ChrisLema.com

Helping businesses leverage WordPress and helping WordPress businesses find leverage.

  • Home
  • Blog
  • Contact Me

September 13, 2016   /   eCommerce, Memberships, WordPress

What is the best WordPress membership plugin for me?

Chris Lema

Best WordPress membership plugin

Asking the question in the right way

I’m not joking that I get this question almost every single day of the year. Last year I can only think of two or three days that I didn’t get it. Sometimes it comes in email. Sometimes from my contact page. Other times on Facebook as a chat. And other times in the comments on one of my membership posts.

“What’s the best WordPress membership plugin for my situation?”

It’s a great question. But this is no longer 2008. We have a lot more choices. So anyone who gives you an answer, directly, without asking you more is doing you a disservice.

Because the selection you make should be based on you. Not on the features of each plugin.

Many have very similar features. Some are written better than others and perform better. Others have better support. Some are easier to use. But that only matters when you need it to matter.

So if you’re asking someone (not just me) about the best WordPress membership plugin, I want you to stop for a second.

Because I don’t want you to ask the question in a way that gets you a cruddy answer.

  • Be prepared to explain what you will charge for.
  • Be prepared to explain how much you’ll charge.
  • Be prepared to explain when you’ll charge.
  • Be prepared to explain how often you want to charge.
  • Be prepared to articulate what you’re protecting.
  • Be prepared to explain what is generic and what is specific to each person.
  • Be prepared to explain whether a person can join more than one level of membership at a time.

If you’re writing a note, asking this question, you’ll want to put all of this in there. Because if not, I won’t know how best to give you advice.

In this quick video, I liken it to how you pick the next couch you buy.

So, do you have this question?

Are you wondering which one to select? Maybe you don’t even know which ones are out there.

There are many, but I only like to highlight the ones that are really well-written and supported well. I know that means that some of the ones you’ve heard of (from way back when) may not be listed below, but that’s on purpose.

  • Cart66
  • Exchange
  • MemberPress
  • Restrict Content Pro
  • WooCommerce + Memberships + Subscriptions

Now, to be clear, those 5 options are ordered by their names, not my preference.

Why? Because how can I have a preference, or recommendation for you, without knowing more about your situation.

So tell me – what business are you trying to run? Give me the details. I’ll see if there’s a good option for you, from the list above.

About Chris Lema

Chris is best known for relentlessly writing blog posts (regardless of who reads them) and tirelessly telling stories (regardless of who hears them). He's a blogger, conference speaker, coach, advisor, and manager of people.

Powered by the Rainmaker Platform

The Rainmaker Platform by Copyblogger Media is the complete website solution for building your own online marketing and sales platform. In short, it makes the technology part of running an online business simple so that online marketers and business owners can focus on building audiences and growing businesses.

Start your free 14-day trial

Join more than 7,500 others

My posts. Your inbox. Beautiful.

Thanks! Now check your email.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

WANT SOME QUICK ADVICE? PAY PER MINUTE.

I regularly schedule calls to answer your questions using
a service where you only pay per minute.

call me
  • People don’t fully grasp how strategic Chris is. I love that about him and count on it all the time.

    Karim Marucchi
  • Chris often breaks paradigms and has me rethinking the way I approach my business.

    Jeff Zinn
  • Chris always gives me something to think about – a new lens through which to examine my business.

    Lucy Beer
  • Chris’s advice has helped me to make better decisions about my business, and manage my clients better.

    Natalie MacLees
  • Chris has been a source of wisdom and insight in business and product strategy, startups, entrepreneurship, and more.

    Austin Gunter
  • Chris is one of those rare people who can take a difficult subject and make it easy to learn and remember.

    Dave Jesch
  • Chris has a heart of gold and is willing to reach out and help. He has helped me in several ways both in WordPress coding and consulting with me on my business. He has been a blessing in my life and look forward to a long friendship with him.

    Gregg Franklin
  • Chris Lema always drops knowledge bombs that makes me think about how I can evolve my WordPress-powered business. Even more valuable is that he does it in a way that makes drastic change seem achievable.

    Chris Ford
  • Whether it's product strategy or a question about which plugin to use, I know Chris will get me an answer faster than anyone else.

    Steve Zehngut
  • Chris is a great mentor, instructor and friend. He fills all these roles with a down to earth style and ease that actually encourages you to believe that success is within your grasp.

    Alex Vasquez

My WP Friends

  • Cory Miller (iThemes)
  • Karim Marucchi (Crowd Favorite)
  • Steve Zehngut (Zeek)
  • Syed Balkhi (WPBeginner)

Learn WordPress

  • WP101
  • WPBeginner
  • WP Sessions

My Other Sites

  • my leadership blog

Additional Info

  • About Chris Lema
  • Contact Me
  • Disclosure
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © Chris Lema

Powered by the Rainmaker Platform

Heap | Mobile and Web Analytics
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube