Do I need a paid plan to use add-ons?

No — but you do need a benecaster.com account with a connected license. The Launch plan is $0 and is all you need to purchase and activate add-ons. The WordPress.org free plugin without a benecaster.com account cannot use add-ons — add-on entitlements are tied to your account and validated through your site’s connection to benecaster.com.

If you’re already using the free plugin from WordPress.org and want to start using add-ons, sign up for a free Launch account at benecaster.com and connect your site. There’s no charge to create the account.