Membership websites offer a great way to build revenue or diversify your income, but they aren’t always the easiest to set up and run.
SureMembers is a membership plugin that seeks to change the membership game forever.
But is it any good?
Is it the membership plugin you’re looking for?
Does it live up to the hype?
We used SureMembers to build a fully working membership website to find out.
Here’s how we got on.
What We Expect From a Membership Plugin
Before we get into the SureMembers review, let’s cover a little background. Specifically, what should you expect from a membership plugin?
We think you should expect:
- Content protection: Content protection features should ideally include restricting access to posts, pages, and other types of content based on membership level or user permissions.
- Payment processing: Your membership plugin should work with payment gateways, such as PayPal or Stripe.
- User management: Managing users can include creating and managing user accounts, assigning membership levels, and tracking user activity.
- Customizable checkout: A customizable checkout is important for creating a seamless user experience. Features can include design, optimization, branding, custom fields, and setting up automated emails and notifications.
- Integrations: Your membership plugin should integrate with other tools and services, such as email marketing platforms, learning management systems, and analytics tools.
These are just a few of the key features that we typically expect from a membership plugin. We’re sure you can think of others.
Let’s see how SureMembers stacks up.
What Is SureMembers?
The subscription economy is projected to reach $1.5 trillion by 2025 so memberships are big business.
SureMembers is designed to enable anyone, anywhere to earn a slice of that.
It’s a premium content restriction plugin for WordPress.
Content restriction provides all the benefits of a full membership plugin without the bloat or complicated dashboards.
It concentrates on making it easy to create membership tiers, drip feed content, and manage access. All the good stuff we want without overwhelming you with unnecessary features.
The entire concept is to make building and running a membership website as simple as possible.
The plugin includes features such as robust integrations, flexible content protection options, and a whole lot more. But more on those in a moment.
Watch this video to learn more about SureMembers:
SureMembers Pros and Cons
Here’s a quick look at the pros and cons of SureMembers:
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| ✅ Modern interface and intuitive controls | ❌ A newer plugin, so not many tutorials are available online |
| ✅ Drip content feature | ❌ Needs SureCart for some payment types |
| ✅ Designed for ease of setup and use | ❌ No free version available |
| ✅ Modern interface and user-friendly design | |
| ✅ Can be used on unlimited sites |
Who Is SureMembers For?
SureMembers has been designed to be usable by anyone, with any level of experience.
It’s especially useful for creating:
- Exclusive online communities
- Online stores with members-only areas
- Private clubs or groups
- Premium content websites
- News and current events websites that want a paywall
- LMS and online course websites
- Any website that wants to restrict access to members only
There are dozens of use cases where SureMembers could be the perfect membership plugin.
Here’s what people are saying about SureMembers:
How To Set Up SureMembers
Before we get too deep into the features and usability part of the review, let’s show you how simple it is to create a membership website with SureMembers.
If we can do it, you can too!
You’ll need a WordPress website up and running for this to work. It will be better if you already have a theme and a little content but it can work without it.
If you don’t have a site up and running, create one in less than 5 minutes with the ZipWP AI website builder.
It’s fast, free and delivers a fully working website in no time!
Back to SureMembers…
Visit the SureMembers website and sign up for a plan.
Once you have created an account, you’ll be taken to your customer dashboard. Download the latest version of SureMembers as a zip file and copy the license key.
Log into your WordPress dashboard and select Plugins and Add New Plugin.
Select the Upload Plugin at the top of the page.
Select the Browse button and select the SureMembers zip file you just downloaded.
Select Install Now and Activate once the option becomes available.
You should now see a new SureMembers menu item in your dashboard, select it.
Select the Unlicensed icon at the top right of the screen, paste the license key into the popup window and select Activate License.
You should see a success message on the screen.
Close the popup window and that Unlicensed icon you clicked should have switched to a green Licensed icon.
That’s SureMembers installed and ready to use.
