Obviously, we are spoilt for choice as there are many great WordPress membership plugins out there. In this blog, we are going to take you through the best of the best so that you can make an informed decision that meets your needs. We’ve also created a detailed comparison chart to help you better understand the features.
Paid Memberships Pro is a stand-alone WordPress plugin which has many robust membership features. This plugin gives options to set up unlimited membership levels and restricted content access (pages, posts). Only one level can be active at a time for a user. It also provides an add-on for multi-level membership which is in beta mode and that stable.
The strong suit of this plugin is the ‘add-on’ system which offers a wide range of features and functionalities. Some of the add-ons include AWeber Integration, Check Payment Levels, Donations Add On, Failed Payment Limit, Gift Aid, Kissmetrics Integration, WooCommerce, Variable Pricing Add On and more. The plugin also integrates with famous payment gateways such as Stripe, Authorize.net, PayPal, Braintree, CyberSource, and 2Checkout.
The basic version of the plugin is free but, if you want more options like PMPro license key, advanced code recipes, developer chat and discounted annual renewals, you have to go for the paid version. If you like to read about our in-depth analysis of the plugin, click here.
Other features include:
Click here to learn more about the feature of Paid Memberships Pro.
Ultimate Membership Pro is a multi-level WordPress plugin that offers all the tools required to sell subscriptions and memberships on any website. You can offer exclusive multi-level free or paid packages for your members. Plus, it has 30 templates like login, registration, that are specially built for a membership system. You can give even adjust the membership settings in a way where the users can have any number of activity levels at a time.
The plugin supports various payment gateways such as PayPal, Stripe, 2CheckOut, Braintree, Authorize.net and Payza. It also supports offline payments. Additionally, you can offer billing options on a onetime, ongoing and limited basis. The plugin has multiple themes, color schemes and unlimited showcases that can be ordered and filtered according to the criteria.
For premium members, you can offer specially designed printable membership cards with all the necessary details. With the drip content feature, you can decide which content has to available based on subscription time and level. If you like to read about our in-depth analysis of the plugin, click here.
Other features include:
Click here to learn more about the features of Ultimate Membership Pro
Memberium is a premium WordPress plugin that allows you to convert any normal website into a powerful membership site. The plugin needs either Infusionsoft or Active Campaign to work. It doesn’t support Mailchimp. Through the point and click membership protection you can quickly set up your membership website.
You can use all the automated features in Keap which lets you access and control the content on your WordPress site. To run more advanced actions, it has many shortcode options such as contact details, custom fields, etc.
The plugin has an awesome feature called Umbrella Accounts which allows customers to create sub-accounts for family, students, team and company. You can schedule drip content using the custom drag and drop tools of Memberium. Additionally, each membership level can be assigned a separate home page and a logout page. If you like to read about our in-depth analysis of the plugin, click here
Other features include:
Click here to learn more about the features of Memberium.
| Ultimate Membership Pro | Paid Memberships Pro | Memberium | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Option to cancel memberships | Available | Available | Available |
| User directly subscribes to level 2, he should be charged $45 ($20 one time + $25 recurring) | Can be customized | Available | Infusionsoft integration is required |
| For example, if user upgrades from Level 1 to Level 2, user must be charged on a recurring basis | Available | Available | Infusionsoft integration is required |
| Only one membership level must be active at a time | Not customizable | Available | Only cancels the subscription, will not add a different subscription |
| User downgrades from level 2 to level 1, he must be removed from level 2 | Available | Available | Available |
| Active level 1 member must not have the option to select the same level 1 subscription from his account | Available | Available | Available |
| Active level 2 member must not have the option to select the same level or the previous level | Available | Available | Shortcode feature is available to hide the ‘buy’ button of level 2 and the previous levels |
| Members with no levels can either select level 1 or level 2 | Can be customized | Available | Available |
| Ultimate Membership Pro | Paid Memberships Pro | Memberium | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Option for admins to manually assign/delete levels of users from backend | Available | Available | Available |
| Admins must be able to specify and select the fields in user registration and account page | Available | Has to be customized | Can be created using shortcodes |
| Ultimate Membership Pro | Paid Memberships Pro | Memberium | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Based on levels, users must be added to MailChimp list | Can be customized | Available | Not available |
| Level 2 Mailchimp members must be in the same list and not on the level 1 list | Can be customized | Available | Not available |
| Expired level 2 members must be removed and moved to the expired level 2 list | Can be customized | Can be customized | Not available |
| Automated reminder emails have to be sent to users whose subscription is going to expire | Available | Available | Available |
| Ultimate Membership Pro | Paid Memberships Pro | Memberium | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recurring payment and onetime payment option for membership levels | Available | Available | Available |
| Stripe integration | Available | Available | Must add a 3rd party addon |
| Online Stripe payment option and offline bank transfer/cheque option | Available | Available | Must add a 3rd party addon |
| Admin must not have an option to pay on behalf of the user from the backend via credit/debit cards or Stripe | Not available | Not available | Not available |
| Option for users to update credit/debit card details | Not available | Available | Possible via Infusionsoft, but there may be SSL challenges |
| Users can request a refund from their account | Not available. Users have to contact the website regarding refund | Can be customized | Not available. Users have to contact the website regarding refund |
| Option for admins to process refunds from the backend | Refund has to be processed via payment gateway and the status can be updated via backend | Refund has to be processed via payment gateway and the status can be updated via backend | Not available |
| Separate redirect pages based on the payment options users select | Can be customized | Can be customized | Not available |
| Ultimate Membership Pro | Paid Memberships Pro | Memberium | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Profile completeness status | Can be customized | Can be customized | Not available |
| Show/hide profile questions based on user role | Can be customized | Can be customized | Not available |
| Ultimate Membership Pro | Paid Memberships Pro | Memberium | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price and support | $49/year. $16.50 for extended support up to 12 months |
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| Active installations | 29,099 | 80,000+ | Not available |
All the plugins listed in our blog are great. But, before making a final decision, you have to fully evaluate your project requirements.
When we received a project to create a membership website, we completely analyzed the project, understood the requirements and contacted the support team of all these plugins with some questions. For example, one of the main requirements was to create two levels of membership where level 1 had lifetime validity and level 2 was on a recurring basis. Based on a thorough analysis, we choose Paid Memberships Pro for our client.
So, choosing a membership plugin boils down to your requirements. Hope our blog will help you make the right choice.
What is your favourite membership plugin for WordPress? Do share in the comments section below.
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