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Do you want to monetize your WordPress website or create your own online community? One of the best ways to do that is to create a membership site.

It’s a scalable business that can bring recurring income over the long term.

If you know anything about memberships, you’ll probably have heard of WishList Member and MemberPress.

There’s also another up and coming membership plugin to consider, SureMembers.

We built a membership website with each of these and share our insights in this post.

Read on to discover the best membership plugin you can use right now!

What Can You Create With a Membership Plugin?

There are many types of membership website you can create.

They include:

• Private community: Communities are one of the most challenging memberships to create and maintain, but one of the most rewarding. You can build it around a forum and/or include other channels like Slack or Discord. Nomad List is a good example.

• Online school/academy: The most classic membership example is to protect exclusive content behind a paywall like Videoschool.
• VIP eCommerce: You can create an online store where paying members have access to free shipping or exclusive products. Amazon Prime is the best example of this. It offers exclusive discounts, free shipping and numerous other benefits to members.

• Alternative – ad-free content: If you don’t want to create exclusive content, providing ad-free content can be surprisingly lucrative.

Those are just some classic membership site examples, but you can add more, or even combine them to create your ideal membership site.

PRO TIP:
Divide membership benefits into different tiers with prices and features to match. You’ll be able to satisfy the needs of all types of customers and hopefully increase profits.

Membership Website vs. Membership Platform

There are two main avenues you can take to create a private membership site. You can create your own website or use a platform such as Teachable or Udemy.

• Your own website requires more work but provides more control for less cost
• Platforms are easier to use and do a lot of the work for you but cost more

We think it’s better to build your own website and use a membership plugin. That’s one of the reasons we wrote this post.

WishList Member, MemberPress and SureMembers are all designed to turn a standard website into a fully functional membership site with minimal effort.

It’s why we like them so much.

To build a membership website you’ll need:

• Web hosting – $10 per month upwards.
• A domain name – $10 per year upwards.
• WordPress – free. You can create a WordPress website in less than 60 minutes.
• A WordPress theme – Free/$49 upwards. The free version of Astra is enough but you can also use the Pro version.
• A membership plugin – $69 per year upwards.
• A page builder like Spectra – Free/$49. There’s a great free version and a premium option.

There are lots of optional addons you can use on your membership website. As we all want different things from our sites, we’ll leave those to you to figure out.

WishList Member vs MemberPress vs SureMembers

Now you have some background in what’s involved in building a membership website, let’s get to the comparison!

First, here’s a quick overview of how each plugin compares. We’ll cover each area in more detail in a short while.

	WishList Member	MemberPress	SureMembers
Ease of use	Difficult to master	Slight learning curve	Very easy to use
Memberships	Lifetime, recurring, expiration date	Lifetime, recurring, expiration date	Lifetime and recurring
Content protection	Full control over all content	Full control over all content	Full control over all content
Content control	Drip content and content archiver	Drip content and expiration	Full drip content management
Payment gateways	Stripe, PayPal and 15 others	Stripe, PayPal, Authorize.net and offline payments	Stripe, PayPal and Wire Transfer. Mollie, Razorpay and others
Integrations	Many built-in integrations	Through addons, some of them paid	Some built-in. More via SureTriggers
Price	From $149.50/year	From $179.50/year	From $69/year
Best for	Big companies with experienced staff	Online academies or established companies	Freelancers, small business and agencies

WishList Member Rundown (Developer: WishList Products)

WishList Member simplifies selling digital products, online courses and memberships.

It’s a well-established tool, powering thousands of websites and delivers everything you need to build a membership site.

Pros of WishList Member

• Extensive knowledge base full of video tutorials.
• Integrates with payment gateways, email providers and other services.
• Very easy to manage content restriction with settings on pages and articles.

Cons of WishList Member

• Licenses are expensive. The most expensive is also limited to 5 sites.
• The back-end design looks a bit old-fashioned and isn’t always the most intuitive.
• The front-end checkout lacks customization options.

What Makes WishList Member Stand Out

• Very versatile plugin with controls for everything.
• Automation tools with lots of triggers and actions.
• Content control with drip feeding, schedules, archies and protection.

MemberPress Rundown (Developer: Caseproof)

MemberPress is an all-in-one plugin that can protect WordPress content and organize it into lessons and courses, manage users and manage memberships levels.

It can also handle payments thanks to integrations with Stripe or PayPal.

Pros of MemberPress

• All-in-one membership plugin with lots of tools built-in.
• Easy to use even if you haven’t tried it before.
• Comes with lots of documentation, guides and setup instructions.

