26 WordPress Membership Plugins to Launch a Subscription Site

Are you able to earn money online? Absolutely. Is it straightforward? Not quite. However, a membership site is one of the most consistently lucrative methods to generate passive revenue. Additionally, in order to create a membership site, it’s critical to educate yourself on the best WordPress Membership plugins.

Using a membership plugin, you may restrict access to part or all of your material while still enabling customers to pay an upfront or ongoing charge. And that is the key to maintaining a consistent cash flow: a recurrent revenue. When you offer specific goods or services, you must persuade each consumer to purchase again, whether via abandoned cart message, email marketing, or social media.

Businesses that accept automatic payments (think Amazon Prime, Hulu, Netflix, or even your cable provider) are relieved of the need to focus on sales and marketing. They are more concerned about retaining existing consumers because they generate a consistent income stream.

These kinds of recurring subscriptions tend to attract some of the consumers who never utilize the product or service but continue to pay.

In summary, membership websites may earn you a lot of money if you discover the appropriate niche, work diligently to provide high-quality products or services, and use the finest WordPress membership plugins to assist you.

What Membership Websites Are Possible?

A membership site concept is simply that: a concept. Clearly, establishing a respectable, successful membership company requires much more time, effort, and money. Having said that, it’s beneficial to be able to exchange ideas with one another and ignite creative sparks. The following are some examples of the kinds of membership websites you may create.

• A self-paced online course covering a single or many subjects. Projects, documents (such as PDFs and Word documents), quizzes, and videos may all be included in courses.
• A product membership program in which members get digital or physical products on a recurring or one-time basis. Notable examples of this kind of membership are “box of the month” clubs.
• A service-based membership scheme in which customers pay a monthly or annual fee for a certain number of services. An excellent example of this is an online or over-the-phone coaching program.
• A fixed-term membership scheme in which the consumer pays for a brief period of membership. For example, a smoking cessation program may have a 3-month duration.
• A private online community featuring articles, live chats, forums, and other resources. Users pay membership fees in order to have complete access to the forum and to learn about specialized subjects.
• The all-in-one subscription, in which users pay one-time or recurring payments to access everything on the site. This is less frequent, but you may discover that some of your online commerce clients are prepared to pay a high, continuing price in exchange for access to all, or a substantial part, of the products you offer. This is often a preferred option for tiny internet businesses.
• The drip-feed approach, in which participants are gradually exposed to information based on their progress through a program. Additionally, fresh drip material is often provided on a monthly basis. Consider online classes or subscription-based blogs. Numerous podcasts are beginning to do the same thing, with additional material available outside of the broadcasts.

Features to Seek in Membership Plugins for WordPress

Without a doubt. The good news is that most of the WordPress membership plugins we’ll discuss today provide the bulk of the necessary functionality. It’s always a great idea to look through the list below, highlight the things that are most essential to you, and then choose a plugin that meets your needs perfectly (or, almost perfectly).

• API access (essential for developers).
• Buttons or shortcodes for restricting content in any area of your site.
• Discounts and coupons.
• Drip content tools.
• Email marketing tools and other communication tools.
• Multi-level subscriptions.
• Multiple payment gateway support.
• Profile management.
• Social logins.
• Support features like live chats and forums.
• Support for digital downloads.
• Support for recurring subscriptions.
• Themes and templates to help you design your membership site.
• Tools for building courses.
• Tools for member management.
• User login.

The list above is just a sampling of essential features, but it’s an excellent place to start. By and large, you’re certain to come across some additional unique functions among all WordPress membership plugins. With that stated, read on for a comprehensive list of the top WordPress membership plugins. But before I start with the list, let us go through a quick explanation on how to select the best WordPress membership plugin.

How to Select the Best WordPress Membership Plugin

Because there is a large number of great membership plugins on the market, choosing the perfect one for you may first seem daunting.

Consider the following criteria while selecting the finest WordPress membership plugin for your site.

Ease of Use

Not only should a great membership plugin for WordPress have all of the features you need, but it should also make them simple to use, even for novices.

Additionally, ensure that the plugin interacts correctly with your site and is perfectly compatible with any other plugin or theme that you may have installed. Otherwise, you run the chance of encountering technical problems when building your membership website.

Inclusions

As with any other purchase, you want to get the most bang for your buck. Assume you decide to use a premium membership plugin. In such a situation, it’s important to choose the plugin that not only meets your requirements but also offers extra tools to help you manage your memberships more effectively.

Consider the following features: content drip capability, web templates, supported integrations, and system automation. Including these benefits in your plan can help you save money on extra system development and simplify your job.

Payment Gateways

The purpose of creating membership sites is to earn money. As a result, your website should have the technologies necessary to take online payments.

Due to the fact that each membership plugin supports an array of different payment gateways, you should evaluate your target audience’s chosen currencies and platforms.

If the membership site you are building caters to a worldwide audience, it’s essential to use a WordPress membership plugin that supports major foreign payment methods. Stripe, PayPal, and Authorize.net are just a few of the most popular.

On the other side of the spectrum, if membership sites cater to their local communities, they may profit from integrating with local credit card processing firms.

Support

Conflicts between plugins and server configurations are some of the most frequent problems that may arise when installing a plugin on your site. To ensure a trouble-free installation and system maintenance from the start, it’s essential to select a membership plugin that offers dependable customer assistance.

Apart from having the product expertise necessary to resolve plugin-related problems, effective support should be accessible through a variety of channels and available at all times. You’d want to prevent downtime at all costs, since it may result in loss of revenue and member discontent.

Having said that, be cautious of membership plugins that charge a separate fee for customer assistance. As assistance is a critical component of your membership system, the developer of the plugin should preferably avoid selling it in the first place.

26 Best WordPress Membership Plugins in 2021

Okay, it is time for the big list of best WordPress membership plugins. You may definitely want to skip reading the entire thing and grab only the names, I will not recommend doing so. If you are serious about starting or launching a subscription site, it is better that you go through each option available at your disposal and understand the advantages and disadvantages of using them.

So, keep calm and read.

This list doesn’t follow any particular order, and neither is it a comparative study. It is just a list! That’s all.

Before I give you the list, here is the sneak peek you wanted to know the different best options for varied purposes:

• AccessAlly – Best for LMS and Membership system in a single package.
• BuddyBoss – Best for a bundled theme and plugin.
• Groups – Best for making segmented groups and assigning content to each group.
• Membership by Supsystic – Best value plugin.
• Paid Member Subscriptions – Best for simplicity.
• Paid Member Subscriptions, Membership by Supsystic, and Paid Memberships Pro – Best options for fabulous customer support.
• Paid Membership Pro and AccessAlly – Best for highly advanced reporting.
• ProfileGrid – Best for offering customizable and advanced profiles.
• Restrict User Access and PrivateContent – Best for restricting content access.
• Simple Membership – Best free option available.
• Ultimate Membership Pro – Best for most features in a singular package.
• Ultimate Membership Pro, YITH WooCommerce Membership, WooCommerce Memberships, and Membership by Supsystic – Best for seamless WooCommerce integration.

Okay, now that you have the necessary information, I will urge you to read through the entire article so that you can gain important insights that will help you choose the best WordPress membership plugin to launch a subscription site.

Let’s begin…

1. Ultimate Membership Pro WordPress Plugin – $29

The Ultimate Membership Pro WordPress Plugin equips you with the necessary capabilities to sell memberships and subscriptions on any kind of website. It interacts with WooCommerce to enable semi-automated invoicing and subscriptions for standard goods. It is advertised as one of the most popular WordPress membership plugins available on CodeCanyon, and this claim is pretty accurate.

The various membership levels allow your users to pick their own price, while the free and trial options allow the users to have a sneak peek into what you have to offer.

Even though the plugin is full of amazing features and capabilities, the Ultimate Membership Pro interface appears clean and well-organized. Occasionally, individuals overlook the critical significance of developer support when it comes to selecting and purchasing WordPress plugins.

The Ultimate Membership Pro plugin demonstrates how a professional developer makes a significant difference when it comes to updates, customer support, and providing dependable features that consumers want to see.

Additionally, the creator offers discounts on the plugin on occasion, so keep a look out for them. It’s already a cheap membership plugin with a six-month support window. You can, however, book future customer support for an additional fee.

