The right WordPress membership plugin depends on what you are selling and how much you want to pay over time. MemberPress and Paid Memberships Pro are two widely used options: MemberPress is a paid, all-in-one product with introductory first-year pricing, while Paid Memberships Pro has a free open-source core with paid plans for premium add-ons and support. MemberPress restricts content by membership level with its Smart Rules feature. The pitfalls are in renewal prices, transaction fees, payment gateway choices and the custom rules some businesses need later.
Key takeaways
- MemberPress plans are priced annually with a lower first-year price; when we checked, Launch was $199.50 for the first year and $399 after.
- MemberPress Launch carries a 4.9% transaction fee and supports Stripe only; Growth has a 0% fee and adds PayPal and Square.
- Paid Memberships Pro offers a free self-hosted core, with a $499 a year Standard plan for premium add-ons and support.
- Paid Memberships Pro is no longer downloadable from WordPress.org; its listing there was closed at the author's request in October 2024.
- Custom code makes sense when access rules, pricing or integrations do not fit what a plugin was designed to do.
What a WordPress membership site actually needs
Before comparing plugins, write down what your members area must do. Most membership sites need some combination of:
- Membership levels, such as free, monthly and annual, or bronze, silver and gold.
- Content restriction by level: pages, posts, categories, downloads, videos or whole sections.
- Recurring payments through a payment gateway, with failed payment handling.
- Member accounts where people manage their details, payment method and subscription.
- Drip content, released over time after someone joins.
- Emails for welcome, renewal reminders, failed payments and cancellations.
- Reports on members, revenue and churn.
Some sites also need courses, community features, corporate or group accounts, or integrations with a CRM or email platform. Those extras are what separate the plans and products below.
MemberPress vs Paid Memberships Pro: pricing and features
Prices below are in US dollars from each vendor's pricing page when we checked them in November 2026. Check the current pages before you buy.
MemberPress
The MemberPress pricing page lists three annual plans, each with an introductory first-year price and a higher regular price after that:
| Plan | First year | Regular annual price | Transaction fee | Selected features |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launch | $199.50 | $399 | 4.9% | Stripe only, unlimited members, Smart Rules content protection, coupons; no drip content, quizzes or certificates |
| Growth | $349.50 | $699 | 0% | Adds PayPal and Square, drip content, quizzes, certificates, forums and member directory |
| Scale | $499.50 | $999 | Not stated | Adds REST API and webhooks, Zapier, corporate accounts, gift memberships, Authorize.net |
Two details matter here. First, the renewal price is double the first-year price, so budget on the regular figure. Second, the 4.9% transaction fee on Launch is charged on top of your payment processor's own fees. On a membership turning over meaningful revenue, the fee on Launch can outweigh the price difference to Growth, so do that sum with your own numbers.
A worked example of the Launch transaction fee
Take an illustrative membership of 100 members paying $20 a month, which is $24,000 a year in payments. At 4.9%, the Launch plan's transaction fee comes to $1,176 a year. Add the Launch regular price of $399 and the plugin costs $1,575 a year, against $699 for Growth with a 0% fee. On those numbers Growth is cheaper by $876 a year, before counting its extra features. Below roughly $6,000 a year in payments, the fee on Launch is smaller than the $300 gap in regular price, so Launch can still make sense for a small or early membership. Run the same sum with your own member count and price, and remember your payment processor charges its own fees on top in every case.
Paid Memberships Pro
The Paid Memberships Pro pricing page takes a different approach:
| Plan | Annual price | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Self-hosted open-source core plugin, free add-ons and payment gateways, no support |
| Standard | $499 | One site licence, all premium add-ons and support; you host the site |
| Max | $999 | Managed hosting, free migration and monthly development credits |
| Max 2x | $2,999 | Higher-tier managed hosting plan |
The free core is a real advantage for simple sites, and the code being open source means a developer can see exactly how it works. One practical point: the plugin's WordPress.org listing shows it was closed on 17 October 2024, permanently and at the author's request, so you install it from the vendor rather than the WordPress plugin directory. Make sure whoever maintains your site knows where updates come from.
How to restrict content in WordPress properly
Whichever plugin you choose, content restriction is only as good as its setup. Check these points before launch:
- Decide what is public. Leave a teaser or summary of members-only content visible so visitors, and search engines, know what they would get.
