What critics say about EtchWP
Critical reviews of the EtchWP page builder for WordPress from people who bought it or considered it, collected from WordPress builder communities on Facebook, YouTube comments and Reddit, plus a few public posts and articles, and grouped by theme.
77 critical posts and comments 25 from the EtchWP user group 14 from The Admin Bar 15 from Dynamic WordPress 5 from YouTube 13 from Reddit 5 from other public posts
25
Pricing, lock-in and long-term trust
Concerns about price, paid add-ons, the direction of the company, and whether to rely on Etch for client work. Echoed in the Admin Bar thread, where commenters point readers to two critical websites and warn them to research the founder.
“Damn who made this?”: the etchwpstudio.com critique site
Shares an independent site critical of the EtchWP-to-Studio pivot. Includes two replies: an Etch team member calling it the work of an anonymous troll, and a member saying the site made them realise they would be locked in.
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When you sink nearly $1,700 into a high-ticket plugin stack, you think you are securing your agency’s future. But you aren’t actually buying stable platform architecture. You are betting your entire business pipeline on a volatile lineup of independent contractors and a single, highly opinionated founder.
If the internal culture sours and the talent walks out the door, your clients’ websites are left tethered to a compromised roadmap. Even worse, you get trapped in the classic WordPress dependency loop. When the core team fractures, you end up having to buy more spinoff tools from ex-employees just to get basic features like dynamic filtering, while praying the next core update doesn’t break your site layout. Building a serious web business on a fragile, multi-vendor plugin stack means you are always at the mercy of someone else’s corporate drama, developer turnover, and comment-scrubbing.
“Is Etch going the lock-in route?”
Notes that Etch AI and static hosting will be paid add-ons and worries lifetime-licence holders will have to subscribe to get the full product. The first visible reply, from the Etch side, calls this confusing and asks whether people expected AI usage or a new platform to be free.
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Marketplace terms and price “the biggest reason not to buy”
Asks why marketplace discounts and affiliate shares were dropped from the pricing, and says uncertainty about which extensions will be allowed is, after the high price, the main reason not to buy. Includes the reply explaining these were early-purchase bonuses and there are no restrictions on third-party integrations.
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No trial, and “mystery” marketing
Asks for a trial or demo before buying and says the “mystery” marketing feels misguided for professionals and makes them hesitant. Replies point to the many demo videos.
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“What do you think about Etch’s pricing?”
Asks about paying $499 for a 15-site lifetime licence for a product at version 0.32 with no WooCommerce support. Replies agree it is expensive up front; one says they will keep living without Etch.
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I’m always wary about FOMO and hype marketing. If a product needs such a large buildup, I wonder if it has legs without all the marketing fluff. I’ve found the more experience I get, the less fancy tools I need.
I hope Bricks make nessary changes to their strategy, plans and their real roadmap of the product in this competition. Like what Elementor did after bricks. I Really like bricks and I have many wishes in it. Also Etch is really expensive for me (Etch + ACSS limited LTD + Frames + maybe other future nessary addons!).
I bought the highest plan but am having a bit of nervousness. He claims this builder will be better than BD, Bricks, etc. (literally listed them in the presentation) but then says it won’t even have Forms. Claims they are too hard and that the pros that built WS Forms will handle that (which means another purchase will be required?). It seems weird to tackle things like Live Canvas but not integrate forms which are essential to every single website. The marketplace confused everyone… Literally no demo, not even a screenshot, got me feeling salty after dishing out $800 for what essentially sounds like a promise. Yes I make enough to buy it, but no I do not like wasting money when I don’t need to.
I’m not saying it won’t add its own perks and vision. But it’s a builder… A plan for a builder is better said. What are we going on about here? I wish everyone the best, but can we please stop with the mystical lingo? It’s getting like a cult really fast. ‘Oh no it’s not a builder’. Well, yes it is. I’m not against this project I wish them the best. Just stop treating people like toddlers. It’s getting really silly.
yes, right. that’s why I have doubts that an equal version to Bricks will be available in 3 years, never within 12 months. But if they would be honest to say it will take 36 months nobody would give money. So, communicating very optimistic is part of the story. Some call it lying, so call it storytelling and planning. Everybody is right.
I asked for a refund few day’s after but Total silence. Replies: “as far as i know there is no possibility of a refund”; “Usually there is a grace period.”; “‘No Refund’ is not an option. If you paid by credit / debit you can dispute the charge and let your bank know your refund request has been ignored.”
