Why do I need to register if geoPlugin is free?

We are often asked “why do I need to register?”. So much so, that we decided it was time to add a new page to the documentation to explain.

The most basic of explanations is that the the geoPlugin web analytics statistics package will simply not work until you tell geoPlugin to listen for your domain. And to do that, you need to have an account, so that you can group all your domains under one roof.

geoPlugin web analytics is a very powerful beast. But that power comes at a price for us, since we need to store that data in secure, redundant databases. So that we don't wastingly store information, our servers have been programmed to only listen and collect statistical information from domains that have been activated by you. You do this in your members area, which requires registration.

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Another reason to register is so that we may keep in touch with you. After all, if you are using our services, surely you would want to know of any major (or even minor) changes that might affect you?

While a lot of the web services are free and don't require registration/domain activation, we cannot guarantee it will always stay this way. We do promise that these web services will remain free. For the moment (and foreseeable future), these services can be used whenever you wish, without registration. However, if you register and activate the domains you are using these services on, should we ever need to close the fully open access of these services, your sites will be unaffected since they are already registered with us.

Whether you register or not, we would very much appreciate you acknowledge our services by adding the following unobtrusive HTML to the foot of your pages:

<a href="http://www.geoplugin.com/" target="_new" title="geoPlugin for IP geolocation">Geolocation by geoPlugin</a>

Geolocation by geoPlugin

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1. Quickstart User Guide
2. In-depth User Guide
   1. About geoPlugin
   2. To register or not register?
   3. geoPlugin web services
      • Javascript
      • PHP
      • JSON
      • XML
      • ASP
      • geoPlugin currency conversion
      • geoPlugin webservice Extras
        • Latitude/Longitude to Place
        • Nearby Places
        • Latitude/Longitude to Postal Code
   4. geoPlugin Web Analytics
      • Adding Domains
      • Activating Domains
      • Statistics Tracking Code
      • ClickHeat map Technology
3. Some real-world examples
4. Discussion Group