Cons of MemberPress

• It’s difficult to create attractive checkouts to maximize conversion.
• Some settings are hard to find.

What Makes MemberPress Stand Out

• It’s easy to create memberships.
• Corporate accounts where a superuser can manage their own sub-members.
• Includes a coaching platform learning management system) so you can create courses.

SureMembers Rundown (Developer: SureCrafted)

SureMembers makes it incredibly straightforward to create membership websites.

It’s part of the SureCrafted ecosystem which also includes other products such as:

• SureCart – An eCommerce platform that integrates into WordPress.
• SureTriggers – An automation tool that allows you to connect sites, plugins, and third-party applications.
• SureWriter – An online platform to help you write more and better thanks to AI.

Although it is the newest plugin here, SureMembers delivers the tools you need to create almost any type of membership website.

Pros of SureMembers

• Very simple to use, even if you have never used a membership plugin before.
• Intuitive dashboard and simple controls.
• Development driven by the feedback from the huge WPCrafter community.
• Simple pricing. All features are available in all plans.
• Lots of videos and documentation to help.

Cons of SureMembers

• Payments require another plugin, SureCart (which is free and also very easy to use).
• Automations rely on another plugin called SureTriggers (not free).

What Makes SureMembers Stand Out

• Very intuitive and easy to use. You could be up and running in a couple of hours.
• SureMembers, SureCart and SureTriggers all work together seamlessly.
• Full control over styling, membership tiers, drip content and more.

Now the introductions have been made, let’s see which is best for your next project!

Plan Creation and Management

Offering multiple levels at different price points makes your site as accessible as possible to people from all backgrounds.

All three plugins offer unlimited membership tiers so you can create as many as you like.

Let’s see how level creation works in a little more detail.

NOTE:
Each plugin calls plans something different. We have noted them next to each name in brackets, just in case.

WishList Member (Levels) – Complex To Set Up

You can create your membership levels from the WordPress dashboard.

Select WishList Member > Setup > Level.

Levels can be set as:

• Ongoing: Access with no expiration date unless payment fails or is canceled.
• Fixed Term: Memberships for a set period of time unless canceled or renewed.
• Specific Date: Useful for courses, but not necessarily for memberships.

There are plenty of other settings in this section, which can be pretty overwhelming.

Even though you create membership levels on this page, it isn’t where you configure the content you are protecting or the price.

Using multiple pages and menus for the same setup is what makes WishList difficult to use.

MemberPress (Memberships) – a Bit Simpler

In MemberPress, memberships are created and managed from MemberPress > Memberships.

From here you can set the price, define the expiration date and other more advanced options.

But there aren’t as many options as in WishList Member. They are easier to find though.

SureMembers (Access Groups) – Most Intuitive

In SureMembers, membership levels are known as access groups. They are created from the SureMembers > Access Groups menu in the WordPress dashboard.

From there you can set the name of your level and the content it will protect.

It’s much simpler to do.

Remember that SureMembers doesn’t handle the sale. That’s done through SureCart or WooCommerce.

This is an advantage, as those plugins are better designed to maximize sales.

• SureCart can recover abandoned carts,offer installment payments, order bumps and upsells.
• WooCommerce can be combined with CartFlows to create effective sales funnels.

This is something that can’t be easily done with the other two plugins.

Content Protection

Protecting content is a step you’re likely to do on an ongoing basis, so you should get comfortable doing it.

	WishList Member	MemberPress	SureMembers
Protect posts and pages	✅	✅	✅
Lock files/downloads	✅	✅ (addon required)	✅
Block/partial protection	✅	✅	✅
Sneak peek (intro)	✅	✅	✅

WishList Member – Unintuitive Bulk Protection

As WishList Member doesn’t let you decide which content to protect when you create levels, you’ll have to do that afterwards.

This has to be done individually at the end of each post, page, or custom post type. You’ll find a WishList options box in the editor for that.

If you want to protect content in bulk, you’ll need to go to the WishList Member Content Protection accessed via the dashboard menu..

You can protect a specific category, group of articles, folders, or files.

The interface and usability of this screen seems a bit old-fashioned. You have to select items and use a drop down menu to decide what to do with them.

You can also partially protect content so you can offer a sneak peak or teaser.

Configure it individually, block by block or globally, protecting all content after the “more” tags.

It’s straightforward enough to do, just a bit laborious.

MemberPress – Powerful Rules, Shortcodes and Blocks

MemberPress also allows you to protect posts, pages and custom post types.

You’ll do this from the rules section accessible from the main menu.

In addition to setting the content to protect, you also have to set the access conditions. They don’t have to be related to a membership, they could be also be a role.

