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WordCamp Europe 2025 Recap: Insights, Shifts, and Highlights From WCEU in Basel

Vova Feldman by Vova Feldman
Updated on

Salü, WordPress makers!

Four flights. Countless conversations. A few unforgettable parties. A missing suitcase. And one very hyped team, now back home from Basel, and still buzzing.

WCEU 2025 was more than just a gathering — it felt like a turning point because many software makers are rethinking their strategies, looking for new, and maybe more sustainable ways to grow.

We loved the business-oriented vibe of this conference edition (although we missed the energy of the hobbyist makers) and participated in many productive and inspiring discussions. And even though we weren’t sponsors, we made a lot of noise — thanks to Toney (you’ll meet this guy later!), interviews, our traditional Makers Meetup — and got a lot of value from WCEU.

So, what did the Freemius team get up to? Who did we meet? What did we learn, and how did our Makers’ Meetup go?

Let’s dive in.

Meet The WCEU 2025 Team: Veterans + First-Timers

This year’s WordCamp Europe squad was a mix of seasoned pros and fresh energy. Everyone on the team came with a clear mission that we built long before the conference, using our networking playbook:

By the way, I’m building my YouTube channel, so l’d highly appreciate a like and subscribe!

As the CEO, I came to connect with software makers, unpack their growth blockers, and explore how Freemius can help them scale faster. I was joined by:

  • Hadas Golzaker, Head of Brand: Hadas focused on brand presence and community connection. She had deep conversations with makers about marketing, led the organization of the Makers Meetup (despite some lost-luggage drama), and brought our values to life through the Code Excursion donation campaign.
  • Zee Hazan, Head of Video: Zee went full performance art mode — sock puppet and all. He filmed interviews, brought humor and insight to business chats, and made serious topics like monetization and product strategy genuinely entertaining.
  • Stefana Zaric, Content & Social Media Specialist: First WordCamp ever — and Stefana crushed it. She connected with Freemius makers IRL, sparked blog ideas, advised makers on content strategy, and navigated the community like a pro. Bonus points for doing it all in four languages.
Freemius team at WCEU 2025
The Freemius team in Basel

From strategic deep-dives to dance floor debates, we left WCEU with more than memories: real connections, actionable insights, and a clearer vision for what’s next.

The Arrival: 8-Hour Layovers & a Head Start on Networking

The team touched down in Basel from different corners of Europe — with very different travel experiences.

Stefana flew in directly from Belgrade and landed first, a day before Contributor Day. While the rest of us were battling layovers and airport chaos, she was already making moves — exploring the city, checking out the Makers Meetup venue, and grabbing dinner with some amazing WordPress folks, which gave her a head start on networking.

Her first WordCamp? You’d never guess.

Meanwhile, the Israeli crew had a rough one — an eight-hour layover in Budapest turned the trip into a marathon. But the energy didn’t waver. Despite the delays (and a missing suitcase), we all touched down fully charged and ready to hit the ground running.

Waiting for luggage at the airtport
Waiting for (lost) luggage in Budapest

Contributor Day and the Sky-High Makers Meetup

We kicked off WordCamp Europe 2025 with Contributor Day, the engine room of every WordCamp, where the community comes together to give back to the WordPress project.

First things first — registration. If it wasn’t enough that I was wearing a branded T-shirt and hat, this is a fundamental tip for conferences: put your logo sticker on your badge.

For some of us, it was a familiar ritual. For others, a first-time experience that set the tone for the rest of the event.

For me, the Contributor Day was highly productive and engaging. I immediately connected with software makers from Nepal, Europe, and India, like Ankur Chotai, Shiva Shanker Bhatta, Ganga Kafle, Mark Westguard, and Maarten Belmans. We talked about their growth challenges and opportunities. We also filmed interviews about the obstacles to their next revenue milestones.

Other team members also had a productive day in terms of creating new connections, catching up with friends, and exchanging ideas:

“It was great seeing people I haven’t seen in a few months or maybe a year. Some only attend WordCamp Europe, so it was nice catching up with friends and seeing familiar faces,” says Hadas.

“It was inspiring to sit next to people I’ve only known by name online. You get this sense of how real and alive the ecosystem is — and how much people genuinely care.” — Stefana Zaric, Content & Social Media Specialist

The energy in the room was collaborative and focused, and a strong reminder that even in a world of remote work and async everything, nothing beats the momentum of showing up and building together.


That same energy carried into the evening as we switched gears for our flagship event: the Makers Meetup.

This time, the party was at Bar Rouge, a rooftop bar perched on the 31st floor with sweeping views of the Basel skyline.

