# Installation & License Activation

> **What it does:** Gets Antradus AI installed on your WordPress site — the free **Lite** edition from WordPress.org, or **Pro** with your license key and automatic updates.
>
> *Applies to Antradus AI Lite & Pro v2.0.0 · Last updated 2026-07-24*

## Before you start

- WordPress 5.8 or newer, PHP 7.4 or newer.
- **Lite (free):** nothing else needed — install straight from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
- **Pro:** your **license key** (from your purchase email or your Antradus account page).

## Installing Lite (free)

1. In your WordPress admin, go to **Plugins → Add New**, search for **Antradus AI Lite**, click **Install Now**, then **Activate**.
2. Open the new **Antradus AI** menu and add your AI provider API key — that's it. Every Lite feature works immediately, no license needed.

## Installing Pro

1. In your WordPress admin, go to **Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin**.
2. Choose the Pro zip you downloaded and click **Install Now**, then **Activate**. (If Lite was active, Pro replaces it automatically — your settings and API keys carry over, both editions share the same settings.)
3. Click the **Antradus AI** menu, paste your license key and click **Activate License**.
4. That's it. The Pro features unlock, and your site now receives **automatic updates** — new versions show up under **Dashboard → Updates** exactly like any other plugin.

<!-- screenshot: installation-and-license-1 — the license activation screen -->

## What the license controls

- **Lite features are always free** — writing articles, SEO meta with Copy buttons, the in-editor assistant, and featured images never need a license.
- **Pro features unlock with a valid license or trial**: bulk publishing, YouTube to Article, the WooCommerce product generator, albums, live web search, merge-2-sources, automatic Yoast/Rank Math fill, and Reporting.
- On the Plugins page you'll see extra links on the Antradus row: **Change License**, **Opt Out**, and **Enable auto-updates**. Use *Account* under the Antradus AI menu to see your plan, renewals, and downloads.

## Tips & gotchas

- **Moving to a new site?** Deactivate the license on the old site first (Account page → deactivate), then activate on the new one.
- **Free trial:** if you started with the 3-day trial, all Pro features work during the trial exactly as licensed.
- If you ever see *"An older copy of Antradus AI Lite was automatically deactivated"* — you had a pre-2.0 Lite installed alongside the new plugin; the new one includes everything it had, and your settings are kept.

## Next step

→ [Connect Your AI Provider](connect-your-ai-provider.md) — the plugin writes nothing until it has an AI provider API key.
