Outseta vs Paid Memberships Pro (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Paid Memberships Pro grades higher than Outseta: 2.4 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Outseta grades higher on ease of use. Paid Memberships Pro grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Outseta
Memberships, billing, CRM, email and help desk in one platform
Paid Memberships Pro
Open-source WordPress membership plugin with managed hosting
Which one is for you
Pick Outseta if
- Fits if you run a small software or membership business and want one account for billing and CRM
- Works for founders who would otherwise stitch together a CRM, email tool and help desk
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if your list grows: every plan has a contact cap and it goes from $37 to $697 a month
- Skip it if you want a free plan, because there is only a 14-day trial
- Watch out: a 2% or 1% payment fee applies on top of Stripe's, except on Max
- Watch out: payments need a Stripe account
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
| 2.2GPAOutsetaFair | 2.4GPAPaid Memberships ProFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$37 a month billed yearly for 1,000 contacts, between the $29 cheaper quarter and $49 middle of courses and communities tools. It steps up to $697 at 100,000 contacts. | 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 | DA 14-day free trial with every feature, but the page doesn't say whether a card is needed. No free plan. | 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 | BPayments, subscriptions, sign-up, gating, a CRM, email automations, a help desk and an API. Nothing in the listing is missing from the job. | 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 | CNo store rating on record. Several tools to configure: payments, CRM, email and help desk. | DIt runs only on WordPress, which you host, unless you pay for Max managed hosting. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with Stripe and Webflow connections, an API, webhooks and MCP access. | BWeb only, with Stripe, PayPal, Paystack and CCBill gateways. |
| Best for | memberships, billing, CRM and email in one place | 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: Outseta and Paid Memberships Pro. How we grade
Price against what you get
Outseta starts at $37 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Paid Memberships Pro starts at $49 a month and scores 2.3.
Outseta scores higher and starts $12 a month lower. Of the other course and community platforms on the chart, none scores higher than Outseta for less, and 7 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.
- Outseta also covers marketing automation, email campaigns and help desk.
- Paid Memberships Pro also covers templates and paid newsletters.
At a glance
| Outseta | Paid Memberships Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $37 per month for 1,000 contacts, billed annually ($47 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 | 14-day free trial with access to every feature | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Outseta | Paid Memberships Pro |
| Price read from | outseta.com | paidmembershipspro.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Outseta
- Every plan carries a contact cap, and the monthly price steps up from $37 at 1,000 contacts to $697 at 100,000 (billed annually).
- Outseta charges a 2% or 1% fee on payments on top of Stripe's own fees, except on the Max plan.
- There is no free plan, only a 14-day trial.
- Payments run through Stripe, so a Stripe account is required.
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
Outseta
- Payments and subscriptions
- Connects to Stripe to sell memberships, subscriptions and one-time products, with individual and group memberships.
- Sign-up, login and gated content
- Adds member authentication and locks pages or content to specific plans on a site you already run.
- Built-in CRM
- Tracks prospects and customers in one place alongside their billing and activity.
- Email campaigns and automations
- Sends marketing and transactional email to segments built from the member data.
- Help desk
- Handles customer support tickets from the same account, with unlimited team logins.
- API, webhooks and MCP access
- Every plan lists webhooks and MCP / API access for connecting other tools.
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
Outseta
Start$37
per month for up to 1,000 contacts, billed annually ($47 monthly)
2% Outseta transaction fee on top of Stripe's fees; unlimited team seats. Price rises with the contact tier.
Scale$97
per month for up to 10,000 contacts, billed annually ($127 monthly)
Transaction fee drops to 1%; same features as Start.
Pro$197
per month for up to 25,000 contacts, billed annually ($247 monthly)
1% transaction fee and priority support from the team that builds the software.
Max$697
per month for up to 100,000 contacts, billed annually ($897 monthly)
No Outseta transaction fee and priority support.
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
Outseta
- Annual discount
About 25% off with yearly billing
The pricing page shows lower monthly rates on yearly billing, for example $37 instead of $47 for Start, and describes the saving as about 25%.
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, Outseta or Paid Memberships Pro?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Outseta is cheaper to start with: $37 a month, against $49 a month for Paid Memberships Pro. Outseta starts at $37 per month for 1,000 contacts, billed annually ($47 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, Outseta or Paid Memberships Pro?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Paid Memberships Pro has a free plan. Outseta does not, though it has a free trial.
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.