Pigeon
Pigeon: Broad paywall, entitlement, billing, and integration controls for digital publishers. Ranked #1 of 30 in Paywall Software by our editors (9.4/10); pricing: Free plan; best for publishers needing broad paywall control.
At a glance
- Editor score9.4 / 10
- PricingFree plan
- Best forPublishers needing broad paywall control
- Free planYes
- Paid from$99/mo
- Metered paywallYes
- Facts checked20 Sep 2026
Where it wins
- Eight paywall modes, including hard, soft, metered, and time-based
- Rules can use URLs, CMS categories, tags, and API parameters
- Billing, entitlements, analytics, CMS, and payment integrations in one platform
Where it doesn't
- The free Experiment plan does not allow transactions
- Publishers plan charges 10% transaction fees
- Enterprise pricing starts at $500 per month with variable transaction fees
Our verdict on Pigeon
Pigeon is a cloud-based paywall and subscription management platform for newspapers, magazines, blogs, education providers, and other digital content publishers. It supports hard, soft, metered, time-based, cookie, ads, newsletter, and credits-based paywalls. Its web and API coverage, WordPress plugin, JavaScript SDK, plugin API, and single sign-on make it suited to organizations managing varied digital access models across websites and content systems.
The standout strength is breadth of control. Publishers can define access rules using URL patterns, CMS categories, tags, and API parameters, then apply plan-specific entitlements. The platform also covers subscriber and customer management, subscription billing, one-time content purchases, financial and engagement analytics, and theme editing for paywall, registration, and account pages. CMS support spans WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, HubSpot, Magento, Wix, Squarespace, Concrete, Hugo, Gatsby, Jekyll, Eleventy, Nuxt.js, Next.js, Astro, and custom CMS implementations.
Pricing separates experimentation from transactional publishing. Experiment is a free WordPress plugin download available forever, but transactions are not allowed. Publishers costs $99 per month, includes a 10% transaction fee, and is designed for news sites, blogs, and digital content providers. Enterprise starts at $500 per month for extra large publishers with unique needs at scale, with variable transaction fees. Integrations include Mailchimp, Campaign Monitor, Beehiiv, SendGrid, Google Analytics, Stripe, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Braintree, and other listed services. Pigeon fits publishers that need multiple paywall types and detailed entitlement logic; organizations wanting only a simple, transaction-free access gate may not need its broader subscription and integration scope.
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Pigeon pricing
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Pigeon fact sheet
| Free plan | Yes |
|---|---|
| Paid from | $99/mo |
| Metered paywall | Yes |
| Registration wall | Yes |
| One-time payments | Yes |
| Entitlement rules | Yes |
| Included pageviews | Not verified |
| Supported CMS | WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, HubSpot, Magento, Wix, Squarespace, Concrete, Hugo, Gatsby, Jekyll, Eleventy, Nuxt.js, Next.js, Astro, custom CMS |
| Payment processors | AlignPay, Authorize.net, Clover, Braintree, PayPal, Stripe |
| Deployment | Cloud |
| Platforms | Web |
| Support | Email, Docs |
| Built for | Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise (editorial estimate) |
| Integrations | 20 integrations: Mailchimp, Campaign Monitor, Beehiiv, SendGrid, US Postal Service, PageSuite … See all → |
| Pricing | Free plan (source) |
| Website | pigeon.io |
| Facts checked | 20 Sep 2026 |
Pigeon integrations
Pigeon lists 20 integrations on its own site.
- Mailchimp
- Campaign Monitor
- Beehiiv
- SendGrid
- US Postal Service
- PageSuite
- StreamGuys
- Facebook Login
- Google Analytics
- Google Pay
- PayPal
- Apple Pay
- Stripe
- Braintree
- Clover
- Authorize.net
- AlignPay
- Broadstreet Ads
- WordPress
- Metro Publisher
Alternatives to Pigeon
- CleengA multichannel paywall platform covering offers, billing, entitlements and retention.9.2
- Flip-PayA broad paywall and subscription platform for publishers with complex conversion needs.9.0
- ZephrZephr combines flexible paywalls, personalization, identity, and analytics for publishers.8.9
Pigeon vs the competition
Compare Pigeon with any tool side by side →
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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
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