If you’re using WordPress, MemberPress is a popular go-to choice for building online communities. But, many reviews say it’s complex and expensive.
So is it the right choice for you or should you consider a MemberPress alternative?
If you’re using or thinking about using MemberPress, it’s not the only option out there.
Before you part with your hard earned money or put your time and effort into a membership plugin, it’s important to know you’re using the right one.
That’s what this MemberPress alternatives post is all about.
We examine:
- The many capabilities of MemberPress
- What to look for in a membership plugin
- 10 MemberPress alternatives, including features, benefits and pricing
Let’s get started!
Where MemberPress Falls Short
If you’ve been struggling with MemberPress, you’re not alone. Many users have shared similar experiences and frustrations.
For example:
- Unsatisfactory support and resources: Some users have had issues with the quality and responsiveness of MemberPress support and documentation. These include slow response times and a lack of helpful resources.
- Payment integration hurdles: A few users have reported difficulties getting MemberPress to integrate reliably with payment gateways.
- User interface issues: Some users find the dashboard cluttered, making it difficult to manage memberships efficiently.
- Content restriction frustrations: A segment of users feel its content management capabilities are limited and cumbersome. For instance, some feel the platform’s access rules are complex and time-consuming.
- Pricing concerns: Some feel that the pricing is high for the value they receive.
In the next section, we’ll look at two top plugins that compete closely with MemberPress.
MemberPress vs. SureMembers vs. Paid Memberships Pro
This table compares the key features of our 3 favorite plugins, MemberPress, SureMembers, and Paid Memberships Pro.
Even though we’re exploring MemberPress alternatives, it’s still a great plugin.
| Feature | MemberPress | Paid Memberships Pro | SureMembers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Content restriction | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Dedicated dashboard | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ (via SureCart) |
| Membership levels | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Payment gateways | ✅ Paypal, Stripe, Authorize.net | ✅ Paypal, Stripe, Authorize.net | ✅ Paypal, Stripe |
| Integrations | ✅ WooCommerce, MailChimp. Active Campaign, Learndash, WP Courseware | ✅ WooCommerce, Sitewide Sales. | ✅ SureCart, WooCommerce, LearnDash, TutorLMS, LifterLMS, BuddyBoss. |
| Ease of use | Moderate | Moderate | High |
| Onboarding | Guided setup, documentation | Documentation, tutorials | Smooth onboarding, tutorials |
| Pricing | Starts at $179.50/yr | Starts at $174/yr (Has free option) | Starts at $69/yr |
| Automation | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Documentation and support | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Overall value | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
Top 10 MemberPress Alternatives
Now you’ve had a glimpse of the top 3 membership plugins, let’s dig deeper into MemberPress alternatives.
SureMembers
SureMembers is a WordPress membership plugin that has quickly gained traction since its launch in September 2022.
It allows you to create, manage, and sell membership plans. Using simple controls, you can also manage who has access to specific parts of your site.
Its main goal is simplifying payments for membership-style websites, content upgrades, digital downloads, and cohort-style learning programs.
Here’s a video tutorial if you are looking to use SureMembers
Notable Features
- Simple controls that make it easy to control memberships.
- Drip-feed content you want to release gradually.
- Secures digital downloads so only authorized members can access specific files.
- Seamless integration with SureCart and WooCommerce, allowing you to sell memberships and manage payments.
Why It’s Better Than MemberPress
- SureMembers licenses (starting at $69) are more cost-effective than MemberPress licenses (starting at $179.50).
- Provides granular control over content visibility down to individual page sections.
- Flexible pricing plans, like split payment options, make it more accessible.
Downsides
- No free plan.
Pricing
SureMembers doesn’t have a free plan but offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, one year of updates and 24/7 priority support.
- Pro plan: Starts at $69/year. Use on 1 site.
- Business plan: Starts at $69/year. Use on 5 sites.
- Agency plan: Starts at $149/year. Use on 10 sites.
SureMembers is useful if you’re looking for intuitive content access control features or you run a membership site with complex content visibility needs.
Paid Memberships Pro
Launched in 2010 by Jason Coleman, Paid Memberships Pro boasts over 90,000 active installs and holds a commendable 4.3 out of 5 rating on WordPress.org.
The plugin’s core is open-source, ensuring flexibility for customization. Its strong track record of continuous updates and improvements makes it a trustworthy choice for membership sites.
Notable Features
- Supports unlimited membership levels.
- Integrates with popular payment gateways like PayPal, Stripe, and Authorize.net.
