Paid Memberships Pro
Open-source WordPress membership plugin with free core, unlimited levels, Stripe/PayPal subscriptions and a large library of free and premium add-ons.
94
ProfilePress
Freemium membership and digital-product plugin with Stripe subscriptions, content protection, user profiles, member directories and drag-and-drop forms.
Free installs100K+WordPress.org, active
Est. Pro installs~18KLikely 9K–36K
Vendor claims100K+Vendor's own figure
Rating3.1/5938 reviews
Price from$129/yrFreemium
Last updated31 Oct 2026Version 4.18.0
Overview
ProfilePress (the WordPress.org plugin formerly known as WP User Avatar) combines two jobs: a front-end user toolkit and a lightweight ecommerce engine for memberships and digital products. The free plugin includes a drag-and-drop builder for login, registration, password reset, edit-profile and checkout forms, user profile templates, searchable member directories and a My Account page where members manage subscriptions, orders and their profile.
On the selling side, free ProfilePress lets you create unlimited membership plans with daily to yearly billing or one-time payment, free trials, signup fees, coupons, tax and EU VAT rules, and digital file sales. Plan groups let customers pick between plans at checkout and upgrade or downgrade with cost-based or time-based proration. Stripe and bank transfer work in the free version, but Stripe payments carry an extra 2% fee until you buy a licence. Content protection rules lock posts, pages, custom post types and taxonomies by plan, role or login, with a message or redirect, and a shortcode gates partial content.
Paid plans
The Standard plan ($129/yr) removes the Stripe fee and adds PayPal, Mollie, Razorpay, Paystack and Paddle, custom fields, social login, 2FA, LMS integrations (LearnDash, LifterLMS, Tutor, Sensei and others), BuddyPress and email marketing (Mailchimp, MailerLite, Brevo, Campaign Monitor). Plus adds PDF receipts and invoices, a metered paywall, user moderation, passwordless login, WooCommerce and affiliate integrations. Agency unlocks every add-on on unlimited sites.
Limitations
- No content dripping or team/group seat memberships.
- No official Zapier or webhook add-on, and hooks are only partly documented.
- Its WordPress.org rating is mixed, partly from the WP User Avatar transition.
Who should pick it: creators and small businesses who want subscriptions, digital downloads and polished user profiles in one plugin at a lower price than the big membership suites, and who do not need drip schedules or corporate accounts.
Best for: Creators who want affordable subscriptions, digital downloads and front-end user profiles in a single plugin.
ProfilePress gives more selling features for free than most rivals, including trials, coupons, tax and proration, alongside good profile and directory tools. The 2% Stripe fee nudges you to Standard, and the lack of drip content and team seats rules it out for course-style or B2B memberships.
Pros
- Free version sells subscriptions and digital files via Stripe
- Free trials, signup fees, coupons and tax/VAT in the free core
- Plan groups with cost- or time-based proration
- Drag-and-drop forms, user profiles and member directories
- Broad gateway choice and LMS integrations on Standard
Cons
- Free Stripe payments carry an extra 2% fee
- No content dripping or team memberships
- PDF invoices and WooCommerce need the $299 Plus plan
- No official Zapier/webhook integration; hooks only partly documented
- Mixed WordPress.org rating
Key features
What ProfilePress highlights on its WordPress.org page and its own website, split by version.
Free version WordPress.org
- Unlimited membership plans
- Stripe recurring and one-time payments
- Free trials and signup fees
- Coupons and tax/EU VAT rules
- Sell digital files and downloads
- Content protection rules by plan or role
- Drag-and-drop login and registration forms
- User profiles and member directories
- My Account member dashboard
- Plan groups with proration
- Earnings and sales reports
- Customisable email templates
Pro / paid adds From $129/yr
- No extra 2% Stripe fee
- PayPal, Mollie, Razorpay, Paystack, Paddle
- Custom registration fields
- Social login and 2FA
- LearnDash, LifterLMS, Tutor and Sensei
- Mailchimp, MailerLite, Brevo, Campaign Monitor
- BuddyPress group integration
- PDF receipts and invoices
- Metered paywall
- User moderation and invite codes
- WooCommerce integration
- AffiliateWP and SliceWP
Feature checklist
21 of 25 features we track in Membership Plugins, feature score 82/100
Access & content 5/6
Unlimited membership levels
Create as many membership levels/plans as you need.