Ultimate Membership Pro’s advantages include the following:

• It enables you to limit access to certain pages, such as specific posts and pages of your WordPress site.
• Daily, or weekly, or monthly recurring payments may be easily configured.
• Allow consumers to log in using their social media profiles.
• Hide a portion of your navigation menu until the user subscribes to your service.
• Distribute your material and send email alerts (essentially, Drip Content).
• Utilize custom fields to tailor your registration forms to your site.
• The plugin enables you to connect to nine widely used email marketing providers.
• You have the option of prohibiting people from sharing their accounts with family or friends.
• Integrate with BuddyPress to create a comprehensive online community.
• The Ultimate Membership Pro plugin is reasonably priced for its extensive feature set.
• The developer has shown a commitment to developing features and reacting to customer feedback.
• The partial content restriction feature enables you to easily limit a portion of your material by simply copying and pasting a shortcode. This is an excellent method for displaying teaser information.
• Payment gateways such as Stripe, PayPal, Mollie, and Authorize.net are all accessible. Ultimate Membership Pro is one of the few membership plugins for WordPress that supports these many payment methods.
• You may experiment with custom fields, conditional logic, and custom redirects to create an entirely unique membership site.
• Modules for Gutenberg allow for the quick addition of blocks. There are blocks available even for drip content.

Ultimate Membership Pro’s disadvantages include the following:

• While the plugin is well-organized, it is nevertheless brimming with functionality. This may scare some users who just need the simplest membership plugins.
• Although the system may be translated into multiple languages, you cannot create a multilingual membership website with it.
• While the support staff is quick, there are few lessons available for such a comprehensive feature set. Numerous customers have also expressed dissatisfaction with the support team’s approach. This is entirely subjective, but I’ve seen similar remarks often enough to note it as a disadvantage.
• The login and registration forms are limited in their customization options. While you may change the header image, that is the main modification accessible. This should not be an issue for developers, but novices are forced to work with what is available.

2. Membership by Supsystic – Free (Offers Paid Extensions) [No longer available for download]

Membership by Supsystic is a free to use WordPress membership plugin that includes a few paid addons or extensions. For instance, the Restrict Content addon is available for $39 per site license.

Some of the few paid addons that you can get with Membership by Supsystic include:

• ecommerce
• Social Login
• Social Network Integration
• Subscriptions
• User roles-based content restriction
• WooCommerce

In terms of main features, I like the ability to create a members’ directory, custom forms, and real-time alerts. These features are available in the core plugins. You don’t need to pay for any premium extension.

Additionally, it is advantageous that the core plugin includes private chat and a comprehensive friend and following system.

Membership by Supsystic’s advantages include the following:

• You will get an entirely free membership plugin. Due to the abundance of features, there is a possibility that you may never need a paid extension. If further extensions are required, just visit the plugin website and purchase the ones that you need for your site.
• Because the extra extensions are all distinct, there is no need to pay for things you will never use. This enables an amazing degree of adaptability.
• The frontend allows users to login or register, while the administrator has options for modifying the forms as needed.
• Members have the ability to modify their profiles and meet new acquaintances. There is a concept of private profiles, giving members a feeling as if they have their own “room” in the community. They may add pictures, edit their biography, and keep track of who is contacting them.
• The free version includes support for drip content. Develop your strategy for drip content from the start and you should only need to make minor adjustments in the future. The plugin automates the majority of the procedure.
• Create groups to help you develop your community and empower your members to manage those groups.
• Send private messages to other users using the fast chat feature offered by the plugin.
• Easily import data from BuddyPress using the plugin and seamlessly connect with the famous community plugins for maximizing your member management’s efficacy.
• Utilize the role limitation to provide more material to certain members than to others.

Membership by Supsystic’s disadvantages include the following:

• Certain rivals provide social logins and subscriptions as standard functionality in their plugins. Nonetheless, each additional premium function needs a payment of about $39 if you settle for Membership by Supsystic.
• The marketing methods available to you (such as email marketing) are restricted.
• When using the free version of the plugin, customer assistance is minimal, if not non-existent. It is evident that the business model used by the developers is what causes such support issues. Most of the users do not pay consistently for using the plugin. In fact, most of them use it for free. Hence, the incentive for providing consistent support is not there. 
• The backend lacks the frontend’s clarity and simplified user interface.

Unfortunately, the plugin is no longer available for download. If you can arrange for a copy of the plugin, you can use it at your own risk. Apparently, the plugin has some security issues.

3. LearnDash – Pricing Starts at $159

LearnDash is an LMS or a learning management system (a popular one albeit), which means it is primarily concerned with assisting you in creating courses for the audience you cater to. While LearnDash is still designed to be a WordPress membership plugin, you will most likely use it if you provide video courses or anything similar.

It is recommended for professional training, higher education, and WordPress projects, according to the company. Membership tools allow for the creation of packages and memberships options.

You may create any price model that is appropriate for your school and automatically send reminders for renewal. The refund protection function is unusual in that it only schedules material during a period that minimizes the likelihood of returns.

LearnDash’s advantages include the following:

• With attractive themes, you can quickly create and sell your online courses.
• Integrate the most common payment gateways, from 2Checkout to PayPal, with over 300 more payment gateways available for seamless integration.
• Hand out certificates and incentives as rewards to your students or learners as they advance through the course you design.
• Engage members through engagement triggers anytime they accomplish an activity in your course.
• Apply drip content on a scheduled basis.
• Divide classes into quizzes and lessons by creating multi-tiered courses.
• Utilize quizzes to determine your pupils’ performance.
• The refund protection feature locks your material onto a timetable, preventing individuals from enrolling in your course, binge-watching it, and then canceling the next day. As this is a feature intended to discourage system gaming, it is capable of boosting your income.
• The course builder feature that LearnDash offers is one of the most robust on the market. It offers outlines, reusable material that can be reused across your site, and drag-and-drop components.
• Additionally, the plugin features a dynamic forum area for users to interact with one another.

LearnDash’s disadvantages include the following:

• The documentation for the plugin should be improved.
• While LearnDash neatly organizes and formats everything you need for your courses, you have full control over the appearance of your website. Some users with less expertise with WordPress may have difficulty dealing with the plugin.
• The competition maintains a higher standard of reporting.
• It costs more than other standard membership plugins available on the market.
• LearnDash has a number of subscription benefits, however others are missing. As a result, LearnDash developed integrations with various other plugins focused on membership, such as MemberPress and PaidMembershipsPro. While it’s convenient to have integration, it will bring additional expenses to the table.

4. Paid Memberships Pro – Free (Premium version costs $297 each year)

Paid Memberships Pro is yet another famed membership plugin for WordPress that comes with excellent customer service and a slew of excellent features to help you build an enviable membership site.

Paid Memberships Pro comes with a free plugin and a plethora of extensions or add-ons. The core plugin enables building simple membership sites, but the add-ons that it has to offer take those membership sites to a whole new level. Among the add-ons are the following:

• BBPress integration
• Email Templates
• Hide Admin Bar (from non-admins members)
• Mailchimp integration
• MailPoet integration
• Register Helper for adding checkout field and profile field
• WooCommerce integration

The majority of reputable membership sites will invariably choose the premium version since all essential features are included.  However, the free edition of the plugin includes 19 complimentary add-ons, which may suffice for modest and beginner membership sites.

While the Plus plan is the most cost effective for the typical company, developers will still need the Unlimited plan, which includes unlimited site support. This item retails for $597.

Paid Memberships Pro’s advantages include the following:

• The free plugin is suitable for users who have basic membership websites. It includes documentation and basic video support, as well as 19 complimentary add-ons. It seems to be an advantageous strategy for extremely tiny membership websites. The free version is also a good way of testing the plugin before someone decides to upgrade.
• Create your own membership tiers, each with a different fee. You may list such plans so that new customers understand precisely what they’re purchasing.
• Integrates with 6 different payment processors, including Stripe, PayPal, CyberSource, and Braintree.
• Establish trial periods and flexible pricing. Trials may be completely customized and have an expiry date.
• Directly from the plugin, users can effortlessly insert and modify advertisements.
• Notify your members by email.
• With one of the pricing plans, you can install the plugin on unlimited sites.
• The customized reports are useful for keeping tabs on your subscribers and predicting the amount of cash flow generated by your site.
• With over 60 paid add-ons, you’ll never be short of features.
• A 30-day money-back guarantee alleviates any first purchasing anxiety.
• The restrictions on content are very flexible. You can impose restrictions on certain segments of your content, single pages, and even custom post types 
• You may create complete membership directories, empowering your users to manage their subscriptions and personalize their profiles.
• The plugin is completely compatible with multisite WordPress installations.