- Protect files, not just pages. A PDF or video uploaded to the media library can often be reached by its direct address even if the page linking to it is restricted. Check how your plugin handles file protection, or store premium files somewhere access-controlled.
- Test every level. Log in as a test member at each level and as a logged-out visitor, and click through every protected area.
- Check search and feeds. Make sure restricted content does not appear in full in site search results or RSS feeds.
- Write the "no access" message. When someone hits a locked page, tell them which membership unlocks it and link to the sign-up page.
Paywall pitfalls that catch site owners out
- Budgeting on the first-year price. As above, renewals can be much higher. Plan on the regular price.
- Ignoring transaction fees. A plugin fee on each payment adds up as you grow.
- Choosing a gateway too late. Some plans support only certain gateways. Moving existing subscriptions to a different gateway later can mean asking members to re-enter their payment details, so check this with your plugin vendor and choose early.
- Too many plugins. A membership plugin, a course plugin, a forum plugin and a form plugin all need to cooperate. Each extra plugin is another thing to update and test.
- Caching conflicts. Page caching can serve a logged-in page to the wrong person if it is not configured for membership sites. Exclude member pages and logged-in users from full-page caching.
- No plan for failed payments. Decide how many retries, what emails go out and when access is removed.
- No exit plan. Check you can export members, levels and payment references if you ever change plugin.
For a wider view of running a business site on the platform, see our guide to WordPress for business.
When a WordPress members area needs custom code
Membership plugins are built for common patterns. They start to strain when your rules are not common. Signs you need custom work:
- Access depends on data held elsewhere, such as a CRM, a booking system or an external membership database.
- Pricing is unusual: different prices by region, by organisation size, or tied to a physical product or event.
- Group or corporate memberships need their own admin, where an organisation manages its own seats.
- You need a specific member journey, such as an application and approval step before payment.
- You are stacking several plugins and add-ons to approximate one feature, and updates keep breaking it.
Sometimes the answer is a plugin plus a small custom extension. Sometimes it is a custom plugin built for your model. Our article on custom WordPress plugins vs off-the-shelf sets out how to decide.
Membership site setup: a launch checklist
- Define your levels, prices and what each unlocks.
- Pick the plugin and plan based on regular pricing, fees and gateways.
- Set up the payment gateway in test mode and run test sign-ups, renewals, failed payments and cancellations.
- Protect content and files, then test as each level and as a visitor.
- Write the emails: welcome, receipt, renewal reminder, failed payment and cancellation.
- Configure caching for logged-in users.
- Add your terms, cancellation details and privacy information.
- Switch the gateway to live and make a real low-value purchase yourself.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free WordPress membership plugin?
Yes. Paid Memberships Pro's pricing page lists a Free plan that lets you self-host its open-source core plugin with free add-ons and payment gateways, without support. Paid plans add premium add-ons and support. MemberPress's pricing page lists only paid plans, with a 14-day refund guarantee.
Does MemberPress take a cut of my membership payments?
On the Launch plan, yes. MemberPress's pricing page lists a 4.9% transaction fee for Launch and 0% for Growth. That fee is separate from your payment processor's own charges, so compare the total cost of each plan against your expected membership revenue before you choose.
Can I sell courses on a WordPress membership site?
Yes. MemberPress's pricing page lists unlimited courses and lessons on the Launch plan, with quizzes, assignments and certificates on Growth. With other plugins you may need a separate course add-on or plugin. Check how progress, drip release and certificates work together before committing.
Why is Paid Memberships Pro not in the WordPress plugin directory?
Its WordPress.org listing shows it was closed on 17 October 2024, permanently and at the author's request, so it is no longer available to download there. The vendor's own site offers the free core plugin. Make sure your site's update process knows where to get new versions.
How do I stop people sharing member logins?
Check whether your plugin or an add-on can limit simultaneous logins or flag unusual login patterns. Beyond that, design helps: personalised content, member-specific downloads and account features make a shared login less useful. For high-value content, a custom solution can tie access to devices or add extra verification.
Build a members area that lasts
Start with your membership model, then pick the plugin and plan that fit it on regular pricing, not first-year offers. Test payments, access and caching before launch. If your rules, pricing or integrations go beyond what a plugin was designed for, we build custom WordPress plugins for membership sites. Start a project or contact us.
