MemberPress vs Paid Memberships Pro
Updated 5 Oct 2026. 25 features compared side by side.
Premium WordPress membership plugin from Caseproof with paywall rules, subscriptions, built-in courses and community add-ons for creators.
Open-source WordPress membership plugin with free core, unlimited levels, Stripe/PayPal subscriptions and a large library of free and premium add-ons.
Choose MemberPress if…
- You want the more complete feature set (98/100 vs 94/100)
- You want the lower entry price ($399/yr vs $499/yr)
- You prefer the more widely used option
Choose Paid Memberships Pro if…
- You want to start with a free version
MemberPress and Paid Memberships Pro include the same 25 of the 25 features we track, so the choice comes down to pricing, approach and ecosystem.
At a glance
Feature comparison
Click a screenshot to see both plugins side by side.
MemberPress Paid Memberships ProAccess & content6/66/6
All plans allow unlimited memberships and members.
Unlimited free, one-time or recurring levels in the free core.
Rules lock posts, pages, categories, tags and custom post types on every plan.
Core restricts posts, pages and categories; CPT access via add-ons.
Content access dripping and drip rules start on Growth.
Series drip-feed content is a premium add-on (Standard plan).
Shortcodes and block let you hide only part of a page from non-members.
Show excerpts or a teaser of protected content to non-members.
File download management and protection on Growth; Amazon S3 hosting on Scale.
Protected Downloads premium add-on; free Download Monitor integration also available.
Built-in course builder on all plans; quizzes, gradebook and certificates expand on higher tiers.
Free Courses for Membership add-on plus LearnDash and LifterLMS integrations.
Payments & billing8/88/8
Stripe is available on every plan, including Launch.
Stripe gateway included in the free core.
PayPal (and Square) payments are included from the Growth plan.
PayPal gateway included in the free core.
Full subscription management with automatic renewals on all plans.
Recurring subscriptions with automatic renewal orders in core.
Trial periods and trial coupons supported on every plan.
Free or reduced-price trial periods supported in core.
Flexible discount coupons included on all plans.
Discount codes are a built-in core feature.
Automatic upgrade/downgrade proration on all plans.
Proration and Delayed Downgrades is a premium add-on.
Tax and automatic VAT handling on all plans; PDF and pro-forma invoices need Growth.
VAT tax is a premium add-on; core shows order invoices, PDF invoices via a partner add-on.
Corporate Accounts for team seats are a Scale-only feature.
Group Accounts premium add-on sells seats under a parent account.
Members & experience5/55/5
Self-serve account page for subscriptions, payments and profile.
Front-end account page with memberships, invoices, billing and cancel.
Custom registration and account fields included on all plans.
User fields per level are built into the core plugin.
ClubDirectory member profiles and directories from Growth.
Member Directory and Profile Pages is a premium add-on.
ClubCircles forums from Growth; live chat for circles on Scale.
Free official bbPress and BuddyPress/BuddyBoss integration add-ons.
Automated reminder and transactional emails on every plan.
Editable templates for confirmations, invoices, expirations and more.
Integrations & tools6/66/6
Official link-up is Zapier-based, needs Scale plus the paid WooCommerce Zapier extension.
Free official WooCommerce add-on sells levels as products and member discounts.
Mailchimp on all plans; ActiveCampaign, Kit, Drip and more from Growth.
Free add-ons for Mailchimp, Kit and other email platforms.
Zapier integration is included only on Scale.
Free Zapier webhook automations add-on.
Basic revenue and membership reporting on all plans.
Core reports for sales, revenue, signups, cancellations, active members and visits.
MemberPress Importer for CSV member/subscription imports on all plans.
Import Members From CSV is a premium add-on; core exports members to CSV.
REST API and webhooks via Developer Tools on Scale; hooks available on all plans.
Open GPL code, 300+ hooks and a REST API in core.
Statuses: Yes Pro Add-on Partial 3rd-party No ?
Pricing compared
MemberPress Premium
| Launch | $399 per year, 1 site |
|---|---|
| Growth | $699 per year, 1 site |
| Scale | $999 per year, 1 site |
Paid Memberships Pro Freemium
| Free | $0 |
|---|---|
| Free | Free per year, Unlimited |
| Standard | $499 per year, 1 site |
| Max | $999 per year, Unlimited |
| Max 2x | $2,999 per year, Unlimited |
Verdict
MemberPress scores higher on our feature checklist (98/100 against 94/100). Only Paid Memberships Pro has a free version. Check the features you rely on in the table below before deciding.
Written from the feature, pricing and install data on this page, not from hands-on testing. How we compare.
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FAQ
Which is better, MemberPress or Paid Memberships Pro?
MemberPress scores higher on our feature checklist (98/100 against 94/100). Only Paid Memberships Pro has a free version. Check the features you rely on in the table below before deciding.
Which has more features?
They are level: both include 25 of the 25 membership plugins features we track.
Is MemberPress free?
MemberPress is premium only. Paid plans start at $399/yr.
Is Paid Memberships Pro free?
Paid Memberships Pro has a free version. Paid plans start at $499/yr.
Feature data last changed 5 Oct 2026. Spotted something wrong? Suggest an edit to MemberPress or Paid Memberships Pro. Some links are affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no cost to you; it never affects our data or rankings.