Paid Memberships Pro’s disadvantages include:

• The majority of design customizations need an understanding of CSS. This is advantageous for developers. However, novices are limited to the patterns provided.
• The price is a bit steep, and it’s an annual recurring payment.
• Additional payments are made in the form of add-ons. While many site owners may not need add-ons, some will find that it is preferable to use a separate plugin that contains all capabilities of the main plugin.

5. MemberPress – Pricing Starts at $149 each year

MemberPress is a comprehensive membership management system that includes limitless member support, drip content, digital goods, and discounts. While the price is much more than the usual WordPress membership plugin, you generally do not receive as many unique features with other plugins that MemberPress has to offer.

For instance, MemberPress includes a powerful affiliate program, and interestingly enough, the Stripe connection is available as an integral part of the plugin and not as an add-on.

We recommend MemberPress for those having ready-to-go courses or communities. The actual annual cost of the plugin is $249, and hence, the $149 tag is a discounted price. MemberPress often offers discounts, so it’s worth subscribing to the email to learn when new deals are available.

Although the plans are one-time fees, support and upgrades are renewed annually. The price rises if you want to use the plugin for a second website, want to add unique payment methods, or wish to offer corporate accounts.

MemberPress’ advantages include the following:

• Affiliate Royal Merchant Edition is included with the base package, which normally retails for $85.
• Integrate with a number of major email marketing platforms, including AWeber and Mailchimp.
• There is a members-only section for conversation and idea exchange.
• To keep members engaged, the plugin allows using reminders and coupons.
• Configure access controls and membership groups.
• Unless you need ongoing maintenance or upgrades, the price is one-time. It’s really a reasonably priced piece of software considering the number of functions included.
• MemberPress offers a 14-day money-back guarantee, which allows you to evaluate the program and choose if you like it.
• The plugin creates a stunning price page for you to personalize and show to your clients. It is not necessary to have any prior understanding of coding to utilize it.
• MemberPress’ extensibility is a strength, since it integrates with a wide variety of valuable products and services, including Zapier, Amazon Web Services, and AffiliateWP.

MemberPress’ disadvantages include the following:

• You must purchase the Plus Edition ($249 per year) to get access to features like integrations with BuddyPress and Authorize.net.
• The price structure may be too expensive for those who want something less expensive and simpler.
• Extending a product is not for everyone. Adding 2, 3, or 10 add-ons to create a membership site may not seem attractive, particularly when some of those add-ons are paid.
• MemberPress offers improved frontend appearance, however many aspects of the design still look a lot dated. 

6. BuddyBoss – Cost starts at $228 per year

BuddyBoss is a fully featured membership theme and plugin that enables you to create a site that offers customized memberships, online groups, and courses. The versatile plugin interacts with the majority of WordPress themes, or you may start from scratch and use the BuddyBoss theme.

Currently, no free version of the plugin is available. On the BuddyBoss website, you may try an online sandbox sample to get a feel for how the plugin functions.

Pricing for a single plugin and theme license begins at $228 per year. More plans cost extra but include additional licenses if you want to operate numerous membership sites.

BuddyBoss’s services include tools for establishing online membership programs. You get access to gamification, recurring payments, and integration tools that enable you to build your own community mobile app. Numerous membership plugins are available through SaaS platforms. BuddyBoss has a more open approach, charging a flat fee and allowing you to expand your membership site using plugins and custom coding.

BuddyPress features include the ability to create communities, offer courses online, and manage corporate training programs. It’s especially attractive to charities and online institutions.

BuddyBoss’ advantages include the following:

• BuddyBoss includes both a plugin and a theme. This increases your freedom as a company owner because you can either use the theme to create a membership site immediately or connect with another theme if you need a different appearance.
• The plugin provides features for selling courses, managing various membership levels, and enabling users to interact with one another through online communities.
• You are not restricted to the software’s capabilities, since BuddyBoss is not marketed as a SaaS application, but rather as a plugin that integrates nicely with other plugins and services.
• Member profiles are sleek and simple to use, with forum discussions, private messaging, and event organizing features included. Additionally, each user has their own media album for uploading photographs and organizing them.
• Selling subscriptions and memberships is feasible, and memberships may be sold alongside other goods through a connection to WooCommerce.
• Offer or sell online courses that include drip material, quizzes, and reports. Additionally, it has possibilities for awarding certificates to those who successfully finish a course.
• BuddyBoss’s gamification function creates a fun atmosphere for your community. Rewards, accomplishments, points, and rankings are all examples of gamification components.
• Integrate your website with page builders such as Elementor, Gutenberg, and others.
• You may build a mobile application for your membership site that includes real-time synchronization with site and in-app purchases.
• You can connect BuddyBoss with a broad variety of third-party plugins and applications, including WooCommerce, Elementor, and LearnDash.

BuddyBoss’ disadvantages include the following:

• There is no free version of the plugin.
• While the price is not unreasonable, it will seem expensive to certain small companies.
• BuddyBoss places a higher premium on compatibility with other membership systems and plugins. As a result, you may discover that a required functionality needs connection with another paid software through a third-party.
• While complete customization is available with BuddyBoss, novices are restricted to altering just the header and footer.
• In general, there are fewer built-in features than with most of the competitors. This is because it is advertised as a highly extensible plugin, yet some users may object to the lack of pre-built functionality.
• Customer service response times, according to previous users, are uneven. Although the customer assistance seems to be knowledgeable and pleasant, you may have difficulty contacting them.

7. Restrict Content Pro – $99 each year

Although Restrict Content Pro is primarily a content-hiding plugin, it also contains features for managing memberships and subscriptions.

The reason why Restrict Content Pro is so popular is due to its multitude of built-in integrations. The price is competitive with comparable WordPress membership plugins, and it’s great to have four bundle options.

Restrict Content Pro’s advantages include the following:

• Each payment plan includes 13 free add-ons.
• Authorize.net, Stripe, 2Checkout, Braintree, and PayPal Website Payments Pro are all integrated.
• Payment list and members list may be exported as CSV files.
• Create an infinite number of membership packages and easily manage all of your subscribers.
• Send welcome emails and a variety of additional automated member communications.
• The WooCommerce connection enables you to sell memberships as well as other items through your website.
• A lifetime price option is offered to help you save money over time and avoid any recurring costs.
• The developer support is particularly noteworthy, since it gives API access to advanced users.

Restrict Content Pro’s disadvantages include the following:

• With the core plugin, you cannot drip content.
• Upgrading or downgrading users is a bit perplexing.
• It is unknown if you will receive add-on and customer support if you do not renew your subscription annually.
• Numerous functionalities are only available as add-ons. This implies that more sophisticated membership sites need numerous components, many of which are only accessible with the premium price options.
• Although the help documentation is extensive, Restrict Content Pro does not provide any additional assistance channels except support through email ticketing.
• There is no integrated affiliate system.
• Although the plugin interacts with many popular page builders (such as Elementor), the styling capability is lacking. Occasionally, it replicates your existing material into the builder and enables adding new page builder content without any option for modifying the existing content.

8. Ultimate Member – Free (Pay $249 each year for access to all available extensions)

The Ultimate Member plugin is a cost-effective solution for developing a membership website. The plugin’s basic version is free, and you just pay for the extensions that you need.

Alternatively, a $249 bundle is offered at a discounted price of all of the Ultimate Member paid extensions. Additionally, a theme is offered for a premium.

The prices of the extensions vary, but the majority begin at about $35. Several examples include the following:

• Instagram
• MailChimp
• Notices
• Private Content
• Terms and Conditions
• Unsplash support
• User Bookmarks
• User Reviews
• Verified Users

Ultimate Member’s advantages include the following:

• The Ultimate Member plugin is completely free to use, as are many of the extensions.
• You may purchase premium extensions separately or save money by purchasing the collection as a whole.
• There are custom form and conditional logic fields available to help you create the precise kinds of forms required for your membership site.
• Customization options are available for the frontend modules for user registration and user profile.
• All front- and back-end interfaces are just as stunning as some of the premium membership plugins you will find on the market today.
• Numerous beginner-friendly tools, including the Gutenberg modules, and drag-and-drop builder are included.
• You get access to a wide collection of paid and free extensions, many of which include tools for managing stock images, groups, and private material.
• Additionally, a WordPress theme is available to accompany the membership plugin. This is arguably the simplest method for someone to start a membership site, since everything is already built and prepared for them.
• Customer assistance is excellent, including a help forum, how-to instructions, and contact information for resolving issues.

