If you'd like to restrict content to only specific users of the website, you might want to consider installing one of the readily available WordPress membership plugins. These plugins will allow you to easily control what content is accessible and who can access the content. This could be done at one basic membership level or you could use a more advanced membership configuration that offers different levels of access.
This membership usage could be provided for free or it could be based on membership level fees with online payments. Paid memberships could be based on one-time or recurring fees that are paid on a monthly or yearly basis.
With WordPress, there are lots of options and you don't have to learn to code to implement them.
Basic membership features already in WordPress
Before introducing options for WordPress membership plugins, it is worth stating that WordPress already offers the ability to restrict content based on a user’s registration and role on your website or blog. The WordPress API offers functions to validate a user’s role, allowing you to wrap the feature around specific content or features to enable or disable viewing that content by role.
When you add users to WordPress, the lowest user role is Subscriber. This role only offers the opportunity to modify and update your profile. When you combinw this user role with some minor edits to your templates, you can easily modify content within your site to only be available if the user is registered on your site. Sample code might be:
<!--?php if ((get_option('users_can_register')) && ( current_user_can('subscriber'))) : ?-->
Your content for registered users!
<!--?php else: ?-->
<!--?php _e('Register') ?--> to view this content.
<!--?php endif; ?-->In this example code, you must enable Settings > General > Membership and enable open registration for your site. WordPress installations typically have open registration disabled because of the number of SPAM bots that will register. Your sites may have thousands of registrations daily once you enable this. Additional plugins like email confirmation would be appropriate to thwart the onslaught of spammy registrations.
Another word of caution here: Hiding content from registered users also hides content from search engines by default. You may want to make some modifications to create alternate navigation menus, and load one for registered users and another for unregistered users. This will help avoid confusion by search engine crawlers as well as your users.
bbPress User Forums
Many WordPress users also do not realize that user forums are available via the fully-supported bbPress plugin from Automattic. bbPress expands user roles and allows you to integrate a full-featured forum directly within your WordPress installation.
If restricting content, acquiring members, and producing a user forum was the goal of your Membership site, that’s all you need! However, Membership site implementations typically include other key features outside WordPress’s default capabilities.
Key features of WordPress membership plugins
Depending on what you're trying to achieve, there are several features found across the board in membership plugins for WordPress. The most popular are:
- Paid subscription management with recurring subscriptions.
- Membership level customization and pricing.
- Payment gateway integration to services like PayPal, Stripe and Authorize.net.
- Restricted access to content or the ability to tease content without the need for writing code.
- Security features to block paid accounts from sharing.
- Email integration to customize and deliver messages to your community.
- An API isn't a necessity, but if the plugin developer is offering it, it most likely shows a level of detail and capability. As well, if you're seeking to enhance your membership down the road, an API is a welcome feature.
Membership means different things to different people, so you may wish to evaluate additional plugins on the market. If you're technically savvy, for instance, you may want to combine Gravity Forms with a payment gateway add-on and apply it to a registration page. Combined with custom templates that restrict viewing content based on the registration, you've got yourself the basics of a membership site.
With great development resources, you can produce some complex, highly integrated, and full-featured membership platforms. However, the cost of development and upkeep for proprietary integrations is likely outweighed by the robust selection of membership plugins already available within the industry.
For this article, we focused on specific plugins that are widely adopted and available through the WordPress plugin repository. There are other plugins available outside the repository that might be outstanding and exceed your expectations, the most popular examples being MemberPress, MemberMouse and Wishlist Member.
Popular WordPress membership plugins
There are quite a few free WordPress membership plugins available within the WordPress Plugin Repository, but a few stand out:
Membership 2
Membership 2 is a rewritten and optimized membership plugin with more than 10,000 installations. It provides access to downloads, online content, videos, forums and support. It's a basic plugin that offers a paid upgrade to Membership 2 Pro with much more robust features and support. With the incredible resources of the WPMU DEV team behind Membership 2, this is an excellent plugin but requires an ongoing subscription.
Paid Memberships Pro
With over 40,000 installations, Paid Memberships Pro offers unlimited levels, recurring payments, protected content and member management. It also supports integration with WooCommerce, the e-commerce platform that Automattic recently acquired.
S2Member
S2Member is also a freemium plugin with a Pro offering that integrates with PayPal and offers "Buy Now" or Membership access to your site. With S2Member, you're able to restrict access to Roles, Capabilities, Posts, Pages, or anything else in WordPress.
Simple Membership
Simple Membership is a newcomer to the field but has already accumulated more than 9,000 installations. The aptly named plugin offers multiple membership layers that allow you to restrict viewing of posts and pages.
WP-Members
With over 60,000 installations, WP-Members is a well-supported and widely used membership plugin. The developers, RocketGeek Interactive, utilize a freemium model and sell a set of extensions through their site.
Don’t forget WooCommerce
The last option for WordPress membership plugins is WooCommerce Memberships. Along with many of the membership features we've shared, WooCommerce Memberships integrates with other WooCommerce plugins, offering myriad opportunities to expand your functionality. In addition to content, the WooCommerce Memberships plugin can help you to control product sales, bookings, and groups.
WooCommerce, of course, has integrations with virtually every payment gateway, a large selection of email platforms and an extensive network of other offerings.
