13 June 2024
10 Best WordPress Paywall Plugins for Content Monetization
Using paywalls is one of the most effective ways to monetize your WordPress website. You can offer exclusive content in return for recurring subscriptions or one-time payments. Fortunately, WordPress offers several excellent paywall plugins that will help you create a paywall to restrict content on your site.
In this article, we’ll look at paywalls and why you may consider using them. Then, we’ll look at ten of the best WordPress paywall plugins.
Let’s get started.
What Paywalls Are And Why You Might Want to Use One?
A paywall is a content restriction method. It allows visitors to access a particular area on your site if they subscribe, pay a one-time fee, or have membership status.
For example, free blogging sites like Medium allow their users to read member stories only when they subscribe.
Additionally, membership sites often use paywalls. Here, users pay to get exclusive content, such as articles, videos, and online courses.
Overall, implementing a paywall is one of the best ways to make money online. If readers are willing to pay for the exclusive content, you may make an instant profit from one-time purchases or subscriptions.
However, you need to ensure that the content is worth paying for. Otherwise, you may struggle to attract new members or customers.
As a result, before implementing a paywall, you may want to focus on increasing organic traffic and reader engagement.
What Are WordPress Paywall Plugins?
A WordPress paywall plugin is a tool that lets you set up paywalls, memberships, and other restricted content directly from your dashboard. You will have complete control over all of your settings without having to use custom code or redirect your readers to third-party websites.
Furthermore, a paywall plugin typically has integrated payment processors. These services let you collect payments straight from your website. As a result, you can provide your subscribers with easy-to-use and secure transactions.
The 10 Best Paywall Plugins for WordPress
Below are some of the best paywall WordPress plugins for content restriction:
1. MemberPress
MemberPress is popular and one of the best WordPress paywall plugins. It offers several features, including paywalls, content drips, and online courses. Moreover, it allows you to set up different billing methods for your subscriptions.
As the site’s owner, you have complete control over content access rules. You can drip content based on time schedule and access expiry dates. Dripping content on a schedule is an excellent strategy to increase customer retention, as customers must remain onboard to continue receiving access.
Aside from that, you can create different membership plans. Users may select the plan they want to join, and each plan has its own content, pricing, and features. This allows you to create membership plans that appeal to diverse audiences, which can help boost sales.
You may, for example, set how many pages users can access without a membership in the MemberPress settings.
This is a great way for new visitors to check out your content and get a sense of what to expect from your premium content.
There are many additional rules that may be specified. For instance, you can restrict content based on tags, categories, and other taxonomies.
For more about this plugin, read our complete MemberPress review.
Pros:
- MemberPress is easy to set up and manage paywalls and content dripping.
- Offers robust paywall functionality, allowing you to restrict access to specific content or entire sections of your website.
- Supports various paywall models, including subscription-based, one-time payments, and tiered membership levels.
- Supports integration with various payment gateways such as PayPal, Stripe, and Authorize.net.
- Integrate with popular email marketing services such as Mailchimp, Constant Contact, GetResponse, and Drip.
- MemberPress provides helpful walkthrough tutorials to guide you through their processes.
Cons:
- It doesn’t offer a free version or a trial compared to some of the other paywall plugins.
- The basic plans do not include all features.
Pricing:
MemberPress pricing starts at $179.50/year.
2. Paid Memberships Pro
Paid Memberships Pro proves you don’t need to buy a premium plugin to build a paywall. With the free version alone, you will be able to secure your content and charge a recurring subscription for it.
The free version provides 28 different types of content restrictions, including:
- Limit access to a specific number of views before hitting the paywall
- Drip feed access based on membership start dates
- Show sneak peeks or completely hide restricted content
- Secure content like courses, videos, forums, products, events, podcasts, and more
- Secure content across your network with a single login
That said, the premium version gives you more control and advanced features. The paid plans offer premium customization recipes, allowing you to customize your paywall site to your specific needs. For example, you might include a progress bar to highlight how much content a user has consumed.
