MemberPress
WordPress plugin for paid memberships, courses and communities
MemberPress report card
Weak · out of 4.0 · graded Oct 17, 2026
Best for paid memberships on your own WordPress site
MemberPress puts a paywall, memberships, courses, coaching and forums on your own WordPress site, and the member data stays with you. Growth is the plan to buy: $699 a year at renewal with no fee on sales, half that in year one. But it needs WordPress and hosting, and there's no free version or trial.
Who MemberPress is for
- Great if you want a membership business on a WordPress site you control
- Handy when paywalled posts, courses and coaching should share one login
- Good for owners who want their member data on their own host
Who MemberPress is not for
- Not for you if you want to try before you pay, as there's no trial
- Skip it if you don't want to look after WordPress and hosting
- Pricey if you budget on year one, since every plan renews at double the first-year price
Why MemberPress gets a 1.8
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- CValue for moneyLaunch is $399 a year at renewal plus 4.9% of every payment, about $131 a month at $2,000 of sales. Growth drops the fee: $699 a year at renewal, about $58 a month ($349.50 in the first year). The middle of this category, with hosting on top.
- FFree plan and trialNothing free: no free version and no trial in the listing. You buy a yearly license to see it.
- CFeaturesPaywall rules, memberships, a course builder, quizzes and certificates on Growth, ClubSuite forums and a member directory, and CoachKit coaching. A broad kit, but it needs a WordPress site to be useful, and Zapier and the API wait for Scale.
- CEase of useNo rating on record. You need WordPress on a host before anything else, then content rules and memberships to set up, so it takes some learning.
- BPlatforms and integrationsRuns in the browser inside WordPress, with Stripe, PayPal, Square, Authorize.net, Zapier, Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign and Kit. The REST API and webhooks are on Scale.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from MemberPress's own pages on 17 October 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/memberpress#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/memberpress.svg" alt="MemberPress: 1.8 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where MemberPress stands among course and community platforms
MemberPress's GPA of 1.8 is higher than 0 of the 18 other course and community platforms we grade.
It stands best on platforms and integrations (B, above 0 of 18) and worst on free plan and trial (F, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $33.25 a month when paid by the year, against a middle price of $41 for the category: 5 of the 17 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. 3 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 19 course and community platforms we grade, cut by the letter each got. MemberPress’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 3 of 18, level with 13
- FFree plan and trialAbove 0 of 18
- CFeaturesAbove 0 of 18, level with 9
- CEase of useAbove 0 of 18, level with 15
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 18, level with 17
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 19 course and community platforms. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep MemberPress, or make your own?
Keep it
The plain part of MemberPress you could make: online courses. What surrounds it you could not. The 4 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 18 of the 18 other course and community platforms grade higher. It costs $399 a year.
What you could make
- Online courses: an app builder makes this well.
What you could not
- A members' space with posts, chat and events that people keep coming back to.
- It plugs into other products, Stripe, PayPal and Square among them, and has an API.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
- People on the other end: coaches. No app builder makes those.
What this rests on. MemberPress’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is MemberPress?
MemberPress is a WordPress plugin that turns your own site into a membership business. It puts pages, posts and files behind a paywall, sells one-time and recurring memberships, and adds a course builder, quizzes, coaching programs, forums and a member directory. It is sold as a yearly license for one site, and the cheapest plan takes a fee on each payment.
MemberPress is a paid product, starting at $399 per year at renewal, after a first year for $199.50. See every plan
Good for
- Site owners who want to sell memberships on their own WordPress site
- Paywalled content, courses and coaching under one login
- Builders who want to own their member data and pick their own host
Worth knowing
- MemberPress needs a WordPress site. Each plan covers one site activation, staging sites included; up to 15 more are sold as separate yearly subscriptions.
- Launch takes 4.9% of every payment and accepts Stripe only; Growth and Scale drop the fee, though Stripe or PayPal charges still apply.
- First-year prices are half the list price, and every plan renews at full price: $399, $699 or $999 a year.
- Forums, coaching and quizzes start on Growth; Zapier, the REST API and webhooks, and affiliates need Scale.
Key features
- Paywall and content rules
- Smart Rules protect pages, posts, custom post types, categories, tags, files or parts of a page by membership; dripping content on a schedule needs Growth.
- Memberships and checkout
- Unlimited one-time and recurring memberships with upgrades, downgrades and pausing, coupons, a multi-item cart and a self-serve member dashboard.
