Membership websites are those sites where only the subscribed members can view the contents. For example: online course websites, digital downloads, etc. These websites can single or multiple tiers and may charge a recurring fee for the membership access.
Benefits of Creating Membership Website
A membership website can be an effective way to earn money online. It lets you limit access to your site’s content. The contents can be downloads, forums, supports, and many more. So, to view these contents your audience needs to be a member/subscriber of your website and pay a specific amount of money.
Besides, a membership website will also allow you to collect the email address that can be used for email marketing.
Some of the Best WordPress Membership Plugins
MemberPress
MemberPress is one of the most popular WordPress membership plugins to convert any website into a powerful membership site. It is packed with tons of features and integrated seamlessly with all WordPress plugins. This will help you to easily turn your website into a fully functioning membership site in no time.
MemberPress is a flexible WordPress plugin that provides you full control over the content that you want to restrict to your audience without membership. Also, the plugin supports many popular gateways like PayPal, Stripe, etc. It will allow your subscribers to easily pay the membership fee.
Key Features:
- Easy to Setup and Configure the Plugin
- Set Powerful Access Rules for Restricted Contents
- Premium Community Forums
- Ultra Stable and Secured WordPress Plugin
- Clean and Relevant Reporting of All Members
- Simple Payment Gateway Integration
Pricing:
MemberPress comes with 3 different pricing plans. They are:
Pros and Cons of MemberPress:
Pros:
- Comes with All Payment Processors
- Suitable for Creating Any Type of Membership Website
- Inbuilt Custom Pages Created for Membership Registration
- Offers tons of Addons and Extensions to Enhance Functionality
Cons:
- Not so user-friendly interface
- The Pricing of the Plugin is Bit Expensive
LearnDash
LearnDash is a flexible WordPress membership and LMS plugin designed to create and sell online courses on your website. It comes with easy setup and advanced tools to easily add the contents of your website and organize them into levels, groups, etc.
LearnDash is an easy to use WordPress plugin that contains powerful course builder to add any type of course content in no time. Moreover, the plugin also contains built-in community features to add highly engaging quizzes, user badges, course-specific forums, certificates, user profiles, etc.
Key Features:
- Powerful Course Builder to Create Any Courses
- Advanced Quizzing and Certificates for Courses
- Grade Books to Add Grades of All Courses
- Detailed Reporting of All the Members
- Assignment Management for Each of the Courses
- Email Notifications for New Member Sign Ups
Pricing:
LearnDash comes with 3 different pricing plans. They are:
Pros and Cons of LearnDash
Pros:
- Easy to Use Course Builder to Add and Sell Any Courses
- Inbuilt Community Features to Add Highly Engaging Quizzes, User Badges, Course-specific Forums, Certificates, etc
- Drip feed course lesions
- Sell one-off courses and subscriptions
Cons:
- Lack of Some Features Related to the Design
- Pretty Expensive Compared to Other Plugins
s2Member
s2Member is one of the popular freemium WordPress membership plugins to convert any website into a membership website. It comes with advanced features to sell the physical and digital products directly from your website.
s2Member is an advanced WordPress plugin that comes with everything you need to create a membership website in no time. The plugin comes with an open registration option for easily register the members for your website.
Key Features:
- Integrated with Paypal Standard Button and Stripe
- Open Registration Option to Start Registering Members
- Content Restriction Option to Restrict Contents
- Customizable Email Templates for Email Marketing
- Optimized Codebase for High Level Codes
- Remote Operation API
Pricing:
s2Member comes with 3 different pricing plans. They are:
Pros and Cons of s2Member:
Pros:
- Lite Version Available With Basic Features
- Add Unlimited Paid Membership Level
- Restrict File Download for Non Members
- Integrated with Affiliate Programs for Membership Affiliation
- Compatible with Cache Plugins to Maintain Speed of your Website
- Shortcode Based Content Dripping to Restrict Any Contents
Cons:
- Not So Beginner Friendly Plugin With Complex Features
- Quite Expensive Than Other Plugins Mentioned in the List
Restrict Content Pro
Restrict Content Pro is a lightweight WordPress membership plugin with all the features you required to create a fully-featured membership site in no time. It allows you to choose unlimited subscription member levels. Also, the plugin offers lots of payment integrations to make it easier for users to make a purchase.
Key Features:
- Complete Member Management Plugin
- Add Unlimited Membership Levels
- Printable HTML Invoices Reports
- Discount Codes Can Be Added to Premium Contents
- WooCommerce Integration for Buying/Selling Goods Online
- Integration with Popular Payment Option for Easy Payment
Pricing:
Restrict Content Pro comes with 4 different pricing plans. They are:
Pros and Cons of Restrict Pro:
Pros:
- Supports Many Payment Gateway for Members Payments
- Granular Control Over Members, Memberships or Content
- WooCommerce and Easy Digital Downloads Integration
- Reporting Dashboard to Manage Report of All Members
Cons:
- Lacks Integration to Affiliate System
- Limited Publicity Option to Publicize the Contents
Paid Membership Pro
Paid Membership Pro is another freemium WordPress membership plugin with a set of great features. It allows you to access unlimited access levels with flexible pricing, offer coupons and discount codes, drip content, and more. Also, the plugin is highly extendable through various addons.
Paid Membership is a versatile plugin known for its flexibility and integrations. You can add a meta box to your pages/posts which allows you to restrict the contents on an individual basis. Besides, the plugin also comes with the options to restrict the whole categories at once as well.
Key Features:
- Unlimited Levels with Flexible Membership Pricing
- 6 Popular Payment Gateway
- Customizable Reports and Member Dashboards
- Extensive Option for Content Restrictions
- Develop a Robust Directory
- Over 60 Premium Addons to Extend the Features
Pricing:
This plugin has 3 different pricing plans. They are:
Pros and Cons of Membership Pro:
Pros:
- Includes Over 60 Addons and Integrations
- Simple Management of Subscriber, Levels, and Group
- Comes with Own Membership Site Theme: Member Lite
Cons:
- Some Basic Feature Requires Paid Addons
- Addons Cannot Be Purchased Individually
MemberMouse
Last but not least MemberMouse is one of the most feature-rich WordPress membership plugins available. It lets you create both membership and bundles. Also, the plugin lets you drip out the restricted content.
MemberMouse is a flexible plugin that comes with a shortcode library where the shortcodes of all elements are present. Also, you can A / B test the membership form to make sure everything is fine before adding it on your WordPress website.
Key Features:
- Shortcode Library With All Required Shortcodes
- Easy to Configure Settings
- Time-Release / Drip Content
- Single Click Upsells
- Automatic Downsell
- A/B Split Testing of Membership Form
Pricing:
The plugin has 2 different pricing plans. They are:
Pros and Cons of MemberMouse:
Pros:
- 3rd Party Integration with Popular Email Platforms for Email Marketing
- Inbuilt Reporting Tools to Manage the Reports of All Members
Cons:
- Lacks Payment Gateway Than Other Membership Plugins
Conclusion:
These are the collection of the best WordPress membership plugins available. You can use any of these plugins to build a membership website or convert any website into a membership-based site in no time.
Which one did you find the most suitable for you? Do share you though in the comment box below.
If you are looking for a WordPress plugin to create a contact form, check out our article: 7 Best Contact Form WordPress Plugins (Detailed Review)