Pros:
- It offers a free plan, which is an excellent option if you’re on a tight budget.
- Create unlimited membership levels with flexible pricing and trials
- Supports multiple payment gateways like PayPal, Stripe, Authorize.net, Braintree, and 2Checkout.
- Track sales & revenue, signups, member activity, and more in detailed reports.
- The plugin allows you to extend its features or integrate with third-party services through 65 add-ons.
- Compatible with popular page builder plugins.
Cons:
- You can’t buy specific add-ons on their own. Therefore, you’ll have to choose more expensive plans to get premium add-ons.
- Though it has an easy-to-use interface, the number of features can be overwhelming.
Pricing:
It offers a free version, with a paid version starting at $347/year.
3. MemberMouse
MemberMouse is one of the most user-friendly WordPress paywall plugins out there. It allows you to sell protected content and products. What’s great about this plugin is that it provides several ways to increase sales, such as one-click upsells, free and paid trials, and members-only pricing.
In addition, you may limit content access by protecting certain pages and posts, as well as auto-lock shared accounts. Like MemberPress, you can add custom content dripping schedules and multiple membership levels. Overall, you are in full control when it comes to content restriction and dripping.
For example, you may create a content drip schedule based on membership level. This encourages subscribers to keep renewing their subscriptions.
You can even sell member-only products such as digital downloads and online courses.
In fact, MemberMouse includes a Courses add-on that lets you build online courses with a drag-and-drop builder.
Regardless of how you plan to make money online, MemberMouse can help you increase that revenue.
Pros:
- Restrict individual pieces of content or bulk restrict content.
- Drip and schedule content to make it available at different times.
- You can use it to sell products in addition to memberships.
- SmartTags is used to create your own optimized sales funnels.
- The plugin connects with your favorite email marketing services and payment gateways.
- Keep track of all your members and your sales analytics in an easy-to-read dashboard.
Cons:
- The basic plan only offers Stripe payment integration.
- There is a bit of a learning curve.
Pricing:
MemberMouse pricing starts at $199.50/year.
4. LearnDash
LearnDash is a popular WordPress LMS plugin that lets you create online courses, quizzes, and lessons. With its easy drag-and-drop editor, you can create backend courses without writing a single line of code.
This plugin is perfect for anyone who wants to sell courses on their WordPress site. This learning management system is much more than a standard paywall site.
It comes with powerful course builder tools for creating branded course content. For example, users can only access the next module after finishing the previous one, offering more organized structure guidance for more efficient learning.
The course builder also lets you add gamification features to your courses, such as badges and points, to boost student engagement and motivation. Additionally, it also offers detailed progress monitoring, allowing students to understand where they are and how much they have left to complete.
You can even set content restriction rules, such as requiring students to meet certain points by completing quizzes or reading past articles in a series.
Pros:
- Advanced course builder to create multi-layer courses with categories, lessons, topics, assignments, and quizzes.
- Offers plenty of gamification elements to engage users.
- You can control how you want to restrict content access.
- Integrate LearnDash with popular marketing platforms such as Mailchimp and popular apps like Slack, PayPal, and Zapier.
Cons:
- LearnDash offers basic membership features to control course access. To access comprehensive membership features, you need to purchase Memberdash, the additional membership plugin.
Pricing:
LearnDash pricing plans start at $199/year.
5. Restrict Content Pro
Next on our list of the best paywall plugins for WordPress is Restrict Content Pro. It lets you restrict content based on membership level, access level, or a user’s WordPress role.
You can create custom membership levels, content restriction rules, and discount codes to offer users free trials of your paywalled articles.
In addition, Restrict Content Pro offers one of the most user-friendly interfaces. You may add paywalled content to your posts using a shortcode or manually. Furthermore, the plugin has a number of free and paid add-ons that expand its functionality.
