Paid Memberships Pro vs Kourses

Paid Memberships Pro8.6Visit Kourses6.9Visit

Higher score Paid Memberships Pro #7 in Membership Site Platforms 8.6/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 2 features Visit site

vs

Kourses #25 in Membership Site Platforms 6.9/10 14-day trial Free trial✓ 2 of 2 features Visit Kourses

• Paid Memberships Pro fits best

  WordPress users wanting flexible membership control

• Kourses fits best

  Low-cost course memberships

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Side by side

Feature	Paid Memberships Pro 8.6/10 Visit ↗	Kourses 6.9/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.6	6.9
Ranking	#7 in Membership Site Platforms	#25 in Membership Site Platforms
Best for	WordPress users wanting flexible membership control	Low-cost course memberships
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Paid
Starting price	$499/yr	$9/mo
Free plan	✓ (best)	—
Free trial	—	14 days
Money-back guarantee	100 days	30 days
Deployment	Cloud, Self-hosted	Cloud
Platforms	Web	Web
Support	Email, Tickets, Community, Docs	Email, Live chat · 24/7
Integrations	12 integrations	20+ integrations
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market	Solo, Small business, Mid-market
Features Paid Memberships Pro 2/2 · Kourses 2/2
Custom domain	✓	✓
Drip content	✓	✓
Specs
Content gating	Post	Course
Subscription billing	Both	Both
Member limit	Not checked yet	100 members
Transaction fee	No platform transaction fee; payment gateway charges still apply.	0%
Our review
Pros	Restricts pages, posts, blocks, categories, and custom post types Supports free, one-time, and recurring membership levels Connects with Stripe, PayPal, Zapier, LMS, and community tools	Annual Starter pricing begins at $9 per month Course gating, drip scheduling, communities, and member messaging 0% transaction fees with custom domains and multiple payment options
Cons	Requires a self-hosted WordPress site Series drip content requires a premium Add On Paid tiers start at $49 per month	Starter supports only 100 members Starter includes one published product The platform is available on the web only
Our verdict	Paid Memberships Pro is a self-hosted, open-source WordPress plugin for creating and operating membership websites. It suits site owners who want control over gated content, membership levels, subscriptions, member accounts, and reporting… Read the review →	Kourses is a hosted web platform for creators, coaches, educators, experts, and entrepreneurs who want to sell online courses, memberships, communities, or digital products. It combines course delivery, private community spaces, membership… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Paid Memberships Pro — where it wins

  • Restricts pages, posts, blocks, categories, and custom post types
  • Supports free, one-time, and recurring membership levels
  • Connects with Stripe, PayPal, Zapier, LMS, and community tools

  Where it doesn't

  • Requires a self-hosted WordPress site
  • Series drip content requires a premium Add On
  • Paid tiers start at $49 per month

• Kourses — where it wins

  • Annual Starter pricing begins at $9 per month
  • Course gating, drip scheduling, communities, and member messaging
  • 0% transaction fees with custom domains and multiple payment options

  Where it doesn't

  • Starter supports only 100 members
  • Starter includes one published product
  • The platform is available on the web only

• Paid Memberships Pro8.6/10 · Free plan

  A flexible self-hosted WordPress option for memberships, payments, and gated content.

  Visit siteFull verdict →
• Kourses6.9/10 · 14-day trial

  A low-cost membership platform with strong course tools but a 100-member Starter ceiling.

  Visit KoursesFull verdict →