MemberPress offers shortcodes so you can restrict content using a page builder. It’s an added extra that makes living with it a little easier.

If you use Spectra, you’ll see it’s very easy to protect specific areas of a post or page while having a spectacular design for your content.

You can define whether you want to show a preview of content to unauthorized users or not.

This is something you can also modify individually for each article or page.

If you want to lock files with MemberPress, you’ll need to install and configure a free addon.

You can perform advanced tasks like limiting file downloads, or adding download limits for each user.

You’ll probably need to read the documentation to do that as we didn’t get that far with it.

SureMembers – Centralized Rules and Simple Download Restriction

With SureMembers, you can configure everything on the access group page.

You can also control individual pages or posts from within the WordPress editor.

• Protect content in bulk from group settings within the Rules page.
• Protect an individual article, page, or custom post type from within the editor.

The same applies to teasers or excerpts.

You can decide if you want to show excerpts and/or add a custom call to action to subscribe.

You can even point the call to action to a dedicated landing page to increase conversions even further.

With SureMembers installed, an additional option will appear in the sidebar when you select each block so you can easily hide it.

NOTE:
SureMembers also supports shortcodes. You’ll find them on the page where you create the access groups.

SureMembers really shines when it comes to protecting files.

You will find an option to add the downloads associated with it on the access group creation page.

Adam at WPCrafter and co-founder of SureMembers, created a detailed video tutorial covering protecting content.

Drip Feeding Content

If you want to build a straightforward membership website, protecting content is usually enough.

The member pays, and can then access the private content. End of story.

If you want to create something more sophisticated, you might like to consider drip feeding content.

Drip content releases content gradually on a schedule you set. It’s useful for controlling how much members can access or for online courses to avoid cramming.

WishList Member – Great Control but Time-Consuming

WishList Member has several tools to manage drip feeding, although it’s a complex process to manage.

First, you need to go to the content control preferences to enable the settings you want to use:

Then, go to each page, article and custom post type to activate the content scheduler.

You can also archive content so that posts or pages are only available to users who were registered at the time of publication.

It’s simple enough but can take a while!

MemberPress – Simple but Arduous

MemberPress makes content management easier to manage than WishList Member.

From the rules creation page you can:

• Configure content to be released X days after the user has signed up or specific dates.
• Revoke access to the content on a schedule you set.

The downside is that you can only set one rule per piece of content.

If you want to combine rules, or offer different content to different membership tiers at different times, you’ll need a new rule for each scenario.

It’s not a complex process but it is laborious.

SureMembers – the Simplest Way To Drip Content

SureMembers best handles content dripping as it’s very easy to understand and apply.

You’ll find the drip content box in the access group creation page.

All you need to do is tell SureMembers what content you want to release (content labeled or categorized as X, child pages of a parent page and so on), and when.

That’s all.

You can create any kind of drip content structure and you’ll always have a bird’s eye view to check that everything is ok.

You can also control individual posts and pages should you wish to.

Payment and Tax Collection

Payment is a key aspect of many membership websites so how do these three handle them? Do they manage taxes too?

	WishList Member	MemberPress	SureMembers
Stripe and PayPal	✅	✅	✅
Others	ThriveCart, SamCart, Clickbank, SendOwl.	Offline, Authorize.net (Pro Plan)	Wire transfer, Mollie, Razorpay and others
Taxes and VAT handling	❌	Complete tax and automatic VAT handling at higher tiers	Complete tax and automatic VAT handling

WishList Member – Many Gateways but No Tax Management

WishList Member integrates with lots of popular payment providers.

In addition to PayPal and Stripe, you’ll also find 2CheckOut, Authorize.Net, Clickbank, SamCart, SendOwl, ThriveCart, UltraCart and others.

You’ll need an account and secret keys for Stripe. You’ll need an API and account for PayPal.

The biggest drawback is that WishList Member doesn’t handle taxes or VAT. It relegates that job to the payment provider, or you.

MemberPress – Basic Gateways and Tax Management

If you want to connect Stripe to MemberPress, you just need to log in to Stripe and do it from within your account

PayPal and Autorize.net need some extra configuration but it’s still simple enough.

In all MemberPress plans, you’ll find options to activate tax and EU VAT handling too.

SureMembers – Complete Tax Handling

Did you notice that when configuring access groups in SureMembers, there’s no option to set the price?

This is because SureMembers handles payments through the free SureCart eCommerce plugin.

SureCart also takes care of VAT and taxes without having to use addons or third-party applications.

You can set up Stripe and PayPal as payment methods in SureCart and link them to SureMembers.

While it sounds complicated, it’s actually very easy.

