Table of contents

Membership plugins for WordPress side-by-side1. MemberPress2. Restrict Content Pro3. Paid Memberships Pro4. WooCommerce Memberships5. MemberMouse6. WP-Members7. ARMember8. ProfilePressWhy create a members only section on your website?Getting startedAdditional resources

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WordPress Guide → Plugins → Membership

7 best membership plugins for WordPress

If you want to build a private community, monetize content, or run a subscription-based service, WordPress makes it easy. All you need is the right membership plugin.

These plugins let you restrict access, manage subscribers, drip content, and more—all without writing code.

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Membership plugins for WordPress side-by-side

Here’s a quick look at how these plugins stack up:

Plugin	Content Restriction	Payment Integration	Drip Content	Course Support	Free Version	Built-in CRM/Tools
MemberPress	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Restrict Content Pro	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes
Paid Memberships Pro	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
WooCommerce Memberships	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No
MemberMouse	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
WP-Members	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	No
ARMember	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
ProfilePress	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes

1. MemberPress

MemberPress is one of the most powerful and user-friendly WordPress membership plugins on the market. It offers an all-in-one solution for creating and managing memberships, subscriptions, and content access rules. Whether you want to sell online courses, protect premium blog posts, or run a members-only community, it’s built to scale.

The plugin includes an easy-to-use rules engine, built-in payment integrations, and full LMS capabilities for course creators. Advanced features like drip content, group memberships, coupons, and reporting dashboards make it ideal for long-term growth.

Powerful access rules and automation
Integrates with Stripe, PayPal, and Authorize.net
Built-in course builder with quizzes and progress tracking
Supports recurring subscriptions and coupons

Best for: All-in-one membership and course sites
Starting at: $179/year

2. Restrict Content Pro

Restrict Content Pro keeps things simple while offering all the tools needed to monetize content. It’s lightweight, developer-friendly, and integrates smoothly with popular payment gateways. The plugin is great for creators who want to gate blog posts, tutorials, or downloads.

Its clean admin interface makes it easy to manage members, track payments, and build pricing plans. It also supports discount codes, member emails, and extensive reporting.

Lightweight, fast, and extendable
Unlimited subscription levels
Built-in reporting and member dashboards
Integrates with Stripe, Braintree, 2Checkout, and PayPal

Best for: Content creators and publishers
Starting at: $99/year

3. Paid Memberships Pro

Paid Memberships Pro is one of the few full-featured membership plugins with a free version. It offers everything from flexible access control to recurring billing, all within a modular framework. You can expand functionality with over 80 add-ons.

It’s designed for site owners who want fine-grained control over member experiences, checkout flows, and user management. Whether you’re running a nonprofit, business directory, or online magazine, it’s built to adapt.

Extensive add-on library for customization
Includes reporting, email templates, and member management
Integrates with WooCommerce, LearnDash, Mailchimp, Zapier, and more
Free core plugin with premium upgrades

Best for: Complex membership setups on a budget
Starting at: Free (premium from $247/year)

4. WooCommerce Memberships

If you’re already running WooCommerce, WooCommerce Memberships is the natural choice. It tightly integrates with your existing store, letting you sell memberships as products and restrict access to content, products, and discounts based on membership level.

While it doesn’t include billing features on its own (you’ll need WooCommerce Subscriptions for that), it offers powerful content dripping, purchase restrictions, and member perks.

Seamless WooCommerce integration
Create membership perks like product discounts
Content dripping and scheduling
Supports gifting memberships

Best for: WooCommerce-based stores
Starting at: $199/year

5. MemberMouse

MemberMouse is a robust SaaS-style membership plugin that focuses on high-conversion sites. It offers built-in A/B testing, upsells, and member insights to help you maximize recurring revenue. It’s especially useful for scaling businesses that want built-in analytics and automation.

Unlike most WordPress plugins, MemberMouse charges based on member count and runs on its own licensing system. But the trade-off is enterprise-level tools with deep revenue optimization features.

Advanced reporting and sales analytics
One-click upsells, coupons, and downsells
SmartTags for personalized content
Built-in affiliate tracking

Best for: High-volume or enterprise membership sites
Starting at: $199/year (or $39/month)

6. WP-Members

WP-Members is a simple but effective membership plugin that keeps your content private with minimal setup. It’s great for blogs, newsletters, or organizations that don’t need ecommerce functionality.

Its free version includes basic content restriction, registration forms, and user moderation. With add-ons, you can expand to email marketing, downloads, and user roles.

Easy to set up and configure
Blocks content by default
Simple login and registration customization
Dozens of add-ons for more features

Best for: Lightweight and low-cost member sites
Starting at: Free (add-ons from $47)

7. ARMember

ARMember is a stylish and modern membership plugin with strong design and user experience features. It comes with a built-in form builder, drip content tools, and multiple payment gateway integrations. It’s ideal for creators who want a polished frontend and easy backend controls.

It also includes a free version with useful core features and paid upgrades for more advanced options like affiliate integration, email automation, and real-time analytics.

Drag-and-drop form builder
Built-in login, signup, and profile pages
Supports Stripe, PayPal, Authorize.net, and bank transfer
Offers built-in security features for member data

Best for: Creators who want visual control and flexibility
Starting at: Free (premium from $49/year)

8. ProfilePress

ProfilePress is a lesser-known but powerful membership and user profile plugin. It includes registration forms, member directories, and profile management—plus it supports WooCommerce and email marketing integrations.

It’s an especially strong choice if you want beautiful frontend login, registration, and profile forms without custom coding.

Beautiful user registration and login templates
User directories and profile editing
Payment gateway support via WooCommerce
Content restriction by user role

Best for: Community sites with user profiles
Starting at: Free / $99+ for premium features

Why create a members only section on your website?

Creating exclusive content for members isn’t just a monetization strategy—it’s a way to deepen user engagement and build loyal communities.

Here are some of the biggest benefits of adding a membership area to your site:

Recurring revenue. Subscriptions provide steady income compared to one-time sales.
Better user retention. Members return regularly, especially when content is dripped or updated.
Community building. Member forums and groups foster deeper interaction with your brand.
Lead generation. Free or low-cost memberships attract new users you can later upsell.
Content protection. Keeps premium content safe from non-subscribers or scrapers.

Next steps for choosing a membership plugin

Choosing the best WordPress membership plugin depends on your site’s goals—whether that’s selling courses, protecting blog content, or building an engaged subscriber base.

Start by defining what kind of access control and revenue model you need, then test out a plugin that fits your technical skill level and budget.

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