If you’re an online store owner or digital creator, and you’re looking to go beyond just selling physical or digital products, there’s one powerful business model you should seriously consider, selling memberships. This approach isn’t just a trend; it’s a smart way to build consistent, recurring revenue while offering long-term value to your customers.
Whether it’s giving members access to premium content, offering exclusive discounts on products, or even creating a private learning community, a membership model allows you to deepen customer loyalty while diversifying your income. And here’s the best part — if your site is built on WordPress and WooCommerce, you already have the foundation in place.
What Are WooCommerce Membership Plugins?
WooCommerce Membership Plugins are specialized WordPress tools that give you the ability to restrict or control access to certain content, products, or services based on a user’s membership status. These plugins are designed to transform your standard WooCommerce store into a dynamic membership-based platform, enhancing your customer experience and providing you with more control over how your content and products are distributed.
These plugins allow you to create exclusive, gated content or products that can only be accessed by specific groups of users, typically those who are members of your site. Whether you’re running an online store, a subscription-based service, or an educational platform, these plugins give you the tools to offer personalized and restricted access to content or products based on user memberships.
With these plugins, you can:
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Restrict content: Hide posts, pages, or products from non-members.
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Create membership levels: Offer different access tiers, such as Bronze, Silver, or Gold.
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Drip-feed content: Set time-based access for courses or product releases.
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Offer exclusive deals: Provide members with special pricing or discounts.
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Manage recurring payments: Set up automatic billing and access renewals for your members.
Why Use WooCommerce Membership Plugins
Selling products is great, but offering memberships takes your business to a whole new level. WooCommerce Membership Plugins allow you to build deeper relationships with your customers by providing exclusive access to valuable content, services, or products. Instead of focusing solely on one-time sales, these plugins help you create a recurring income model that’s more stable and scalable over time.
When you use a membership plugin, you can offer a personalized experience that rewards loyalty. Imagine giving members early access to limited-edition products, special discounts, or gated content like tutorials, downloads, and live sessions. That level of exclusivity makes customers feel valued, encouraging them to stay connected to your brand.
Another major advantage is control. The best WooCommerce Membership Plugins give you full command over who sees what on your website. You can protect entire product categories, restrict specific blog posts, or even release content gradually a technique known as content dripping. This level of control is especially useful if you’re running a course, a coaching program, or a digital subscription service, where managing timed access and exclusive content is essential for delivering value and maintaining member engagement.
What to Look for in a WooCommerce Membership Plugin
Before selecting a plugin, it’s important to understand your business goals and match them with the right features.
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Seamless WooCommerce Integration: Make sure the plugin works smoothly with your WooCommerce setup.
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Flexible Membership Levels: You should be able to create multiple plans and offer varied access.
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Content Dripping: Drip-feed content gradually to increase engagement and keep members subscribed longer.
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Payment Gateway Support: Look for compatibility with major payment systems like Stripe, PayPal, and WooCommerce Subscriptions.
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Access Control Rules: You should be able to restrict not just content, but also specific product categories, pages, or files.
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User-Friendly Dashboards: Both you and your members should find it easy to manage access, plans, and upgrades.
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Support and Documentation: Solid customer support and detailed guides will save you time and frustration.
Top 10 Best WooCommerce Membership Plugins
1. YITH WooCommerce Membership
YITH WooCommerce Membership is an intuitive plugin that helps turn your WooCommerce store into a fully functional membership site. It allows you to easily assign membership plans to specific products, restrict access to certain posts, pages, and files, and even schedule content releases. It’s an ideal solution for those who want to monetize exclusive content or offer premium access to members only.
Key Features:
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Seamless WooCommerce integration
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Memberships tied to products
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Content restriction (posts, pages, files)
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Schedule content release (dripping)
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Multiple membership levels
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User-friendly interface
Pricing:
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Single site license: $129.99/year
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Multi-site license: $249.99/year
2. WooCommerce Memberships
WooCommerce Memberships plugin is perfect for turning your store into a membership-based platform. It gives you total control over member access to products, categories, and discounts, along with the ability to set up loyalty programs and subscription plans. Its deep integration with WooCommerce makes it the go-to choice for WooCommerce-based stores looking to add memberships.
Key Features:
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Built specifically for WooCommerce
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Memberships tied to product purchases
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Drip content functionality
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Exclusive member discounts
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Restrict product access and shipping options
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Integration with WooCommerce Subscriptions plugin
Pricing:
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$199/year (includes updates and support)
3. MemberPress
MemberPress is a powerful membership plugin that can integrate with WooCommerce and is best suited for content creators, educators, and entrepreneurs. It offers strong content protection, advanced membership levels, and a wide range of payment gateways. It’s designed for business owners who want to monetize content while maintaining full control over membership features and billing.
