Top WordPress Membership Plugins to Grow Your Online Business

Did you know that membership sites can be a powerful source of recurring revenue?

In fact, report shows that 45.2% of established membership businesses bring in 6 figures each year.

If you’re looking to monetize your WordPress site beyond eCommerce, a membership plugin could be the perfect solution. These tools handle everything from content restriction and payment processing to managing members, making it easier than ever to build a thriving online community.

That said, not all plugins are created equal. So we’ll look at the top WordPress membership plugins to help you grow your online business.

What are WordPress membership plugins?

WordPress membership plugins help you turn your WordPress website into a membership site and deliver restricted content to registered users only.

Some membership plugins can help you build a membership website by creating a paywall that restricts user access to content until the customer pays a certain fee. Others can help you charge members recurring fees, publish member directories and even sell event tickets.

A membership plugin also lets you:

• Control content drip and release specific content periodically
• Publish content that certain user groups can access based on their membership level
• Add coupon codes and discount codes to encourage users to purchase more

Now that you’re familiar with what membership plugins are, let’s take a closer look at the best WordPress membership plugins.

Top WordPress membership plugins

1. YITH WooCommerce Membership

• Active Installations: 10,000+
• Rating: 4.3 out of 5 stars

YITH WooCommerce Membership is a plugin that helps businesses using WooCommerce create a membership platform. It integrates directly with WooCommerce, allowing you to offer users exclusive access to content based on their subscription plans. This feature benefits businesses that sell digital or physical products by adding value through gated content or members-only sections.

This membership plugin is well-suited for eCommerce stores that bundle products with memberships or offer exclusive deals. You can manage subscriptions, restrict access to certain content, and control what each user sees, all through an intuitive interface.

YITH WooCommerce Membership is certainly the best WordPress membership plugin its flexibility in combining membership levels with product sales, which helps boost customer loyalty and generate recurring revenue.

Key features of YITH WooCommerce Membership:

• Content restriction rules: This feature allows you to create content-access rules for posts, pages, and products based on membership tiers.
• WooCommerce product integration: Memberships can be sold as WooCommerce products, making it easy to offer memberships alongside regular products.
• Subscription management: Supports automatic membership renewal and expiration based on user preferences.

Pros of YITH WooCommerce Membership:

• Easy setup for WooCommerce websites, especially eCommerce stores.
• Enables selling memberships as products to increase revenue.
• Flexible membership levels accommodate different customer needs.

Cons of YITH WooCommerce Membership:

• Only works with WooCommerce, limiting its use on other platforms.
• Lacks advanced features that some other best membership plugins for WordPress include.

Who is it best for? YITH WooCommerce Membership is ideal for eCommerce businesses using WooCommerce that want to offer membership-based access or sell exclusive products and deals.

2. MemberPress

• Active Installations: 50,000+
• Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

MemberPress is among the top WordPress membership plugins that simplifies creating and managing simple membership sites. Its user-friendly interface allows you to set up membership levels, handle subscription payments, and restrict content access with ease. One key feature is the ability to release content gradually, which helps keep members engaged over time.

MemberPress is a versatile plugin for content creators and businesses alike. The built-in learning management system (LMS) helps businesses that offer online courses, making it easier to sell and manage educational material.

Key features of MemberPress:

• Content dripping system: Allows content to be released gradually, ensuring users stay engaged over a longer period.
• Access rules: Lets you restrict access to posts, pages, categories, and files based on membership levels.
• Learning management system (LMS): Ideal for creating and managing online courses, complete with progress tracking and certificates.

Pros of MemberPress:

• Comprehensive features like subscription management and access control.
• Supports automated recurring billing, which reduces manual work.
• Integrates with third-party tools such as Mailchimp, Zapier, and WooCommerce.

Cons of MemberPress:

• Higher cost may deter small businesses with limited budgets.
• Learning the extensive feature set takes time.

Who is it best for? MemberPress is ideal for content creators and educators who want to monetize their content through memberships, courses, and subscription services.

3. Paid Memberships Pro

• Active Installations: 100,000+
• Rating: 4.4 out of 5 stars

Paid Memberships Pro is a flexible plugin that allows businesses to set up simple membership sites with multiple tiers. Its free core version offers basic functionality, and you can expand its features with paid add-ons. Businesses can create unlimited membership levels with custom pricing and access rules, offering full control over their membership structure.

Paid Memberships Pro also allows for deep customization with its add-ons, which include options for content dripping, email notifications, and affiliate programs. This makes it a scalable solution for businesses with growing membership needs.

