Do you own a WordPress membership site or plan to start one soon? They’re a great way to monetize websites that share exclusive content, tutorials, discounts and more to members. Membership sites are everywhere and in every industry – including online newspaper memberships like the Wall Street Journal, discount shopping websites like Shoedazzle, or a premium WordPress Theme membership site like Elegant Themes. If you own (or run) one, well and good, this article will benefit you greatly.
In today’s post, we will cover some of the top WordPress membership plugins to power up your membership site. The plugins will add all manner of functions and elements to your website, giving you all the power you need to wow your users with an experience like no other. Enjoy and keep the conversation going in the comment section below!
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1. Restrict Content Pro
Restrict Content Pro is one of the best premium content membership plugins out there. No only does it give you the ability to charge users for use of your website, but you can create an unlimited number of of membership levels each with different rates, terms and/or benefits. Another great feature is the ability to restrict specific portions of your site. So you can still maintain a public blog to generate fresh traffic while also creating members only posts and pages. Restrict Content Pro also includes a membership signup report so you can see how many users are registering, and how your site is doing in general.
Other plugin features include easy setup, great support, complete member management, unlimited subscriptions/membership levels, PayPal payment support, promo/discount code support, earnings reports, data import/export, built-in help tab to guide you during setup, plus great plugin extensions (such as Strip, PayPal Express, strong passwords, math verification and more). This is a great plugin that you should definitely consider. In fact, we used to use it here at WPExplorer for membership signup. The plugin is quick to setup and easy to use. And from a developer perspective it’s also easy to customize to your needs.
2. Zlick
Another option to add memberships to WordPress is with Zlick. This all-in-one WordPress paywall is a great option to lock content and monetize your site. The plugin adds a simple one-click button to access premium content. This reduces friction at checkout so users are more likely to take action and pay to read rather than mull it over (or even worse leave your site).
But by far the best part about Zlick is that is it so dang easy to setup. When they say 10 minutes start to finish they aren’t joking. Just create a Zlick account, add your pricing plans, customize the widget design, install their free plugin, connect to your Zlick account and to Stripe, enable your paywall on posts and turn on live payments. That’s it!
Everything you need is built into the plugin, so you can add pay-per-post, recurring membership subscriptions, content previews and more. There is also an included customer relationship management system, helpful analytics dashboard and a forward thinking marketing toolkit. And since Zlick connects to Stripe its super easy to manage transactions, send automatic receipts and view your earnings reports.
The Zlick plugin is free to install and has no upfront costs – instead they charge a 5% fee on transactions (very reasonable if you ask me). Plus their team also offers monetization and growth consulting (for an added cost) if you want to take your membership site to the next level.
3. MemberSpace
MemberSpace is a free WordPress membership platform that integrates with 10+ popular site builders, including WordPress. But what really makes this platform great is that you don’t need to be a developer to get started. MemberSpace includes tons of easy and ready to use features that you can enable to restrict content, create membership levels, follow up with leads and more.
With MemberSpace you can manage all of your site membership features from one place. This means you can create member signup and login forms, enable free trials, create coupon codes, add membership tier levels, require membership approval, collect payments (via Stripe integration) and enable recurring payments. Plus MemberSpace is secure, using top of the line SSL encryption for payments.
There are also great features for custom styling, cancelation alternatives, or email followups to recapture lost signups, drip content, and integrations with third-party services like Zapier and Rewardful. And you can view real-time reports for your site from your MemberSpace dashboard, giving you at a glance information like membership count, member page views, revenue and more. But that’s just scratching the surface. To see what else MemberSpace has to offer you really should head over to their landing page and take a look at a few of the case studies.
Since MemberSpace works with almost every popular site builder, you don’t get locked in and can easily move to a different site builder without impacting your members or their billing details. Also, if you already have an existing membership system, they’ll help you migrate to MemberSpace for free. What really makes this platform great is the VIP support you get from the MemberSpace team. You can always reach them via live chat or email, and they usually respond within an hour. The plugin is completely free, though you do need to signup for a free MemberSpace account.
4. CM Registration Pro
Looking to add a quick and simply way to make your entire site available for logged in members only? Then CM Registration and Invitation Codes Pro might be just right. This plugin adds a bunch of useful login feature upgrades as well as unique invite codes for registration, WooCommerce and EDD integration to charge for packages and an option to make your site exclusive.