You can even send customized automated emails to your subscribers. It has tags to choose from, so you can personalize your emails, like first and last names, expiration dates, coupon codes, and more.
It also integrates with WooCommerce, the most popular eCommerce WordPress plugin, allowing you to restrict who can buy products from your online store based on membership levels.
Pros:
- Offer a free version with content restriction features.
- Create unlimited membership levels with price, duration, access level, and more.
- Detailed customer dashboard that allows members to manage their accounts.
- 34 Pro-add-ons to extend your WordPress membership site.
- With the free version, you can collect Strip payments.
Cons:
- Content dripping is only available as an add-on in the Pro version.
- Stripe payments add an additional 2% payment processing fee in the free version.
Pricing:
Restrict Content Pro offers a free version. Paid plans start at $99/year.
6. Leaky Paywall
Leaky Paywall, a plugin for news and magazine publishers, was created to engage readers and streamline the subscription process.
The plugin allows you to customize the paywall experience and perfectly match your content. Leaky Paywall offers flexible restrictions and allows you to sell access to various content types.
The plugin includes pre-configured custom paywall options such as metered, hybrid, and hard paywalls. It also allows for free registrations, contributions, and paid newsletters.
Furthermore, it allows you to target your audience based on category, membership level, and status and make money through group access, subscriber-only newsletters, ad-free plans, pay-per-article choices, and more.
With Leaky Paywall, your content gets indexed and ranked in Google search, and you can set up a metered paywall to let readers access a certain number of free articles before subscribing.
Pros:
- The platform offers various paywall settings that you can customize to fit your needs.
- You can restrict access to various content types, including articles, categories/tags, and custom post types.
- Integrates with Mailchimp, Hubspot, Zapier, ZOHO, and more.
- Supports Stripe, Authorize.net, PayPal, WooCommerce, and other payment gateways.
- Registration wall for email list building.
- 40 add-ons are available to extend the platform’s functionality.
Cons:
- Only one non-recurring subscription level in the free version.
Pricing:
Leaky Paywall offers a free version with a premium plan starting at $199/month.
7. s2Member
s2Member is a useful paywall plugin that offers easy customization options and gives website owners complete control over their content.
You can use the s2Member plugin to lock your entire website for some users or just portions of it for regular visitors. Only paid members have access and can explore the whole website.
This plugin solves the challenge of monetizing your website while maintaining the user experience. Whether you have a blog, an online course, a community forum, or a full-fledged eCommerce site, s2Member allows you to monetize your content in a simplified and user-friendly way.
Pros:
- It allows you to sell unlimited memberships on your site.
- s2Member lets you protect your entire site, specific parts, or even member files for paid downloads.
- PayPal integration is available on the free version.
- It is compatible with caching plugins.
- Integrated with mailing providers like MailChimp, AWeber, and GetResponse.
- Content dripping shortcodes.
Cons:
- It’s not too friendly for beginners or non-tech-savvy users.
- Content dripping isn’t available on the free version.
Pricing:
s2Member offers a free version with a premium plan starting at $89 on-time payment.
8. Zlick Paywall
Are you a content creator looking for a simple paywall solution for content monetization? If yes, Zlick Paywall is your go-to WordPress plugin.
Zlick Paywall is an all-in-one WordPress paywall plugin that offers the easiest way to sell subscriptions. Simply set up pricing (one-time payment or subscriptions), connect the Zlick account with your WordPress site, and start selling the content subscriptions.
For example, think of it as the New York Times website! You need to subscribe to a plan to continue reading. Zlick Paywall lets you build the same type of subscription-based premium content website.
Pros:
- Easy to install paywall plugin.
- One-click payments with support for Stripe, Apple Pay, and Google Pay.
- Customizable paywall for one-time payments and recurring subscriptions.
- Comprehensive statistics on payments, subscribers, and content performance.
- All-in-one platform for blogs, podcasts, streaming, e-courses, etc.