Key features of Paid Memberships Pro:

• Unlimited membership levels: Create as many membership tiers as needed, each with customizable access and pricing options.
• Multiple payment gateway integration: Works with PayPal, Stripe, and Authorize.net for seamless global payments.
• Extensive add-ons: Offers a library of add-ons for expanding functionality, such as affiliate programs, content dripping, and more.

Pros of Paid Memberships Pro:

• Free version is accessible to small businesses or startups.
• High level of customization with add-ons to meet specific needs.
• Works with popular third-party tools like WooCommerce and Zapier.

Cons of Paid Memberships Pro:

• The free version lacks advanced features; paid add-ons are needed for more functionality.
• Setup can be complex due to the customization options available.

Who is it best for? Paid Memberships Pro is ideal for small to medium-sized businesses that need a flexible membership solution and want a plugin that can grow as their business expands.

4. Restrict Content Pro

• Active Installations: 60,000+
• Rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars

Restrict Content Pro is another top WordPress membership plugin that offers simplicity and power for WordPress users. It provides an easy-to-use interface without losing essential functionality.

With this popular membership plugin, you can create unlimited subscription levels, restrict content based on user roles, and manage memberships with ease. It’s ideal for those who need an efficient membership site without complex features.

Along with its simplicity, Restrict Content Pro includes features like free trials and discount codes, which help attract new members. You can also view detailed membership performance reports, which offer insights into your business.

Key features of Restrict Content Pro:

• Unlimited membership levels: Create as many membership subscriptions as you need, each with customizable access rules and pricing.
• Discount codes and free trials: Attract more members by offering introductory discounts and trial memberships.
• Content restriction: Restrict content based on user roles or membership levels, ensuring only authorized members access specific material.

Pros of Restrict Content Pro:

• Clean and user-friendly interface makes it ideal for beginners and small businesses.
• Provides detailed membership reports for tracking subscription performance.
• Flexible pricing options, including discount codes and free trials, to entice new users.

Cons of Restrict Content Pro:

• Lacks advanced features like content dripping, which some users may require.
• Limited integration options compared to other top WordPress membership plugins.

Who is it best for? Restrict Content Pro is best for small businesses or beginners looking for a simple and efficient membership solution without needing advanced features.

5. WooCommerce Memberships

• Active Installations: 20,000+
• Rating: 4.4 out of 5 stars

WooCommerce Memberships is tailored for WooCommerce store owners who want to add membership features to their eCommerce site. You can sell memberships as products within your store, making management easy.

WooCommerce Memberships also allows you to offer member-exclusive content, which can include special deals, products, or gated material. This plugin is perfect for businesses using WooCommerce and looking to build customer loyalty through membership benefits.

One of the main benefits of WooCommerce Memberships is the ability to offer member discounts and special shipping rates, which help retain loyal customers.

Key features of WooCommerce Memberships:

• Sell memberships as products: Incorporate memberships into your WooCommerce store, allowing them to be sold alongside other products.
• Member-only discounts and shipping rates: Reward loyal customers with special offers and benefits.
• Content dripping: Schedule when members can access exclusive content, helping retain members long-term.

Pros of WooCommerce Memberships:

• Seamless integration with WooCommerce, simplifying management of both products and memberships.
• Member-exclusive discounts and shipping options help build customer loyalty.
• Content dripping ensures members consistently receive new material.

Cons of WooCommerce Memberships:

• Limited usability for non-eCommerce sites.
• May require additional WooCommerce extensions for advanced features, increasing costs.

Who is it best for? WooCommerce Memberships is ideal for eCommerce businesses using WooCommerce that want to add memberships to their product offering and improve customer retention.

6. LearnDash

• Active Installations: 20,000+
• Rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars

LearnDash is recognized as one of the leading learning management systems (LMS) for WordPress, with robust membership features. It allows you to create and sell online courses while managing memberships on the same platform. You can set up multiple membership levels, providing learners with different access based on their subscription.

The drag-and-drop course builder simplifies creating lessons, quizzes, and certifications, making it easy for both educators and businesses.

You can also schedule course material to release over time, helping retain members and encouraging continued subscriptions. In addition to its LMS capabilities, LearnDash integrates with WooCommerce and payment gateways like PayPal, allowing you to sell courses and memberships smoothly.

Key features of LearnDash:

• Drag-and-drop course builder: Create engaging courses, quizzes, and lessons with an intuitive interface.
• Focus Mode: Provide a distraction-free learning experience for members, improving engagement and course completion rates.
• Content dripping: Gradually release course content to keep learners coming back for more.

