Memberium vs Paid Memberships Pro (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Paid Memberships Pro grades higher than Memberium: 2.4 against 1.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Paid Memberships Pro grades higher on value for money, the free plan and features. They get the same grade on ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Memberium
WordPress membership plugin run from ActiveCampaign, Keap or HighLevel
Paid Memberships Pro
Open-source WordPress membership plugin with managed hosting
Which one is for you
Pick Memberium if
- Fits if you already run ActiveCampaign, Keap or HighLevel and WordPress
- Works for people who want access rules to follow CRM tags
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you don't already pay for one of the three CRMs, as it needs one
- Pricey if you use Keap or HighLevel: $77 to $207 a month, before the CRM bill
- Watch out: if you cancel, protected content becomes public unless you protect it another way
- Watch out: the Standard plan covers 1 domain, and unlimited domains start at Pro
Pick Paid Memberships Pro if
- Fits if you run WordPress and want paid membership with free software
- Works for developers who will add the add-ons they need
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you don't want WordPress, because it only runs there
- Tight if you stay free: no license key, no support and no premium add-ons
- Pricey if you want managed hosting: that starts on Max at $99 a month
- Watch out: Max plans are billed per server, and Standard covers one site with no hosting
How we grade them
| 1.4GPAMemberiumWeak | 2.4GPAPaid Memberships ProFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | D$37 a month for ActiveCampaign Standard is the category's middle price, and it excludes the paid CRM account it needs. Keap or HighLevel plans run $77 to $207 a month. | CThe core is free but needs your own WordPress hosting, so it counts as a middle price. Standard is $49 a month and Max $99. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan and no trial are on record. | BSelf-host the core plugin with 25 free add-ons and payment gateways at no cost. There is no support and no premium add-ons. |
| Features | CCRM-driven access, unlimited members and levels, drip, upsells and file delivery. It needs a CRM and WordPress to do anything. | BRestricting content, payment gateways and many add-ons, with managed hosting on Max. Nothing in the listing is missing from the job. |
| Ease of use | DIt needs WordPress, hosting, a domain and a paid CRM, all set up by you. No store rating is on record. | DIt runs only on WordPress, which you host, unless you pay for Max managed hosting. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with ActiveCampaign, Keap, HighLevel, Amazon S3, Elementor and Divi on the list. | BWeb only, with Stripe, PayPal, Paystack and CCBill gateways. |
| Best for | WordPress memberships run from a CRM | a free membership plugin for WordPress |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Memberium and Paid Memberships Pro. How we grade
Price against what you get
Memberium starts at $37 a month and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Paid Memberships Pro starts at $49 a month and scores 2.3.
Paid Memberships Pro scores higher, and starts $12 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other course and community platforms on the chart, 29 score higher than Memberium for less, and 13 score higher than Paid Memberships Pro for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Paid Memberships Pro is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Memberium also covers marketing automation, online courses and digital downloads.
- Paid Memberships Pro also covers templates and paid newsletters.
At a glance
| Memberium | Paid Memberships Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free plan |
| Starts at | $37 per month for ActiveCampaign, billed monthly | $49 per month for Standard (self-hosted), or a free self-hosted core |
| Free plan | None | Self-host the open-source PMPro platform with the core plugin, 25 free add-ons and payment gateways; no support or premium add-ons. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Memberium | Paid Memberships Pro |
| Price read from | memberium.com | paidmembershipspro.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Memberium
- It needs a WordPress site, hosting, a domain and a paid account with one of the three CRMs, none of which are included.
- Prices differ by CRM: the ActiveCampaign plans cost less than the Keap and HighLevel ones.
- If you cancel, protected content becomes publicly accessible unless you protect it another way.
- The Standard plan covers 1 domain; unlimited domains start at Pro.
Paid Memberships Pro
- It runs only on WordPress; Free has no license key or support.
- Standard covers one site and does not include hosting.
- Max plans are billed per server, with the vendor saying a 100-day money-back guarantee applies.
Key features
Memberium
- CRM-driven access
- Tags in your CRM control what each member sees, and changes in the CRM sync to the site.
- Unlimited members and levels
- Every plan allows unlimited members, protected content and membership levels, and members can hold several levels at once.
- Content protection and drip
- Protect pages and downloads, grant or revoke access instantly, and release content over time.
- Upsells and payment updates
- One-click upsells charge the card on file, and members can update payment details from your site.
- Secure file delivery
- Expiring download links connected to Amazon S3 help stop link sharing for digital downloads.
- Page builder support
- Works with Elementor, Gutenberg, Divi and Beaver Builder, with group accounts and over 25 integrations.
Paid Memberships Pro
- Restrict content
- Limit pages and posts to members by level, with registration, subscriptions and member emails built in.
- Payment gateways
- Gateways listed include Stripe, PayPal, Paystack, CCBill and manual payment.
- Add-ons
- 25 free add-ons come with the free plugin and 54 premium add-ons come with paid plans.
- Managed hosting on Max
- Max plans run on a dedicated server with caching, daily backups, a CDN and free migration from other platforms.
- Do It For Me credits
- Max includes 25 credits every month for custom code, add-on setup and design changes, which the vendor quotes per request.
- Use cases
- Pages cover courses, paid newsletters, private video, podcasts, member directories and communities.
Plans
Memberium
ActiveCampaign Standard$37
per month, billed monthly ($370 billed yearly)
1 domain and 1 ActiveCampaign app connected, with unlimited members and levels and 24/7 email support.
ActiveCampaign Pro$57
per month, billed monthly ($570 billed yearly)
Unlimited domains with 1 ActiveCampaign app connected.
ActiveCampaign Advanced$127
per month, billed monthly ($1,270 billed yearly)
Unlimited domains with 3 ActiveCampaign apps connected.
Keap or HighLevel Standard$77
per month, billed monthly ($770 billed yearly)
1 domain and 1 Keap or HighLevel app connected; the two CRMs share this pricing.
Keap or HighLevel Pro$117
per month, billed monthly ($1,170 billed yearly)
Unlimited domains with 1 Keap or HighLevel app connected.
Keap or HighLevel Advanced$207
per month, billed monthly ($2,070 billed yearly)
Unlimited domains with 3 Keap or HighLevel apps connected.
Paid Memberships Pro
Free$0
Open-source core plugin and 25 free add-ons that you host yourself, without support.
Standard$49
per month, billed monthly ($499 billed yearly)
1-site license with all 54 premium add-ons and support; you host the site.
Max$99
per month, billed monthly ($999 billed yearly)
Managed hosting, free migration and 25 credits a month; the page crosses out a normal price of $149.
Max 2x$299
per month, billed monthly ($2,999 billed yearly)
Twice the server and 50 credits a month, for busier sites.
Ways to pay less
Memberium
- Other savings
30-day money-back guarantee
Memberium says it refunds the entire payment if you cancel within 30 days of your initial payment and email them.
Paid Memberships Pro
- Annual discount
Pay annually, save about 2 months
The pricing page lists yearly totals of $499 for Standard, $999 for Max and $2,999 for Max 2x against monthly plans of $49, $99 and $299.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Memberium or Paid Memberships Pro?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Memberium is cheaper to start with: $37 a month, against $49 a month for Paid Memberships Pro. Memberium starts at $37 per month for ActiveCampaign, billed monthly, and Paid Memberships Pro starts at $49 per month for Standard (self-hosted), or a free self-hosted core.
Which has a free plan, Memberium or Paid Memberships Pro?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Paid Memberships Pro has a free plan. Memberium does not.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.