---
title: "EU/UK VAT Manager: Free vs Pro Versions Compared"
description: "Free vs Pro for EU/UK VAT Manager for WooCommerce: real-time VIES validation and VAT exemption are free; see what Pro adds."
url: "https://wpfactory.com/docs/pro-vs-free-versions-eu-vat/"
updated: "2026-09-26"
category: Pro Features
tags:
  - EU VAT Manager for WooCommerce
---

# EU/UK VAT Manager: Free vs Pro Versions Compared

## Difference between the Pro and free versions

Most of what store owners look for in a VAT plugin is in the free version of the [EU/UK VAT Manager for WooCommerce](https://wpfactory.com/item/eu-vat-for-woocommerce/), including real-time VIES validation and VAT exemption. Pro adds a focused set of targeting and advanced-check features. This article lists exactly which features belong to which version, verified against the plugin code.

### Included in the free version

- The EU VAT checkout field, with label, placeholder, description, priority and CSS options.
- Requirement rules: optional, required, required in or except certain countries, required if the company field is filled.
- Real-time VIES validation using SOAP, cURL or Simple methods (the plugin falls back between them automatically).
- VAT exemption for validated numbers.
- Preserve-VAT rules: keep VAT for different shipping country, store base country, or selected countries, and keep shipping VAT.
- Progress and validation messages, all fully editable.
- Add the VAT field to the sign-up form, and validate at sign-up and in My account.
- Let customer decide (individual vs business) and the "valid VAT but not exempted" option.
- Always exempt (or never exempt) VAT for selected user roles.
- Order edit meta box, orders-list column, admin new-order email, and the EU VAT tax report.
- VATSense fallback for UK, Australia, Norway and Switzerland, block-based checkout support, debug logging and manual validation.

### Pro-only features

| Feature | Option ID |
| --- | --- |
| Show field for selected countries only | `alg_wc_eu_vat_show_in_countries` |
| Show field for selected user roles only | `alg_wc_eu_vat_show_for_user_roles` |
| Restrict payment methods to valid-VAT customers | `alg_wc_eu_vat_allow_specific_payment` |
| Allow checkout on unregistered VAT numbers | `alg_wc_eu_vat_field_allow_unregistered_vat_no` |
| Check country by IP | `alg_wc_eu_vat_check_ip_location_country` |
| Check company name against VIES | `alg_wc_eu_vat_check_company_name` |

**Note:** earlier versions of this article listed validation methods, VAT exemption, preserve-VAT rules, progress messages and the admin meta box or column as Pro. Those are all in the free version. The Pro line is the six targeting and advanced-check features above.

### Ready to upgrade?

If you need country or user-role targeting, payment-method control, or the IP and company-name checks, upgrade to [EU/UK VAT Manager](https://wpfactory.com/item/eu-vat-for-woocommerce/) Pro. [Get EU/UK VAT Manager Pro](https://wpfactory.com/item/eu-vat-for-woocommerce/).

Related articles

- [EU/UK VAT Manager: Reset a Settings Section to Defaults](https://wpfactory.com/docs/eu-vat-reset-a-settings-section/)
- [EU/UK VAT Manager: Developer Hooks and Filters Reference](https://wpfactory.com/docs/eu-vat-developer-hooks-filters/)
- [EU/UK VAT Manager: Advanced Settings Reference](https://wpfactory.com/docs/eu-vat-advanced-settings-reference/)
- [EU/UK VAT Manager: Shortcodes Guide](https://wpfactory.com/docs/shortcodes-guide-eu-vat/)
- [Installing EU/UK VAT Manager for WooCommerce](https://wpfactory.com/docs/install-eu-vat/)

 

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