As a content creator, you want to be able to monetize your content while also providing valuable content to a larger audience than your current subscribers.
Paywalls allow you to do just that since they work as great lead-generation tools.
This post will explore the best WordPress plugins for implementing paywalls on your website.
15 Best WordPress Paywall Plugins
1. MemberPress
MemberPress is a membership site plugin founded in 2013 by Blair Williams and partnered in 2018 with Awesome Motive. They protect your posts from unauthorized users.
Restrict access to pages, child pages, posts, custom post types, categories, tags and almost any other file in your WordPress installation.
Pricing
- Basic: $359 per year. Use on 1 site.
- Plus: $599 per year. Use on up to 2 sites. Integrate with Zapier and offer unlimited quizzes and certificates.
- Pro: $799 per year. Use on up to 3 sites. Integrates with Authorize.net and sells gifted memberships.
2. LearnDash’s MemberDash
LearnDash is a WordPress LMS powered by Nexcess that was launched in 2013. Its MemberDash plugin offers different levels of content protection.
Besides paywalls, you can request users to access free content by first registering. Or even hide enrollment buttons and add users manually.
To learn more about LearnDash, read this post review.
Pricing
Each plan includes flexible memberships and built-in reports.
- One site: $199 per year.
- Ten sites: $399 per year.
- Unlimited: $799 per year.
3. Paid Memberships Pro
Paid Memberships Pro is a plugin by Cozmoslabs, a company that focuses exclusively on developing, maintaining and supporting WordPress plugins.
You can restrict access to any type of content: from pages and custom posts to individual WooCommerce products. You can also offer free trials or “Pay what you want”.
Pricing
- Storm: €99 per year. Use on one site and integrate with WooCommerce.
- Pro: €169 per year. Use on 3 sites and access content dripping features.
- Agency: €299 per year. Use on unlimited sites.
4. MemberMouse
MemberMouse is a one-in-all membership plugin founded by Eric Turmnessen in 2009.
With MemberMouse, besides protecting your pages, you can create a ‘teaser version’ of paid content for social sharing. That way, your customers share their favorite pages without giving away your protected content.
Pricing
MemberMouse has a 14-day money-back guarantee. You can choose from these plans:
- Basic: $399 per year. It includes a Zapier integration and bulk content protection.
- Plus: $599 per year. Accept PayPal and Braintree payments.
- Pro: $799 per year. Get three months of free access to Optin Monster.
- Elite: $2,399 per year. Get the Sticky.io integration and VIP email support.
5. Pay for Post with WooCommerce
Pay for Post with WooCommerce is a plugin by Pramadillo. Besides the premium version, the plugin also has a free version so you can start earning money even if you don’t have a budget.
Pay for Post allows you to protect content based on time, number of page views and other advanced categories!
Pricing
Pramadillo offers a 7-day free trial.
- 1 Site: $99 per year.
- 5 Sites: $399 per year.
- Unlimited: $999 per year.
6. OptinMonster
OptinMonster is one of the best lead-generation tools for WordPress and amongst its key features, you’ll find a Content Lock. With it, you will blur or remove content below a set point on the page, so visitors have to opt in to see the whole article.
Pricing
- Basic: $25 per month. It supports 1 site and AI popups.
- Good: $50 per month. Use it on 2 sites and get advanced analytics.
- Better: $75 per month. Use it on 3 sites and integrate it with Zapier and HubSpot.
- Best: $80 per month. Use it on 5 sites and add team members.
7. Thrive Leads
Thrive Leads is a ThriveThemes tool for setting up a content lock in your posts.
The feature is mainly for collecting emails through an opt-in, however, you can also use it as a paywall for your premium content. Simply remove the form on your template and add a link to your checkout page for this post.
Pricing
- Basic: $199 per year. It supports 1 site and it integrates with more than 20 email tools.
- Plus: $399 per year. It supports 3 sites and gives you access to the quiz builder.
- Pro: $499 per year. It supports 5 sites and includes premium online courses.
- All access: $799 per year. Access Thrive Apprentice and Thrive Architect.
