1
Paid Memberships Pro
Site owners and developers who want a capable free, open-source membership core and are happy to extend it with add-ons.
91overall scoreDetails
Best WordPress Membership Plugins (2026)
Paid memberships, content restriction, subscriptions and member areas: how the main WordPress membership plugins compare.
About Membership Plugins
Membership plugins turn WordPress into a subscription business: members pay once or on a schedule, then get access to restricted content, courses, downloads or a community. They handle sign-up forms, payments, renewals, access rules and the member account area, so you can run paid content without a separate platform.
We compare the most popular options, including MemberPress, Paid Memberships Pro, Restrict Content Pro (now Kadence Memberships), WishList Member, MemberMouse, Ultimate Member, WooCommerce Memberships, ProfilePress, SureMembers, s2Member and ARMember. Each one is checked against 25 features covering access and content rules, payments and billing, the member experience, and integrations.
Every feature is marked as free, paid, add-on, partial or not offered, with a note and a link to the source. The ranking combines feature coverage with popularity and ratings, so you can compare all-in-one membership platforms with lighter content restriction tools.
The ranking
Overall score = 55% features, 20% popularity, 25% ratings. Filter by the features you need, or tick two plugins to compare them.
Must have
2
ARMember
Site owners wanting an all-in-one membership, course and community plugin with a wide choice of payment gateways.
90overall scoreDetails
3
MemberPress
Creators and coaches who want an all-in-one paid membership, course and community site and can justify Growth or Scale pricing.
90overall scoreDetails
4
WishList Member
Marketers and course creators who want flexible content protection paired with the payment cart they already use.
90overall scoreDetails
5
WooCommerce Memberships
WooCommerce stores that want members-only products, member pricing and gated content tied to purchases.
87overall scoreDetails
6
SureMembers
SureCart or WooCommerce sites that need straightforward content gating, drip and downloads without a heavy membership suite.
83overall scoreDetails
7
MemberMouse
Subscription and info-product businesses that care most about checkout conversion, upsells and retention analytics.
82overall scoreDetails
8
ProfilePress
Creators who want affordable subscriptions, digital downloads and front-end user profiles in a single plugin.
82overall scoreDetails
9
Restrict Content Pro (Kadence Memberships)
Developers and Kadence users who want a lightweight, code-friendly membership layer with Stripe billing.
81overall scoreDetails
10
s2Member
Technical site owners who want a code-friendly membership framework with strong file protection and a one-off licence fee.
75overall scoreDetails
11
Ultimate Member
Community and directory sites that need rich member profiles and front-end forms more than complex billing.
74overall scoreDetails
No plugin matches every filter you selected. Try removing one.
Pricing compared
Entry and top plans on the same billing period, plus any lifetime deal. Prices are list prices before discounts or tax.
| Plugin | Free version | Entry plan | Top plan | Lifetime | Paid plans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paid Memberships Pro |
Yes | $499/yrStandard, 1 site | $2,999/yrMax 2x, Unlimited | — | 3 |
| ARMember |
Yes | $89/yrStandard, 1 site | $299/yrEnterprise, 10 sites | $229Standard Lifetime, 1 site | 6 |
| MemberPress |
No | $399/yrLaunch, 1 site | $999/yrScale, 1 site | — | 3 |
| WishList Member |
No | $299/yrBasic, 1 site | $699/yrPro, 5 sites | — | 3 |
| WooCommerce Memberships |
No | $49/yrMailchimp for WooCommerce Memberships, 1 site | $199/yrSingle site, 1 site | — | 3 |
| SureMembers |
Yes | $69/yrStarter, 1 site | $199/yrBusiness, 100 sites | $599Business Lifetime, 100 sites | 4 |
| MemberMouse |
No | $299/yrBasic, 1 site | $699/yrPro, 1 site | — | 3 |
| ProfilePress |
Yes | $129/yrStandard, 1 site | $599/yrAgency, Unlimited | — | 3 |
| Restrict Content Pro (Kadence Memberships) |
Yes | $299/yrKadence Pro, Not stated | $499/yrKadence Elite, Not stated | — | 2 |
| s2Member |
Yes | $89Pro Single-Site, 1 site | — | $89Pro Single-Site, 1 site | 2 |
| Ultimate Member |
Yes | $65/yrStripe extension (single), 1 site | $348/yrPro, 2 sites | — | 3 |
Spotted an out-of-date price? Suggest an edit.