You can learn more about CM Registration in our guide, but enabling site protection is east. Just use the included dropdown option under Settings > Login > Global Site Access and set it to “Site is Accessible to Logged in Users”. Then add a Redirect URL (it’s the next field) to send logged out users to. That’s it!
As mentioned you can create premium membership packages using WooCommerce or EDD products, or for more advanced membership features you can stack CM Registration with s2Member.
5. Memberful
Create your own membership program with Memberful. Use built-in features for subscriptions, upgrades, member management, referrals, and various settings to grow your member base and monetize your content. Designed to work great with blogs, newsletters, courses, podcasts and more Memberful is an excellent solution for your WordPress site.
With Memberful (and the corresponding plugin) you can quickly create members-only sections of your website, sell subscription levels, and process payments. But there are also options to offer free trials, coupons, gift subscriptions, group rates and even referrals to bring in more members. And Memberful’s shortcodes and WordPress functions make it easy to add signup forms and optins to your site design. Plus there are options to enable staff accounts, choose a language (12 are currently supported), review conversion rates and monitor member activity analytics. And for premium plans there is even white-labelling for a more professional member experience.
Overall Memberful offers powerful options that any entrepreneur will love, making it a top membership plugin option that you should consider. You do need to signup for Memberful to use the plugin on your site, but starter plans are completely free and they offer free trials for premium plans (which unlock all of Memberful’s capabilities).
6. ProfileGrid
Customize your user or customer profiles, build a community and even monetize your site memberships with ProfileGrid. This all in one plugin offer features that make creating and maintaining a membership site easy.
ProfileGrid includes easy options to create user profiles. The premium plugin includes options for display name, custom profile URLs, profile tabs, geolocation, user status, photos, profile labels, and even social media integration and logins. There’s also a built-in “friends” system, groups, private messaging, email notifications, and more. And you can assign managers to help keep track of site tasks, groups, member requests and more. Basically everything you (and users) could ever want for profiles.
But this is a list of membership plugins – and you can bet ProfileGrid manages that for your site too. The plugin offers privacy levels, menu restriction to show/hide navigation links based on groups, myCred participation points system integration, and most importantly payment integrations. Charge users or groups and accept payment via PayPal or Stripe.
ProfileGrid is also a part of the MetaBundle, along with EventPrime and RegistrationMagic, for even more membership site options. And if you want to give the plugin a try, you can find a free version of ProfileGrid on WordPress.org
7. PrivateContent
Do you wish to restrict access to various areas of your WordPress membership site? If so, the PrivateContent plugin is exactly what you need. Thanks to the ingenious design of this plugin, you can decide who sees certain content or hide entire areas on your website by redirecting users. PrivateContent allows you to add multi-level login forms, user management features, user private pages, and private areas to your website. Furthermore, you can restrict access to all types of content including posts, pages, menu and even categories.
Other features include easy installation, time saving shortcodes, 1-click website lock to hide your entire website, extendable, public API, translation ready with multi-language support, and dedicated support staff.
8. USERPRO User Profiles With Social Login
UserPro is a powerful WordPress community plugin from the elite author DeluxeThemes. It is bursting at the seams with features and offers you login and registration features as well as beautiful front-end profiles to add some gusto to your membership site. Other than that, UserPro will help you to create searchable member directories, unlimited custom profiles and multiple sign up forms.
The plugin further supports shortcode functionality and social connect integration. Your users can login and connect using their favorite social networks including Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Bkontakt etc. UserPro integrates easily with WordPress, bbPress, WooCommerce and MailChimp.
9. ProfilePress
ProfilePress is a modern WordPress membership plugin with a drag-and-drop builder that lets you create custom login and user registration forms, a beautiful user profile page and member directories that is searchable and filterable, allowing users to find each other. There is also a My Account page where users can update their profile information and change their account settings. Your members will never have to see your WordPress admin panel because everything is handled on the front end of your site.
It gives you fine-grained control over what content your users can see based on your protection rules. You can restrict access to pages, child pages, posts, custom post types, categories, tags and custom taxonomies based on their user roles, logged-in status and more.
There are also a number of ProfilePress pro-addons for creating custom fields, ensuring users confirm their email addresses after registration, approving new users and integrating with other platforms and software such as Mailchimp, WooCommerce, Google reCAPTCHA, BuddyPress and more.
10. ARMember
There are the plethora of WordPress membership plugins out there, but not all of them have certain features that you may require in order to create your membership site. Some of them offer distinct membership levels & subscription management feature while others are mere good for selling subscription on a single level. Some of them come with the extensive payment gateways, content access control, an easy integration and other robust features to create hassle free WordPress membership site.
If you are looking for all-in- one package added with the variety of adds-on and mentioned features then you are at right place. ARMember WordPress membership plugin takes your business to the summit of success with its ability to create the complete suite of membership system.
ARMember is a Swiss knife of WordPress membership plugin. The best WordPress membership plugin just got even better with tons of exclusive features. So let’s dwell each feature one-by- one briefly to give you solid understanding and reasons to try ARMember WordPress membership plugin.
ARMember features unique and simplest method for membership set-up wizard which creates the single shortcode to make treatment of whole participation process simple and advantageous. Along with that, it comes with built-in form builder to create an enticing login and WordPress registration forms with many other designing customizations. Choose from a number of membership models. As well as add social logins, setup a payment cycle, enable multi-level memberships, add a free trial and sync with WooCommerce. Plus ARMember offer unique options for member invites, account locking and two-step signups.
Unlike other membership plugins, ARMember also comes with built- in integrations which other plugins offer as a paid add-ons. Moreover, it is a complete package to create membership system without having an even basic programming background.
11. MemberPress
This plugin is unlike the nine we just covered above. While the above plugins just add additional features to your membership site, MemberPress helps you to create a membership site from scratch in no time. I’ve included this plugin here as a way of introducing the second part of WordPress membership plugins. Part two of this post will only cover membership plugins that help you to set up membership sites on WordPress. Back to MemberPress.
MemberPress is a professional WordPress membership plugin that offers you all the features you need to run a fully functional membership site. The plugin is best known for features such as restrict access to all (or specific) content on your site, manage unlimited users, offer multiple pricing pages & packages, unlimited content access rules, sell unlimited number of products, PayPal Express Checkout and Stripe payment gateway support. MemberPress offers two pricing plans: Business and Developer, both of which are billed yearly. They also offer a one-time payment option that excludes support and updates.
12. Profile Builder – Front-end Registration, Login & Profiles
The Profile Builder plugin is a very easy to use plugin that will allow you to create front-end login, registration and profile edit screens via the use of shortcodes. The default WordPress login form is decent, but its not very flexible unless you get “down and dirty” with the code and if you are running a member ship site you really want people to be able to register, login and edit their profiles via the front end as opposed to the WP dashboard.
There is also a paid-for “Pro” version of the plugin which is very pricey. I haven’t personally used it so I can’t say whether it’s good or bad. Though it does seem to provide you with quite a lot more features as well as support.
13. Paid Member Subscriptions
Love the Profile Builder? Then get excited. With Paid Member Subscriptions you can create membership levels, accept payments, manage your members and even offer exclusive member content. The plugin includes easy to use shortcodes that you can use in sidebars, posts, or to create custom pages for signup, login, etc. The plugin also supports tiered (and free trial) subscription plans, member emails and includes built-in reporting. Plus it works great with PayPal and WooCommerce!
Want more? Consider upgrading to Paid Member Subscriptions Pro. When you upgrade you’ll haver access to bbPress integration, discount codes, reCAPTCHA, fixed period memberships, recurring payments, Stripe support and much more!
14. Wishlist Member
WishList Member is a great WordPress membership plugin that powers over 47,000 sites all over the world. This is probably because WishList Member is an easy to use solution that turns your WordPress platform into a powerful membership site in a matter of minutes.
This WordPress membership plugin comes with a number of great features such as unlimited membership levels, easy WordPress integration, control over who views your content, flexible membership options, sequential content delivery, integrates shipping costs, easy member management, multi-level content access and much more.
Plus the plugin ships with bonuses such as free professional themes, icons, support guides and free training among others.
15. S2Member
Are you looking for a professional WordPress membership plugin that integrates with email newsletters, shopping carts and other typical features of a membership site seamlessly? Are you on a tight budget and can’t afford to spend a fortune on a WordPress membership plugin?
If any of your answers was a resounding yes, S2Member WordPress membership plugin is exactly what you need. Take into account some of S2Member features including versatile and powerful options (it adapts to whatever WordPress theme you use), easy integration with PayPal and other payment gateways, recurring billing, affiliate activity (i.e commissions) monitoring, custom registration forms, custom profile fields, plugin and widget extensions, mailing list functionality, and social networking support.
If you feel S2Member is the WordPress membership plugin you need, you can choose the 100% free S2Member Framework which has all the features you need at no cost!
