience Platforms (Content Services). Its NAICS code is 51321 and its SIC code is 7372.