Let’s now create an Access Group.
Access Groups are membership tiers to you and me. You can create as many as you like.
Select the SureMembers menu item on the left and you’ll see the Access Groups window.
Select Add New at the top to create your first group.
You’ll see a new window that looks a little like a WooCommerce product page, only cleaner. That’s the access group window.
First, give your Access Group a name. We called ours VIP Fitness Club to simulate setting up a fitness membership site.
Next, select the dropdown menu in the Protected Content box.
This is where you tell SureMembers what content to restrict to this particular Access Group.
You can change the restrictions at any time as your membership site evolves.
For this example, we selected All Pages.
A new window will now appear underneath that allows you to exclude pages, posts, taxonomies and more.
You’re going to want to exclude your home and contact pages at the very least, otherwise nobody will be able to access your site at all!
There are lots of options here. You can exclude landing pages, all posts, specific posts or pages, specific categories and so on.
You can also specify the URLs of pages to block.
There’s a lot of freedom to build your membership website your way. This is one of the reasons we like SureMembers so much!
You’ll also see controls for drip content, downloads and other settings on the page. Explore those at your leisure.
Finally, check the Unauthorized Access box on the right.
This is where you control what happens when a non-member tries to access member-only content.
As you can see, we set it to show a message and a button to our contact form. You can set this to redirect to a landing page to convert people to members if you prefer.
Explore those when you’re ready. For now, hit the blue Save Access Group button at the top right.
Check the Access Group is active toggle is set to on in the Summary box at the top right and you’re good to go.
That’s it, you have now created your first access group!
You can create as many as you like exactly as we have done just now. You can also charge for access to installing SureCart and creating a product for each Access Group.
It’s all very easy to do but out of scope of our SureMembers review.
Adam Preiser, one of the people behind SureMembers, has created a series of video tutorials that cover every aspect of setting up a membership website.
Check them out here:
Now, let’s get back to the review.
SureMembers Features
Now you have seen it in action, now let’s explore key SureMembers features in detail.
We’ll include an explanation of what each feature does, an evaluation of its effectiveness, and an assessment of its ease of use.
Here’s what we’ll cover:
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Restrict downloads | Ability to control and restrict access to downloads and files |
| Drip content | Option to release content at predetermined intervals to maintain user engagement |
| Payment processing | Integration with SureCart to handle payments and subscriptions |
| Robust integrations | Integrations with SureTriggers and other platforms to extend functionality |
| Post and page locks | Ability to restrict access to specific pages and posts |
| Partial post and page locks | Option to display partial content and prompt users to upgrade for full access |
| Visible excerpts | Displaying a visible excerpt for each post to improve conversions |
| Lock file downloads | Option to restrict access to downloads |
| Customizable login forms | Customization options for member login and signup forms |
| Security and privacy | High-level security and privacy measures to protect sensitive data |
| Modern interface | Sleek, modern user interface that is easy to navigate |
| Customizable checkout process | Ability to customize the checkout process to align with branding |
| Comprehensive reporting and analytics | Access to comprehensive reporting and analytics to track user behavior and plugin performance |
We have a lot of ground to cover so let’s dive right in!
1. Restrict Downloads and Content
As a content restriction plugin, SureMembers’ chief strength is its capacity to limit downloads and to control access to content.
This feature allows you to govern access to data, materials, and other content depending on the membership tier.
For instance, you can make premium eBooks, audio files, or any other digital material accessible solely for members while making other resources available for everyone.
The restrict content tool is straightforward and simple to utilize. It allows you to lock files to one or more membership tiers as you see fit.
This process begins by creating an Access Group (membership tier):
Once you give the Access Group a name, you can select what content you’d like to protect.
You can also decide what happens when a non-member attempts to access that content.
When a user doesn’t have access, they’ll see a customizable message and a signup button to help convert them to paying members:
You can also set varying levels of access for different user profiles using simple settings. This gives you complete control over who has what level of access.