Ultimate Member’s disadvantages include the following:

• It would be great to make a few premium extensions available as free features, given that private conversations and user pictures are not really “premium” functions.
• There are no demonstrations available for the paid plugins to demonstrate how they function in practice. While screenshots are provided, it would be ideal if users could try the extensions before purchasing them.

9. AccessAlly – Pricing starts at $99 a month

AccessAlly is more like a plugin that combines an LMS or learning management system with a membership platform. Numerous WordPress membership plugins already offer LMS functionality. Indeed, membership sites quite often share functionality with both kinds of plugins or include elements from both.

AccessAlly takes things a step further by offering complete LMS and membership suites, enabling you to create and sell online courses in addition to custom memberships.

The overwhelming majority of features, from forms to various payment modules, are designed to increase your conversions. You may implement an affiliate tracking system and automate the distribution of abandoned cart emails to customers who do not complete their purchase.

The AccessAlly plugin is not available in the WordPress repository, and it is not inexpensive. It’s a premium toolkit designed for serious, rapidly expanding membership and online course websites. Some may claim that it is primarily a service for established companies.

As is the case with most high-end software, AccessAlly has a lengthy list of functions that you will almost certainly never use. Customer service, on the other hand, is much superior to what you’d receive with a no-cost WordPress plugin. Additionally, you can request a one-on-one demo to see AccessAlly in action. If you don’t have time for that, the product website has a brilliant video.

AccessAlly’s advantages include the following:

• It’s a high-performance software and WordPress plugin designed for the world’s fastest-growing businesses and established brands.
• The level of customization is unmatched, with fully configurable tools and settings for developers to connect with all existing organizational tools.
• As a premium piece of software, AccessAlly offers unparalleled customer assistance to all customers. Everyone has access to comprehensive web resources, and users get numerous monthly training calls.
• By purchasing an annual membership, you may save some bucks on an otherwise high price.
• AccessAlly is a WordPress plugin that combines an LMS with a membership plugin.
• Activate as many courses, tags, files, folders, and memberships as you like.
• The member director is equipped with filters and search capabilities for the purpose of finding information about users.
• Customize every aspect of your forms and infuse your community with gamification by giving points for certain activities.
• AccessAlly has an affiliate management scheme that includes leaderboards, personalized links, and payment processing.
• The order forms are straightforward and contemporary, including Stripe, PayPal, and other payment processors.
• The plugin includes an array of powerful promotional and analytical capabilities, such as instant coupon generation and comprehensive reporting.
• Apart from a robust WordPress plugin, AccessAlly interacts with a variety of other platforms, including ActiveCampaign, Infusionsoft, and ConvertKit.
• It offers split-testing features that many of the plugins you find on this list do not have.

AccessAlly’s disadvantages include the following:

• Pricing is too expensive for small companies. Simply stated, AccessAlly is designed for bigger businesses with sufficient cash flow to rapidly recoup the cost of the plugin.
• There is no free trial period during which you may evaluate the plugin on your own leisure.
• The WordPress Repository does not include any essential plugins.
• Certain features of AccessAlly nearly need hiring a developer or manually inserting code. It is really intended for businesses who currently employ such kinds of employees.
• After activation, your WordPress dashboard is flooded with new features, options, and tabs. Certain individuals may find this much too crowded and frightening.
• The course content builder, in my opinion, is less user-friendly than those of other rivals.

10. Paid Member Subscriptions – Free (Premium starts at $69 a year)

Paid Member Subscriptions is an incredibly simple-to-use but powerful membership plugin. This plugin allows you to manage an infinite number of subscription levels, restrict content (custom post types, pages, and posts), and receive payments almost immediately. It is also compatible with WooCommerce.

While the main plugin is free, it offers a slew of paid add-ons that significantly expand its capabilities. Some of the most important add-ons include Email Reminders, Discount Codes, Fixed Period Memberships, Pay What You Want pricing, etc. 

The Pro edition includes more sophisticated payment methods like PayPal Pro and Stripe as well as content dripping features and invoices. What’s wonderful about this plugin is that it lacks complex setup pages and that the basic plugin is sufficient to set up a fully functional membership site and begin collecting money. Everything else will almost certainly need an add-on.

Paid Member Subscriptions’ advantages include the following:

• Utilize shortcodes to create Register, Login, and Account pages.
• Create subscription plans with no limits
• Restrict access to material depending on a user’s membership status or logged-in state.
• A “pay what you want” price option is included to allow your users to choose the amount of money they want to pay every month.
• Sign-up fees and free trials are supported.
• Integrates seamlessly with WooCommerce, enabling the administrator to limit product browsing, purchase, and give members-only discounts on products.
• Using a shortcode, you may include a login module wherever you want on your site.
• Customizable email templates.
• You may export member data for use in other applications or to share with stakeholders.
• The basic reporting informs you of your revenue and also tells which members need re-subscription.
• The “prevent account sharing” function prevents your subscribed members from sharing their username and password with friends and relatives. This is accomplished by preventing repeated logins from various places.
• You get access to a number of add-ons – both basic and advanced.

Paid Member Subscriptions’ disadvantages include the following:

• To get access to recurring payments and payment gateways such as PayPal Pro and Stripe, you must upgrade to the Pro edition.
• Indeed, the bulk of necessary functions are only available in the premium editions. The complimentary plugin is more of a demonstration.
• It’s absurd to charge for integrations with WordPress plugins such as bbPress that come for free.
• The plugin does not have many 3rd party integrations. For instance, there is no Zapier integration, which is something many users would like to see. 

11. ARMember – Free and the Premium Version Costs $29

ARMember includes a lovely free demo area where you can try out various features such as the membership setup form, login form, registration form, and profile templates.

Additionally, you may select between the free and premium versions based on your stage of membership site development and the features you require.

Premium payment is one-time, and the ARMember dashboard is about as squeaky clean as it gets. The user may see their profile, membership information, password preferences, and transaction history – all in one place.

Although the free edition is a more recent release from the creators, it is sufficient for creating a fully functional membership site with various plans, memberships, and payment methods.

There are nearly 12 add-ons available for the standard plugin, including the following:

• Active Campaign Integration
• Affiliate Pro Integration
• Cornerstone Integration
• Mollie Payment Gateway
• PayPal Pro Payment Gateway
• Zapier Integration

ARMember’s advantages include the following:

• A few of the add-ons are completely free, while others require payment. On the plus side, all of the real membership benefits are included in the plugin itself. These add-ons are utilized in a variety of unique circumstances.
• Each product made by this development team is reasonably priced. You may choose to download and use the free plugin, test the premium version, and then purchase the add-ons you require.
• Specify the material you want to prohibit and customize the message shown to those who have not paid.
• The plugin has a robust form builder that allows you to modify anything from colors to fields.
• You have full control over when and how your content is dripped.
• Utilize custom redirects to route visitors to other destinations based on their plan.
• Utilize shortcodes to restrict access to your content. This gives you the ability to disable components across your website. Simply copy and paste the shortcode into the region you want to limit.
• There is support for both free and paid trials.
• Multiple payment channels, including Authorize.net, PayPal, and 2Checkout, are supported.
• ARMember integrates with a large number of third-party add-ons and plugins. Visual Composer, BuddyPress, Mailchimp, and WooCommerce are just a few of them.

ARMember’s disadvantages include the following:

• The automated messages should be improved, since they include a few grammatical errors and utilize ambiguous wording.
• Because the product is offered on CodeCanyon, the price increases in case you need assistance for 12 months. Additionally, you may discover that premium add-ons become prohibitively costly if you utilize a large number of them. It’s still reasonably inexpensive in comparison to competing plugins.
• In contrast to the standard network activation, you must activate multisite on each individual site.

12. Teachable – Free (Premium version starts from $29 per month)

Teachable offers tools and assistance for a particular kind of membership site: one dedicated to selling and moderating online courses. It is a self-contained application that integrates with WordPress for the purpose of accepting new admissions, processing sales, and managing subscriptions.

Teachable provides you with a fully featured membership website that supports an unlimited number of students, immediate payments, and drip material. Third-party connectors such as Sumo, Facebook, and MailChimp may help you advance your marketing efforts.

Teachable will cost you a minimum of $29 per month. Pricing increases to $99 per month in order to remove transaction fees and add multiple administrators. The $249 Business plan is the best choice if you need more admin users.