Pros of LearnDash:

• Powerful LMS features, making it ideal for educators offering courses alongside memberships.
• Focus Mode helps learners stay engaged, leading to better learning outcomes.
• Integrates with WooCommerce and popular payment gateways, enabling easy sales.

Cons of LearnDash:

• Higher learning curve for users unfamiliar with LMS platforms.
• May be too advanced for those only seeking basic membership features.

Who is it best for? LearnDash is ideal for educators and content creators who want to offer memberships along with online courses, providing a comprehensive learning and membership solution.

7. MemberMouse

• Active Installations: Not publicly available
• Rating: Not publicly available

MemberMouse is designed for websites that require advanced membership functionality and scalability. It supports a variety of membership levels and integrates with major payment gateways, making it easy for businesses to manage subscriptions and sales.

What sets MemberMouse apart is its ability to scale, which makes it a great fit for growing businesses or those with large member bases. The plugin also provides built-in analytics and reporting tools, which help track member activity, revenue, and customer lifetime value. These insights enable businesses to make data-driven decisions.

Additionally, MemberMouse includes one-click upsells and downsells, allowing businesses to increase revenue from existing customers.

Key features of MemberMouse:

• Smart tags: Personalize the user experience by displaying member-specific content dynamically.
• One-click upsells and downsells: Easily encourage members to upgrade or downgrade their membership plans.
• Robust reporting and analytics: Track member activity and revenue to optimize your membership site’s performance.

Pross of MemberMouse:

• Highly scalable, making it suitable for large membership sites or growing businesses.
• Provides smart tags to personalize member experiences and improve engagement.
• Offers detailed analytics to track customer behavior and optimize strategies.

Conss of MemberMouse:

• Higher cost compared to other membership plugins, which may not suit smaller businesses.
• Requires a steeper learning curve due to its complex feature set, especially for beginners.

Who is it best for? MemberMouse is ideal for high-volume membership sites or businesses that need a scalable solution with advanced features and detailed reporting.

8. WishList Member

• Active Installations: Not publicly available
• Rating: Not publicly available

WishList Member is a user-friendly membership plugin for WordPress that balances features with ease of use. It integrates well with various email marketing platforms and payment gateways. This, in turn, allows businesses to manage memberships while maintaining strong communication with their users.

WishList Member enables the creation of unlimited membership levels, offering flexibility for businesses with different types of content or membership tiers.

The plugin also includes content dripping and pay-per-post functionality, which provide more ways to monetize content. It works smoothly with popular email services like Mailchimp and AWeber, automating member communications.

Key features of WishList Member:

• Content dripping: Schedule content to be released over time to keep members engaged.
• Pay-per-post functionality: Charge members per individual custom post types or content, providing more flexibility in monetizing.
• Email marketing integrations: Seamlessly integrates with tools like Mailchimp and AWeber for automated member communication.

Pros of WishList Member:

• User-friendly interface that makes it accessible to beginners while offering powerful tools for scaling.
• Supports unlimited membership levels, providing flexibility for businesses of all sizes.
• Easily integrates with popular email marketing platforms and payment gateways.

Cons of WishList Member:

• Requires some learning to set up advanced features like content dripping effectively.
• Less suited for high-volume or highly complex membership sites compared to other robust plugins.

Who is it best for? WishList Member is best for small to medium-sized businesses that need a user-friendly plugin with strong email marketing and payment gateway integrations.

9. Ultimate Member

• Active Installations: 100,000+
• Rating: 4.4 out of 5 stars

Ultimate Member is a popular free WordPress membership plugin, ideal for creating community-driven membership sites. It includes features for building user profiles, member directories and restricting content to provide a personalized user experience.

Ultimate Member works particularly well for sites that prioritize community interaction, allowing users to register, log in, and connect through the member directory.

In addition to its free version, Ultimate Member offers paid extensions that expand functionality, such as WooCommerce integration, social login, and real-time notifications. This makes it an excellent choice for building social networks or community platforms on WordPress.

Key features of Ultimate Member:

• User profiles and member directories: Create rich user profiles and searchable directories, perfect for community-based sites.
• Content restriction: Restrict content based on user roles, ensuring only authorized members can access premium material.
• Customizable user registration forms: Design personalized registration and login forms to collect specific member information.

Pros of Ultimate Member:

• Free to use, offering many valuable features for startups or small businesses.
• Supports community-building through member directories and user profiles.
• Customizable registration forms allow you to tailor the user experience to your needs.

Cons of Ultimate Member:

• Some advanced features require paid extensions, which may increase costs.
• Less suited for businesses focusing solely on membership sales without community interaction.