- Courses and quizzes
- A drag-and-drop curriculum builder for unlimited courses and lessons; quizzes, assignments and certificates come with Growth.
- AI Course Generator
- Describe a course and AI drafts the sections, lessons and quiz questions, using a yearly allowance of AI credits that grows with the plan.
- ClubSuite community
- Forums and private groups called Circles, member profiles and a searchable directory on Growth, with direct messaging added on Scale.
- CoachKit coaching
- Run coaching programs with unlimited coaches, clients and cohorts, milestone and habit tracking, and dashboards for coaches and clients.
MemberPress pricing
- Starts at
- $399 per year at renewal, after a first year for $199.50
- Free plan
- None
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Launch | $399per year at renewal, after a first year for $199.50 | $199.50 the first year. One site, unlimited members and courses, Stripe only, 25,000 AI credits. MemberPress takes a 4.9% fee on each payment. |
| Growth | $699per year at renewal, after a first year for $349.50 | $349.50 the first year. No transaction fee, PayPal and Square, forums and member directory, CoachKit, quizzes, certificates, dripping, 50,000 AI credits. |
| Scale | $999per year at renewal, after a first year for $499.50 | $499.50 the first year. REST API and webhooks, Zapier, Easy Affiliate, direct messaging, gradebook, corporate accounts, Authorize.net, 100,000 AI credits. |
Read from memberpress.com on Oct 17, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with MemberPress before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Other savingsHalf price for the first year
The pricing page sells the first year of Launch at $199.50, Growth at $349.50 and Scale at $499.50; renewals are at the full $399, $699 and $999.
Stated on memberpress.com - NonprofitIntroductory price for life for nonprofits
Qualifying nonprofits keep the introductory price at every renewal, which MemberPress describes as up to 50% off all plan levels.
Stated on memberpress.com
Works with
MemberPress alternatives
- MemberPress vs LearnDash
Free trial · from $399/yr
- MemberPress vs Podia
Free trial · from $42/mo
- MemberPress vs Kajabi
Free trial · from $143/mo
- MemberPress vs Circle
Free trial · from $89/mo
- MemberPress vs Teachable
Free trial · from $29/mo
Common questions
Is MemberPress free?
No. MemberPress is a paid product, starting at $399 per year at renewal, after a first year for $199.50.
How much does MemberPress cost?
MemberPress lists 3 plans. Launch: $399 per year at renewal, after a first year for $199.50. Growth: $699 per year at renewal, after a first year for $349.50. Scale: $999 per year at renewal, after a first year for $499.50. Prices were read from memberpress.com on Oct 17, 2026.
What platforms does MemberPress work on?
MemberPress is available on Web.
Does MemberPress offer any discounts?
MemberPress publicly lists the following: Half price for the first year; Introductory price for life for nonprofits.
Does MemberPress have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. MemberPress is listed for Web.
Does MemberPress have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. MemberPress is listed for Web.
Is MemberPress open source?
MemberPress is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 17, 2026.
Does MemberPress have an API?
Yes. MemberPress offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does MemberPress integrate with?
MemberPress's listing names Stripe, PayPal, Square, Authorize.net, Zapier, Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign and Kit. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Who makes MemberPress?
MemberPress is made by Caseproof, LLC.
What are the alternatives to MemberPress?
The closest alternatives to MemberPress in our directory are LearnDash, Podia, Kajabi, Circle and Teachable. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with MemberPress.
How does MemberPress compare with other course and community platforms?
MemberPress's GPA of 1.8 is higher than 0 of the 18 other course and community platforms we grade. It stands best on platforms and integrations (B, above 0 of 18) and worst on free plan and trial (F, above 0).
Is MemberPress good value for money?
ToolGPA grades MemberPress C for value for money. Its paid plans start at $33.25 a month when paid by the year, against a middle price of $41 for the category: 5 of the 17 others that charge start lower. On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. 3 tools score higher and cost less.
Could I make my own version of MemberPress?
The plain part of MemberPress you could make: online courses. What surrounds it you could not. The 4 things listed below take a company, not a weekend. That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 18 of the 18 other course and community platforms grade higher. It costs $399 a year. What you could not make: A members' space with posts, chat and events that people keep coming back to. It plugs into other products, Stripe, PayPal and Square among them, and has an API. AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself. People on the other end: coaches. No app builder makes those. This is a judgement from its listing. We have not built one.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 17, 2026.