Putting it bluntly: the event was a total success. The vibe was electric! That’s our highest turnout ever and a clear sign that this meetup is becoming a cornerstone for the WordCamp experience.

The room was buzzing with solo founders, product folks, YouTubers, and WordPress veterans. All of them were sharing lessons, goals, and growth stories.

Amazing energy at our record-breaking Makers Meetup

But this year, the conversation went beyond business. Inspired by our 10th anniversary celebration last year, we have decided to give back to the community once again, making this gesture a tradition.

This time, we partnered with Code Excursion, a local nonprofit operating in Zurich and Basel that helps women enter the tech industry through coding education in a supportive, inclusive environment. For every photo posted with the hashtag #MakersMeetup, Freemius donated $10 to support their mission. A simple idea that sparked real impact (both online and IRL), elevated by the presence of Code Excursion’s co-managing director, Noemi Frischknecht.

“We’re honoured to be part of the #MakersMeetup hosted by Freemius… What a thoughtful and creative way to give back to the community!” — Code Excursion

This initiative didn’t just increase engagement (every 2nd person shared at least 1 post 🥳) — it sparked meaningful conversations at the event and reminded us why we do what we do. We always say we care about our makers and community, and this was a way to live that out loud.


It’s safe to say: this wasn’t just another rooftop party. It was a celebration of progress, connection, and purpose — with a killer view to top it off.

We’re beyond grateful to all of you who came and brought amazing energy to this event, helping us support a great cause along the way. Thank you! 💜

Watch the video below to see what you missed:

The day ended on a high note, with Elementor, WP Remote, and Cloudways meetup and several interesting conversations.

One of them was with Ariel Klikstein, Elementor’s co-founder and CTO. We talked about the state of WordPress, the economic impact that the Matt Mullenweg vs. WP Engine legal drama has had on the entire ecosystem. This followed BlackRock’s announcement of the 17% reduction in Automattic’s value. We also exchanged internal insights on the impact on our companies’ growth.

Another valuable chat was the one that Zee and I had with the makers behind WP Iron. This conversation was another reinforcement that investment in authority pays dividends, as they said — we were the first solution on Google and ChatGPT they found. We also discussed pricing strategies and exchanged business tips, which nicely rounded out the first day in Basel.

Conference Days 1 and 2: How We Made WCEU2025 Count (Even Without a Booth)

We skipped the booth — and still made waves. Because, it turns out you don’t really need to be a sponsor to walk away with real value.

With the right approach (and a slightly unhinged sock puppet), we captured insights, made new friends, and created assets that’ll fuel months of storytelling.

Outside-the-Box Interviews: Lights, Camera, Toney!

Instead of a sponsorship, we had a creative and bold approach and a sock puppet with a sharp eye for BS.

Our first full day at WCEU 2025 was a content sprint. Zee, our Head of Video, spent the day filming fast-paced interviews with software makers, product pros, and marketing minds — capturing honest insights about building and monetizing software. The mic was in one hand. The chaos? In the other — meet Toney.

Some of you already know him: chaotic but charming, with the social tact of a brick and the curiosity of a VC shark. He’s not here for pleasantries — he’s here to ask the questions others won’t: How fast are you making cash?

“Toney took over my entire being. He really has zero understanding of people, no patience for nuance… he just wants to know how fast you’re making cash.” — Zee Hazan, Head of Video

Toney’s role was clear: pop the bubble of hype around passive income, effortless scaling, and fluffy SaaS tropes — and replace it with real stories. And it worked. People laughed, opened up, and dropped some of the sharpest takes we’ve heard on product building.

But, Toney wasn’t just for laughs — he was our deliberate experiment in doing something outside the box. No booth? Fine. We leaned on personality, surprise, and a bit of chaos to earn attention.

“Somehow his weird, obsessive, tone-deaf approach pokes holes in the usual hype around easy money, scaling fast, and all that passive income nonsense,” said Zee.

And it worked. Between interviews and impromptu walk-ups, Toney drew attention, sparked laughter, and helped us deliver sharp insights in a fun, shareable way. (Sorry-not-sorry to anyone caught off guard.)

Journalism Mode: FAIR, Drama & the Future of WordPress

In between interviews, I also stepped into journalist mode and covered one of the biggest stories at WCEU 2025: the launch of FAIR, a decentralized plugin repository project aiming to reduce reliance on WordPress.org.

The backstory is complex. Ongoing tensions between Matt Mullenweg (CEO of Automattic and co-creator of WordPress) and WP Engine, which intensified after Matt blocked the host’s access to .org infrastructure.

The revelation that WordPress.org is officially owned by Matt — not the Foundation — sparked community-wide concern over centralization and control.

