## Installing a free demo

URL: https://hub.jkdevstudio.com/knowledge-base/setup-guide/install-a-free-demo
Updated: 2026-09-06
Summary: Install a free demo on the free edition of a jkdevstudio theme using the companion plugin, with no license and no Pro plugin needed.

The free edition can import demos too. The process is the same one paid users get; what differs is which demos appear in the list. No license is involved at any point.

## What you need first

:::steps

### Install the theme from WordPress.org

The free edition comes from [the WordPress.org theme directory](https://wordpress.org/themes/).

### Install the companion plugin

From [[Plugins > Add New]], search for [JKD Theme Companion](https://wordpress.org/plugins/jkd-theme-companion/) and activate it. This plugin is what brings the import module to a free install.

### Open the theme dashboard

The theme menu appears in the WordPress sidebar once both are active. Go to **Demo Import**.

:::

<a data-type="kb-embed" href="/knowledge-base/installation/install-companion-plugin">Installing the free companion plugin</a>

## Running it

Choose a free demo, choose the data types you want, and start the import. That is the whole difference from the paid route: a shorter list, the same screen and the same behavior.

The preparation checks apply here in full. A free import fails on a low `max_execution_time` exactly the way a paid one does.

<a data-type="kb-embed" href="/knowledge-base/setup-guide/before-a-demo-import">Checks to run before a demo import</a>

## What free demos are

They are the demos that render without Pro features. Complete sites, not previews with pieces missing.

Demos built on Pro functionality stay behind the Pro plugin, and the list marks which is which, so nothing here promises something you cannot install.

<div data-callout="info">

**A demo marked premium needs the Pro plugin and an active licence.**

No amount of reinstalling changes that, because the package itself is served against a licence rather than hidden behind a setting.

</div>

## Common questions

<details><summary>Do I need an account to import a free demo?</summary>

No account, no key and no activation, which is also why nothing on this route can fail for licensing reasons.

</details>

<details><summary>Why is the demo list short?</summary>

You are seeing the demos that work without Pro, and the full catalog opens with an active licence rather than with a different plugin.

</details>

<details><summary>Can I import a free demo now and buy Pro later?</summary>

Yes, install the Pro plugin on top afterwards and your imported site keeps working exactly as it is while the premium features become available.

</details>

<details><summary>The Demo Import page is missing</summary>

The companion plugin is either not installed or not activated, since the free edition has no import screen without it.

</details>

<details><summary>The import fails partway</summary>

Everything on the preparation and troubleshooting pages applies to free imports identically, so start with the server limits, because that is where most interrupted imports come from regardless of which edition is running.

</details>

## Still stuck

[Open a support ticket](https://hub.jkdevstudio.com/support) with the demo name and where the run stopped.