8. Leaky Paywall
Leaky Paywall is a 100% native WordPress integration that allows you to create Dynamic restrictions. You can sell access that precisely matches your content: membership, premium newsletters, pay-per-article, ad-free and more.
Pricing
- Startup: $199 per month. For up to 1,000 paid subscribers.
- Plus: $399 per month. For up to 2,500 paid subscribers.
- Pro: $799 per month. For up to 5,000 paid subscribers.
You can also build your own plan if you have more subscribers.
9. WishList Member
WishList Member has been around since 2008. The plugin gives you total content control.
One of its cool features is Archive content, which encourages members to maintain their subscriptions by periodically archiving content. That way, only people who were members before the archive date have access.
Pricing
- Basic: $299 per year. Use it on one site and add unlimited members.
- Plus: $499 per year. Use on up to 2 sites and access the Integrately integration.
- Pro: $699 per year. Use on up to 5 sites and add team members.
- Elite: $2399 per year. Access Keap integration.
10. AccessAlly
AccessAlly is a WordPress plugin for offering online courses that also can be used as a paywall plugin.
As a course creator, you can restrict content based on membership level or course. Everything is handled with tags and materials. The only downside of AccessAlly is all their plans are for one site only.
Pricing
- Essentials: $99 per month. Use on one site and integrate with PayPal and Stripe.
- Pro: $129 per month. Access more LMS features.
- Community: $149 per month. Offer free community groups.
11. aMember Pro
aMember Pro is a paywall software that integrates with WordPress. Developed and improved since 2002, aMember Pro allows you to sell your videos, posts or lessons. Among its main features, you’ll find drill-down content access and flexible access control.
It also has translations into 22 languages, including Spanish, Italian and Portuguese.
Pricing
- Single License: $149. It includes 1 public installation and basic support.
- Professional: $399. It includes 5 public installations.
- Enterprise: custom.
12. Restrict Content Pro
Restrict Content Pro is a flexible paywall plugin that’s available for free. With it, you can display content previews with an offer to become a member to view the content.
You can also restrict content by membership level or WordPress user role.
Pricing
- Free. Access content restriction and membership levels.
- Pro: $99 per year for one site. Access all 34 add-ons and get private support.
13. Zlick
Zlick allows you to lock all kinds of content and sell access to it. Visitors see a preview of your content and can use 1-click payments to purchase or subscribe to your content.
has a “pay when you get paid” approach, which means you can start using it for free but it will take a 5% transaction fee once you start earning money.
Pricing
- Essential: free. Add unlimited subscribers and get basic customization for your paywall widget.
- Premium: €199 per month. It includes an API and monetization consulting.
14. ProfilePress
ProfilePress is a WordPress paywall plugin with multiple cool features for engaging users.
For example, you can allow guests to view a limited number of protected content before being required to subscribe. You know, like what the newspapers online do.
But you can also give power to your subscribers by letting them create new sites on a multisite network during registration.
Pricing
- Standard: $129 per year. It supports one site and it includes 18 add-ons.
- Plus: $299 per year. It supports 3 sites and it integrates with WooCommerce.
- Agency: $499 per year. Use it on unlimited sites.
15. MailOptin
Last but not least, MailOptin. Thanks to MailOptin’s lead generation features, you can easily block or remove portions of your content only available to your subscribers.
Moreover, its DisplayEffect tool helps you catch your visitor’s eye to your opt-in forms with sound and animated effects
Pricing
- Standard: $99 per year. It supports one site and lead generation features.
- Pro: $289 per year. It supports 3 sites and it includes email automation and newsletters.
- Agency: $499 per year. Use it on unlimited sites.
Final Words
As you can see, there’s a whole wide world of WordPress paywall plugins out there, for every necessity and every budget. You can get a solid plugin for a one-time payment or even for free.
While some options are just a paywall, others are all-in-one solutions that allow you to set up online courses and much more.
I hope this list helped you find the perfect paywall plugin for you.
Tell us in the comments which one is your favorite!
Thanks for the helpful article. I wasn’t aware that you could earn money with your own content this way.