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Installing Benecaster

Before You Install

  • Confirm your server meets the system requirements — PHP 8.2, WordPress 6.4, and MySQL 8.0 or MariaDB 10.6. Benecaster checks all three and will not install below any of them, so it is worth a look first; see If activation is refused below for what that looks like.
  • Planning to use a paid plan? Have a benecaster.com account with an active plan ready — you’ll connect the plugin to it after activation. Using the free version? No account is needed; skip this.
  • Installing on a staging site? Benecaster supports staging environments natively — see Setting Up a Staging Site.

Installing the Plugin

Option 1 — Install from the WordPress plugin directory (recommended)

  1. Log in to your WordPress admin.
  2. Go to Plugins → Add New Plugin.
  3. Search for Benecaster.
  4. Click Install Now, then Activate Plugin.

The plugin is free and the directory always has the current version, so this is the route to use. Your plan is connected after activation, not before.

If you hold a paid plan, your account page also has a Downloads panel — the plugin plus every add-on your licence includes. That is a recovery path for when the directory is unreachable or you need a specific version; the directory remains the normal way in.

Option 2 — FTP / SFTP

If you need to install a specific version, or your server can’t reach the plugin directory, download the zip from the Downloads panel at the bottom of benecaster.com/my-account/. Contact support@benecaster.com only if what you need isn’t listed.

  1. Unzip benecaster.zip on your computer.
  2. Upload the benecaster/ folder to /wp-content/plugins/ on your server.
  3. In your WordPress admin, go to Plugins → Installed Plugins.
  4. Find Benecaster and click Activate.

If Activation Is Refused

Benecaster checks your server before it installs anything, so a refusal here is a hosting message rather than a broken download. Nothing is wrong with the plugin file, and re-downloading it will not change the outcome.

Your database is too old. Activation stops on a page like this and Benecaster leaves itself switched off:

Benecaster requires MariaDB 10.6 or higher. Your server is running MariaDB 10.3. Please upgrade your database or contact your host.

The version shown is your own. To confirm it, go to Tools → Site Health → Info → Database. Most hosts let you switch to a newer database from their control panel, and many shared hosts run an older MariaDB by default — ask your host to move you up, or see System Requirements for why the floor is where it is.

Your WordPress is too old. Below WordPress 6.4 the plugin activates but does not run, and shows a red notice naming both versions. Update WordPress from Dashboard → Updates and Benecaster starts working on the next page load.

Your PHP is too old. Below PHP 8.2, WordPress itself blocks the activation and names both versions on the plugins screen. Switch PHP version in your host’s control panel.

If you’d rather not make any of these changes yourself, your host’s support team can typically handle all three — ask them to upgrade PHP, your database, or WordPress.

Connecting Your Account

After activating the plugin, go to Benecaster → Settings → Account and click Connect to Benecaster. You’ll be taken to benecaster.com to log in and confirm — the plugin establishes the connection automatically and confirms your plan tier. Don’t have an account yet? The same screen has a Get a free Launch account link right next to it.

If the connection fails, check that:

  • You’re logged in to the correct benecaster.com account
  • Your server can make outbound HTTPS requests to benecaster.com

Once connected, the setup wizard launches automatically. See the Setup Wizard Walkthrough to continue.

Nothing to do — Benecaster registers its feed rewrite rules for you. Activating the plugin flags the rules as needing a refresh, and so does every update; the refresh runs on the next page load of your site, front end or admin.

If a feed URL returns a 404, go to Settings → Permalinks and click Save Changes without changing anything. That forces the refresh by hand. It is a troubleshooting step, not part of a normal install — if you find yourself needing it, that is worth reporting.

This workaround is no longer needed after changing Benecaster’s own permalink settings (Benecaster → Settings → Permalinks — prefixes, URL mode, or Use pretty feed URLs). Saving there now schedules the same refresh automatically, effective on your very next page load; the WordPress Settings → Permalinks step above remains only for the rare case of something else interfering with the rules.

Free Version (WordPress.org)

The free version of Benecaster is available at WordPress.org. Install it the same way — search for “Benecaster” in Plugins → Add New Plugin. The free version provides a public (unauthenticated) podcast RSS feed and episode management. Subscriber authentication and feed gating are not available in the free version.

To upgrade to a paid plan, go to Benecaster → Settings → Account and click Get a free Launch account to create one, subscribe to a plan on benecaster.com, then connect the plugin from that same screen. There’s nothing new to download or install — the same plugin activates premium features once your account is connected.

Updating Benecaster

Updates are delivered through the WordPress admin when a new version is released. Go to Plugins → Installed Plugins and click Update when one is available, or enable auto-updates. Your account connection, episodes, subscribers, and settings are preserved across updates.

See Also

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