Create unlimited membership plans in the free version.
Included
Content restriction Key
Restrict posts, pages, categories and custom post types by membership.
Protect pages, posts, CPTs, categories, tags and taxonomies by plan, role or login.
Included
Content dripping Key
Release content over time after sign-up.
No drip or scheduled release listed on the features page or add-on directory.
Not included
Teasers & partial restriction
Show an excerpt or part of a page to non-members.
pp-restrict-content shortcode gates sections; metered paywall add-on on Plus.
Included
File / download protection
Protect media files and downloads from direct access.
Sells digital files behind purchases with download logs; not general media-library protection.
Partial
Courses / LMS
Built-in course builder or official LMS integration.
LearnDash, LifterLMS, Tutor, Sensei and other LMS add-ons.
Paid version Standard
Payments & billing 7/8
Stripe Key
Take payments through Stripe.
Stripe in the free version with an extra 2% fee; no fee on paid plans.
Included
PayPal
Take payments through PayPal.
PayPal add-on included from Standard.
Paid version Standard
Recurring subscriptions Key
Automatic recurring billing for memberships.
Daily, weekly, monthly or yearly subscriptions in the core plugin.
Included
Free & paid trials
Offer trial periods before billing starts.
Plan settings include a free trial period and signup fee.
Included
Coupons & discounts
Discount codes for memberships.
Percentage or flat coupon codes in the core plugin.
Included
Upgrades, downgrades & proration
Members switch plans with fair proration.
Plan groups support upgrades/downgrades with cost- or time-based proration.
Included
Taxes & invoices
Tax rates/VAT handling and PDF invoices.
Tax/EU VAT rules are free; PDF receipts and invoices need Plus.
Partial
Group / corporate memberships
One account buys seats for a team.
No team or seat-based membership feature or add-on listed.
Not included
Members & experience 5/5
Member account area Key
Front-end account page for subscriptions, payments and profile.
Free My Account page for subscriptions, orders and profile.
Included
Custom registration fields
Add custom fields to sign-up forms.
Drag-and-drop forms are free; extra custom fields need the Custom Fields add-on.
Paid version Standard
Member directory & profiles
Public or private member directory and profile pages.
Searchable, filterable member directories and profile pages in the free plugin.
Included
Community / forums
Built-in community or official forum integration.
BuddyPress integration add-on syncs groups and profile fields; no forum of its own.
Paid version Standard
Member emails
Welcome, renewal, failed-payment and expiry emails.
Customisable templates for user and admin emails, incl. trial-ending reminders.
Included
Integrations & tools 4/6
WooCommerce integration
Sell memberships through WooCommerce or tie access to purchases.
WooCommerce integration add-on.
Paid version Plus
Email marketing integrations
Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, ConvertKit and similar.
Mailchimp, MailerLite, Brevo and Campaign Monitor add-ons.
Paid version Standard
Zapier / automation
Zapier, webhooks or automation integrations.
No Zapier or webhook add-on in the official add-on directory.
Not included
Reports & analytics
Revenue, churn and member reports.
Reports on earnings, refunds, sales and download logs.
Included
Member import & migration
Import members or migrate from another membership plugin.
Could not confirm an official member import or migration tool.
Not verified
Developer API
REST API, hooks and webhooks for custom work.
Actions and filters exist but are not fully documented; no REST API documented.
Partial
Pricing
Free
$0On WordPress.org
Standard
$129per year1 site
Removes 2% Stripe fee; 18 add-ons incl. PayPal, Mollie, Razorpay, custom fields, social login, LMS and email marketing. 14-day refund.
