Three plugins dominate WordPress paid memberships: WooCommerce Memberships, Paid Memberships Pro (PMPro), and MemberPress. All three restrict content access to paying members. The differences come down to WooCommerce dependency, payment flexibility, and total cost.
WooCommerce Memberships
WooCommerce Memberships requires WooCommerce. Every membership plan is linked to a WooCommerce product. Members check out through WooCommerce. This dependency is an advantage when your site already sells products through WooCommerce – members get discounts at the same checkout they use for purchases, membership management integrates with WooCommerce order history, and you do not add a separate payment system.
It is a disadvantage for pure content sites without WooCommerce. Adding WooCommerce solely for a membership plugin adds significant overhead (database tables, admin pages, code) for a site that otherwise has no ecommerce function. Cost: $199/year.
Paid Memberships Pro
PMPro does not require WooCommerce. It has its own payment processing (Stripe, PayPal, Braintree, Authorize.net) and its own checkout flow. The free version of PMPro on WordPress.org covers most basic membership requirements – multiple membership levels, content restriction by post/page/category, and payment processing. Advanced features (drip content, groups, courses) come through a library of mostly-free add-ons.
PMPro is the most cost-effective option when WooCommerce is not already on the site. The free core covers common use cases; only specific advanced requirements need paid add-ons. For content-focused membership sites (newsletters, course access, resource libraries), PMPro is the economical choice.
MemberPress
MemberPress has the most polished admin experience of the three. It handles membership plans, content restriction, and payment processing in one plugin without WooCommerce dependency. Its developer documentation is thorough and the community is active. MemberPress includes a course builder (MemberPress Courses) and has good LMS integration with LearnDash and LifterLMS. Cost: $179-399/year depending on features.
MemberPress is appropriate when: the membership site is a primary business (not an add-on to a WooCommerce store), course or content dripping features are important, or the polished admin experience justifies the higher cost compared to PMPro.
| Factor | WC Memberships | PMPro | MemberPress |
|---|---|---|---|
| WooCommerce required | Yes | No | No |
| Free version | No | Yes | No |
| Course builder | No | Via add-on | Yes (included) |
| Drip content | Yes | Yes (add-on) | Yes |
| Community integration | Via BuddyBoss/BP | Via BuddyPress add-on | Via add-ons |
| Annual cost | $199 | Free-$397 | $179-399 |
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Which to Choose
Use WooCommerce Memberships when your site already uses WooCommerce and you want memberships integrated with your existing store. Use Paid Memberships Pro for content-focused membership sites without WooCommerce, particularly when cost is a constraint. Use MemberPress when you want the most complete all-in-one membership solution and the budget supports it, especially if courses are part of your offering.
Drip Content: How Each Plugin Handles It
Drip content releases restricted content to members progressively over time – new members access week 1 content immediately, week 2 content after 7 days, week 3 content after 14 days. All three plugins support drip content but with different approaches. WooCommerce Memberships sets delay rules per piece of content within a membership plan. MemberPress sets drip rules with specific delay periods. PMPro uses the Drip Lessons add-on for this functionality.
For an online course delivered as dripped content rather than through a dedicated LMS, any of the three works. MemberPress Courses adds the most structure to this model. For a simple content access schedule, WooCommerce Memberships or PMPro’s drip add-on covers it at lower total cost than MemberPress.
Three-Year Total Cost Comparison
Membership plugin decisions are multi-year commitments. Looking at total three-year cost for a site needing paid memberships, recurring billing, and drip content: WooCommerce Memberships ($199/year) + WooCommerce Subscriptions ($279/year) = $478/year or $1,434 over three years. MemberPress Business ($399/year) = $1,197 over three years. Paid Memberships Pro Plus ($297/year) = $891 over three years.
PMPro is cheapest over three years when its features cover the requirements. WooCommerce Memberships + Subscriptions is mid-range but includes the full WooCommerce payment infrastructure. MemberPress Business is most expensive but includes the most complete feature set. If your requirements fit within PMPro’s capabilities, the cost savings over three years are significant. If you need WooCommerce product discounts for members or tight WooCommerce store integration, WC Memberships is the appropriate choice despite the combined extension cost.