Honestly I don't trust Kevin Geary and the pricing for his product makes me even more hesitant. Guy is pretty smart but I've seen the way he talks to people and comes off as a straight asshole. I don't want to support that kind of behavior either and his product doesn't really solve much considering there are how many builders out there?
I wouldn't trust anything from Kevin, look at his history, its all about money making and being a Entrepreneur, as soon as Etch or any one of his products doesn't make the money he wants from it, or becomes too hard , he will most likely drop it and abandon it.
It's a bit concerning to see that Tomi has left Etch team. First, it was Woji…a highly skilled dev who built 'Oh My Etch' with full filtering capabilities just weeks after leaving the team. Now, Tomi is gone too. I don't know the backstory, but judging by how he handled community conversations, he was a genuinely kind guy... My gut tells me something is going on behind the scenes, or there are deeper issues at play.
Because he is a marketer trying to pose as seasoned developer. But when he shows the backend of his own sites (and we already see the front), it's clear as day he hasn't built anything beyond his hobby sites (his own sites built around him). He is a liar. He says he has done million-dollar sites, but he can't even explain basic concepts to build such a site.
He constantly gives answers that seem like answers, but if you go back and listen to them in order to write down the answer, you find he has said a bunch of nothing. He's good at talking in circles and creating Strawman arguments (his 3 reasons for not providing a proof of concept are laughable)... after carefully listening to the Q&A and critically thinking about the entire pitched solution, Etch just feels like another unattainable Holy Grail for web.
It's not really a fair investment. You pay a large lump sum now, with the intention that you will also be helping Kevin's team improve via unpaid beta testing. In the end you just get the product you're paying for, no profit sharing or payoff at the end.
...all his past projects are shut down and deleted and now he's shut down digital gravy. he's not to be trusted imo. i noticed the key word 'tribe' again, well he has that doesn't he. he's trained his tribe like dogs and they are eating out of his hand. he's got them to pay up front despite releasing info in a matter of weeks. i'm sure he'll screw them over and ask for more money and they'll pay without question.
11
Product gaps and reliability
Missing features, slow updates, unanswered bug reports and platform outages.
I’m with you, i think ETCH is an amazing builder (purcahsed presale) but my clients will not like it. I have a hybrid approach and ETCH won’t work, i tired it one time and it was a nightmare. Breakdance is my builder.
I’m having a hard time deciding between Divi and Etch (Etch mainly for the block editor, that’s exactly why I bought it). It’s just that I find myself upset every time I use the block editor, and Divi is a step above Elementor in my short experience with it. For the community I run, I think it would be harder to teach Etch as it’s geared more toward professionals.
I think Etch has potential. But it’s not ready yet. IMHO.
What’s nice is the 2 way sync with Gutenberg, components, and the code output editor which also syncs with the UI. But I have not seen anything yet that demonstrates its supposed claim to do everything in one place - like CPTs, custom fields, SEO. That is also a worrying point - will it be a jack of all trades and master of none by claiming to be able to do all that? And if the plugin is disabled, the UI for CPTs and fields will no longer be available. At least ACF is builder agnostic…
I’d wait a while until it’s released, still looks cumbersome to use unless you love hand writing code.
Then again, I don't know who in their right mind would even buy Etch for that price considering it's effectively in beta, and still lacks many essential features it's promised, not to mention the flaws such as clients being able to access the license key in the database.
12
EtchWP left behind
The biggest theme. Early buyers who paid $500–$1,300 for EtchWP lifetime licences say promised features have stalled while development effort moved to Etch Studio.
“I’ve lost hope for EtchWP”
Cites the founder’s stance on Frames, lack of EtchWP marketing, upselling of Studio and criticism of WordPress as signs EtchWP will be wound down. Includes a screenshot of the founder’s YouTube reply asking whether they should keep making a product if WordPress becomes irrelevant. The YouTube commenter’s name and photo are blurred.
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“The disconnect between the DG team and early adopters is threefold”
Long post listing three problems: the team keeps saying EtchWP “will be developed” after earlier pivots (Frames, Frames for Figma); buyers paid a large premium of $1,000+ for a promise; and the founder criticising WordPress contradicts claims that EtchWP will continue. Ends with a TL;DR asking for actions, not statements.
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Investor-plan buyer: “EtchWP is completely unfinished”
An Investor-plan buyer says the “coming soon” roadmap has not moved in almost a year, native filtering and WooCommerce are missing, and EtchWP now feels like a bonus for buying Studio. Says they feel deceived and will not buy the founder’s products again. Includes screenshots of the original pricing tiers and roadmap. First visible reply disputes the “zero progress” claim.
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Early backer: “my biggest bad investment in recent years”
A backer from September 2024 says Studio reduced EtchWP development and early backers must pay full price for Studio. Includes two replies: a mixed one that likes EtchWP but is concerned about how the founder talks to people, and a reply that EtchWP is still in active development and Studio is optional and discounted for existing customers.
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Group admin: “I agree with a lot of what’s being said”
The group admin, a day-one Investor Partner buyer, says he agrees with much of the criticism of EtchWP being left behind, but bans further repetitive EtchWP vs Studio complaint threads. Legitimate criticism and bug reports remain welcome.
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“About EtchWP”: is it dead?
Notes the last EtchWP update was a month earlier and new features go to Studio first, quoting the official line that features are built in Studio then ported. Compares paying $1,200 for EtchWP with $99 for Oxygen. Top comments include “So wait; this Etch Studio is another product you have to buy on TOP of Etch?”
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“Can we get a refund for EtchWP?”
Says the official community has become hostile to questions, and that money invested in EtchWP appears to have funded a different product. Compares it to a builder leaving your house half-finished to build the neighbour’s. Asks for a refund. Top comment blames the founder for the tone of the community.
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Anonymous: “Early adopters should be able to ask where the priorities are”
Posted anonymously for fear of consequences. Argues that early buyers financed Etch before an alpha existed, yet large parts of the EtchWP vision remain unfinished while Etch Studio gets active development at $49/month. Asks what Studio work will benefit EtchWP and what the plan is to finish it.
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I guess I need to watch the video. I was kind of expecting something like this as things had seemed to slow down in the EtchOSphere. It seems Etch is to leave Wordpress behind…I think Kevin and the team will do a great deal of credibility damage if what I think is happening happens. Ill watch the video…I invested in the very first round, Sept 24 I think, and without even watching the video…just reading the comments I’m feeling let down already. Hey ho…you live and learn I guess. Best wishes to you all.
My problem with declaring that WordPress is a dead platform is that during a presale stream of EtchWP, I asked a question about what would happen to EtchWP if WordPress is not a viable platform anymore and I didn’t really get a definitive answer about their plans if that were to happen… So being told now that WordPress is a dead platform after being sold a product for said platform is like a bitter pill to swallow. Sure I can still use EtchWP to build WordPress sites but as Kevin said in this video why would I need WordPress if Etch Studio will do most of what I would need for 8-9 out of 10 websites.
Kevin, I apologize if my IQ isn’t nearly as high as yours… A couple of years ago, when there was no ETCH, I was one of the early investors. I am from South Africa, and some of us from here are struggling to make ends meet. Besides that situation, I have risked investing in Etch, and now I may lose that investment. You will soon introduce monthly payments with Etch Studio, so Etch under the WP will cease to exist, and I will lose everything… Will I still be included in some LTD Studio Environment or anything like that, so I can continue building websites, or will I be left in the dust?
“What do you think about the future of EtchWP?”
After a livestream, worries Etch Studio will become the main focus and EtchWP will take a back seat, as happened with Oxygen when Breakdance arrived. Also concerned by the change in tone about WordPress and Gutenberg.
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12
Etch vs Bricks: builders staying put
From a November 2026 thread in The Admin Bar Community asking whether Etch is worth switching to. These commenters either tried Etch and went back, or see no reason to leave Bricks.
it’s weird seeing so many Etch fans say Etch is the Right way when only a year ago Bricks was the right way and 2 years prior oxygen. Etch is one way. The rest is marketing.
Bricks is more mature, multiple devs supporting the ecosystem and has better pricing. There is no real benefit unless u intend to show support.
17
How critics are treated
Posts accusing the founder of hostility toward critics, removing paying customers from the official community, and suppressing discussion. Several of these are part of an ongoing dispute between the group admin and the Etch team, so read them as one side of that dispute.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, Kevin Geary:”
A video clip of the founder on a livestream, posted without comment. The top reply asks admins to delete it as it adds no context or constructive criticism; another calls him an opinionated expert but says Etch is still good software.