Teachable has a website builder, and the membership site you build with it is compatible with all mobile devices. You get access to conversion-optimized sales landing pages. Not to add, all members have the ability to customize their membership level, participate in different quizzes, and connect with other visitors to your website.

Teachable’s advantages include the following:

• By providing reduced transaction costs, the pricing model encourages successful membership sites.
• The plugin comes equipped with all of the necessary features for managing memberships and producing courses. It takes little time to get familiar with the system.
• With the assistance of a website builder and many pre built templates, you may create an attractive website.
• On all devices, the profile management sections and courses look fabulous.
• There is no need to invest in landing page software, because Teachable provides sales pages that are already geared for conversion.
• The multilingual capability is very beneficial for acquiring consumers in different nations.
• Zapier connects your website to WordPress and many other useful applications, such as Olark and Zendesk.
• You may divide your membership list and charge various rates for each section, as well as consider sending targeted emails to each segment.
• Payment gateways make local and international transactions simple.
• Automatic member enrollment is available, as is the ability to manually add members. From your dashboard, you may create unique membership levels and give partial refunds or full refunds.
• There is no need to bother about website hosting. Everything is taken care of for you.

Teachable’s disadvantages include the following:

• Your site’s registration procedure is not as user-friendly as the competition’s.
• Certain charities, small companies, and educational institutions will be unable to pay the price.
• While it is feasible to create an attractive membership site using the platform, the platform’s capabilities for creating a stunning website are restricted. Because the basic features are designed to get novices started fast, there aren’t many customization options. In summary, you receive what is given, not much more, such as integrations or features that are continuously updated.
• Customers who currently pay $29 per month are levied a 5% transaction fee. That is excessive.
• Certain communication functions are restricted. For example, in certain circumstances, student communications between instructors and other students are not shown properly or are unavailable.
• Coding expertise is needed for more sophisticated changes and branding.

13. Simple Membership – Free

If you’re looking for a simple and straightforward method to provide free and premium memberships on your website, the Simple Membership plugin is a good option. The reason why this plugin happens to be so popular with small companies is that it is completely free and supports dozens of languages.

This may not be necessary for some, but it is one of the most comprehensive language lists available for membership plugins, allowing for usage in a variety of nations.

As previously stated, the Simple Membership plugin does not have a price structure. It’s an open source initiative with a user-centered design. Apart from that, the plugin’s name tells it all. The plugin is compatible with all WordPress themes, is ready to use within minutes of installation, and allows you to secure any number of pages.

Simple Membership allows for an infinite number of membership levels. Additionally, it has an intuitive interface that is suitable for both novice and expert users. It is as simple as configuring the settings for providing paid or free memberships and connecting your website to PayPal to begin collecting payments. Stripe and Braintree are also available payment gateways. From one-time purchases to monthly subscriptions, the Simple Membership plugin covers all the essentials, making it an excellent membership plugin for people who don’t want a bloated feature set or a cumbersome interface.

Simple Membership’s advantages include the following:

• It’s completely free, with no upsells to bother you.
• The majority of important add-ons are available completely free of cost, with a few paid options available. Among the add-ons are login redirection, connections with email services, and a simple form builder for membership.
• The developer API is now available for the purpose of configuring actions and filter hooks.
• A member login widget is included to enable the incorporation of a login form on all pages of your site.
• A membership payment log that shows you which members have paid and which have not.
• You may create an infinite number of membership levels, and your website can display both free and paid subscriptions.
• The content is protected throughout the editing process of a WordPress page or post. For individuals who do not have the appropriate membership level, a login module displays. In a nutshell, the Simple Membership plugin enables you to easily add a blocker to certain posts and pages.
• It comes with an option for password-protecting portions of your material. For instance, you may wish to use a teaser image to display a portion of your blog article or picture gallery. The remainder of the material may be censored, just as several big newspapers do with their online content.

Simple Membership’s disadvantages include the following:

• You shouldn’t anticipate a high degree of support from this plugin, given that almost everything about it is free. If this concerns you, a premium support plan is available.
• It would be great to have a few more payment gateways, given the breadth of the accepted languages. In certain places, PayPal is not always the most economical option.
• For some users, the feature list might not be sufficient. 

14. s2Member – Free (Pro version costs $89)

s2Member’s free membership plugin packs quite a punch. Additionally, the premium edition is available for a one-time charge rather than a monthly subscription.

The free edition of s2Member includes PayPal and content protection buttons for adding membership features to your existing website.

It is always recommended to go for the pro version for anything more involved, particularly given the reasonable price.

It’s a fantastic option worth considering when evaluating WordPress membership plugins.

s2Member’s advantages include the following:

• Control the capabilities and roles of users on your WordPress site.
• Create an open registration process and limit access to certain material.
• The premium edition includes support for ClickBank, Stripe, PayPal Pro, and Authorize.net.
• Additionally, the Premium edition supports WordPress multisite and includes support for a public member list.
• It offers a coupon feature, too.
• Connect to your preferred mailing list provider.
• Numerous security features, such as unique IP limitations, and brute-force login protection are incorporated into the plugin.
• When adding material to your website, you have the option of protecting it. This increases the difficulty of people ripping your audio or video broadcasts.
• All fields associated with login and registration are configurable.
• With the purchase of your plugin, you will get a security badge. This does not increase the security of your site; however, it does foster confidence among your users.
• Developers with API access may configure event-driven alerts.

s2Member’s disadvantages include the following:

• s2Member is one of the less contemporary looking WordPress membership plugins.
• While the integrations are adequate, inclusion of more payment gateways and a powerful affiliate program are desirable.
• s2Member does not work with WooCommerce.
• The free plugin does not allow unlimited paid membership levels. They have reserved this for their premium plugin despite the fact that the feature is not really a premium candidate.

15. WooCommerce Memberships ($199 each year)

WooCommerce is the market’s most popular WordPress eCommerce plugin. Nonetheless, some website owners wish to enhance the standard product-selling capabilities by incorporating some membership items.

The WooCommerce Memberships plugin accomplishes this by integrating your products and content with a fully functional membership system. You can assign or sell memberships, differentiate access based on the customer’s identity, and transform your ecommerce store into a powerful and active purchasing club.

WooCommerce Memberships’ advantages include the following:

• Create a buying club in which some goods are concealed from non-members.
• Provide exclusive deals to your members.
• The Members Area will display all member benefits.
• Lists of members may be imported or exported.
• Send messages to subscribers and store message templates.
• With shortcodes, you may limit access to certain pages, posts, and custom posts, as well as block partial content inside any page or post of your website.
• The developers, according to users, provide customized assistance with educated answers.
• Because the feature list is continuously being updated, there’s a high possibility that every few months, or perhaps each year, you’ll notice new features that you can take advantage of.

WooCommerce Memberships’ disadvantages include the following:

• When WordPress, WooCommerce, and WooCommerce Memberships are combined, many moving parts occur, and complexity increases rapidly. For many users, the degree of complexity can be frightening.
• The price is very expensive, since WooCommerce Memberships adds an additional $199 to your yearly budget. Additionally, it is a recurrent charge if you need to continue getting updates on an annual basis.
• The messaging system is incapable of sending an email to the whole of the membership base.
• Generally, you’re restricted to the plugin’s built-in capabilities. You might always look for a solution to a missing functionality in another WooCommerce add-on, but this utility does not have any dedicated add-ons.
• Users want to see enhanced membership application support, particularly, a method for creating unique application forms that may be reused across the website.

16. WP-Members – Free (Pricing for priority support and add-ons start at $59 a year)

WP-Members is one of the cheapest WordPress plugins for creating a membership site. There is no premium version available. However, you have the option of just upgrading to the add-ons that you really need.

Additionally, the $59 annual subscription includes premium customer assistance. However, there is no need to enroll.

Pricing for premium add-ons start at $29 and go all the way up to $125. Among the available plugins are Download Protection, Advanced Options, and Invite Codes. The connections with WooCommerce, MailChimp, and PayPal are particularly appealing.

Additionally, it’s convenient because you may limit as much information as you like on your WordPress site. Create an infinite amount of registration fields and tailor them to your brand and the kind of data you’re collecting.

The registration module is visible on the website, with the ability to limit access to just a portion of your material. In this fashion, you may provide free blog articles but charge for lengthy ones.

The interface for creating your membership site and also managing the subscribed users is simple and clear, similar to how WordPress styles are. This does not make it the most aesthetically pleasing interface available, but those acquainted with WordPress should feel comfortable.

