January 2021 marked a steady start to the year for the WordPress ecosystem. While there were no new core releases, development activity continued across plugins, hosting, security, and the wider community.
From notable acquisitions and Gutenberg updates to community events and security insights, the month reflected ongoing progress behind the scenes. WordPress continued to strengthen its foundation, with contributors, companies, and creators preparing for the next phase of platform growth.
Mergers, Acquisitions, and Investments
January 2021 saw notable consolidation across the WordPress security, maintenance, and plugin ecosystem. These acquisitions reflected a growing focus on security, managed services, and long-term product sustainability.
Patchstack Acquires ThreatPress
Patchstack acquired ThreatPress, a WordPress security monitoring tool known for detecting vulnerabilities and malicious activity. The acquisition strengthened Patchstack’s position in WordPress security research and vulnerability disclosure, helping expand real-time protection for WordPress sites.
WP Buffs Acquires WP EZI
WP Buffs, a WordPress maintenance and support company, acquired WP EZI, an Australia-based WordPress support provider. This move expanded WP Buffs’ global presence and reinforced its focus on managed WordPress services and ongoing site care.
Liquid Web Acquires The Events Calendar (Modern Tribe)
Liquid Web acquired The Events Calendar, a popular WordPress events plugin developed by Modern Tribe. The acquisition marked Liquid Web’s continued investment in WordPress products and services, adding a widely used plugin to its growing portfolio and strengthening its position in the WordPress ecosystem.
Overall, January 2021 highlighted strategic growth through acquisitions, with companies investing in security, managed services, and established WordPress products to expand their reach and capabilities.
WordPress Core Updates
January 2021 did not include a new WordPress core release. The platform remained on WordPress 5.6, which had been released in December 2020 and continued as the stable version throughout the month.
Other WordPress News
January 2021 featured a mix of plugin updates, community initiatives, and leadership communication within the WordPress ecosystem.
Gutenberg Plugin Updates
Versions 9.7 and 9.8 of the Gutenberg plugin were released during the month. These updates introduced incremental improvements to the block editor as part of ongoing development ahead of future core releases.
WordFest Live 2021
WordFest Live 2021 took place on January 22 as a free, 24-hour global WordPress festival. The event brought together contributors and users worldwide, with all donations supporting Big Orange Heart, a charity focused on mental health and well-being for remote workers.
WP Briefing Podcast Launch
Josepha Haden Chomphosy launched a new podcast titled WP Briefing, aimed at WordPress users and contributors. The podcast covered WordPress philosophy, community success stories, and important platform updates.
Security Alerts & Plugin Vulnerabilities
Security activity in early 2021 highlighted how most WordPress risks continue to come from third-party extensions rather than core software.
In the first half of 2021, WPScan reported 602 new vulnerabilities across WordPress core, plugins, and themes. Only three vulnerabilities were found in WordPress core, with the vast majority linked to plugins and themes, reinforcing the importance of careful extension management.
Industry Trends & Insights
January 2021 highlighted steady shifts in how WordPress was being built, managed, and scaled across different use cases.
The block editor continued gaining adoption, with more developers and site owners adjusting workflows to Gutenberg as it became central to future WordPress development. Conversations around Full Site Editing also increased, signaling a move toward more unified, block-based site design.
Performance and scalability remained a priority, especially as WordPress sites handled higher traffic and business-critical workloads. Managed hosting, caching strategies, and cleaner plugin stacks became more important as sites grew in size and complexity.
There was also a stronger focus on community well-being and sustainability. Events like WordFest Live and initiatives supporting mental health reflected a broader awareness of burnout and long-term contributor health within the WordPress ecosystem.
Theme of the Month: Astra
Astra continued to stand out in January 2021 as one of the most widely adopted WordPress themes. Known for its lightweight framework and strong performance focus, Astra was commonly used for business sites, blogs, and WooCommerce stores.
Its compatibility with major page builders and growing block editor support made it a popular choice for developers and site owners looking for speed and flexibility.
Plugin of the Month: OptinMonster
OptinMonster remained a leading conversion optimization plugin for WordPress in January 2021. It was widely used to create popups, lead capture forms, and targeted campaigns aimed at growing email lists and conversions.
As competition for online attention increased, tools focused on audience growth and engagement continued to gain importance across WordPress sites.
Agency of the Month: Seahawk Media
Seahawk Media continued to gain recognition for its white-label WordPress services and agency partnerships. The company supported hosting providers, digital agencies, and businesses with WordPress design, development, and maintenance services.
Its focus on scalable delivery and long-term support positioned it as a reliable partner within the WordPress services ecosystem.
Host of the Month: DreamHost
DreamHost remained a well-established hosting provider within the WordPress ecosystem. As one of the officially recommended WordPress hosts, DreamHost offered managed WordPress hosting with a strong emphasis on open-source values.
Its long-standing involvement with WordPress development and community initiatives kept it relevant for both new and experienced site owners.
Founder of the Month: Brad Touesnard
Brad Touesnard, co-founder of Delicious Brains, played a key role in shaping modern WordPress development workflows. His work focused on developer tools that simplified site migration, database management, and performance optimization.
Through products widely used by WordPress professionals, Touesnard contributed to improving how developers build, maintain, and scale WordPress sites, reinforcing the platform’s role in professional and enterprise environments.
Looking Ahead
February 2021 was expected to continue WordPress’s focus on editor improvements, performance, and platform stability. Core contributors and plugin developers were preparing for deeper work around the block editor and early Full Site Editing concepts.
Attention was also set to remain on security, performance optimization, and scalable hosting as WordPress sites handled increasing traffic and business use cases. Community initiatives, plugin updates, and incremental improvements across the ecosystem were likely to shape the next phase of development.