The Best WordPress Membership Plugins

Your e-commerce is ready, but you need to segregate levels of paid memberships. Your business plan revolves around membership structured products and services. The problem is that you do not know which plugin to employ. Read on to discover the top rated membership plugins for WP, with fresh, up-to-date reviews.

S2Member Framework Download
The Pro version is a complete package that is customizable and supports every imaginable payment system, mass import and export, unlimited levels of paid memberships, Google Checkout, Authorize.net and others. The Free version supports affiliate management, W3 Total Cache, WP Super Cache, and Quick Cache, all imaginable combinations of download and content restrictions, 4 paid membership levels max.

Features:

• PayPal Std integration
• recurring billing
• custom registration pages
• BuddyPress ready
• one free membership level and four paid levels
• limit access to parts of website, based on membership

Paid Memberships Pro Download
Contrary to what their website presents, the plugin is free. They try to trick the visitor by presenting three paid options, clearly visible and large. In fine print at the bottom right you can find a link to the free plugin. You can forget other membership plugins, though. This one is all you need. Unlimited membership levels, access to parts of your site based on membership levels, and Paypal (Std. And Pro) and Authorize.net integration. You can even set up a member forum.

Features:

• content types access restricted by membership levels
• search engine crawlers/bots (for SEO) and non-members access to excerpts
• set up a community forum
• PayPal standard and pro, plus Athorize.net integration
• present your ads only to non-members
• trial periods and other flexible billings

WP-Members Download
It works without modification and it integrates with your theme, without altering the files. Offer membership only content, but understand that this plugin does not prevent someone from downloading the content if they know the direct location. You have to work with the .htaccess file to accomplish that.

Features:

• SEO is empowered by the excerpt option to allow crawlers and bots access
• registration option for CAPTCHA
• tighter integration with your theme than other membership plugins

Pie Register Download
Perhaps you simply want to get more control over your registration process to enforce uniformity with your branding. Pie Register handles this easily.

Features:

• disclaimers
• CAPTCHA
• invitation codes
• PayPal integration
• custom logo
• simply registration fee for membership

Maven Member Download
Although this is not strictly a membership plugin, it does do everything a membership plugin does. Well, except payment integration. In other words, that makes this plugin a failure for memberships.

Features:

• easy setup
• in-post login
• CAPTCHA
• no payment integration system

WP-PaySite Download
There is no website for this plugin, so without installing it you are left guessing. Its best use is for running a membership site for photos and videos, since it has some sort of updating feature for visual media. I doubt this is worth messing with if you are looking for a fully functioning membership plugin. This really is one of the worst we have seen.

Features:

• WP remains unaltered
• dynamic or static possibilities
• thumbnails in all areas of the site are automatically cropped
• free tour section

Conclusion
Membership plugins have a long way to come yet. This area is not nearly as rich as areas like shopping cart plugins. Paid Memberships Pro gets our #1 spot here. There are just no other viable competitors.