The floors
| Requirement | Minimum |
|---|---|
| WordPress | 6.4 |
| PHP | 8.1 |
| MySQL / MariaDB | 5.7 / 10.3 |
PHP 8.1 is not caution: the plugin is written with typed properties, enums and readonly semantics, and the alternative to requiring it is shipping code that silently behaves differently on an older runtime. WordPress 6.4 is where the block and REST APIs the admin relies on settle.
How updates arrive
The free plugin updates through WordPress.org like anything else in your plugin list. Pro updates through the licence you activated — the update check is the only outbound request it makes on your behalf, and it stops when the licence lapses. The build you already have keeps working; it just stops advancing.
Before a major update
Take a backup, and if the release notes mention a schema change, run it on staging first. The plugin migrates its own tables on upgrade and the migrations are idempotent, but an affiliate programme holds money owed to people — that is the wrong place to find out you are the edge case.
Checking what you are on
Squad Affiliate → Status reports the plugin version, the Pro version if present, the licence state, the schema version and whether any migration is outstanding. Quote it when you write to support; it saves a round trip.