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To create a pay-per-view (PPV) website with WordPress, choose a way to sell access, configure a rule that grants it after payment, and select video hosting that can deliver playback to your audience. For prerecorded videos sold individually, WP Pay Per View with WooCommerce is a direct route. Live events, rentals, and recurring memberships need different setups, so choose the access model before installing plugins.
Choose the PPV setup that fits your content
These options differ in what they sell and how viewers get access. The plugin, payment, and video-delivery components may be separate, so confirm compatibility and current availability before committing.
| What you want to offer | Route to investigate | Important distinction |
|---|---|---|
| A one-time purchase of an on-demand video | WP Pay Per View with WooCommerce | Each video can be set up as a WooCommerce product with a one-time price; the plugin also describes previews and viewing limits. Check current licensing and compatibility. |
| A live event with a replay | WpStream with WooCommerce PPV | WpStream supports browser broadcasts or external encoders, recording and replays. Its WordPress plugin is free to install; streaming-service plans and resource allowances are separate. |
| A recurring all-access membership | WooCommerce Subscriptions with a compatible video and access-control layer | Subscriptions are an additional extension, not the same as selling a single video. WooCommerce Memberships can restrict posts and pages and schedule access; recurring memberships use it with WooCommerce Subscriptions. |
| A time-limited rental without WooCommerce or customer accounts | Pay-To-View Lite | Lite describes a PayPal rental with one fixed price and duration across protected items. Per-video price and duration options are listed for PRO. PayPal REST API credentials are required. |
| An existing Vimeo or S3 video library | WP Pay Per View integrations | Follow the relevant Vimeo visibility or S3 CORS instructions. Hosted playback can reduce casual access but is not unbreakable DRM. |
Compare the access model, payment-provider availability in your country, expected audience and delivery needs, account requirements for viewers, pricing flexibility, and the amount of configuration you can maintain. No one route is established as best for every site.
Set up individual video sales with WooCommerce
The following sequence reflects the WP Pay Per View quick-start approach. It assumes you already have a WordPress site. The cited plugin documentation does not prescribe a domain registrar, web host, theme, or security provider; choose those based on your site’s needs.
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- Prepare the WordPress site. Set up your domain and WordPress installation, then choose a layout that can present video listings and clear purchase details.
- Install the store and PPV plugin. Install and activate WooCommerce and WP Pay Per View. Enter and save the plugin license, then configure its settings. See the WP Pay Per View Quick Start Guide.
- Create a product for the video. Add the video as a WooCommerce product and set its price. Decide whether the purchase grants a one-time viewing or a limited number of views, and configure the available viewing-limit and preview controls. State the access terms on the product page so buyers know what they are purchasing. The plugin describes videos as WooCommerce products with one-time prices; a recurring subscription requires additional configuration.
- Choose video hosting and delivery. WP Pay Per View lists Vimeo, YouTube, YouTube Live, Amazon S3, self-hosted video, and services supporting
.m3u8. Follow the plugin’s instructions for the provider you choose; Vimeo and S3 have specific settings covered below. - Connect a payment gateway. Use a gateway supported by WooCommerce. The plugin vendor recommends PayPal and Stripe and says it supports WooCommerce gateways. Check whether your chosen gateway supports your country and review its current onboarding requirements before launch. See the WP Pay Per View requirements.
- Run an end-to-end checkout test. Check successful, failed, and cancelled payments; confirm the expected access behavior for the account types you plan to support; and test expiry or view limits, playback on mobile, and refunds. These are prudent launch checks, not features or test results guaranteed by the plugin documentation.
Configure video hosting without overpromising security
WordPress can control who sees a page or embedded player after purchase, but that does not make a video impossible to copy. Select delivery based on your audience and service needs, then configure the provider and access rules deliberately.
Vimeo
For the Vimeo path documented by WP Pay Per View, set the video’s visibility to “Hide from Vimeo,” not “Private.” The plugin’s FAQ identifies this distinction for its integration.
Amazon S3 and CloudFront
If you use S3, configure CORS as described in the plugin FAQ. The same FAQ recommends using CloudFront with S3 to improve protection against unauthorized sharing. Treat this as a mitigation, not a guarantee that viewers cannot copy or redistribute content.
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Other listed sources
The plugin also lists YouTube, YouTube Live, self-hosted video, and services that support .m3u8. The appropriate choice depends on your delivery requirements and provider configuration; the available material does not establish that all options offer the same privacy, reliability, or capacity.
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Set the viewer’s entitlement before publishing the offer. A one-time product, a limited-view purchase, a rental that expires, and a recurring membership are different products, even if each ultimately unlocks video.
- One-time or limited-view access: Configure the product’s price and available view limits, then describe exactly what the purchase permits.
- License activation: WP Pay Per View’s FAQ documents a setting to cap license activation at one. Review the setting and decide whether it matches your intended policy.
- Sharing: Purchased-video sharing can be enabled, according to the FAQ. Decide whether viewers should be allowed to share access, and configure the policy accordingly.
- Recurring subscriptions: Install and configure a WooCommerce subscriptions extension in addition to the PPV setup. For membership-level restrictions on posts or pages and scheduled access, WooCommerce Memberships can be used with WooCommerce Subscriptions.
These access rules govern the site’s authorization behavior; they should not be presented as a promise that a paid video cannot be recorded or copied.
Use a different route for live events or rentals
Live broadcasts and replays with WpStream
WpStream supports browser broadcasts or external encoders, recording and replay, and WooCommerce PPV for an individual stream or video. Its service handles stream delivery while WordPress hosts the pages and viewing experience. The WpStream WordPress.org listing distinguishes the free-to-install plugin from separately paid streaming-service plans and their resource allowances. Check the service plan against your delivery needs rather than assuming the plugin alone provides free streaming.
Fixed-price rental with Pay-To-View Lite
Pay-To-View Lite describes a PayPal-based rental with automatic expiry and no customer account or WooCommerce requirement. Its listing says Lite uses one fixed rental price and duration across protected items; per-video price and duration options are in PRO. Setup requires a PayPal REST API Client ID and Client Secret. The listing warns that version 1.3.2 requires configuring the secret, and directs administrators to test with PayPal Sandbox before using live credentials. See the Pay-To-View Lite listing.
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If viewers pay on a recurring basis for a catalog or membership rather than purchasing a specific video, add the subscription and content-restriction components your model needs. WP Pay Per View’s quick-start guide calls for a WooCommerce subscriptions plugin when offering subscriptions. WooCommerce Memberships can restrict posts and pages and schedule access; recurring membership uses Memberships alongside WooCommerce Subscriptions. Check the current compatibility and requirements of each extension before building the membership flow.
Check the site before opening sales
Run through the complete viewer journey, from finding an offer to losing access when its terms require it. In particular, verify:
- The product page clearly states the price, access type, and any view or time limit.
- Checkout and payment outcomes behave as expected, including failed or cancelled transactions.
- Only the intended viewers can access purchased content, and access expiry or view limits work as configured.
- Playback works on the devices and network conditions you expect to support.
- Refund handling and the resulting access behavior match the policy you plan to publish.
- Any PayPal rental integration has been tested in Sandbox before live credentials are used.
These checks are operational recommendations. The cited product pages do not establish a universal tax or VAT setup, privacy-law compliance, contractual streaming rights, security audit, or country-specific availability. Confirm the requirements that apply to your business and audience before launch.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
