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Best Wordpress plugins for running membership websites

You want to build a membership site?  For you it may be daunting, but it will pay off if you have the proper niche with the right plan. In fact, running a membership website can be extremely easy thanks to the support of plugins. Unfortunately, the Wordpress directory is flooded with tons of membership plugins, it is difficult to find the right one for you. That ‘s why I create a list of best membership plugins, and tell you which one to select based on your demands. Keep reading to get started on your own membership site. 

Why are membership programs so profitable?

Membership programs are very important because they can get you recurring payments. Let’s me take you an example. Your customer buys a video training course from you. So he won’t buy it once, he may send you money every single month. Obtaining $27/month for a year is more desirable than get $127 now, it is 255% more profitable for a long term.

But most of site owners can’t realize that, and avoid membership programs now. So they often miss out many golden opportunities.Apart from short-term vision, the difficulty of building a membership program is another reason why monetizing with memberships isn't popular. But don’t worry if you are using Wordpress. It offers many plugins that can help you to setup your membership program easily. And here is the list of effective plugins to do this.

Premium Plugins

WishList Member

Provided by WishList, the WishList Member plugin is a pretty good choice with more 5,000 users. This plugin enables you to create membership packages and subscription levels. You can select drip-feed content to your customers with WishList, and then set new members to automatically level up. 

In addition, limiting website content is extremely simple by just a single click of the Hide button. Custom secure RSS feeds can be setup for those who want to read content in their favorite feed reader.

A Sneak-Peak content display allows unregistered or low-level users to see a snippet of premium content. To do this, you just only need to use the more tag.

This plugin offers 30+ training videos, as well as an extensive documentation to direct your membership program in the right way.

With $97 you can have the single-site license with 1-year updates and support. If you want to get the unlimited license, add more $200. Not ready to commit fully, don’t worry because it come with 30-day money back guarantee.

MemberMouse

Another solution for your membership program is MemberMouse, which not only maintain your program but also sell digital or physical products. It is built with customization options and flexibility. To restrict content on your site, this plugin uses passwords. Users can access on your site after being defined by membership level, membership duration, and many more. Registered users can gift membership packages to their friends.

A custom shortcode type called SmartTags lets you send users over to upsells and downsells once registering and paying. This plugin supports 7 payment gateways, including PayPal, Stripe, BrainTree, Authorize.net, Light CRM, ClickBank, and Auth.net CIM.

A starter package starts at $19.95/month for up to 1,000 members. You can get 5,000, or 10,000 or 100,000 members with extensive packages. The unlimited package is $699/month. It is most prefer for eCommerce businesses, let’s try.

MemberPress

MemberPress is another popular membership plugin, coming with an immense amount of features. You can create the number of membership packages or digital products as you want. By a few clicks, you can add pricing, user requirements, and many more. Once you create a new membership package, it will automatically generate a pricing box and registration page. Additionally, this plugin focuses on the smooth UX, so members can login, edit account, etc. with ease.

For the entry level, it starts at $99 per year for one site. To get more support and updates, it’s an additional $199/year.

Free Plugins

s2Member

S2Member is an effective plugin in scaling up your membership website. It offers various payment solutions so you can choose the one you like best. Moreover, file download restrictions prevent users from downloading many times. The customizable email templates and login welcome pages can brand your site.
This plugin may be also compatible with other plugins, such as bbPress and BuddyPress, to create your own forum.
S2Member offers both free and paid versions. The paid version starts at $89. Payment gateways are available, like PayPal, Stripe, etc.
WooCommerce with Groups

Currently most eCommerce sites are integrated with WooCommerce - a fully functional ecommerce plugin. So why don’t you take advantage of this plugin to create your own membership program? This plugin offers an add-on named Groups.
Based on subscription fees or one-time payments, you can create an unlimited amount of user group, and send your content to the right people. All tasks can be do on the dashboard in fast way.
It is prefer if you are trying to sell products online as well. This solution is a great choice for users who want to save a little money.
Put them into comparison
Best Price:
● S2Member
● Groups
Several Payment Processing Options:
● S2Members
● MemberMouse
Best Content Dripping:
● WishList Member
● MemberPress
● S2Member
Custom Code Ability:
● MemberMouse
Having an Ecommerce Store:
● WooCommerce with Groups
● MemberMouse

That’s all for finding the best membership plugins to help you build and get more profit from membership programs. Which one are you going with? Share with us below!