Cons:
- The price may be too high as it is only a subscription software for WordPress.
Pricing:
Zlick Paywall offers a free version with a premium plan cost of €199/mo.
9. Paid Membership Subscriptions
Paid Membership Subscriptions is a WordPress membership and content restriction plugin. It allows you to collect recurring payments, register and manage new members, set up subscription plans, and control access to premium content.
Furthermore, it is compatible with WooCommerce. As a result, you can limit product access to members only. Or offer discounted prices to subscribers.
By offering premium access and special benefits, you may build a thriving paid community that generates income through membership fees or subscription plans.
With shortcodes and blocks for member registration, login, content restriction, and membership plan, the plugin provides unparalleled flexibility and ease.
In addition, it provides detailed payment logs, allowing you to track all member payments and payment statuses easily.
Pros:
- Restrict content based on subscription plans or logged-in status.
- Automatically drip content to new members.
- Integrate with WooCommerce to create members-only eCommerce stores.
- Accept payments via Apple Pay and Google Pay.
- Shortcode to allow members to edit their account information and manage their subscription plans.
- Restrict Elementor or Divi element based on logged-in status or subscription plans.
- It offers 14 premium add-ons that let you extend the membership plugin functionality.
Cons:
- It offers limited customization options.
- It offers a free version but is somewhat limited compared to other subscription plugins.
Pricing:
Paid Membership Subscriptions offers a free version with a premium plan starting at €99/year.
Get Paid Membership Subscriptions
10. OptinMonster
Last on our list is OptinMonster. It’s not a paywall WordPress plugin, but it’s the best lead-generation plugin that helps you boost sales, grow your email list, and get more conversions.
One of its standout features is content locking. You can use this feature to remove gated content from the page until the reader signs up or make everything blurry for users until they sign up.
Once the user enters their email, the gated content appears, and they can start reading your exclusive content.
OptinMonster’s content locking is also a powerful tool to help you monetize your site. When combined with a Custom HTML integration, it allows you to earn money from locked content.
Plus, it allows you to create engaging lead generation campaigns such as lightbox popups, slide-in scroll boxes, and fullscreen welcome mats.
For more about this plugin, read our complete OptinMonster review.
Pros:
- It’s a great way to grow your email list.
- Content locking attracts users who are genuinely interested in your topic, leading to better quality leads.
- Choose between blurring or completely removing the locked content to best suit your needs.
- Offer various templates and lead generation types to choose from.
Cons:
- The optinMonster content locking feature is only available for higher plans.
Pricing:
The OptinMonster plan starts at $9.97/mo.
Conclusion – Best WordPress Paywall Plugins
When it comes to transforming your WordPress site into a revenue-generating machine, paywall plugins become powerful allies. By strategically restricting access to valuable content, you incentivize users to subscribe or pay a one-time fee, creating a sustainable income stream. But with a multitude of options available, choosing the right paywall plugin can feel overwhelming.
This article explored ten of the most popular WordPress paywall plugins, highlighting their pros and cons. If you are looking to build a thriving membership community, MemberPress is the best option. It offers many features, including paywalls, content drips, membership tiers, and online courses. In addition, you can set up different payment methods for your subscriptions.
If you prefer a more streamlined solution for selling individual articles or premium content, plugins like Leaky Paywall or Zlick Paywall offer a user-friendly approach.
If you are looking for a free paywall plugin for WordPress, Paid Membership Pro can be a good option.
Remember, the best paywall plugin integrates seamlessly with your existing WordPress setup and offers a smooth user experience. Implementing a paywall shouldn’t feel disruptive to your audience. Instead, focus on providing high-quality, gated content that delivers genuine value and justifies the cost of access.
By carefully selecting the right plugin and crafting compelling content, you can unlock new revenue streams and build a loyal community around your WordPress site.
That’s all we got for you today. These are the top WordPress paywall plugins for restricting content and monetizing a website.
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