WP-Members’ advantages include the following:

• The core plugin in its entirety is totally free.
• You have the ability to expand your site’s capabilities. While you may have to pay for an add-on, at least they are not offered as a single bundle with which you may never use half the features.
• Numerous API methods are included to facilitate sophisticated extensibility.
• The plugin offers more than 120 action hooks and filters to expand the customizing options.
• The plugin is unusual in that it generates an excerpt teaser for each blog post automatically.
• The plugin allows you to customize the fields associated with registration and profile creation.
• The login module is delivered as a widget, which makes it simple to integrate into many sections of your website.

WP-Members’ disadvantages include the following:

• Some users may be unwilling to pay for optional features such as PayPal Subscriptions and MailChimp integration. These are standard characteristics that are not often classified as “premium.”
• If you are not a paying client, your customer assistance is restricted. Additionally, WP-Members lacks a sizable online community.
• The plugin’s frontend and backend are designed minimally. They are not visually appealing, which may deter some users.
• The plugin is missing templates for creating landing pages, customized courses, and even checkout modules. This may need additional code if you want to enhance the functionality currently provided.

17. aMember – Pricing starts from $179.95 a Year

The aMember membership software includes a plugin that allows you to integrate the membership structure with your WordPress website. Because the plugin is not accessible through the WordPress plugins repository, you can only see how it works after you register for a demo.

The aMember software is listed on the main page at $179.95 (now reduced to $149.36). This is a perpetual license that includes 6 months of support and eliminates the need to pay on a monthly or per year basis.

Additionally, the aMember developers conduct frequent sales for the plugin. Integrating and launching your site is included in the price of your purchase. Along with content protection, you receive drip feed material, over 200 payment processors, and recurring payments.

For continuous contact with your members, the broadcasts and email autoresponder are integrated into the core program. Additionally, you will certainly appreciate the concept of product add-ons and variations, which enable you to upsell extra services or goods to your subscribers. Given the breadth of the package’s features, it seems to be a decent bargain, especially given you’re only committing to a one-time purchase.

aMember’s advantages include the following:

• This is a comprehensive set of membership tools consolidated into a single piece of software. The program connects easily with your WordPress site or any content management system (CMS).
• aMember includes an affiliate program, eliminating the need to install and may even pay for a 3rd party application.
• Directly from the aMember dashboard, you can send opt-in newsletters. Once again, this is another feature that obviates the necessity for a third-party service like Aweber.
• Customers may build and manage user profiles using a comprehensive set of fields.
• Configure subscription tiers and collect payments through one of over 200 payment methods. Stripe, PayPal are just a few of them.
• Apart from English, the aMember plugin is translated into six more languages. The following languages are supported: Greek, Chinese, Spanish, Russian, French, and German.
• Create an infinite number of membership tiers for certain kinds of users with incremental content delivery.
• Automated signup streamlines your administrative duties. Additionally, you are not needed to terminate someone’s membership, since the expirations are handled for you.
• The member administration module includes features such as discount codes, customizable registration forms, and a fail-safe payment processor.
• The WordPress plugin has a great feature that mimics your existing theme’s identity by using styles from your site’s footer and header.
• Access control enables you to secure several files on your site, creating pages that are only visible to select members.
• The one-time purchase is much more cost effective in the long run than paying for it on a yearly or a monthly basis.

aMember’s disadvantages include the following:

• To see a demo, you must contact the business. It’s not a huge issue, but I often find that this results in a sales person contacting you. It’s a rather old method of software distribution.
• The WordPress plugin that comes with your product is not listed or rated on a large number of websites. This leaves us without access to internet user evaluations, which are often very useful for determining how long-term users feel about the program. Additionally, you cannot try a free version of the plugin as a result of this.
• The user interface should be improved. It’s a feature-rich piece of software, although it seems to have been developed in the 1990s.

18. ProfileGrid– Free (Paid plan starts at $79)

As a profile generation and administration plugin with the majority of the capabilities of a membership program, ProfileGrid combines simplicity and great expandability.

The main plugin integrates WooCommerce, contains bbPress support, and features sophisticated forms. Additionally, you may create a group event, a login menu, and even user profiles.

Following that, premium functionality includes geolocation, connection with MailChimp, and a group wall where members may debate issues in a public forum. The social login feature speeds up the login process, and the frontend group creator eliminates the need for your users to interact with the backend excessively.

The ProfileGrid plugin’s most notable feature is its ability to create groups, membership debates, directories, and profiles without becoming a crowded, cumbersome plugin.

The registration pages are visually appealing, and the profile features are functional for users of all ability levels. Additionally, the bulk of functions are available for free. There may come a point when you may need to upgrade in order to get access to new features. In that scenario, you’d either purchase one of the plugin’s many extensions or the $79 Premium edition.

Typically, the premium version works by enabling certain extensions that you need at the time. For example, you may want to enable Instagram picture integration or enable a user labels module for keeping a track of the registered members.

ProfileGrid’s advantages include the following:

• The core plugin is completely free.
• Premium features are also reasonably priced.
• It’s a little plugin that eliminates the need for bulky software that can possibly overwhelm your server.
• You can combine the plugin with a variety of different WordPress plugins, including bbPress and WooCommerce.
• With private chat, user blogs, and a buddy system, user communication and involvement are strongly encouraged.
• This is an excellent plugin for allowing your users to upload bigger files.
• Utilize payment platforms such as PayPal and Stripe for creating your own membership tiers.
• The ProfileGrid plugin includes a reCAPTCHA toggle, options for whitelisting or blacklisting, and a site key, among other security features.
• Material restriction is managed by the administrator, who has the option of restricting access to specific users and allowing part of the content to be shown without charging users.
• The profiles are comprehensive but easy enough for the typical user to upload and create things such as profile photographs, group photos, biographical information, and any other custom sections you add.
• You get robust group administration capabilities for aspects such as keeping groups private, adding badges to different groups, and associating just certain WordPress users with a group.
• A directory page enables administrators and users to search for friends and others with similar interests.
• ProfileGrid happens to be one of the finest WordPress membership plugins for assigning group administrators for moderating message boards and forums.

ProfileGrid disadvantages include the following:

• The free edition includes the WooCommerce connection, but anything beyond the essentials needs a paid membership. Combining your membership site and WooCommerce wishlist, for example, will cost you.
• Some of the plugin’s fundamental functions are included in the premium version. Among them are the MailChimp and Instagram integrations.
• Because the designs are basic, you’ll need to get a developer’s assistance or write codes yourself to replicate your branding or make any changes.
• Customer service is restricted to the creation of support tickets.

19. Restrict User Access – Free

If all you want to do is limit access to part or all of your material, the Restrict User Access plugin does this task without including any superfluous functionality. The plugin’s purpose is to hide pages and blog posts from non-members. 

These individuals are classified according to their WordPress user roles. You offer membership levels directly via your website and label them according to the user level and associated price.

You do not need to know how to code to take use of the advantages of Restrict User Access. Access levels are established by overriding your existing user levels or by extending what WordPress currently includes.

Users may navigate between levels, and you can create membership lengths that reach an expiration after a predefined time frame. Additionally, the teaser material assists in persuading non-paying customers of what they are losing out on.

While the Restrict User Access plugin is completely free, you may purchase other plugins that the same developer has to offer. Several of these may be useful for membership sites.

For building theme templates, you will love the Content Aware Sidebars and Sectors. The Personal package begins at $49 per year and includes one website and an unlimited number of widget locations. The overwhelming majority of membership sites, on the other hand, may be operated with the entirely free Restrict User Access plugin.

Restrict User Access’ advantages include the following:

• The plugin as a whole is free. There is no option for upgrading for extra functionality.
• Activate an infinite number of access levels depending on your existing WordPress user levels or on those created just for your membership specialty.
• Create membership durations that will expire at a future date.
• Distribute drip material that you prepare once and distribute in the future automatically.
• Unauthorized visitors are directed to a certain page on your site. Of course, you can define the destination page. This is advantageous for creating a landing page that describes the advantages of getting a premium account and the value the paying customers get.
• You have the option of displaying teaser material to non-members. A customized message is also an option to further persuade them and include a call to action.
• You’re provided with shortcodes to increase the flexibility of content restriction.
• Restriction of member material is possible based on a variety of criteria, including content authored by a particular author, pages, posts, blog pages, page templates, and user profiles.
• The plugin combines with a number of useful tools that will help you enhance your membership site. Polylang, Pods, bbPress, BuddyPress, etc., are just a few of them.
• A developer API is available for customizing the application further and connecting it with different organizational systems you have.

