Create a membership site with PMP Pro for WordPress

If you manage a website WordPress And if you're considering monetizing your content, I present to you Paid Memberships Pro (PMP Pro), A powerful and flexible plugin that I personally use and that transforms your site into a subscription platform. If you are a content creator, sell training courses, or manage a community with members and private, member-only access, PMP Pro offers everything you need to restrict access to content, manage subscriptions, and automate recurring payments. Let's take a complete look!

Why did I need Paid Memberships Pro?

For my website dedicated to nutrition, I needed to manage member registrations and content restrictions. I've produced a lot of content on this site, and some of it is accessible to everyone, while others are restricted to members who registered for free, and finally, The final level concerns content reserved for paying members..

example pmp pro wordpress restricted content

So I needed a simple yet robust solution, and I didn't want to be dependent on AI tools like Lovable, Bolt, or Base44, which are certainly very powerful, but still raise questions about their long-term robustness. Above all, I wanted to control the entire value chain, even though, inevitably, there comes a point where dependencies are unavoidable.

PMPPro has the advantage of being a solution to the impeccable reputation, which has existed for a long time, with a large community, A ultra-responsive support (even in free mode!), and extremely involved founders, with many live sessions on YouTube that are organized very regularly.

The WordPress extension was launched in 2011, and it is used by over 90,000 online businesses and most user ratings range between 4.8 and 5/5, so there's nothing to complain about there.

So, there are no apparent issues related to the long-term maintenance of the solution, nor to the reliability of the team behind this product. But what exactly is Paid Memberships Pro?

What is Paid Memberships Pro?

Paid Memberships Pro is an open-source plugin for WordPress, designed to create and manage membership sites. In fact, it addresses a growing demand on WordPress that existed several years ago, namely: How do we manage registrations, members, and charge them for access to restricted content?

Fan of the WordPress ecosystem? Discover the best of my articles on WordPress as well as my WordPress extensions to make your site shine!

pmpro membership levels

PMP Pro therefore allows you to restrict access to various types of content (pages, articles, videos, etc.) and of manage unlimited free or paid subscriptions. Unlike other solutions, PMP Pro is based on the 100% GPL, meaning it is free at its core, but with premium options for advanced features.

The plugin integrates seamlessly with popular tools like Stripe and PayPal for payments, as well as with extensions like LearnDash for online courses, BuddyBoss for communities, or Mailchimp for newsletters.

If you are not familiar with these kinds of tools (LearnDash or BuddyBoss in particular), feel free to let me know in the comments and I will write articles and tutorials about them, as I have already had the opportunity to use them in my projects.

In any case, PMP Pro is ideal for uses such as paid blogs, podcasts, video on demand, member directories, or even non-profit association websites.

The Main Features of PMPPro

Here are the different features of PMPro.

Create unlimited membership levels

You can create as many plans as you want, with flexible pricing, free trials, or recurring payments. For example, you can create a "Free" tier to attract visitors and "Premium" tiers for exclusive content. That's what I personally did on my nutrition website.

levels of PMP Pro membership

You can restrict different types of content

For example, articles, pages, but also videos or forums. You can even restrict very specific sections of a page with simple shortcodes.

set membership access 3.0 scaled 1

You can manage the members of your community.

You have access to user dashboards, profiles with custom fields, and detailed reports to track sign-ups, revenue, and churn rates.

members pmp pro

Integrations and Add-ons

More than 60 free and premium add-ons to extend functionality, such as integration with Zapier for automation, or tools for paid newsletters and events.

PMP Pro addons

Secure Payments.

Native support for Stripe, PayPal Express, and other gateways. Recurring payments are managed automatically, with options for invoices and reminders.

pmpro membership checkout

Easy Customization

Thanks to its open-source code, developers can customize everything via hooks and filters. Furthermore, it integrates with themes like Elementor and BuddyPress.

In summary, PMP Pro gives you a total control over your subscription site, with ease of use suitable for beginners and pros alike.

The Benefits for Your WordPress Site

Why choose PMPPro over a competitor like MemberPress or Restrict Content Pro? First, Its open-source model makes it essentially free., This makes it perfect for risk-free testing. Users appreciate its robust documentation, responsive support, and value for money. For example, some sites have seen their customer base grow tenfold thanks to its content protection and growth tools.

pmpro membership orders list

For a blog like Tulipe Media, PMP Pro could, for example, allow you to create subscriptions for premium content, exclusive newsletters, or private communities. It's scalable, supports sites of all sizes, and evolves with your needs through regular updates.

On my nutrition website, I mainly use it to restrict access to premium content to my free or paid members, and technically, everything works perfectly. I therefore control the entire value chain without having to rely on too many third-party tools, especially in the long run.

Pricing and how to get started

The basic plugin is free and available directly on the official website. For automatic updates, priority support, and premium add-ons, I recommend opting for a paid plan:

  • Standard : Ideal for small sites.
  • More : For advanced features.
  • Unlimited : For multiple agencies or sites.

Pricing is detailed on their website, and there is no limit on the number of sites where you can use it.

Getting started is easy: Download the plugin, activate it, simply configure your membership levels, and integrate your payment gateway (Stripe, for example). Free tutorials are available for quick setup.

Download PMP Pro

To test the solution and start setting up your membership levels, visit the official PMP Pro website:

Download Paid Memberships Pro

Conclusion

Paid Memberships Pro is a solution robust, flexible and economical to transform your WordPress site into a monetization machine. And after testing different solutions, this is the one I preferred and chose for my site.

If you are looking to build audience loyalty while generating recurring revenue, This is the tool you need.

Feel free to share your experiences with PMP Pro in the comments. See you soon for more WordPress tips!

This article contains affiliate links, but it is based on my honest opinion as a PMP Pro user.

Download Paid Memberships Pro

2 Responses

  1. Hello, thank you for this article, I find few on the subject (recent ones I mean).

    Could you recommend a good PMP Pro tutorial in French?
    I can only find it in English.

    Thanks a lot

    1. Hello, not especially, but I could try to make a short and concise one since I use PMPPro myself. What type of project do you want to use it for?

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