Enter FAIR: spearheaded by Joost de Valk, Karim Marucchi, and backed by The Linux Foundation. Announced at the Alt Ctrl Org event on Day 1 of the conference, it’s a federated, open-source alternative meant to boost security, enable GDPR & CRA compliance in Europe, and avoid gatekeeping by any single party.

“This ecosystem has to move forward — otherwise SaaS wins. Period.” — Joost de Valk

Check out the full interview I did with Joost and Karim:

This event made us all wait even more impatiently for the fireside chat with Mary Hubbard and Matt Mullenweg at the end of the conference: the very first question in the Q&A session was about FAIR:

Here are his initial thoughts:

Deep Strategic Dives, On and Off Camera

While Zee filmed, the rest of us fanned out across the Basel venue:

  • I met with founders, partners, and Freemius Makers — many focused on pricing, growth, and shifting beyond WordPress.
  • Hadas and Stefana offered strategic advice 1:1, our helping makers rethink branding and content marketing.

“It really made me happy to see that I could help them with branding, marketing, and design tips — just helping out the community in some way,” says Hadas.

Stefana felt the same: “Just seeing the makers’ eyes starting to light up after sharing a few tips made me super happy. I know they’ll be able to implement all the advice — and feel inspired to do even more.”

In the meantime, back at the camera, Zee conducted long-form interviews with incredible folks like:

Interviewing Aleksanar Vucenovic from Sweetcode
Interviewing Aleksanar Vucenovic from Sweetcode

Each convo was full of sharp insights — no fluff, just substance.

One of the most interesting conversations I had was with Vito Peleg from Atarim. We talked about his sales setup, and it gave me a lot of food for thought on how to improve our own marketing and sales.

Because there was certainly a common thread in many other chats I had: content marketing is no longer delivering ROI as it used to. SEO’s tougher, AI is eating search traffic, and user behavior is changing. Many are looking to shift toward performance marketing — measurable, repeatable, and results-driven.

We’ve relied heavily on content marketing ever since I started Freemius, but is it time to rethink that? I told my team that we need to talk about investing more in some other channels, like social media, product marketing, and paid advertising, and I’m looking forward to testing new strategies.

Saying Goodbye to WCEU and the Team

In the afternoon of Day 2, as the conference wound down, we caught up with a few last connections and headed to the official afterparty (which dropped the ball in my opinion — people were there, the energy was there, but the DJ didn’t deliver).

After saying goodbye to new and old friends, we made our way back to the hotel to pack, prep, and try to sleep before early flights the next morning.

For Stefana, this conference also marked a personal milestone: it was her first time meeting the team in person.

“It was absolutely spectacular to hang out with Vova, Hadas, and Zee. We clicked instantly. For me, it felt like we’d known each other forever.”

And honestly — it showed. From high-energy content planning to spontaneous dance floor moments, the chemistry was real. This wasn’t just a productive event — it was a reminder of why building a strong, connected team matters so much.

Next stop? Wherever our makers need us. But WCEU 2025 will be challenging to top.

Looking Ahead: A WordPress Ecosystem in Transition

WCEU 2025 wasn’t just another community reunion — it marked a real inflection point for the WordPress ecosystem and the makers who power it.

The announcement of FAIR showed that the future of plugin and theme distribution might be more decentralized, collaborative, and experimental than ever — though it still comes with open questions around governance, analytics, and quality control. It’s a step forward, but not without friction.

On the marketing front, conversations with late-stage founders revealed something we’ve felt brewing for a while: the playbook is changing. Content marketing alone isn’t delivering ROI. AI is reshaping search. Attention is fractured. Now’s the time to lean into performance marketing — scalable, measurable, and focused on results.

From early-stage makers to seasoned teams, one common thread emerged: clarity wins.

Clarity in who you’re building for. Clarity in your messaging. Clarity in your pricing. That’s where growth starts.

Meanwhile, seeing strong engagement with our rebrand and SaaS expansion confirmed that Freemius is evolving right alongside our makers. The appetite for diversification beyond WordPress is real — and growing.

Yes, we missed some of the hobbyist energy that WordCamps are known for. But in its place, we saw founders ready to scale smarter, collaborate better, and move faster. That kind of shift doesn’t just happen. It’s built — one conversation, one partnership, and one meetup at a time.

Here’s to building the future of software together!

Until next time. 💜

 

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Vova Feldman

Published by Vova Feldman

Freemius CEO & Founder, a serial entrepreneur and full-stack developer since age 14, propelled by a pursuit of excellence, embraces a holistic approach to life shaped by invaluable lessons in hard work and discipline.

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