Best WordPress Membership Plugins in 2026
Data from WordPress.org Updated First published 5 min read
Paid access levels, recurring subscriptions and content locked to members.
A membership plugin decides who may see what, and takes the recurring payment that grants it. That makes it two products in one: an access control layer over your content, and a subscription biller, and plugins are rarely equally good at both.
Together these 10 plugins run on more than 810,000 active WordPress sites. Ranked from both WordPress.org orderings for "membership", its tag listing and its search results.
On this page
Best Membership Plugin for each measure
One plugin per measure, taken from the same WordPress.org figures as the ranking. A measure with nothing behind it is left out rather than guessed.
- Most installed
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Members
300,000+, active installs reported by WordPress.org
- Highest rated
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Members
4.9 out of 5, from 1,280 reviews, counting only plugins with at least 50
- Most reviewed
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Ultimate Member
1,445 reviews, the largest body of feedback behind a score
- Most recently updated
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Members
October 21, 2026, the latest release in this list
- Longest established
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Members
September 17, 2009, first published on WordPress.org
- Best support record
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Paid Membership Subscriptions
20 of 21 resolved, recent threads on the WordPress.org support forum
Membership Plugins compared: rating, reviews, installs
| # | Plugin | Rating | Reviews | Active installs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Members | 4.9 | 1,280 | 300,000+ |
| 2 | Ultimate Member | 4.4 | 1,445 | 200,000+ |
| 3 | Simple Membership | 4.6 | 475 | 40,000+ |
| 4 | User Registration | 4.8 | 832 | 50,000+ |
| 5 | WP-Members | 4.6 | 272 | 50,000+ |
| 6 | Paid Membership Subscriptions | 4.7 | 269 | 10,000+ |
| 7 | ProfilePress | 3.1 | 938 | 100,000+ |
| 8 | Kit | 4.8 | 90 | 40,000+ |
| 9 | Simple Membership After Login Redirection | 4.8 | 15 | 10,000+ |
| 10 | Groups | 4.8 | 382 | 10,000+ |
The 10 best Membership Plugins, ranked by WordPress.org
Ranked from both WordPress.org orderings for "membership", its tag listing and its search results. Arrows show movement against the previous snapshot.
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1.Members
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin
4.9 (1,280) 300,000+ active installs Updated Oct 21, 2026 Tested up to 7.1.3The best WordPress membership and user role editor plugin. User Roles & Capabilities editor helps you restrict content in just a few clicks.
47,987 downloads in 30 days -
Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin
4.4 (1,445) 200,000+ active installs Updated Sep 29, 2026 Tested up to 7.1.3 Paid version availableMembership & community plugin with user profiles, registration & login, member directories, content restriction, user roles and much more.
150,005 downloads in 30 days 
4.6 (475) 40,000+ active installs Updated Oct 21, 2026 Tested up to 7.1.3Simple membership plugin adds membership functionality to your site. Protect members only content using content protection easily.
54,458 downloads in 30 days
User Registration & Membership – Free & Paid Memberships, Subscriptions, Content Restriction, User Profile, Custom User Registration & Login Builder
4.8 (832) 50,000+ active installs Updated Oct 17, 2026 Tested up to 7.1.3 Paid version availableBuild membership sites with tiered plans, content restriction, drag-&-drop custom registration & login form builder, and built-in payment system.
58,886 downloads in 30 days
WP-Members Membership Plugin
4.6 (272) 50,000+ active installs Updated Oct 19, 2026 Tested up to 7.1.3The original WordPress membership plugin with content restriction, user login, custom registration fields, user profiles, and more.
44,245 downloads in 30 days-
Paid Membership Subscriptions – Effortless Memberships, Recurring Payments & Content Restriction
4.7 (269) 10,000+ active installs Updated Oct 20, 2026 Tested up to 7.1.3Feature-packed membership plugin for creating subscription plans, adding recurring payments & content restriction on your membership site.
33,667 downloads in 30 days 
Paid Membership Plugin, Ecommerce, User Registration Form, Login Form, User Profile & Restrict Content – ProfilePress
3.1 (938) 100,000+ active installs Updated Oct 15, 2026 Tested up to 7.1.3 Paid version availableSetup paid membership, accept payment, sell subscription & digital product, paywall, create login & registration form, user profile & member directory
142,321 downloads in 30 days
8.Kit
Kit (formerly ConvertKit) – Email Newsletter, Email Marketing, Membership, Subscribers and Landing Pages
4.8 (90) 40,000+ active installs Updated Oct 15, 2026 Tested up to 7.1.3Build your email subscriber lists, send email marketing newsletters, create landing pages, build custom subscription forms with the Form Builder block …
118,456 downloads in 30 days
4.8 (15) 10,000+ active installs Updated Aug 21, 2026 Tested up to 7.1.3An addon for the simple membership plugin to configure after login redirection to a specific page based on the member's level.