When creating a product in the integrations section, select the membership as a product, set a price and you’re done.

You can also offer installment plans, free trials, pay what you want and other payment types.

Thanks to SureCart you’ll be able to create personalized checkouts, a private area for customers, discount coupons, order bumps and much more.

Check out SureCart’s YouTube channel to keep up to date with all the news and learn how to use all its features.

Membership Integrations

Integrations are a complex point to compare. We all have different needs, so even if one plugin has lots of integrations, if it doesn’t have the one you want, it won’t work.

We have done our best to compare like for like as much as possible.

WishList Member – 84 Built-In Integrations

WishList shows its strength here as it integrates with all kinds of tools.

There are over 20 integrations with email marketing providers alone. It also integrates with other tools like LifterLMS, video players like Presto Player, or page builders like Elementor.

There are 84 integrations in all, covering many use cases. Moreover, with the help of automation platforms like SureTriggers, you can connect WishList Member to 750+ apps for unlimited automation possibilities.

MemberPress – Some Built-In and Third Party Addons

MemberPress has hundreds of integrations but it isn’t as straightforward as it should be.

Some integrations are built into MemberPress, while others are performed through addons. Some addons are free, while others cost extra. Meanwhile, tools like SureTriggers can integrate MemberPress with hundreds of popular apps and services for free.

This potential extra outlay can make it difficult to know how much it will cost overall and adds to the complexity.

SureMembers – Few Built-In Integrations and SureTriggers

SureMembers has some built-in integrations, especially with learning management systems such as LifterLMS or LearnDash.

But most integrations rely on SureTriggers, a plugin that lets you connect your favorite apps with actions using simple “if this then that” (IFTTT) logic.

SureTriggers has a basic free account and two premium plans that offer integration and automation in one neat package.

While you need an extra plugin, you can start for free and integrate all the tools you need from a single place.

You’ll also be able to perform some smart automations to help run your site and deliver a better experience with no extra effort.

Membership Plugin Pricing

There are two types of pricing plans at work with these membership plugins.

1. Licenses that add features as you climb the tiers
2. Licenses include all features but add the number of websites

Which type works for you depends on your situation. We’re fans of getting all features with all plans as it seems fairer.

	WishList Member	MemberPress	SureMembers
All features included in all plans?	❌	❌	✅
Lowest tier price (Sites)	$299/year (1 site)	$359/year (1 site)	$69/year. Renews at $99/year (1 site)

IMPORTANT NOTE:
We show the normal pricing without taking into account discounts as we don’t know how long they will last. Check each site for current pricing.

WishList Member – Difference Depends on Membership Type

WishList Member could have significantly simplified its paid plans by offering the same features in 3 levels. But this isn’t the case.

In addition to the number of sites where you can use this plugin (ranging from 1 to 5), there are some features that only become available as you climb the pricing tiers.

You do get a lot for your money though.

MemberPress – Difficult To Understand

The scenario for MemberPress pricing plans is even more complex.

Each license will let you use the plugin from 1 to 5 sites. The problem is that features also vary between levels.

To make matters worse, the compare link by each plan doesn’t work so it’s difficult to see exactly what you get with each plan.

SureMembers – Straightforward Pricing and More Sites Available

SureMembers is the only membership plugin that offers all features with all licenses.

This makes it much simpler to decide which one to use, since the only difference between them is the number of sites you can use it on.

Want to use it on a single website? The cheapest Pro plan is for you. Using it on up to 5 sites? You’ll need the Business plan.

WishList Member vs MemberPress vs SureMembers: Who’s the Winner?

As you have seen, each plugin has advantages and disadvantages and areas that will appeal to different types of users.

• WishList Member wins for content control. It is aimed to midsize to large companies.
• MemberPress wins for flexibility and simplicity. It’s great for professional online academies.
• SureMembers wins for ease of use and features. It’s ideal for agencies, freelancers and small businesses.

If we had to pick a clear winner, it would be SureMembers. Yes it’s our own plugin, but it’s also the easiest to set up and use, includes all features in all licenses and is the cheapest too.

It also offers the most scope to expand, with SureCart for eCommerce and SureTriggers for automation.

Wrapping Up

A membership plugin with many more options may not necessarily be better for your situation, especially if you’re not going to take advantage of those features.

That’s why comparisons like this are so useful.

You can quickly see the strengths and weaknesses of each membership plugin and compare their pros and cons in one place.

If you’re setting up a new membership website, we recommend trying SureMembers.

It’s easy to use, lets you control everything and makes running a membership community a breeze!

Which of these three options do you like the most? Have you tried SureMembers yet? Let us know in the comments below!