Who is it best for? Ultimate Member is ideal for community-driven sites or businesses wanting to build social networks with personalized user profiles and member interaction.

10. Simple Membership

• Active Installations: 40,000+
• Rating: 4.3 out of 5 stars

Simple Membership is a lightweight and user-friendly membership plugin, perfect for businesses that need basic membership functionality. True to its name, it suits those just starting with membership sites and who don’t require advanced features.

The plugin lets you create unlimited membership levels, restrict content, and accept payments through PayPal. Its simple interface ensures beginners can set up and manage memberships without needing extensive technical knowledge.

Although it doesn’t include as many advanced features as competitors, Simple Membership provides essential tools for building a basic membership site. The plugin allows manual membership approval, giving control over who joins.

Key features of Simple Membership:

• Unlimited membership levels: Create as many membership tiers as needed, each with specific control access permissions.
• Manual membership approval: Gives you control over who can join your membership site.
• Accept payments via PayPal: Integrates with PayPal for simple and secure payment processing.

Pros of Simple Membership:

• Lightweight and easy to use, making it ideal for beginners or those with simple needs.
• Supports both free and paid member subscriptions, providing flexibility for different types of users.
• Manual approval gives you control over new members.

Cons of Simple Membership:

• Lacks advanced features such as content dripping or third-party integrations.
• Limited scalability, making it less suitable for large or high-volume membership sites.

Who is it best for? Simple Membership is best for small businesses or individuals just starting out with membership sites, providing an easy-to-use and affordable solution.

What to look for in a WordPress membership plugin

Modern user experience

Your WordPress membership plugin should ensure that the membership site is fully responsive. This will allow users to seamlessly access content on any device, especially mobile. With many members consuming content on the go, a mobile-first design is essential. The interface should be intuitive, offering easy navigation and simple account management to enhance engagement and retention.

Look for membership plugins that offer personalization features like custom recommendations, progress tracking, or tailored learning paths. These can significantly boost user satisfaction and keep members coming back for more. The easier the interface, the more likely members will stick around and interact with your WordPress site regularly.

Advanced content delivery

Content restriction shouldn’t just block entire pages—advanced plugins allow you to restrict specific categories, tags, or even sections of a page. This gives you flexibility in controlling who sees what, especially useful for tiered memberships.

Content dripping, where content is released gradually over time, keeps members engaged without overwhelming them. This feature is especially important for selling online courses or sites offering subscription-based content.

Additionally, make sure the WordPress membership plugin supports various content formats like video, audio, and downloadable resources. Having this flexibility will ensure that your membership site can deliver rich, engaging content in multiple formats.

Seamless integrations

A good membership plugin for WordPress should integrate effortlessly with your existing tools, such as email marketing platforms (Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign) and payment gateways like Stripe or PayPal. These popular payment gateways ensure smooth transactions and automated communication, managing payments and tracking member activity efficiently.

If community-building is a priority, look for integrations with forums (like bbPress) or social platforms to foster interaction between members. Automation tools like Zapier can help simplify workflows by triggering actions based on member behavior, saving you time and effort. These key features allow your membership site to run smoothly.

Enhanced security & privacy

Ensure your WordPress membership site plugin complies with GDPR if you have EU members and provides strong login protection (two-factor authentication, password strength enforcement). Look for regular updates to patch any security vulnerabilities and maintain member data security.

Also, confirm that the plugin is PCI DSS compliant, which is essential for secure payment processing, especially if you’re handling credit card information directly. Security is a top priority when managing member access and recurring payments.

Performance & scalability

Speed matters! A well-coded membership plugin with lightweight, optimized code ensures your membership site runs smoothly without slowing down your overall WordPress site. This is especially important as your membership site grows since poor performance can drive members away.

Choose a powerful membership plugin that can scale with your business, handling increased traffic and additional members without compromising on speed. Plugins like MemberMouse are known for handling large membership bases effectively, making it a great choice as your site expands.

Ongoing support & updates

Make sure the WordPress membership plugin is backed by a team that provides regular updates to fix bugs, improve features, and address security issues. Additionally, reliable customer support is important in case you encounter technical difficulties.

Look for membership plugins with a strong support community or responsive customer service. Having these resources ensures that your successful membership site stays up-to-date and continues running smoothly as your business grows.

Final thoughts: The 9 best WordPress membership plugins for 2023

The best WordPress membership plugins for your website will vary significantly based on your needs. But no matter your choice, you’ll want to back up your membership site with reliable hosting.

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WordPress membership plugin FAQs