Key Features:
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Flexible membership plans (recurring or one-time)
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Content access rules
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Drip content and expiration
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Advanced payment gateway support
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WooCommerce integration (via extension)
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Reporting and analytics
Pricing:
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Basic: $179/year
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Plus: $299/year
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Pro: $399/year
4. Paid Memberships Pro
Paid Memberships Pro is a highly customizable and robust plugin offering a large set of features suitable for larger-scale businesses. It supports recurring billing, discount codes, detailed reporting, and much more. The plugin is a great option for those who need advanced membership site features and want to keep their pricing structure flexible.
Key Features:
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Unlimited membership levels
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Custom billing periods
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Extensive add-ons library
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WooCommerce integration for memberships
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Reporting and email automation
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Payment gateway options like PayPal and Stripe
Pricing:
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Free version available
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Paid plans:
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Standard: $297/year
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Plus: $497/year
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Pro: $697/year
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5. Ultimate Membership
Ultimate Membership is perfect for creating exclusive membership areas with highly customizable settings. You can lock content, offer discounts, and set up multiple membership levels, giving you great flexibility. Its strong integration with WooCommerce products makes it ideal for turning products into memberships.
Key Features:
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WooCommerce product integration
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Multiple membership tiers
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Content restriction and content dripping
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Trial memberships
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Front-end builder for customization
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Payment gateway support
Pricing:
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Regular License: $39 (one-time fee)
6. ARMember
ARMember offers a simple yet feature-rich membership system for your WooCommerce store. It supports both free and paid memberships, allows you to create dynamic pricing, and includes advanced access control features. ARMember also integrates well with various payment processors, making it an ideal choice for entrepreneurs, bloggers, and online coaches.
Key Features:
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Easy-to-use drag-and-drop builder
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Drip content and restrict posts/pages
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Integrated PayPal, Stripe, and Authorize.net
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Multiple payment options (one-time or recurring)
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WooCommerce product protection
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Advanced member registration forms
Pricing:
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Single site license: $49/year
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Unlimited site license: $249/year
7. Restrict Content Pro
Restrict Content Pro is a lightweight but highly powerful membership plugin designed to help you manage and sell memberships with ease. Its simple integration with WooCommerce and other popular payment systems makes it a go-to plugin for those looking for a no-frills solution to membership-based businesses.
Key Features:
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Flexible membership levels and subscriptions
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Simple WooCommerce integration
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Content restriction (based on categories/tags)
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Custom email notifications
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Robust reporting tools
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Supports Stripe and PayPal
Pricing:
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Personal: $99/year
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Plus: $149/year
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Professional: $249/year
8. WP-Members Membership Plugin
WP-Members is a free and lightweight plugin perfect for those who want to restrict content or products for specific users. It’s incredibly easy to set up and supports WooCommerce integration to lock specific products or content for members only. It’s ideal for content creators and bloggers who want a straightforward membership solution.
Key Features:
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Restrict posts, pages, or custom content
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Custom login/registration forms
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WooCommerce product restrictions
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Email notifications for new members
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Anti-spam protection
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Integration with popular payment gateways
Pricing:
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Free version available
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Premium version: $49/year
9. Simple Membership
Simple Membership is, as the name suggests, an easy-to-use plugin that’s ideal for beginners. It offers content protection, WooCommerce integration, and customizable membership plans. Whether you’re running a small blog, educational platform, or online store, this plugin provides the simplicity you need while offering essential membership functionality.
Key Features:
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Supports free and paid memberships
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Simple WooCommerce integration
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Drip content and trial memberships
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Payment gateways: PayPal, Stripe
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Minimal setup required
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Customizable member access rules
Pricing:
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Free version available
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Premium version: $49/year
10. ProfileGrid Memberships
ProfileGrid is a membership plugin that focuses on enhancing social interaction. It allows you to create group-based memberships, manage user profiles, and set up member-specific access to content. This plugin is particularly useful for community-driven websites or platforms that require extensive user profiles.
Key Features:
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Group-based membership plans
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Social profile management
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Member-to-member messaging
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WooCommerce product visibility control
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Activity feeds and event calendars
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Member dashboard customization
Pricing:
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Free version available
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Premium version: $69/year
Wrapping Up
The membership economy continues to thrive, and WooCommerce Membership Plugins offer a great way to unlock new revenue streams and foster customer loyalty. Whether you’re selling courses, premium content, exclusive deals, or building a paid community, there’s a plugin that suits your business needs.
Each of the plugins highlighted comes with its unique set of features, so it’s essential to choose the one that fits your specific goals. If you need full WooCommerce integration, the official WooCommerce plugin or YITH are great options. For creating a learning platform, MemberPress and ARMember stand out. For a simple, lightweight solution, Simple Membership is an excellent choice.
By picking the right plugin, you can create a membership model that drives engagement and brings in steady, recurring revenue.
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