ARMember vs MemberPress
Features, use cases, pros and cons, and pricing side by side — and which one to pick.
Best for: Coaches and creators selling online courses or gated lessons, Associations managing members and recurring subscriptions
Read the full ARMember reviewBest for: Creators selling online courses with a built-in WordPress LMS, Coaches running one-on-one or group coaching programs
Read the full MemberPress reviewCommission may apply at no extra cost
ARMember vs MemberPress: features compared
Compare key features side by side
Feature Comparison Summary
Which should you choose?
Choose ARMember if
- You need 22+ built-in payment gateways, including Stripe and PayPal
Choose MemberPress if
- You're selling structured courses with quizzes and AI tools
- You offer coaching programs or B2B corporate accounts
- You want MCP, REST API, and Zapier automation on top tiers
ARMember vs MemberPress: pros and cons
ARMember bundles subscriptions, gated content, payments, and community tools into one WordPress plugin, with a genuinely free version you can keep. Just watch that courses, communities, and group plans sit in the $299/year Enterprise tier, and that premium plans are annual-only. Overall, it's a solid pick for WordPress owners who want membership essentials without stacking plugins.
Pros
- Ships with 22+ native payment gateways including Stripe, PayPal, and Razorpay, so you can accept recurring payments without installing third-party connector plugins
- Security features come built in — brute-force login protection, a hideable WordPress login page, and auto-locking of shared member accounts — reducing the need for a separate security plugin stack
- Supports four monetization models on the same site — recurring subscriptions, one-time lifetime plans, pay-per-post sales, and parallel memberships held by a single member
Cons
- Several headline capabilities — online courses, social community, group membership, and member network sites — only appear in the $299/year Enterprise plan, so lower tiers require workarounds or missing features
- No monthly billing option is listed; paid plans are annual-only starting at $89/year, and the site's lifetime option requires comparing terms separately
- The free plan is limited to 2 payment gateways, no premium add-ons, and limited support, so you can't fully evaluate gateway compatibility or premium features before paying
MemberPress
MemberPress packs paywalls, courses, coaching, and communities into one WordPress plugin, with code-free setup and unusually broad payment support. The trade-offs: annual-only billing, renewals at full price, a 4.9% fee on the entry plan, and top-tier features locked behind Scale. Overall, it's a strong pick for WordPress owners who want one system instead of many.
Pros
- Consolidates paywalls, subscription billing, courses, coaching, communities, and digital downloads into a single WordPress plugin, replacing the need for several separate tools
- Content Access Rules let you gate posts, pages, and courses with a click, and Growth-and-above plans add content dripping and access expiration for scheduled releases
- ReadyLaunch™ page maker and drag-and-drop course builder enable a code-free setup that the vendor claims can be sale-ready in under a day, working with any theme including custom ones
Cons
- Annual billing only — no monthly payment option appears on the pricing page, so the minimum commitment is $199.50 per year, and refund terms are not displayed there
- The entry-level Launch plan ($199.50/year) omits quizzes, assignments, certificates, and content dripping, and locks you to Stripe as the only payment gateway
- Coaching (CoachKit™) and community features (ClubSuite™ forums, directories, live chat) plus the built-in affiliate program are reserved for the top Scale tier at $499.50/year
ARMember and MemberPress in detail
ARMember
ARMember is a WordPress membership plugin for building paid-content sites. It handles subscriptions, gated content, member profiles, and communities from one dashboard.
You can run courses, video or podcast memberships, associations, and digital download stores. The site reports 50,000+ users, a free version, and premium plans from $89 per year.
Standout features
- Lock Down Content, Your Way
- Drip Content on a Schedule
- Flexible Ways to Charge Members
- A Community Feel From Day One
- Security That's Built In
Use cases
- Sell Online Courses Without Code
- Run a Podcast or Video Membership
- Manage an Association or Community
- Sell Digital Downloads and Paid Posts
MemberPress
MemberPress is a WordPress plugin that turns a regular site into a paid membership business. Based on the company's site, it covers paywalls and content dripping, subscription billing, online courses, coaching programs, member communities, and digital downloads. It's aimed at creators, coaches, course sellers, and businesses that want recurring revenue on WordPress. Setup is marketed as code-free, and the plugin works with any theme.
Standout features
- Lock Down Your Content
- Turn Knowledge Into Courses
- Build Community and Coaching
- Get Paid, Your Way
- Launch Fast, Without Code
Use cases
- Sell Your First Online Course
- Coach Clients on Recurring Revenue
- Grow a Paid Community
- Sell Bulk Memberships to Businesses
Pricing compared
List prices from each vendor's pricing page, before taxes and add-ons. Costs are per month.
| Pricing compared | ARMember | MemberPress |
|---|---|---|
| From (cheapest paid plan) | $8.25/mo Standard | $33.25/mo Launch |
| Free plan | Yes Limited support; no premium add-ons or premium payment gateways | No |
| Free trial | Not stated | Not stated |
| Money-back guarantee | 14 days | Not stated |
| Annual billing savings | — | — |
| Pricing model | Flat price | Flat price |
| Cost for 1 user | FreeCheaper Free plan, billed annually | $33.25/mo Launch plan, billed annually |
| Cost for 5 users | $8.25/mo Standard plan, billed annually · price per account (user limit not stated) | $33.25/mo Launch plan, billed annually · price per account (user limit not stated) |
| Cost for 10 users | $8.25/mo Standard plan, billed annually · price per account (user limit not stated) | $33.25/mo Launch plan, billed annually · price per account (user limit not stated) |
| Cost for 25 users | $8.25/mo Standard plan, billed annually · price per account (user limit not stated) | $33.25/mo Launch plan, billed annually · price per account (user limit not stated) |
| Plans | 4 | 3 |
| Prices checked | Checked Oct 13, 2026 | Vendor page checked Oct 13, 2026 |
| Price history | Tracking prices since Sep 8, 2026. No price change detected yet. | Tracking prices since Sep 9, 2026. No price change detected yet. |
- Cheapest plan that fits each team size. Per-user plans are multiplied by the number of users (respecting stated minimums and seat packs). Plans that include some users cost their base price plus the extra-user price for each user beyond those included. Flat-priced plans with no stated user limit are counted as one licence per user.
Cheaper for your team size
For 1 user (billed annually), ARMember costs $0/mo vs MemberPress at $33.25/mo.
- Only ARMember has a free plan.
Computed from published list prices on the dates shown. Excludes taxes, add-ons and promotions.
More comparisons
Frequently Asked Questions
Does either tool work outside WordPress?
No. Both are WordPress-only plugins. You'll need your own WordPress site, hosting, and theme. Neither runs on Wix, Squarespace, or other platforms.
Which is better for selling online courses?
MemberPress includes a built-in LMS with quizzes and an AI course generator. ARMember's course features arrive on the Enterprise plan through add-ons, so MemberPress fits course sellers better.