1,737 downloads in 30 days
10.Groups
Groups – Memberships and Access Control
4.8 (382) 10,000+ active installs Updated Sep 24, 2026 Tested up to 7.1.3Turn your site into a powerful membership solution. Manage members, teams and access to content easily.
10,792 downloads in 30 days
What changed in the Membership Plugins ranking
How to choose a Membership Plugin for WordPress
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1
Map your levels before you install
Free, paid and one-off purchases, plus what each unlocks, is a decision about your business. Plugins differ in how many levels and overlaps they allow.
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2
Check how content is protected
Hiding a page from a menu is not protection. The plugin must block direct URLs, feeds and media files, which is where several fall short.
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3
Recurring billing is the hard part
Failed payments, retries, upgrades and cancellations decide your revenue. Look at how the plugin handles a card that expires, not just the first sale.
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4
Ask what happens when it is removed
Members, levels and subscriptions live in the plugin. Know how they export before you have hundreds.
Membership Plugin comparisons: side by side
The top four against each other on installs, ratings, reviews and updates. Each measure names its own leader; there is no overall winner.
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vs
Members vs Ultimate Member#1 vs #2 · 300,000+ vs 200,000+ installs
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vs
Members vs Simple Membership#1 vs #3 · 300,000+ vs 40,000+ installs
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vs
Members vs User Registration#1 vs #4 · 300,000+ vs 50,000+ installs
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vs
Ultimate Member vs Simple Membership#2 vs #3 · 200,000+ vs 40,000+ installs
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vs
Ultimate Member vs User Registration#2 vs #4 · 200,000+ vs 50,000+ installs
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vs
Simple Membership vs User Registration#3 vs #4 · 40,000+ vs 50,000+ installs
How we rank Membership Plugins
WordPress.org publishes two orderings for "membership" and neither is reliable alone. The tag listing covers every tag the directory files these plugins under, "membership", "memberships", "subscriptions" and "paid-membership", and is sorted by active installs, which lets a large plugin carrying one of them loosely sit above the ones the category is about. Its search results are sorted by relevance and carry their own noise. So a plugin is placed here by where it sits across both lists: high in each one lifts it, high in only one does not. We fetch both every day at 03:00 UTC, keep every day's snapshot, and add nothing of our own. No plugin is inserted, removed or sponsored, and each entry shows its position in both lists on its own page. Full methodology.
Membership Plugins FAQ
What is the best Membership Plugin for WordPress?
On WordPress.org's own ranking for "membership", Members is #1 as of October 22, 2026, with 300,000+ active installs and a 4.9 out of 5 rating.
Which Membership Plugin has the most active installs?
Members, with 300,000+ active installs reported by WordPress.org as of October 22, 2026. It ranks #1 in this list.
Which Membership Plugin has the highest rating?
Members, rated 4.9 out of 5 by 1,280 reviewers on WordPress.org. Only plugins with at least 50 reviews are counted, so a single 5-star review does not win.
Which Membership Plugin was updated most recently?
Members shipped its latest release on October 21, 2026. 10 of the 10 plugins in this list were updated in the last 90 days, which is the usual sign of active maintenance.
How many Membership Plugins are there on WordPress.org?
WordPress.org lists 427 plugins tagged "membership", "memberships", "subscriptions" and "paid-membership" as of October 22, 2026. This page shows the top 10 in the directory's own order.
Are these Membership Plugins free?
All 10 are free to install from WordPress.org. 3 of them are listed as commercial, meaning the developer sells a paid version or add-ons: Ultimate Member, User Registration, ProfilePress.
Do Membership Plugins protect files and images too?
Not all of them. Plugins that only hide pages leave the uploads folder open, so a direct link to a PDF or video still works for anyone who has it. If you sell downloads or course video, confirm the plugin serves files through a protected handler rather than linking to wp-content.
What is the difference between a Membership Plugin and an LMS?
A membership plugin controls access and billing for any content. A learning system adds what teaching needs on top: lessons in order, progress tracking, quizzes and certificates. Many sites run a course plugin for the teaching and a membership plugin for the subscription.
Membership Plugins: the bottom line
As of October 22, 2026, Members holds the #1 spot for "membership" on WordPress.org, followed by Ultimate Member and Simple Membership. If install base matters most, Members leads with 300,000+ active installs. If ratings matter most, Members scores 4.9 out of 5 across 1,280 reviews.
More WordPress plugin rankings
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Best User Profile Plugins
Front-end registration, member profiles and role management for WordPress users.
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Best Login Plugins
Custom login pages, social sign-in and limits on who can reach wp-admin.
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Best Ecommerce Plugins
Product catalogues, carts and checkouts that turn a WordPress site into a shop.
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