Its ease of use makes it convenient even for those with minimal technical expertise – no need to stress over implementation!
2. Drip Content
The drip content feature in SureMembers enables you to strategically release content on a predetermined schedule.
This grants members the ability to methodically keep track of what they have and haven’t consumed by providing access to new information in an orderly fashion.
You can choose when each piece of content is released, such as setting a specific date or number of days of membership.
You can even control availability based on prior content completion. This makes it ideal for online course websites!
Each membership level can have their own respective schedules or share one overall schedule.
This gives you unparalleled control over what members gain access to and when.
3. Payment Processing Via SureCart
SureCart is a powerful payment processing plugin that integrates into SureMembers. It allows you to easily accept payments and sell merchandise.
It is an extra platform to learn, but it’s free and was created by the people behind SureMembers so they work perfectly together.
You can create and manage multiple checkout pages, offer unlimited pricing plans and accept one-time payments or recurring subscriptions.
There’s a lot of flexibility with this method, which is why we use it!
Payment processing is easy to set up and use and integrates seamlessly with the rest of SureMembers.
It also provides advanced features such as fraud protection, customizable checkout pages, and the ability to accept multiple payment types and currencies.
SureCart will even help with taxes, although you’ll still need to check them with your accountant!
4. Robust Integrations
SureMembers can work with most compliant WordPress plugins and themes, email platforms and most services you’ll want to use.
It also supports automations using SureTriggers.
This feature allows you to automate a huge range of daily tasks using your favorite apps.
Set a trigger such as subscriber signup or a purchase to launch automated actions in other applications.
For example, you can automatically add new customers to an email list or create a task for your sales team when someone signs up for a membership.
SureTriggers is a great way to automate manual tasks to save time and increase efficiency.
5. Post and Page Locks
The post and page lock feature allows you to restrict access to specific posts or pages on your website.
This is a great way to protect valuable content and make sure it’s only being accessed by paying members.
Using the post and page locks feature is easy, and you can set different levels of access for different membership plans.
You can set up redirects so that non-members are sent to a specific page instead of the post or page they were trying to access.
6. Partial Post and Page Locks
Complete page locks are useful for controlling access to content but partial locks have a part to play too.
You’ll see them a lot on news websites. You can read the introductory paragraph of a story and will need to sign in or sign up to read the rest.
It’s a great way to tease content to help entice signups and can be very effective.
You can create content as usual in the block editor. Add the teaser content to one block and the rest of the content to another.
Leave the first block as-is and assign the restricted content block an Access Group you’re allowing to access.
Using the partial post and page locks is easy and you can set different levels of access for different membership plans.
It’s a great solution for safeguarding premium content while allowing non-members to see enough to create a need.
7. Visible Excerpts
SureMembers also allows you to set visible excerpts for posts and pages.
It allows non-members to see snippets of the content before they decide to sign up, similar to partial post and page restrictions.
It’s a great way to give the general public an idea of what they will be getting if they decide to join, which can help increase conversions.
It is easy to set up, and you can even adjust the length of the visible content!
8. Lock File Downloads
With SureMembers, you can also lock file downloads so only members have access to them.
This is a great way to protect content such as eBooks, audio files and other assets.
You can customize the levels of access for various membership plans. This feature is a fantastic way to shield valuable material and give added value to members.
9. Customizable Login Forms
You also get customizable login forms so you can easily create and display different forms to different people.
You can personalize them to suit the branding of your site using built-in tools.
Just select primary and secondary colors, text and link colors, and any other style preferences you have.
Save your changes and anyone who comes across restricted content will be prompted to sign up via the custom form you create.
10. Security and Privacy
Members will often share private data so it’s essential to keep it secure. Fortunately, SureMembers offers comprehensive security and privacy features.
You can adjust the levels of access for different membership plans, as well as set up login restrictions as required.
The platform supports SSL and uses a secure API to connect to SureCart, which helps ensure all data transmitted is kept secure.
