Paid Memberships Pro
Paid Memberships Pro: A flexible self-hosted WordPress option for memberships, payments, and gated content. Ranked #7 of 83 in Membership Site Platforms by our editors (8.6/10); pricing: Free plan; best for wordPress users wanting flexible membership control.
At a glance
- Editor score8.6 / 10
- PricingFree plan
- Best forWordPress users wanting flexible membership control
- Free planYes
- Paid from$499/yr
- Custom domainYes
- Founded2010
- Facts checked21 Sep 2026
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
Our verdict on Paid Memberships Pro
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 within WordPress. Content controls cover pages, posts, categories, blocks, shortcodes, and custom post types, while member-facing features include registration, profiles, dashboards, and account pages.
Pricing follows a freemium structure. The Free plan costs $0 per month and includes the self-hosted open-source PMPro platform. Standard costs $49 per month for a one-site license, Premium Add Ons, and support. Max costs $99 per month and adds managed WordPress hosting, a stated fit for 0 to 1,000 orders per month, and AI skill libraries. Max 2x costs $299 per month and includes managed WordPress hosting for a stated range of 1,000 to 5,000 orders per month. Stripe-connected sites without an active license key have a 2% application fee per transaction; Stripe fees are separate, and the application fee does not apply with an active paid-plan license key or when using your own Stripe API keys.
The main ecosystem advantage is its WordPress integration range. Paid Memberships Pro supports Stripe, PayPal, Zapier, ConvertKit, Mailchimp, LearnDash, LifterLMS, Elementor, The Events Calendar, bbPress, BuddyBoss, and BuddyPress. It also provides REST API support, reporting, partial-content protection, and recurring payment handling. Scheduled content dripping is available through the Series Add On, making the product a strong fit for education, community, and subscription sites that need detailed content rules. Choose it if WordPress flexibility and control matter more than a hosted platform. Choose an alternative if you want a membership service that does not depend on self-hosted WordPress.
Your product? Our editors can test Paid Memberships Pro in depth and publish a review, labelled as paid · from $149/mo →
Paid Memberships Pro pricing
All 4 Paid Memberships Pro plans and prices →
Paid Memberships Pro fact sheet
| Free plan | Yes |
|---|---|
| Paid from | $499/yr |
| Custom domain | Yes |
| Content gating | Post |
| Subscription billing | Both |
| Drip content | Yes |
| Member limit | Not verified |
| Transaction fee | No platform transaction fee; payment gateway charges still apply. |
| Money-back guarantee | 100 days |
| Deployment | Cloud, Self-hosted |
| Platforms | Web |
| Support | Email, Tickets, Community, Docs |
| Built for | Solo, Small business, Mid-market (editorial estimate) |
| Integrations | 12 integrations: Stripe, PayPal, WooCommerce, Mailchimp, Zapier, BuddyPress … See all → |
| Pricing | Free plan (source) |
| Website | paidmembershipspro.com |
| Facts checked | 21 Sep 2026 |
Paid Memberships Pro integrations
Paid Memberships Pro lists 12 integrations on its own site.
- Stripe
- PayPal
- WooCommerce
- Mailchimp
- Zapier
- BuddyPress
- BuddyBoss
- bbPress
- AffiliateWP
- Elementor
- Beaver Builder
- Divi
See all Paid Memberships Pro integrations →
Alternatives to Paid Memberships Pro
- PatreonAn affordable way to sell memberships, content, and community access, with a 10% platform fee.9.4
- GhostA focused membership platform for paid publications, newsletters, and protected posts.9.2
- Appy Pie Membership Website BuilderA beginner-friendly way to launch a web membership site with AI and paid access.9.0
See all Paid Memberships Pro alternatives →
Paid Memberships Pro vs the competition
- Paid Memberships Pro vs Patreon
- Paid Memberships Pro vs Ghost
- Paid Memberships Pro vs Appy Pie Membership Website Builder
- Paid Memberships Pro vs Substack
- Paid Memberships Pro vs Systeme.io
- Paid Memberships Pro vs Zephr
Compare Paid Memberships Pro with any tool side by side →
Also Ranked In
Paid Memberships Pro is ranked in 3 of our directories.
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The editor score above is our own research. What this page doesn't have yet is a reader's view — what you used Paid Memberships Pro for, what worked and what didn't. No stars are seeded and no review is paid for; an editor reads every one before it appears.
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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
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