Paid Memberships Pro review (2026): is the free plan enough?
Open-source WordPress membership plugin with managed hosting
Black Friday: is there a Paid Memberships Pro sale?
Paid Memberships Pro report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 12, 2026
Best for a free membership plugin for WordPress
Paid Memberships Pro is an open-source WordPress membership plugin with paid support tiers and managed hosting. The free version has no license key or support, Standard covers one site and no hosting, and it only runs on WordPress.
Who Paid Memberships Pro is for
- Fits if you run WordPress and want paid membership with free software
- Works for developers who will add the add-ons they need
Who Paid Memberships Pro is not for
- 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
Why Paid Memberships Pro gets a 2.4
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- CValue for moneyThe core is free but needs your own WordPress hosting, so it counts as a middle price. Standard is $49 a month and Max $99.
- BFree plan and trialSelf-host the core plugin with 25 free add-ons and payment gateways at no cost. There is no support and no premium add-ons.
- BFeaturesRestricting content, payment gateways and many add-ons, with managed hosting on Max. Nothing in the listing is missing from the job.
- DEase of useIt runs only on WordPress, which you host, unless you pay for Max managed hosting.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb only, with Stripe, PayPal, Paystack and CCBill gateways.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Paid Memberships Pro's own pages on 12 November 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/paid-memberships-pro#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/paid-memberships-pro.svg" alt="Paid Memberships Pro: 2.4 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Paid Memberships Pro stands among course and community platforms
Paid Memberships Pro's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 26 of the 41 other course and community platforms we grade, and level with 8.
It stands best on free plan and trial (B, above 35 of 41) and worst on ease of use (D, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $49 a month, against a middle price of $49 for the category: 17 of the 36 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. 7 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 42 course and community platforms we grade, cut by the letter each got. Paid Memberships Pro’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 9 of 41, level with 25
- BFree plan and trialAbove 35 of 41, level with 6
- BFeaturesAbove 27 of 41, level with 14
- DEase of useAbove 0 of 41, level with 3
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 6 of 41, level with 34
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 39 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 Paid Memberships Pro, or make your own?
Your call
You could make the core of Paid Memberships Pro for yourself: paid newsletters and templates.
What you would give up is listed below. Whether that is worth the price is your call. It costs $588 a year. Paid Memberships Pro is open source, so there is a third way: take its code and run it yourself.
What you could make
- Paid newsletters and templates: an app builder makes these well.
- It runs in a browser, which is where something home-made would run too.
What you could not
- A members' space with posts, chat and events that people keep coming back to.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Paid Memberships Pro’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 Paid Memberships Pro?
Paid Memberships Pro (PMPro) is a WordPress plugin for restricting content, registering members and taking recurring payments. The core platform is free and open-source. Paid tiers add premium add-ons and support, or hosting, migration and development credits on the vendor's Max plans.
Worth knowing
- 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
- 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.
Paid Memberships Pro pricing
As of Nov 12, 2026, Paid Memberships Pro has a free plan, and paid plans start at $49 per month for Standard (self-hosted), or a free self-hosted core.
- Starts at
- $49 per month for Standard (self-hosted), or a free self-hosted core
- 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.
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Open-source core plugin and 25 free add-ons that you host yourself, without support. |
| Standard | $49per month, billed monthly ($499 billed yearly) | 1-site license with all 54 premium add-ons and support; you host the site. |
| Max | $99per 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 | $299per month, billed monthly ($2,999 billed yearly) | Twice the server and 50 credits a month, for busier sites. |
Read from paidmembershipspro.com on Nov 12, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Paid Memberships Pro before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Annual discountPay 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.
Stated on paidmembershipspro.com
Works with
Paid Memberships Pro alternatives
- Paid Memberships Pro vs MemberPress
From $399/yr
- Paid Memberships Pro vs LifterLMS
Free plan · from $398/yr
- Paid Memberships Pro vs MemberSpace
Free trial · from $39/mo
- Paid Memberships Pro vs Outseta
Free trial · from $37/mo
Common questions
Does Paid Memberships Pro have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Paid Memberships Pro is listed for Web.
Does Paid Memberships Pro have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Paid Memberships Pro is listed for Web.
Is Paid Memberships Pro open source?
Yes. Paid Memberships Pro is open source, according to its own site. It can also be run on a server of your own.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 12, 2026.