Full feature matrix
Every plugin against every feature. Scroll sideways on small screens.
| Feature | Paid Memberships Pro | ARMember | MemberPress | WishList Member | WooCommerce Memberships | SureMembers | MemberMouse | ProfilePress | Restrict Content Pro (Kadence Memberships) | s2Member | Ultimate Member |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Access & content | |||||||||||
| Unlimited membership levels | |||||||||||
| Content restriction | |||||||||||
| Content dripping | |||||||||||
| Teasers & partial restriction | |||||||||||
| File / download protection | |||||||||||
| Courses / LMS | |||||||||||
| Payments & billing | |||||||||||
| Stripe | |||||||||||
| PayPal | |||||||||||
| Recurring subscriptions | |||||||||||
| Free & paid trials | |||||||||||
| Coupons & discounts | |||||||||||
| Upgrades, downgrades & proration | |||||||||||
| Taxes & invoices | |||||||||||
| Group / corporate memberships | |||||||||||
| Members & experience | |||||||||||
| Member account area | |||||||||||
| Custom registration fields | |||||||||||
| Member directory & profiles | |||||||||||
| Community / forums | |||||||||||
| Member emails | |||||||||||
| Integrations & tools | |||||||||||
| WooCommerce integration | |||||||||||
| Email marketing integrations | |||||||||||
| Zapier / automation | |||||||||||
| Reports & analytics | |||||||||||
| Member import & migration | |||||||||||
| Developer API | |||||||||||
Statuses: Yes Pro Add-on Partial 3rd-party No ?
Head-to-head comparisons
Paid Memberships Pro/s2MemberMemberMouse/WooCommerce MembershipsRestrict Content Pro (Kadence Memberships)/s2MemberPaid Memberships Pro/ProfilePressPaid Memberships Pro/Restrict Content Pro (Kadence Memberships)s2Member/SureMembersRestrict Content Pro (Kadence Memberships)/WooCommerce MembershipsARMember/MemberPressSureMembers/WooCommerce MembershipsMemberPress/s2MemberWishList Member/WooCommerce MembershipsARMember/Paid Memberships ProProfilePress/SureMembersARMember/Restrict Content Pro (Kadence Memberships)MemberPress/SureMembersMemberPress/Ultimate MemberProfilePress/Ultimate MemberARMember/WishList MemberPaid Memberships Pro/SureMembersPaid Memberships Pro/Ultimate Members2Member/WishList MemberProfilePress/WooCommerce MembershipsARMember/MemberMouseRestrict Content Pro (Kadence Memberships)/SureMembersRestrict Content Pro (Kadence Memberships)/Ultimate MemberMemberMouse/s2MemberMemberPress/ProfilePressSureMembers/WishList MemberUltimate Member/WishList MemberARMember/Ultimate MemberMemberMouse/SureMembersMemberMouse/Ultimate MemberARMember/WooCommerce MembershipsProfilePress/Restrict Content Pro (Kadence Memberships)s2Member/Ultimate MemberUltimate Member/WooCommerce MembershipsARMember/ProfilePressProfilePress/WishList Members2Member/WooCommerce MembershipsMemberPress/WooCommerce MembershipsARMember/SureMembersMemberMouse/ProfilePressProfilePress/s2MemberPaid Memberships Pro/WooCommerce MembershipsARMember/s2MemberSureMembers/Ultimate MemberMemberMouse/Paid Memberships ProMemberMouse/Restrict Content Pro (Kadence Memberships)MemberMouse/WishList MemberMemberPress/Paid Memberships ProMemberPress/Restrict Content Pro (Kadence Memberships)MemberPress/WishList MemberPaid Memberships Pro/WishList MemberRestrict Content Pro (Kadence Memberships)/WishList MemberMemberMouse/MemberPress Buyer's guide
Decide what you are selling
Content memberships need flexible restriction rules, teasers for non-members and content dripping. Course creators need lessons, progress tracking and quizzes, either built in or through an LMS integration. Communities need member profiles, directories and forums. Pick the plugin whose strengths match your model.
Payments and billing details
Check that your payment gateway is supported for recurring billing, and look at trials, coupons, upgrades with proration, taxes and invoices. Some plugins charge an extra transaction fee on lower plans, and some rely on WooCommerce for checkout.
Free core or premium platform
Plugins such as Paid Memberships Pro, Ultimate Member and ProfilePress offer a usable free core with paid add-ons. Premium-only plugins such as MemberPress, WishList Member and MemberMouse include more in one package but cost more each year. Add up the add-ons you would need before comparing prices.
Member experience and retention
A clear account area where members manage subscriptions and payment details reduces support requests and failed renewals. Look for failed-payment emails, renewal reminders and reports on churn and revenue.
Plan for growth and migration
Moving members between plugins is hard once subscriptions are active, so choose carefully. Check import tools, the developer API and integrations with your email marketing and automation tools.
Browse by feature
Unlimited membership levels (11)
Content restriction (11)
Content dripping (9)
Teasers & partial restriction (11)
File / download protection (9)
Courses / LMS (9)
Stripe (11)
PayPal (10)
Recurring subscriptions (11)
Free & paid trials (11)
Coupons & discounts (11)
Upgrades, downgrades & proration (10)
Taxes & invoices (9)
Group / corporate memberships (7)
Member account area (11)
Custom registration fields (11)
Member directory & profiles (8)
Community / forums (11)
Member emails (11)
WooCommerce integration (9)
Email marketing integrations (11)
Zapier / automation (9)
Reports & analytics (9)
Member import & migration (9)
Developer API (11)