Running a WordPress website can be an excellent way to make money. One of the more well-liked ways to monetize a website is converting it into a membership site. This method is ideal for content creators who are enthusiastic about entrepreneurship but don’t want to manage an eCommerce store. In place of selling products, you can offer exclusive content through a membership system. Here are some of the best WordPress membership plugins you can consider.
Top WordPress Membership Plugins
1. Ultimate Member
Ultimate Member is a powerful WordPress membership plugin with widespread features. It allows you to create a personalized member registration & login page using conditional logic, simplifying the entire procedure for you & the members of your website.
In addition to managing the membership system, the plugin also provides forum and job board functionality through the integration of JobsBoardWP and ForumWP. Both of these extensions make it easier to enhance your site’s functionality and demonstrate how this can benefit your users. Other free add-ons comprise Google reCAPTCHA & a Terms & Conditions agreement—useful for decreasing spam & protecting the rights of all parties.
2. MemberPress

MemberPress is an all-round WordPress login-based plugin. The process restructures the platform, creating fully featured WordPress membership sites. It allows you to create an unlimited number of customizable memberships. MemberPress combines with plugins like bbPress to persuade users to interact in forums. This can help you to create a flourishing community. You can arrange members in groups & control upgrade paths.
This plugin also allows you to create dynamic pricing pages. MemberPress also provides you control over coupons & payments. It supports payment options like PayPal, Stripe, and Authorize.net.
3. ARMember
If you’re planning to have various membership levels on your site, ARMember can help you to manage them. This is one of the best WordPress membership plugins. It lets you create unlimited membership levels with a trial period and numerous payment cycles, offering newcomers the opportunity to see what you have to offer before going for a premium membership.
Moreover, ARMember maintains drip content for members based on a set timetable. You can earn revenue from guests using the content constraint & pay-per-post features, letting you monetize posts or content outside of your subscription plans. The plugin supports payment gateway incorporations with PayPal, Authorize.net, and Stripe. There is also an option of payment by local gateways offered by WooCommerce.
4. OptinMonster

OptinMonster is a premium WordPress plugin & possibly the world’s number-one conversion toolkit. Using a WordPress membership plugin or a WordPress subscription plugin is brilliant, but only if you have enough members—that is where OptinMonster comes in handy.
OptinMonster is not a login plugin, but it can help bring more users to your membership site. You can use OptinMonster to produce conversion campaigns. With so many campaign types, you are not restricted to one approach. It allows you to add Exit-Intent® popups, Slide-In boxes, Content Lockers, and many other campaigns. Each enhances conversions.
5. Simple Membership
Simple Membership is a user-friendly membership plugin for WordPress sites with vital features and an easy-to-use interface. New users who don’t have experience in web development can build a membership site without any trouble. This membership site plugin allows you to create unlimited subscription levels for free & paid membership plans.
Simple Membership’s billing aspects are flexible, allowing you to sell digital content for a one-time or recurring payment. Simple Membership offers email confirmation features to activate free memberships to ease the registration process. As for the paid ones, the plugin allows you to access the membership payments register; there, you can monitor all purchases by your members.
6. Restrict User Access
Restrict User Access is another brilliant free WordPress membership plugin that is no less feature-rich than other paid plugins. It has innovative user restriction features that help you to create an unlimited number of access levels & redirect unauthorized users to a specific page or a customized link. Instead, you can create exclusive content & custom messages for non-members to support subscriptions.
Keeping members is also more accessible with the drip content feature, letting you release content sporadically for new members. If you use custom roles for the site access control, this plugin enables you to coordinate them with your subscription levels. You can control membership durations, making Restrict User Access ideal for selling online courses & other digital creations.
Regardless of the plugins or themes you have installed, Restrict User Access will support the classifications and custom post types associated with them. It also contains built-in support for popular WordPress plugins, like bbPress, Easy Digital Downloads, WooCommerce, WPML, and many more.
Read More: 8 Best WordPress Newsletter Plugins
7. Paid Memberships Pro
Paid Memberships Pro is one of the top WordPress membership plugins in the market today. Despite charging a steep price for its single-site license, the plugin comes with valuable features to deliver the best possible membership experience. Its core performance allows you to restrict different content types & offer a sneak peek to encourage subscriptions.
Since it supports content dripping, you will be able to drip-feed access to specific content based on the starting date ascribed to each membership level. The plugin allows you to create unlimited membership levels, each with unique pricing, and also provides child accountabilities that are linked to a parental account for organizations. The mail communications feature of this plugin makes it easy to connect with users & automate payment reminders.
8. s2Member Framework
If you are searching for a trendy membership plugin for WordPress, s2Member is a strong contender. This plugin offers all the necessary features for creating a membership site, like content restrictions and recurring subscriptions. The plugin lets you provide free subscriptions & coordinate users’ roles with the new membership system.
Users with a business can benefit from s2Member’s file protection feature to sell download keys that let them access digital content like eBooks and online courses. You can modify the content restrictions using simple shortcode conditionals offered by the plugin. This also relates to the login & registration page design, email marketing template, and membership choices page.
9. Restrict Content Pro
Restrict Content Pro guarantees a simple setup. Then, you can get excellent content restrictions, premium content abilities, and more. Restrict Content Pro offers various modes of payment options, including Stripe, Authorize.net, and PayPal. If you are searching for a WordPress membership plugin for free, Restrict Content can be a good choice. They also provide three paid plans; they start from $99 per year & can go up to $249 per year.
Conclusion
The best WordPress membership plugins should combine all the tools you need and make sure they are easy to use, even for beginners. Additionally, ensure the plugin combines appropriately with your site & is compatible with other plugins & themes already installed.
Otherwise, you will risk having technical difficulties when developing your membership site. You have read about some of the best membership site plugins for WordPress & learned about the factors to consider when choosing one.