There are numerous membership plugins available for WordPress website owners in the WordPress repository. However, only a few are popular and widely used due to their exceptional features, user-friendliness, and pricing.

In this guide, I will provide you with a list of the top 3 best membership plugins to help you choose the one that suits your online business model the best.

Let’s get into it!

Table Of Contents

1. Why Choose The Best Membership Plugin For Your WordPress Website?
2. 3 Best Membership Plugins For WordPress Sites
   • 1. MemberPress
   • 2. MemberDash
   • 3. SureMembers
3. Conclusion

Why Choose The Best Membership Plugin For Your WordPress Website?

Membership websites are a great way to offer exclusive content, products, or services to your subscribed members. If you plan to create a membership site or offer exclusive content to your users, choosing the best membership plugin for your WordPress website is crucial. It helps them manage memberships, restrict access, and generate revenue.

Here are some reasons why selecting the best membership plugins for WordPress websites is important:

1. User Access Control: A good WordPress membership plugin allows you to control user access to different parts of your site. You can set up different membership levels with varying permissions. This ensures that only authorized users can access specific content or features.
2. Content Protection: The plugin should provide robust content protection features, preventing non-members from accessing premium or members-only content. This ensures that your exclusive material remains exclusive to paying or registered members.
3. Payment Integration: If your membership site involves paid subscriptions, a reliable membership plugin should seamlessly integrate with various payment gateways. This is especially important if you target a global audience. It makes it easier for you to handle transactions, automate subscription renewals, and manage member payments securely.
4. Ease of Use: A WordPress membership plugin should be user-friendly and easy to set up. This is important, especially if you are not a technical expert. A good plugin will have an intuitive interface and provide clear instructions to help you configure membership levels, payment options, and other settings.
5. Scalability: This is crucial as your website may expand over time, requiring you to accommodate more members or offer additional features. Therefore, it is important to select a membership plugin that can scale with your site’s growth, ensuring it can handle increased traffic and maintain performance.
6. Integration with other plugins: Compatibility with other WordPress plugins and external tools is important. Your membership plugin should seamlessly integrate with other tools you use, such as email marketing services, analytics tools, and e-commerce platforms.
7. Member Management Tools: Effective member management tools are essential for maintaining and engaging your community. This includes features like member directories, user profiles, built-in forums, and communication tools to foster interaction among members.
8. Support and Documentation: Choose a plugin with good support and documentation. If you encounter issues or have questions, having access to reliable support can save you time and frustration.
9. Reviews and Reputation: Before selecting a membership plugin, read reviews and assess its reputation within the WordPress community. This can provide insights into the experiences of other users and help you make an informed decision.

Best Membership Plugins For WordPress Sites (Top 3 Picks)

Here are three popular and well-regarded membership plugins for WordPress websites in 2024:

1. MemberPress: Multipurpose Membership Plugin For All Kinds of WordPress Websites

MemberPress is a comprehensive WordPress membership plugin that provides content creators with a range of modern monetization methods. Small business owners prefer this all-in-one membership plugin due to its unique features and versatility.

It is easy to set up and use for selling courses, digital downloads, content protection and more, with strong access control. MemberPress supports various payment gateways and integrates seamlessly with third-party services.

Key Features:

• User-friendly with a straightforward setup process.
• Paywall and content dripping
• Flexible checkout process with multiple payment gateways
• Coaching platform
• Quick online course setup
• Corporate memberships
• Digital downloads
• Subscription billing
• Unlimited integrations
• And lots more!

MemberPress is ideal for content creators with WordPress websites and blogs, coach professionals, and educators seeking to build a recurring income.

Pricing: MemberPress plans start from $179.50/Year.

2. MemberDash: Unique for modern-day WordPress membership sites

MemberDash is a membership plugin for WordPress, developed by the creators of the LearnDash LMS plugin. It provides a comprehensive range of features to enhance your membership business.

With MemberDash, you can create a community on your WordPress site and monetize your content in the way that best suits your needs.

Key Features

• Flexible memberships
• Easy content restriction
• Multiple payment gateways
• Billing management and coupons
• Simple account management
• Customizable settings
• LearnDash integration for course setup
• And lots more!

Pricing: MemberDash pricing plans start from $199/year.

3. SureMembers: The most affordable membership plugin for small businesses with WordPress sites

SureMembers is a highly efficient platform that enables users to sell access to exclusive content on their WordPress websites. With SureMembers, it’s easy to create private communities, online courses, and restricted areas for clients.

The platform is known for its simplicity and effectiveness, providing users with tools for managing members, processing payments, and restricting content. Whether you’re a small business owner or someone looking to monetize your content, SureMembers offers limitless possibilities.

Key Features

• Intuitive and easy to set up, making it suitable for both beginners and advanced users.
• Works with the most popular WordPress page builders.
• Unlimited membership management
• Unlimited Drip content and Custom access rules
• Protect content types such as posts, categories or the entire WordPress site
• Integration with course plugins such as LearnDash, BuddyBoss, etc!
• Members can manage their subscription plans
• Upgrade or downgrade membership plans
• Sell access with WooCommerce and CartFlows with sales funnels
• Multiple payment gateways and lots more!

SureMembers is best used by agencies, bloggers, podcasters, course creators, influencers and all types of online businesses you can think of. Content protection is made easy with SureMembers on your WordPress websites.

Pricing: SureMembers offers affordable pricing starting at just $69/year with premium features to help you create a 7-figure income on your membership site. There are no complicated settings or high fees. Want to give it a trial on your WordPress site?

Conclusion: Monetize your WordPress Website with the best Membership plugin

Since WordPress powers over 43% of websites across the internet, membership plugins are also on the rise. Beyond being a platform for simple blogs, WordPress has evolved into the backbone of diverse businesses, showcasing an incredible range of possibilities.

The ideal membership plugin for your WordPress website will depend on your particular needs and the features that best align with your goals for the membership site.

Choose any of the membership plugins mentioned above for your WordPress website today and take your membership business to the next level.

Please note that the popularity and features of WordPress Membership plugins may change over time as developers release updates. Therefore, it’s always a good idea to check the latest reviews, features, and compatibility with your specific needs before deciding to buy.