WooCommerce Memberships ($199/year) adds membership functionality to WooCommerce – restrict access to content, pages, product categories, and downloads to customers who have purchased a membership plan. Unlike standalone membership plugins, it uses WooCommerce’s existing checkout and payment infrastructure, which makes it the natural choice when your site already runs WooCommerce and you want to add a paid access layer.
How WooCommerce Memberships Works
The plugin creates Membership Plans – named access tiers (e.g., Basic Member, Pro Member, Annual Subscriber). Each plan is linked to a WooCommerce product (a simple product, variable product, or subscription product via WooCommerce Subscriptions). When a customer purchases the linked product, they are automatically granted membership to that plan. The membership controls what they can access on the site.
Access rules define what each plan grants: view specific posts or pages, access product categories, download files, get discounts on products, or access members-only content blocks within otherwise public pages. Rules can grant access immediately on purchase or after a delay (e.g., a “drip content” setup where new members access content week by week).
Step 1: Create a Membership Plan
Go to WooCommerce -> Memberships -> Membership Plans -> Add New. Name the plan and configure:
- Access period – unlimited (pay once, access forever) or limited (access for X days/months/years after purchase)
- Grant access upon purchase of – select the WooCommerce product that triggers this membership
Create a corresponding WooCommerce product for the plan (a simple product named “Basic Membership”, priced at your membership fee). Link this product to the plan in the plan settings. Customers buy the product; the plan activates automatically.
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Step 2: Configure Access Rules
In the membership plan edit screen, find the Restrict Content tab. Add rules for what this plan provides access to:
- Post type restriction – restrict all posts of a type (make all posts members-only)
- Taxonomy restriction – restrict posts in a specific category or tag
- Individual post/page restriction – restrict a specific post or page
- Product category restriction – restrict purchasing (or viewing) products in a category
Access rules can restrict viewing (non-members see a “members only” message instead of content) or purchasing (non-members see the product but cannot add it to cart). Configure which type of restriction applies per rule.
Step 3: Member Discount Rules
In the Purchasing Discounts tab, configure automatic discounts members receive when shopping. A membership plan can grant: percentage discounts on all products, percentage discounts on specific product categories, or free products. These discounts apply automatically to logged-in members at checkout without requiring a coupon code.
Member discounts are one of the most effective retention tools for WooCommerce stores that sell repeat-purchase products. A paid membership that gives 15% off all purchases pays for itself after a certain spend level, incentivising members to continue both their membership and their purchases.
Step 4: WooCommerce Subscriptions Integration
For recurring membership fees rather than one-time purchases, integrate with WooCommerce Subscriptions. Create a Subscription product (monthly or annual) and link it to the membership plan. When the subscription is active, the membership is active. When the subscription lapses or is cancelled, the membership ends. This creates the subscription + membership access model used by most paid membership sites.