Restrict User Access’ disadvantages include the following:

• The backend interface is not intuitive. Because it does not appear to be very modern, you’ll find a long list of settings. There will be instances when you have difficulty locating the appropriate tabs.
• Restrict User Access is far less robust than several other premium plugins you have already learned about through this list so far.

20. Memberful WP – Limited Free Plan (Premium pricing starts at $25 a month)

Memberful WP is a stand-alone membership management system that integrates with your WordPress site through a plugin. While the plugin does not provide all of the functionality needed to sell memberships, the Memberful WP program does. It allows you to create different levels of membership levels, accept money, and levy taxes.

Memberful WP provides a free plan that enables you to evaluate the software’s functionality and integration with your WordPress site. Serious companies will need to subscribe to the Pro plan at a cost of $25 per month to access the most advanced features. This site provides limitless plans, discount coupons, and staff accounts, among other things. The plan that costs $100 a month is required in order to remove Memberful branding and offer group memberships.

Memberful WP is not the cheapest solution for creating and managing subscriptions on your website. However, this price is so expensive because of the beautiful UI and comprehensive feature set.

Additionally, it’s worth noting that the Memberful WP API is available if you want various extensions and integrations. Although the community forums, registration forms, and profiles are already visually appealing, this feature enables users to further personalize the system.

Memberful WP advantages include the following:

• You may use the free plan to evaluate the plugin and observe how the plugin interacts with your site.
• The member management and registration modules are among the most attractive designs available.
• Subscriptions are managed effortlessly, with support for various payment methods, subscription support, and refunds sent at the touch of a button.
• You may restrict access to material and safeguard particular pages and posts based on the membership level of the person that signs in.
• Memberful WP includes a comprehensive library of instructional videos and tutorials for launching your first membership site.
• All alerts are set by default. This includes emails with password reset instructions, notifications of credit card expiry, and renewal reminders.
• You can generate a coupon in seconds and offer new members discounts.
• Custom branding is available through built-in options.
• The API is available to developers.
• Users may buy subscriptions as gifts for friends and family.
• You may post a variety of file formats for users to download and utilize on their personal computers. For example, you might provide them with ebooks or infographics to peruse.
• The analytics are superior to the competitors. You may monitor all conversions and see how your registered members engage with one another.
• Sell real and digital products to members and non-members alike. Memberful WP is equipped with the capabilities necessary to create both a full-featured eCommerce shop and a membership site.

Memberful WP’s disadvantages include the following:

• The price is prohibitively expensive. While there is a free plan available, it is more of an unlimited free trial with restricted capabilities. Following that, the monthly charge accumulates over time.
• All packages incur transaction fees, which are not insignificant. The free plan has a 10% transaction charge, whereas the premium plans have a 4.9 percent transaction fee. That’s excluding the credit card processing costs. As a result, you may anticipate paying between 7.8 percent and 12.9 percent each transaction.  
• This is not a true WordPress plugin. Although an integration plugin is available, the majority of the work still gets done via a separate dashboard.

21. Groups – Free (Premium add-ons available)

The Groups plugin provides an intuitive interface and a comprehensive set of extensions that enable you to extend the functionality of the basic membership plugin. The plugin’s community is also very active in discussing how to utilize the plugin of the development website. With regards to price, there is no need to pay anything unless you decide to settle for a couple of premium add-ons or extensions.

What’s amazing is the breadth of available expansions. Forums, Blog protection, 404 redirects, and file access, are all available. While some of these capabilities might be incorporated in the core plugin, the approach isn’t bad since it prevents you from being compelled to purchase anything and eliminates the need to pay a single amount to access all the extensions.  There are various extensions to choose from such as those for supporting PayPal or group newsletters. Pricing varies per extension, but usually stays within the $19-$29 range. Concerning the free, basic functionality, the Groups plugin allows for the creation of an infinite number of groups, with members signing up using a form. You have full control over the permissions for access.

Groups’ advantages include the following:

• The core plugin is completely free.
• You have complete control over blocking post kinds, goods, and pages.
• You may segment your users and display them just specific stuff. The plugin’s overarching goal is to provide more control over such groups.
• Shortcodes provide you more control over the material on your site you want to block. For example, if you wanted to hide anything from non-members, you’d use the members shortcode.
• Gutenberg blocks are included to enable content restriction using the drag-and-drop feature.
• The user interface has fast filtering and bulk actions that enable you to manage your entire member base in a matter of clicks.
• The plugin includes a small number of translations for international usage.
• Subscription goods with recurring payments are available.
• You get to choose the duration of a subscription. Additionally, there are many options for collecting one-time payments or late payments.
• With a plugin like this, you get the core capabilities for free and then choose the extensions that best fit your organization’s requirements. Importing, forums, exporting, payment processing, and newsletters are just a few of the extensions.
• The API is available to developers that want to extend the functionality currently provided in the plugin.

Groups’ disadvantages include the following:

• While I appreciate that the main plugin is free, there is a high possibility you will have to pay for this membership plugin. Certain necessities are available as extensions. That may not seem like a big issue, but it can pile up for companies.
• The majority of functionality is controlled via the WordPress dashboard. That is not necessarily a negative thing, but the Groups plugin’s UI is rather lacking in comparison to sophisticated membership software.
• While WordPress throws a learning curve for newcomers, this plugin adds another layer of difficulty.

22. MemberMouse – Pricing starts at $19.95 a month

MemberMouse is often ignored as a membership plugin due to its absence from the WordPress repository. That’s OK, since all of MemberMouse’s information, development, and customer support is centralized on the product website.

It’s a beast of a membership site builder, complete with a fully functioning WordPress plugin and a feature set that rivals many of the leading membership plugins your money can buy for you. The plugin handles everything from client administration to password-protected member sections.

Member Mouse is equipped with sophisticated support automation and reporting. Analytics and reporting provide valuable information such as your members’ lifetime customer value, member retention rate, and any affiliate monitoring.

MemberMouse automates support by enabling members to update their profiles, cancel subscriptions, or updating payment card details.

In terms of price, the entry-level plan is set at $19.95 a month, with upgrades depending on the number of members you want to have. For example, the monthly fee is $99 if you have up to 50,000 members.

MemberMouse’s advantages include the following:

• When it comes to features, MemberMouse is a colossus. The suite includes a variety of choices for different kinds of member companies.
• The member’s area empowers your users with significant control, reducing customer service calls and empowering them to manage the community.
• Distribute material to your users in a drip fashion. There is the possibility of upsells and cross-sells.
• You may secure any material on your site. This contains an anti-piracy feature that automatically locks down your material if someone attempts to steal it.
• Customizable checkout pages are ideal for showcasing your brand and expediting the checkout process.
• You may modify your price structures at any time and create unlimited membership levels.
• Certain price tiers provide additional features such as lifetime value reporting, a comprehensive reporting suite, and a social network login.
• All developers may utilize the API to enhance MemberMouse’ functionalities. This is critical if you want to connect your application with tools that your organization uses.
• The plugin contains smart tags to help you manage your users more effectively. This manner, a fast search or filter returns the desired results rather than scrolling through a lengthy list of individuals or groups.

MemberMouse’ disadvantages include the following:

• Member Mouse is very pricey. While you get what you pay for, many smaller companies may quickly seek cost savings elsewhere.
• Phone assistance is not available until you buy a monthly plan costing $299. You’d assume that customers paying $100 per month would at the very least be able to speak with a customer service representative on the phone.
• Certain businesses may find the program overwhelming, since it attempts to include as many membership services as possible.

23. YITH WooCommerce Membership – Pricing starts at $99.99 a year

Choosing the correct membership plugin often boils down to which plugin choice provides the appropriate level of ecommerce functionality. If you already have a WooCommerce site or intend to create one, it’s a good idea to play with a membership plugin designed just for it.

The YITH WooCommerce Membership plugin is an example of this kind of solution, since it allows you to maintain a fully functional online shop while also selling memberships via or alongside the site.

The YITH plugin is available for purchase at a price of $99.99 for a one-site license and $399.99 for six-site license. It is theoretically a one-time purchase unless you want to pay for continuing maintenance and updates on a yearly basis.

The plugin is designed to automate the process of selling and managing memberships. You customize the material you want to sell and then invite additional people to join.