16. MagicMembers
For a single non-recurring price of $97, you can have one of the best WordPress membership plugins working 24/7 for you. MagicMembers is a great WordPress membership plugin especially if you are looking to sell courses or drip content over time. The plugin is best known for its superb content dripping capabilities.
Other features include integration with autoresponders such as AWeber, Constant contact, and Mailchimp, compatibility with payment modules like PayPal Website Payments, eWay, WorldPay, Skrill (formely MoneyBookers), and iDeal,content access control, download managers for downloadable digital products (or what I like to call DDPs), multi-level membership support (users can buy more than one membership level), S3 Amazon support, widgets for extra functions, coupon support, content dripping system (most popular feature!), Import/Export users at will, free support, regular updates and even some bonuses. Create a one of a kind WordPress membership site and manage it effortlessly using the MagicMembers plugin.
17. OptimizePress
From their website, “Optimize is the new way to create high converting landing pages sales pages and membership portals.” From this simple introduction, you can derive the benefits of OptimizePress immediately. You can easily create membership portals, authority blogs, sales pages, complete launch funnels, and converting landing pages.
This WordPress membership plugin comes with amazing features including a mobile friendly design, helpful webinars, a complete logging system, the LiveEditor System to build and editing real time, fully integrated with WordPress and over thirty (30+) templates. OptimizePress costs between $97 and $197.
18. Paid Memberships Pro
With thousands of downloads and a plethora of unique features, Paid Membership Pro is the real deal. Paid Membership Pro is 100% free, plays well with popular payment processors and comes with extensive documentation. The plugin features multiple membership levels, flexible pricing options, multi-level content access, member notifications, the option to hide ads from premium members, and it’s entirely SEO ready.
Looking for more? The developer have created quite a few awesome add-ons. Add features for PayPal Express, auto-renewals, BuddyPress integration, donations, user import, member badges and more.
19. aMember Professional
aMember Pro is a very flexible and user-friendly WordPress membership plugin that will help you to accept subscription payments, deliver downloads and digital content, send newsletters, run your very own affiliate program, easily integrate your online community with WordPress, and even manage your users/members. The plugin comes with a ton of other exciting features such as web-based administration, multi-language support, and free installation among others. At $179.95 bucks, aMember Pro is a bit pricey though.
20. WP-Members
WP-Members is a popular free WordPress membership plugin that comes with a ton of great features. It works out of the box, is easy to install and start using, create members only content, registration and login is inline with your content and theme, custom login widget, custom registration field options, admin approval option for new users, CAPTCHA integration, an plenty of hooks for custom extensions. This plugin is a great and affordable option for basic memberships on your WordPress site.
21. WooCommerce Memberships
If you want to create a membership for your store, then one of the best options is WooCommerce Memberships. With this you can create and sell memberships, which in turn gives users access to a selection of products in your WooCommerce Store. You can also set options to grant access to memberships after purchasing a product, yearly or monthly subscriptions or manually assign memberships for “invite-only” members.
Another unique feature is drip content access. With WooCommerce Memberships you can grant access to various content or products based on membership term (1 week, 1 month, 1 year, etc). You can also offer member exclusive shipping or discounts.
22. Ultimate Membership Pro
Ultimate Membership Pro is a membership and subscription management WordPress plugin that you can use to create members only content on your WordPress site. With this plugin you can monetize your content in no time!
Creating members only content is a great way to make extra income from your blog, and with Ultimate Membership Pro you have tons of options for how to setup special content just for your members. One option is to create pages just for your members, but you also have the option to just restrict chunk of content on a page instead of the entire url.
Another great feature of Ultimate Membership Pro is the option to create subscription levels. This way you can create extra content or perks (like free ebooks or even special coupon codes) for those with premium memberships. And don’t worry about collecting payments, since Ultimate Membership Pro supports multiple payment gateways (PayPal, Scribe, etc) as well as single and recurring payments.
Other awesome plugin features include email marketing integration with 9 popular platforms, translation support, social logins, custom redirects, design options & templates plus more. More features are listed below, or you can checkout the preview to learn even more about Ultimate Membership Pro.
Final Thoughts on the Best WordPress Membership Plugins
A WordPress membership site is a great business model with so much potential for growth. If you’ve been thinking of starting a WordPress membership site, now you have 20 of the best WordPress membership plugins to do the heavy lifting for you.
Take your time to choose one that works for you. All the best as you create an amazing WordPress membership site!