- Dedicated member dashboard for tracking member status, subscriptions, and payments.
- Addons include email marketing integration and affiliate programs.
Why It’s Better Than MemberPress
- More integrations with popular WordPress plugins and third-party services.
- Allows you to restrict access to blocks and custom post types.
- Provide multiple memberships, ensuring flexibility in managing subscriptions.
- Detailed reporting and analytics on membership data.
Downsides
- There’s a learning curve for some features.
- Some users have reported slower support than MemberPress.
Pricing
Paid Memberships Pro has a free plan and 3 paid plans:
- Free plan: Access the core plugin and 29 free addons.
- Standard: $174 per year. Has all properties of the free plan, a one site license, premium support, and 21 addons.
- Plus: $299 per year. All Standard plan features, a 2 site license, priority support, and 30 addons.
- Enterprise: Starts at $5,000 per year (for sites meant to scale). All the features of the Plus plan, a 50+ site license, onsite visits, and phone support.
Paid Members Pro is great if you want to integrate membership management with different payment gateways or need multiple membership levels and subscription options.
Restrict Content Pro
Restrict Content Pro is a robust yet lightweight WordPress membership plugin, initially developed by Pippin Williamson and Sandhills Development. Later acquired by Liquid Web.
Although some essential features like content dripping are available only through premium addons, it compensates with unique functions that cater to specific membership site needs.
For instance, it supports magazine-style sites where content is initially private and then becomes public after some time, or vice versa.
Notable Features
- Restrict access to pages, posts, archives, and blocks based on membership level and user role.
- Create unlimited membership plans with unique content access.
- Drip content over time or set expiration dates for access.
- Send automated welcome emails, payment receipts, and expiration reminders.
Why It’s Better Than MemberPress
- The user-friendly interface makes it easy for beginners.
- Highly customizable with a robust set of APIs and hooks for developers.
- Enhance the plugin with addons, including drip content and group accounts.
Downside
- It doesn’t support as many third-party services out of the box as MemberPress.
Pricing
Restrict Content Pro offers a free plan and three pricing tiers:
- Free: Basic features like content restriction, membership levels, and plugin updates.
- Personal: $99 per year, supports 1 site.
- Professional: $149 per year, supports 5 sites.
- Unlimited: $249 per year, supports unlimited sites.
Restrict Content Pro is useful if you’re a budget-conscious user or a developer who wants a customizable plugin with extensive API support.
MemberDash
MemberDash is a relatively new, cutting-edge WordPress membership plugin. It was launched in July 2023 by StellarWP, a subsidiary of Liquid Web.
It’s designed to help eCommerce websites, creators, and influencers sell premium content and grow their community of members.
Its flexible features make it an excellent tool for creating engaging membership sites, whether independently or integrated with LearnDash.
Notable Features
- Supports different membership types including standard, guest, and default memberships.
- Content protection rules ensure only members can access certain content.
- Easy user registration for different membership types.
- Provides tools for creating and managing discount coupons.
Why It’s Better Than MemberPress
- MemberDash is designed to work seamlessly with LearnDash, providing an integrated solution.
- Advanced membership types offer more flexibility in managing content access.
- eCommerce elements make it useful for member-only stores.
Downsides
- MemberDash has fewer third-party integrations and community resources.
Pricing
MemberDash offers three pricing tiers:
- 1-site: $199 per year, supports 1 site.
- 10-site: $399 per year, supports 10 sites.
- Unlimited: $799 per year, supports unlimited sites.
MemberDash is good if you want to create a member-only store or own a site that uses LearnDash to manage courses.
MemberMouse
MemberMouse is a leading membership and subscription solution for WordPress. Since 2009, it has served over 18,000 customers, 11 million members, and has processed over 22 million orders.
It offers a powerful, scalable, flexible platform for managing membership sites. Its suite of tools includes membership management, content protection, and revenue maximization.
All plans give you access to a staging site to test features before going live.
Notable Features
- Provides detailed analytics and reports, including churn rate and retention.
- Allows you to create a staging site for testing.
- Advanced content dripping options.
- Built-in member directory for better community management.
Why It’s Better Than MemberPress
- Staging site functionality is included in all plans, a feature MemberPress doesn’t have.
- Has more built-in integrations, reducing the need for additional plugins or custom solutions.
- Robust membership features like billing options and affiliate management.
Downside
- It has a learning curve due to extensive features and customization options.
