Affiliate disclosure: Creator Systems Hub may earn a commission if you buy MemberPress through links in this article, at no extra cost to you. This review is based on MemberPress’s published plans, features and documentation; prices and plan inclusions can change.
If you want to sell memberships, protected content or online courses from a WordPress website, MemberPress is one of the best-known tools built specifically for the job. It gives you control over your website and customer experience, but that control comes with more setup and maintenance than a fully hosted platform.
Quick verdict: MemberPress is a strong choice for creators and small businesses that already use WordPress and want to own their membership platform. Its access rules, recurring subscriptions, course tools and extensive add-ons make it capable, but beginners should account for hosting, payment processing, introductory pricing and the transaction fee on the Launch plan.
View the latest MemberPress plans
What is MemberPress?
MemberPress is a premium WordPress plugin for creating paid membership websites. It can protect pages, posts, categories, tags, custom post types and downloadable files according to the membership or product a customer buys.
It also supports recurring subscriptions, one-off payments, pricing pages, coupons and self-service member accounts. The MemberPress Courses add-on, which the official documentation says is included with all plans, lets you build and sell courses inside WordPress. Other add-ons extend the system into coaching, communities, directories, corporate accounts and additional integrations.
MemberPress pricing
MemberPress sells annual licences in US dollars. When checked in September 2026, its pricing page advertised the following introductory prices:
- Launch: $199.50 for the first year, normally $399 per year
- Growth: $349.50 for the first year, normally $699 per year
- Scale: $499.50 for the first year, normally $999 per year
These are promotional first-year prices, not permanent annual rates. MemberPress states that renewals are charged at the full price. UK buyers should also allow for exchange-rate movements, possible taxes and the normal fees charged by payment processors.
The Launch transaction fee
The Launch plan adds a 4.9% MemberPress transaction fee to each successful payment. This is separate from Stripe, PayPal or other payment-processing fees. Growth and Scale advertise no MemberPress transaction fee, so a growing membership can reach the point where upgrading costs less than continuing to pay 4.9%.
MemberPress advertises a 14-day money-back guarantee. Always check the live pricing page and terms before purchasing.
Key MemberPress features
Flexible access rules
MemberPress’s core strength is deciding who can see what. You can protect individual pages, groups of posts, categories, tags, custom post types and files. This suits paid newsletters, resource libraries, training portals and multi-level memberships.
Recurring and one-off payments
You can create memberships with recurring or fixed billing terms. The official documentation supports weekly, monthly, quarterly, six-monthly, annual and custom intervals. Customers can manage their subscriptions from a self-service dashboard.
Online courses
MemberPress Courses adds a learning-management system to WordPress. Creators can organise curricula and lessons, add quizzes and sell course access through MemberPress products. This makes it possible to combine a course with an ongoing membership rather than maintaining two separate platforms.
Coupons, pricing pages and checkout tools
MemberPress includes custom coupons and pricing-page tools. Higher-level capabilities and add-ons can add order bumps, upsells and downsells, helping established sites increase the value of each checkout.
Drip content
Content can be released gradually or set to expire. A training business could unlock lessons each week, while a membership could make an archive available only after a customer has subscribed for a certain period.
Integrations and add-ons
MemberPress connects with popular email-marketing, payment and automation tools. Its catalogue includes integrations and add-ons for services such as ActiveCampaign, ConvertKit, Drip, Mailchimp, Zapier, Elementor and other WordPress products. Availability can vary by plan, so check the comparison table for any integration you consider essential.
Advantages for UK creators
- You control the platform: your content and member experience remain on your WordPress website.
- Strong access control: membership rules can protect many different WordPress content types.
- Courses and memberships together: useful for creators combining structured learning with recurring content.
- Recurring revenue tools: subscriptions, trials, coupons and account management are built around membership businesses.
- Room to expand: coaching, community, directories and corporate memberships are available through the wider MemberPress system.
- Tax support: MemberPress advertises built-in tax calculations, including VAT, with TaxJar integration.
Limitations and costs to consider
- WordPress is required: this is a plugin, not a standalone hosted service.
- You manage the technical stack: hosting, updates, backups, security and plugin compatibility remain your responsibility.
- Renewal prices are much higher: budget using the normal annual price, not only the introductory offer.
- Launch takes 4.9%: this is charged in addition to payment-processor fees.
- Paid yearly: the upfront cost may be less comfortable than a monthly hosted platform.
- Add-on complexity: advanced sites may need time to choose and configure the right extensions.
MemberPress versus a hosted membership platform
MemberPress gives you more ownership and WordPress flexibility. You choose the host, theme, plugins and structure, and you are not locked into a single hosted creator platform. The trade-off is responsibility: you need to maintain the site and resolve conflicts or performance issues when they occur.
A hosted platform may be easier for a complete beginner because hosting, software updates and infrastructure are handled for you. MemberPress is more attractive when WordPress ownership and customisation outweigh the convenience of an all-in-one subscription.
Who should choose MemberPress?
MemberPress is worth considering if you:
- Already have a WordPress website
- Want to sell protected content or recurring memberships
- Need detailed access rules
- Plan to combine courses with a membership
- Prefer owning your website and customer journey
- Are comfortable maintaining WordPress or paying someone to help
A fully hosted platform may be more suitable if you want the least technical setup possible or do not want responsibility for hosting, updates and backups.
If you decide WordPress ownership is the right route, follow our step-by-step guide to building a membership website with MemberPress in the UK, including setup, access rules, payment testing and the UK-specific checks to make before launch.
Which MemberPress plan makes sense?
Launch is the lower-cost entry point, but calculate the effect of its 4.9% fee using realistic sales figures. Growth is likely the more sensible comparison for an established membership because it removes that MemberPress transaction fee and adds broader marketing capabilities. Scale is aimed at larger operations needing the widest set of community, messaging, automation and enterprise tools.
Do not choose solely from the plan names. Make a short list of the payment gateways, integrations and add-ons you require, then confirm each one in the live comparison table.
For a worked comparison of the annual prices, renewal costs and Launch fee, read our MemberPress pricing guide for UK buyers.
Final verdict
MemberPress is a capable option for building a serious membership business on WordPress. Its access rules, subscription tools and included course capability cover the foundations well, while its add-ons provide a path into coaching, community and more complex membership models.
The main decision is not simply MemberPress versus another plugin. It is whether you want the flexibility and ownership of WordPress enough to accept the maintenance, annual licence cost and more involved setup. If the answer is yes, MemberPress belongs near the top of the shortlist.
Check the latest MemberPress plans and introductory pricing
Pricing and feature information checked against MemberPress’s official website and documentation in September 2026. Promotional pricing, renewal costs and plan inclusions can change.