Plus
$299per year3 sites
Adds receipts/invoices, metered paywall, user moderation, passwordless login, WooCommerce, AffiliateWP and SliceWP.
Agency
$599per yearUnlimited
All current and future add-ons.
Prices are list prices from the vendor's site, checked 14 Oct 2026. Many vendors discount the first year.
How many sites use ProfilePress?
Free installs from WordPress.org, the vendor's own claim, and our estimate of paid installs.
Free version (WordPress.org)
100K+
Active installations reported by WordPress.org.
Vendor claim
100K+
Sites/users claimed on the vendor's website. source
Estimated Pro / paid installs
~18K
Our estimate, see method below.
How we estimated this: The vendor figure (100K+) is within WordPress.org's rounding of the free installs, so it says nothing about paid sites. About 150K free installs x 12% (the usual share of free sites that also run the paid version when some key features are paid, and store owners upgrade more often) gives 18K. Likely range: 9K to 36K. This counts sites running the paid version, including sites whose licence has lapsed. Estimates are rough and based on public figures as of 14 Oct 2026.
Stats & health
Weekly downloads
34,237 downloads last week, 15.7M all time
Rating breakdown
| Version | 4.18.0 |
|---|---|
| Last updated | 31 Oct 2026 (3 days ago) |
| Tested up to | WordPress 7.1.4 |
| Requires | WordPress 6.9+, PHP 8.0+ |
| Support threads (2 months) | 1 of 1 resolved |
| On WordPress.org since | 14 Jan 2013 |
Company & policy
| Refund policy | 14-day money-back (conditional) (source, 5 Oct 2026) |
|---|
ProfilePress compared
Alternatives to ProfilePress
ARMember
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MemberPress
Premium WordPress membership plugin from Caseproof with paywall rules, subscriptions, built-in courses and community add-ons for creators.
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WishList Member
Premium WordPress membership plugin with unlimited levels, drip content, CourseCure LMS and 20+ payment-provider integrations.
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WooCommerce Memberships
Premium WooCommerce extension that turns store purchases into memberships, with content and product restriction, drip, member discounts and a member area.
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SureMembers
Access-control membership plugin from Brainstorm Force: unlimited memberships and content rules, with selling handled by SureCart or WooCommerce.
88
FAQ
Is ProfilePress free?
Yes. ProfilePress has a free version on WordPress.org. Paid plans start at $129/yr.
How many sites use ProfilePress?
WordPress.org reports 100K+ active installations of the free version. The vendor claims 100K+ sites in total. We estimate around 18K sites run the paid version.
Does ProfilePress have content restriction?
Yes: included. Protect pages, posts, CPTs, categories, tags and taxonomies by plan, role or login.
Does ProfilePress have content dripping?
No: not included. No drip or scheduled release listed on the features page or add-on directory.
Does ProfilePress have stripe?
Yes: included. Stripe in the free version with an extra 2% fee; no fee on paid plans.
Does ProfilePress have recurring subscriptions?
Yes: included. Daily, weekly, monthly or yearly subscriptions in the core plugin.
Does ProfilePress have member account area?
Yes: included. Free My Account page for subscriptions, orders and profile.
Is the free version of ProfilePress enough to run a paid membership?
Yes for basic needs: it supports Stripe subscriptions, trials, coupons, tax and content protection. Free Stripe payments carry an extra 2% fee, removed by any paid plan.
Which plan do I need for PayPal?
PayPal, Mollie, Razorpay, Paystack and Paddle are add-ons included from the Standard plan ($129/yr).
Can ProfilePress drip content?
Content dripping is not listed among its features or add-ons; protection rules grant access by plan, role or login status.
Is ProfilePress the same as WP User Avatar?
Yes. The WordPress.org plugin with the slug wp-user-avatar was rebranded as ProfilePress, so installs include sites that originally used it only for avatars.
Last updated 5 Oct 2026. Spotted something wrong? Suggest an edit.