Pricing
MemberMouse has four paid plans:
- Basic: $199.50/year. Comes with MemberMouse courses, 7 email integrations and email support.
- Plus: $299.50/year. Everything in the basic plan and allows you to add quizzes and certificates to your courses.
- Pro: $399.50/year. Everything in the Plus plan, including free trials of OptinMonster and TrustPulse, and access to priority email support.
- Elite: $1,199.50/year. Everything in the Pro plan and also integrates with Sticky.io.
MemberMouse is great if you run a community site that needs a directory and social login capabilities or own a subscription business that requires detailed analytics and reporting.
Wishlist Member
Since 2008, WishList Member has been protecting content on over 120,000 membership sites, courses, and online communities.
It’s an all-in-one membership site toolbox that offers unmatched flexibility, providing unlimited membership levels and members without upsells or advertising.
Notable Features
- Includes unlimited levels and members, payment integration, and customizable buy buttons.
- Direct integration with email marketing platforms, payment gateways, and eCommerce tools.
- Automated content distribution, scheduling, archiving.
- Pay-per-post feature.
Why It’s Better Than MemberPress
- Wishlist Member is cheaper ($149.50/year) than MemberPress ($179.50/year).
- Offers a broader range of integrations, particularly email marketing and payment gateway services.
Downside
- Wishlist Member is not modular so you cannot selectively enable features.
Pricing
WishList Member has four paid plans:
- Basic: $149.50/year. Use on one site. Comes with standard support.
- Plus: $249.50/year. Use on up to 2 sites. Includes priority support.
- Pro: $349.50/year. Use on up to 5 sites. Includes premium support and access to 5,000+ app integrations via Zapier.
- Elite: $1,199.50/year. All Pro features are included, with additional integration with Keap and Recurly.
Wishlist Member is a great MemberPress alternative if you’re an online course creator who wants to sell access to individual courses or your business relies heavily on email integrations.
ARMember
ARMember is a WordPress membership plugin launched in 2016 by Repute Infosystems, a company that specializes in developing WordPress plugins and themes.
It provides versatile solutions to manage memberships effectively. You get multiple pricing models, including one-time charges, recurring payments, and lifetime memberships.
Notably, it provides you with a drag and drop form builder with customizable templates, social logins, and CAPTCHA-free security.
Notable Features
- Create unlimited membership levels with different pricing and access rules.
- Content dripping features to keep members engaged.
- Supports multiple payment gateways including PayPal, Stripe, and bank transfers.
- Advanced form builder to create customizable registration and login forms.
- Integrates with addons like digital downloads, affiliate programs, and online courses.
Why It’s Better Than MemberPress
- Lower initial cost, making it accessible for small businesses and startups.
- One-time payment rather than monthly or annual fee.
- Includes a powerful form builder without additional plugins.
Downside
- ARMember has a smaller user community and fewer resources, tutorials, and third-party integrations than MemberPress.
Pricing
ARMember has two plans:
- ARMember Lite: Free. Includes 2 built in payment processors and 11 addons.
- ARMember Pro: Costs $69/year. Includes 6 free payment processors, 50+ addons and priority support.
ARMember is great if you’re a non-profit/club that needs to manage restricted content access or if you’re a content creator looking to monetize content affordably.
Ultimate Membership Pro
Since 2015, Ultimate Membership Pro has been a prominent choice for managing membership sites, with over 37,000 websites using it.
The plugin stands out for its ease of setup and extensive customization capabilities. It includes templates, forms, and addons, as well as integrations with email marketing platforms and WooCommerce.
It’s a flexible option with some useful templates, ideal for new users.
Notable Features
- Support for single or recurring payments (daily, weekly, or monthly).
- Provides templates for registration, login, account pages, and email notifications.
- Professional account pages with tabs for overviews, profiles, subscriptions and transactions.
- Integration with Ultimate Affiliate Pro to manage affiliate programs.
Why It’s Better Than MemberPress
- Offers more granular control over content, including partial content restriction.
- Supports unlimited membership levels and more customized membership structures.
- Provides extensive integrations with other plugins and third-party services.
Downside
- Some users may find the extensive features complex at first.
- No free plan.
Pricing
Ultimate Membership Pro has two plans:
- Lifetime Plan (Ultimate Member Pro): One-time fee of $59. Comes with 41 addons and six months of support.
- Pro Addons Bundle: Costs $149/year. Has an extra 46 pro addons, and comes with priority support.
Ultimate Membership Pro is great if you’re a digital marketer looking to monetize content as the granular control makes it easy.