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Admin: “Retaliation against a paying EtchWP customer”
The group admin says that shortly after he banned the founder from this group, his own access to the official Etch community, included with his top-tier licence, was disabled. He calls it retaliation and says he will look into his options.
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Admin removes the founder from the group
The admin removes the founder, calling him a bully who gaslights people. The top reply, from an Investor-plan buyer, says the founder’s attitude led them to return to Bricks and to plan dropping ACSS too.
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Regarding the personal attacks: It’s just an advice, but I think you should be professional about it. Being the bigger person and simply dismantling them in a rather kind way gives a much more of a charismatic leadership vibe… it contributes to a leadership persona that can be seen as having challenges managing negativity / etc. You may not care about this at all, but for some people it might be a deciding factor on whether to invest into your products.
Customer removed from the official community
A buyer says the founder removed him from the official community after a comment about features moving to Studio first, and quotes the comment. Includes a screenshot of the access-denied page; the email and IP address in it are blurred. Top comment: stopped using the product until it delivers on its promises.
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Wow, this is impressive. I listened the first 39 Minutes of the video and all I heard was, WordPress is dumb, Matt Mullenweg is dumb (yes, he is strange), Users are dumb. The only person which is not dumb seems to be Kevin G. A serious and professional path is something completely different… I wish you all the best, Kevin, I am sad that things seem not to play out as you planned.
Geary was removed from the Bricks Community on Feb 15, 2026, due to a long-running pattern of disruptive, belittling, and hostile interactions toward other members.
Tying product support to moderation decisions is not an acceptable way to handle this.
Member: “are you implying [name] doesn’t have experience with the question that was asked? That would not only be nasty but also baseless. What is not baseless is that you’re the one selling the tool. So what does that mean for the advice you are giving?” Etch’s founder: “she doesn’t have experience with the tool being asked about, that’s correct.” Member: “the question was not about the tool, but about sense. Sense not sales.” Founder: “the tool is literally mentioned by name in the post. I know that you just want to troll and distract and fight, but I’m not interested.” Member: “LOL ok. So ad hominem again.”
Enter a new industry. Build an audience using fear-based marketing and absolutist positioning. Create paid “inner circles” or premium memberships around his personal brand. Attack dissenters or critics as “haters” or “low-quality individuals.” Eventually flame out, blame the industry, and move on while claiming the industry couldn’t survive without him.
Etch’s founder: “How would that help anything? All that would do is feed the trolls and confuse people. And it wouldn’t look anything like the eventual product. So, what does it accomplish except to give a handful of people some temporary warm and fuzzies?” Commenter: “for me personally, clarity on the vision of the product.” Founder: “How does an example of something that is far removed from the eventual official version give you clarity?” Commenter: “you’re asking for a pretty sizable investment upfront for a product that doesn’t yet exist. I like knowing what I’m buying. A working alpha/demo shows what you’ve envisioned. Now.. if that changes with community feedback, great. I’m just not sold on a non existent product.”
Asked for a demo before paying, the reply was that it would only “feed the trolls”
I've met Kevin on Bricks Community facebook group. I would not trust him enough to look after a rabbit, not talking about giving him any money! He's slimy as hell, argues with people who were asking him questions. Then blames the whole world for god knows what. Avoid!
I actually tried to warn him about Kevin before he joined his team. I've been around long enough to recognize the red flags. Kevin has a serious case of Napoleon syndrome and is clearly not mentally stable... He feels that if he shared everything that happened, it would negatively affect Etch's sales, and the people he cares about would suffer the consequences. So, he's choosing to stay quiet. However, he did admit that he's really not a fan of how Kevin treats people in those Facebook groups.
I wouldn't touch anything from Geary after the ACSS and bricks fiasco. The guy is toxic.
I liked him in the beginning, but started seeing him as a tech trump. He is rude, repeats himself in the same way, cannot take criticism and talks shit if you use other products than his.
He once called a bunch of people on Discord 'beta males' unironically, cause they didn't agree with him on something... He's right about the ad hominem attacks when it comes to criticism. I'm okay with FOMO when it's a product you can see. What i'm not okay with is FOMO + gaslighting/ad hominem attacks when people don't drink his koolaid for a product that no one can see.