This may take the form of an online course or an eBook series. YITH’s membership configuration options are very straightforward and dependable, and there is no limit to the number of membership levels you may create. Additionally, the plugin’s customer support team is timely and accessible through a ticketing system. They also offer an online knowledgebase just in case you want to figure things out by yourself.

As YITH is a developer with a large plugin portfolio, you may want to consider extending your business with other WooCommerce plugins that not only support the YITH WooCommerce Membership plugin but also connect with it directly.

YITH WooCommerce Membership’ advantages include the following:

• The price is fair, particularly if you do not intend to pay for assistance on a yearly basis.
• You may establish an infinite number of membership levels with the YITH WooCommerce Membership plugin.
• The plugin is WooCommerce-compatible, enabling you to use that platform’s infrastructure for membership sales. Additionally, it is advantageous for selling other goods on the same website.
• Access to material may be restricted with the press of a button. You may specify expiry dates and ensure that certain user types are granted access while others are denied.
• You may associate several membership types with a single client. This way, the user has access to more material.
• The same principle applies to file protection as it does to content restriction. This option prevents your website’s submitted materials, such as pictures and eBooks, from being removed without your consent.
• You may create memberships based on WooCommerce components, such as tags and post product categories, using the WooCommerce connection.
• The plugin includes a fast contact widget that allows visitors to send you instant messages directly from the sidebar.
• There are email templates included. You have complete control over how these emails are customized and when they are sent.
• There is a straightforward method for revealing or blocking particular information on your website. This is accomplished via the use of a shortcode.
• Customer service is generally reliable, and YITH focuses nearly entirely on WooCommerce plugins.

YITH WooCommerce Membership’s disadvantages include the following:

• YITH does not have a core plugin available for download from the WordPress Repository. As a result, the majority of user reviews may be found on the YITH website. As a result, you cannot consider such evaluations to be trustworthy.
• There is an online live demo available for testing, however YITH does not provide a free trial. We understand that many users want to try a plugin on their own site prior to making a purchase. That is physically impossible with YITH.
• There is no such thing as a free plan.
• Numerous components that you add to your site with this plugin lack style. While some companies may appreciate this, others will be unhappy about the need to extensively modify stuff or even hire a developer to do so.

24. PrivateContent – $25 (You may pay for future updates and support)

PrivateContent is a famous WordPress plugin for adding membership features to your website. The plugin is exclusively available on CodeCanyon, which means you must buy it in order to use it.

Regarding the plugin’s popularity, it has been featured in many CodeCanyon articles, and the plugin’s sales and favorable user ratings indicate how users feel about the creator and how well the plugin works at restricting material from users and creating membership tiers.

Several of the features you will appreciate include the ability to create private sites for your users, the ability to limit menu items, and developer API access.

Additionally, this plugin distinguishes out due to its skin builder. As a membership vendor, your business needs tested and conversion-optimized forms that are consistent with your brand.

Using PrivateContent, you can create an infinite number of registration forms and customize them with the skin builder. Additionally, it’s reassuring to see how sophisticated the monitoring and user management are for such a low-cost plugin.

PrivateContent’s $25 price tag is one of the lowest you can find today. This is a typical price approach for CodeCanyon listings, where you get six months of free customer assistance but must upgrade for extended support duration. However, it is quite uncommon for purchasers to pay for the plugin and even pay for additional support.

PrivateContent’ advantages include the following:

• PrivateContent allows for the restriction of all content types, including widgets and menu items.
• You may restrict some people from commenting, which makes paying for a membership very attractive, since it brings them into the discussion.
• Each user is provided with a personal page and profile. The plugin displays all private comments of the members on the website, allowing them to keep track of their own discussion.
• PrivateContent is a developer-friendly plugin that includes API access and hooks.
• Create an infinite number of user tiers and easily collect money from those users.
• A one-click full website lock may be useful if someone attempts hacking your site or in case you find that you are giving out material for free inadvertently.
• You may create an unlimited number of registration forms. The skin builder is sufficient for the majority of user experience levels.
• The Google Analytics connection is used to monitor how your members engage with your site.
• PrivateContent interacts with a variety of major visual builders, including Cornerstone and Elementor.
• Numerous extensions and plugins are available, including the ability to activate premium subscriptions.
• This is a plugin that supports many languages.

PrivateContent’s disadvantages include the following:

• Prior to buying the PrivateContent plugin, there is no way to test it on your own site.
• There is no such thing as a free plan.
• Preset styles for forms are as straightforward as they get.
• Several of the features you include into your website are not customized. You may need to collaborate with a WordPress developer to get the desired look.
• The configuration page for your private content is lengthy and crowded. While it is necessary to have a large number of functions, like this plugin has, I think it might be better structured.
• Not all of the plugin’s functionality are included in the original package. This is actually beneficial for some, since it allows you to pay for just the things you need. Additionally, it is usual to purchase the complete plugin through CodeCanyon. A typical CodeCanyon user does not anticipate paying for features that may be introduced in the future.

25. MagicMembers – One-off payments starting from $97

Magic Members is another outstanding WordPress membership plugin with years of business expertise. It includes all of the necessary features for creating a membership site, including payment integration, content restriction, and customizable membership plans.

In terms of automation, Magic Members integrates with a variety of WordPress autoresponder plugins including Constant Contact, Mailchimp, and AWeber.

The plugin enables you to restrict access to both published and downloaded material depending on membership levels. Moreover, non-members may enjoy your material without buying a membership via the pay-per-view and pay-per-post services.

By using Magic Members’ login redirection function, you can offer a customized experience for each member. Create distinct welcome pages for greeting users of various membership levels and customized error pages to preserve the credibility of your site amid technical problems.

Magic Members offers an integrated membership expiry reminder function to assist with subscriber retention. Additionally, you may create an infinite number of discount coupons to entice new customers.

MagicMembers’ advantages include the following:

• Simple and easy to use.
• Numerous membership options are available.
• Payment gateway choices are plenty.
• Module for affordable one-time price.
• System for delivering courses in a sequential fashion.
• Integrates seamlessly with autoresponders.
• Provides simple member management.
• Allows importing and exporting data about members.
• Reports about your membership area in detail.
• Allows you to establish an infinite number of membership levels.
• Provides an easy-to-use and deployable framework for custom widgets.
• Includes an integrated subscription expiry reminder system.
• Offers a 30-day money-back guarantee

MagicMembers’ disadvantages include the following:

• Provides an excessive number of features – consumers may get confused.
• Offers only one-time payment choices; no monthly subscriptions are available.
• There is no free option available.
• Customer reviews are not available on WordPress plugins repository because the plugin is not available there. All reviews are available only on the plugin’s official website. Those reviews may not be trustworthy.
• Updates available only for a year post-purchase. You may have to pay again to get updates.

26. WishList Member – One-off payment starting from $149

As one of the most established WordPress membership plugins on the market, WishList Member maintains its relevance by providing a comprehensive and dependable membership management system.

WishList Member provides greater control over the membership levels available. You may build customized promotions for particular premium member subscriptions and use a logic-based system for automating different activities.

Not only may material be restricted, but it can also be archived to promote subscriptions. Thus, only those who subscribed prior to the archiving of particular material will have access to it.

Using various payment gateways and interfaces simplifies the process of establishing a membership site with WishList Member. Apart from supporting a variety of page builders, learning management systems, and tools for email marketing, WishList Member also provides access to over 2,000 integrations through Zapier.

No less remarkable is its member management system, which ensures that all data kept in the system conforms with GDPR. Also, an email integration solution enables you to send members information about new goods and specials.

WishList Member’s advantages include the following:

• Simple installation and configuration.
• Content protection with a single click.
• Simple management of members.
• Integrates seamlessly with Zapier.
• Provides comprehensive reporting and analytics.
• A comprehensive control over the duration of subscriptions.
• Membership levels may be created indefinitely.
• Includes a variety of membership choices.
• Rapid access to product upgrades and customer support.
• Additionally, Drip Content interacts with email marketing.
• Seamlessly integrates with a wide range of third-party services and plugins.

WishList Member’s disadvantages include the following:

• It is quite pricey.
• Monthly billing options are absent.
• Too many features can be extremely overwhelming for noobs and rookies.
• There is no free version available. The plugin is available only through its dedicated website.
• All reviews are present on the plugin’s official site, making them less reliable compared to community reviews you find on WordPress plugins repository.

Conclusion

You’ve seen some of the finest WordPress membership site plugins and learnt how to choose one.

Having said that, the best approach to choose the appropriate plugin is to do thorough research and account for your specific requirements and budget. Best of luck!