11. Modern Interface
Another standout feature is the modern sleek interface.
It’s a pleasure to use and much easier to manage than many other membership plugins we could mention.
It has an intuitive dashboard where you can manage all aspects of memberships, from setting up plans to adding members.
The interface is also fully responsive and looks great on any device or screen size.
12. Customizable Checkout
SureMembers also offers a customizable checkout where you can set up a payment system and manage subscriptions.
This feature works via SureCart, which integrates into SureMembers to handle transactions.
The biggest benefit here is the ability to automatically add users to the relevant Access Group after they purchase a plan.
This helps to make checkout more efficient and does a lot of heavy-lifting for you.
You can also adjust how the checkout process looks to be more in line with your site’s branding and overall look and feel
13. Comprehensive Reporting and Analytics
Finally, SureMembers comes with comprehensive reporting and analytics tools that make it easy to gain insights into your business.
You can access detailed data about signups, total users, specific users signed up to each membership plan or who are a part of each specific Access Group.
This information can help you understand how customers are interacting with your content so you can make informed decisions about the road ahead.
We appreciate that’s a lot of information to take in, but we’re not done yet.
Next let’s tackle ease of use.
Ease of Use
SureMembers has been designed with ease of use at the center of everything.
The user interface is modern and intuitive, with a clean and straightforward design that makes it easy to navigate.
Setup is straightforward, with clear instructions and helpful tips to guide you.
You saw earlier how easy the plugin was to configure and customize!
SureMembers also includes extensive documentation and tutorials, providing everything you need to know to get started and make the most of the features.
Whether you are an experienced website builder or just getting started, you will find SureMembers easy to use and intuitive.
If you get stuck, you’re in good hands because…
SureMembers Support
SureMembers is backed by an experienced and knowledgeable support team, ready to answer any questions you may have.
There’s a range of resources including detailed documentation and video training to help you get up and running quickly.
This video series is a comprehensive set of tutorials covering every aspect of SureMembers:
There’s also a helpful Facebook community called SureCrafted (which covers SureMembers, SureCart, and SureTriggers).
This makes it easy to find answers to common questions and get help from experienced users.
With extensive resources and a knowledgeable support team, SureMembers provides everything you need to get your membership business up and running.
Pricing
SureMembers is a very affordable membership plugin with plans starting at just $69 per year.
Compare that to:
- MemberPress – From $179-50 per year
- MemberMouse – From $199.50 per year
- AccessAlly – From $990 per year
- Restrict Content Pro – From $99 per year
Compared to the competition, SureMembers is one of the most cost-effective solutions on the market!
The Pro plan includes a license to use it on one site, plus a year of updates and priority support.
The Business plan provides everything in the Pro plan plus a license to use it on up to 5 sites.
There’s also the Agency plan which includes everything in the Business plan, plus a license to use it on up to 10 sites.
Boasting a wide range of features and extremely competitive pricing plans, SureMembers gives you all the tools you need to build your dream site while keeping costs low.
Conclusion: Is SureMembers the Right Membership Plugin for You?
Is SureMembers any good? Is it the membership plugin you’re looking for? Does it live up to the hype?
Yes it is and yes it does, and then some!
SureMembers is an excellent choice for anyone looking to build a successful membership website.
It’s intuitive, straightforward to use and makes short work of what used to be a time-consuming and complicated process.
You saw how easy it was to install and create an access group. If we can do it, you can too!
You could genuinely start from scratch and end up with a working membership website in just a couple of hours. It is that easy!
If you’re looking for an intuitive and easy-to-use membership plugin, you need to try SureMembers!
Sujay Pawar is the co-founder and CEO of Brainstorm Force. He brings a one-of-a-kind fusion of tech brilliance, business savvy and marketing mojo to the table. Sujay has consistently spearheaded the development of innovative products like Astra, CartFlows, ZipWP and many others that have become market leaders in their respective niches.
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