WooCommerce Memberships
WooCommerce Memberships integrates seamlessly with WooCommerce, making it ideal for creating exclusive online stores.
It offers content restriction, membership plans, drip content, recurring payments, member management, and integration with popular payment gateways.
It will require you to have a store set up to work, but that’s easy enough when you know how.
Notable Features
- Integration with WooCommerce allows you to assign memberships manually or tie them to products.
- Access detailed member data and manage memberships through the WooCommerce “My Account” page.
- Use free trials, upgrades, and downgrades with WooCommerce Subscriptions.
- Offer memberships as part of group or company plans using the Teams extension.
Why It’s Better Than MemberPress
- Tailored specifically for eCommerce stores.
- Extensive customization options through WooCommerce extensions and themes.
- Backed by the WooCommerce ecosystem, offering robust support and a community of developers and users.
Downside
- Dependence on WooCommerce may add complexity if you’re not already using it to run your store.
Pricing
This plugin has no free plan. It costs $16.59 per month, billed annually at $199. The subscription includes product updates, customer support, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Woocommerce Memberships is for you if you already use WooCommerce and want to integrate memberships into your store.
s2Member
s2Member, developed by WebSharks, is a WordPress membership plugin with over 14 years of continuous development. It can help you transform subscribers into paying members through one-time and recurring payments.
It has an unlimited-site license, which makes it ideal for use across multiple sites within a WordPress multisite network, catering to complex membership needs.
It may not have quite the same polished brand image as other MemberPress alternatives but it still delivers on features!
Notable Features
- Secures downloadable files and streaming content.
- Security features like limiting failed logins, IP restriction, and trust badges for credibility.
- Bulk import/export of members, custom registration forms, and detailed notifications.
- Open source with lifetime updates.
Why It’s Better Than MemberPress
- Extensive customization options for membership levels, content restriction, and user management.
- Robust free version, which is ideal if you’re on a tight budget.
- Includes advanced hooks and APIs.
Downside
- While functional, you may find the interface less modern than newer options.
Pricing
s2Member has three pricing plans:
- Framework: 100% free. Includes content protection and PayPal buttons.
- Pro license: Costs $89, one-time fee. Packages a single site license and lifetime access to new versions.
- Unlimited Pro license: Costs $189, one-time fee. Includes all Pro license features and an unlimited site license.
s2Member is ideal if you’re budget-conscious and are looking for a cost-effective membership solution with the flexibility to upgrade to Pro.
MemberPress Alternatives: Final Thoughts
Finding the right plugin is crucial for optimizing your WordPress membership website.
This guide covered essential features to look for, such as content restriction, multiple membership levels, payment gateway integration, and affordable pricing.
We’ve compared top contenders like MemberPress, SureMembers, and Paid Memberships Pro, highlighting their unique strengths and features.
In our opinion, SureMembers is a user-friendly and affordable WordPress membership plugin that stands out as a strong alternative to MemberPress.
Despite its lower price, SureMembers doesn’t skimp on features. It offers robust content restriction, multiple membership levels, and a growing list of integrations with popular tools.
Ready to switch to a more straightforward, affordable membership plugin?
MemberPress Alternatives FAQs
Is there a Free Version of MemberPress?
No, there is no free version of MemberPress. MemberPress is a premium WordPress plugin that requires a paid subscription. However, there’s a 14-day money-back guarantee if you’re unsatisfied with it.
Are There Any Free Membership Plugins for WordPress?
Yes, there are free membership plugins for WordPress. Some popular options include Ultimate Member, Restrict Content, and WP-Members. They offer basic membership functions for free, but you may need to purchase premium extensions or upgrades for advanced features.
What Is MemberPress Used For?
MemberPress is used to create and manage WordPress membership sites. It allows you to restrict content access to members, set up subscription plans, handle payments, and manage member accounts.
It is a comprehensive solution for building membership websites, offering features like content dripping, course creation, and integration with various third-party services.
What Are the Capabilities of MemberPress?
MemberPress can manage WordPress membership sites. It also allows content restriction, subscription management, payment integration, content dripping, and course creation.
Additionally, it offers member management, detailed reporting, coupon management, email integration, and customizable access rules to tailor the membership experience.
Abhijeet Kaldate is the co-founder and CRO of Brainstorm Force. With a keen eye for detail and a knack for getting things done, Abhijeet oversees the company's operations, managing key areas such as HR, marketing, design and finance.
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