Paid Memberships Pro vs Ultimate Member (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Paid Memberships Pro grades higher than Ultimate Member: 2.4 against 2.2 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 features. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Paid Memberships Pro
Open-source WordPress membership plugin with managed hosting
Ultimate Member
WordPress plugin for member profiles, sign-up and directories
Which one is for you
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
Pick Ultimate Member if
- Fits if you want member profiles and directories on a WordPress site
- Works for people happy to add extensions one by one
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a hosted service, as it runs only on your own WordPress site
- Tight if you stay free, as groups, messaging, social login and Stripe are paid extensions
- Watch out: its pricing page was blocked to us, so paid prices are not recorded
- Not for you if you want courses or memberships out of the box, since those come through add-ons
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAPaid Memberships ProFair | 2.2GPAUltimate MemberFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | CNo paid price is on record, so this sits in the middle. The listing says paid extensions and plans are sold separately. |
| Free plan and trial | 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. | BThe core plugin is free on WordPress.org, with registration, profiles, directories and content restriction. Hosting is yours. |
| Features | BRestricting content, payment gateways and many add-ons, with managed hosting on Max. Nothing in the listing is missing from the job. | CProfiles, fields, directories and restriction in the core. Groups, messaging, social login and Stripe are paid extensions, which is a gap in the core job. |
| Ease of use | DIt runs only on WordPress, which you host, unless you pay for Max managed hosting. | DIt needs a self-hosted WordPress site, and no store rating is on record. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with Stripe, PayPal, Paystack and CCBill gateways. | BWeb, with WooCommerce, Stripe, Mailchimp, Zapier and bbPress on the list. No app. |
| Best for | a free membership plugin for WordPress | free member profiles on 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: Paid Memberships Pro and Ultimate Member. How we grade
Where they differ
- Paid Memberships Pro is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Paid Memberships Pro also covers templates and paid newsletters.
- Ultimate Member also covers forms.
At a glance
| Paid Memberships Pro | Ultimate Member | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $49 per month for Standard (self-hosted), or a free self-hosted core | Not published |
| Free plan | Self-host the open-source PMPro platform with the core plugin, 25 free add-ons and payment gateways; no support or premium add-ons. | The core plugin is listed on WordPress.org; paid extensions and paid plans are sold separately. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Paid Memberships Pro | Ultimate Member |
| Price read from | paidmembershipspro.com | Not confirmed |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Ultimate Member
- Its pricing page was blocked by a bot check, so paid plan and extension prices are not recorded here.
- It runs only inside a self-hosted WordPress site; hosting is your job.
- Groups, messaging, social login, Stripe and many other community features are paid extensions.
Key features
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.
Ultimate Member
- Profiles, registration and login
- Front-end user profiles, sign-up and login forms and a user account page, built with a drag-and-drop form builder.
- Custom fields and logic
- Custom form fields with conditional logic, custom user roles and automated user emails.
- Member directories
- Directories of members that can show author posts and comments on each profile.
- Content restriction
- Restrict content by logged-in status or role, with conditional navigation menus for logged-in and logged-out visitors.
- Paid extensions
- Extensions add Groups, Private Messages, Social Login, Stripe subscriptions, WooCommerce and Mailchimp integrations, and more.
- Free extensions and developer hooks
- Free extensions include Google reCAPTCHA and Online Users, and the plugin exposes actions and filters for developers.
Plans
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.
Ultimate Member
Pricing could not be confirmed. See ultimatemember.com.
Ways to pay less
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.
Ultimate Member
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Paid Memberships Pro or Ultimate Member?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Paid Memberships Pro starts at $49 per month for Standard (self-hosted), or a free self-hosted core, and Ultimate Member has no price we could confirm.
Which has a free plan, Paid Memberships Pro or Ultimate Member?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Paid Memberships Pro and Ultimate Member have a free plan.
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.