Do you want to make money with your WordPress website but don’t want to deal with those pesky ads? We have three words for you – WordPress membership plugins. Here, we will cover the six best WordPress plugins that will help you create a membership website. By the end of it, you can base your choice on what each plugin has to offer and go with the one that best suits your needs.
The Benefits of Owning a Membership Website
Over the years, the membership management system slowly but surely became one of the most popular ways to generate money. How could it be otherwise? It brings a ton of benefits that not only contribute to the website’s revenue but also business growth. In short, owning a membership website opens many doors of opportunity.
Here are some of the reasons why you would want to create a membership website:
- Steady income. You get to predict your revenue based on the number of subscriptions you sell instead of relying on website traffic.
- Credibility. Producing exclusive content will improve public opinion on the site’s value and yourself as a professional in your field.
- Content automation. Create an automated system where you’ll be able to distribute your content based on your members’ subscription level.
- Better marketing environment. Not only do you get to grow your contact list, but you can also upsell and increase conversion rate much easier.
You can check out HostingWiki to learn more about the ins and outs of a membership website, including what you need to take into consideration when creating one.
Top 6 WordPress Membership Plugins Worth Checking Out
Since there are various WordPress membership plugins to choose from, we took the liberty of selecting the six best options for you.
1. UserPro
The first of all WordPress membership plugins is UserPro. It is simply an all-in-one plugin to help you to create powerful and very beautiful membership websites. If you need a beautiful front-end user membership or community site, then UserPro plugin is a really good choice.
UserPro could offer not just beautiful profiles, login and registration forms for WordPress, but also have a lot of other features. In this one plugin you can find almost all features that you could need in your membership site. It has social connect and integration, user badges, viral marketing, public or private activity feed, verified accounts and others.
Feature Highlights
- Registration and login. Fully customizable registrations and login form could help to use it anywhere you want. There is ultimate register field control, possibility to sign in/login with social media and in different assigned user roles.
- User profile. You can create unique user profiles that could be changed by your choice.
- Restrict website access. You can be sure about your website security. Control who can reach your website and who can’t.
- Plugins/add-ons integration. Because of this you can integrate referred add-ons such as BuddyPress or WooCommerce with ease. It will expand your membership website’s functionality.
- One-time fee. You will have to pay just one time, without any recurrent payments.
Price range – one-time fee $39.
2. WooCommerce Memberships
If you’re already using WooCommerce services to power your ecommerce store, this plugin is a must-have. It gives you the option to sell membership services as a standalone product or offer it as a bonus for purchasing other goods.
To top it off, WooCommerce Memberships gives you total freedom to modify the membership system according to your needs. That means there’s no limit to the number of membership options and levels you can create. Members can also subscribe to more than one membership plan, generating you more revenue.
Feature Highlights
- Purchasing club. You can create an exclusive store where only website members are allowed to have access. Alternatively, you may also enable non-members accessing the store, but without the right to make any orders.
- Member area. Members can view all of the perks they get based on their membership level. Additionally, they may preview any content that will be accessible to them in the future.
- Membership notes. This feature helps you maintain customer service and manage members more easily by allowing you to send notes to certain members via email.
Price range – $149–249 per year.
3. MemberPress
MemberPress is a professional WordPress membership plugin that can help you create the best possible membership website. If you want total control over every corner of your site, MemberPress is your best choice. It has powerful access rules that enforce restrictions to various elements of your website based on members’ membership level and product purchases.
Unlike WooCommerce Memberships that work specifically with ecommerce stores, MemberPress is suitable for all types of websites and is always up for the task.
Feature Highlights
- Community forums. Build and manage a members-only online community. MemberPress also integrates itself with various additional WordPress forum plugins.
- Coupons. It gives you the freedom to create an unlimited number of coupons and manage them individually.
- Reporting. Provides full reports regarding your revenue, best-selling products, and many other aspects of your business. Thus, you can gain insights into your business growth much easier.
Price range – $149-349 per year.
4. Paid Memberships Pro
If you want to test out how well your website works alongside a membership plugin, you can take advantage of Paid Memberships Pro’s free license version. Despite having a limited number of features and support, you’ll get all the essential tools needed to build your membership website. These bonuses include a dedicated theme for WordPress, six payment gateways, and 14 free Add Ons.
Once you get to know the plugin, you can upgrade to the premium version. Both paid versions provide you access to unlimited support tickets and advanced tutorials on how to optimize the membership system.
Feature Highlights
- Add Ons. You can expand your membership website’s functionality effortlessly by installing Add Ons provided by the plugin, such as MailChimp or WooCommerce integration.
- Level-specific ads. The premium version allows you to manage the ad placement based on the members’ level of membership. Thus, you can create another stream of revenue without disrupting those who pay extra to get your exclusive content.
Price range – $0-597 per year.
5. Restrict Content Pro
Restrict Content Pro is another popular plugin that works well with all types of websites. Be it a single post or an entire section of a certain and specific category, the plugin can help you decide who gets to access your content.
Also, compared to other premium plugins, this one is relatively affordable and has equally robust features to support your membership website. If you’re on a tight budget, Restrict Content Pro won’t break the bank.
Feature Highlights
- Switching subscription levels. Members who want to change their subscription level can do so by only paying the difference.
- WooCommerce integration. Enhance your WooCommerce-powered website to control access and purchase rights of your products.
- Data export. Restrict Content Pro allows you to easily export information about your members and payment data in a convenient CSV file format.
Price range – $99-249 per year or $499 for a one-time purchase.
6. s2Member
Here’s another membership plugin that offers a free of charge version. Usability-wise, s2Member has a steeper learning curve that might be a bit challenging for beginners. Not to worry, the plugin offers a great knowledge base page to walk you through the process.
Furthermore, opting for this plugin will pay off it in the long run for a couple of reasons. Not only does it grants plenty of robust features, but you can also get them for a relatively affordable price.
Feature Highlights
- Open registration. You can open or restrict access to all registration forms provided by WordPress or third-party plugins.
- Brute force attack protection. s2Member will monitor any repeated failed login attempts within a short period of time and give a temporary ban to said IP addresses.
Price range – $0-189 per license (one-time purchase).
Which Plugin Best Suits Your Needs?
With the rising popularity of membership websites, more WordPress membership plugins come up with a variety of new ideas on how to make this process more efficient and effective. Despite that, it’s impossible to declare which one is the best. Each WordPress membership plugin on this list offers its unique set of features that are more beneficial for certain types of websites. Thus, it’s best to identify what you want first, then choose the plugin that can accommodate all your needs.