For local newspapers, digital-native newsrooms, and nonprofit newsrooms
Turn readers into subscribers, without hiring a dev team.
A fully managed WordPress paywall and membership platform for news publishers. We build it, host it, and support it.
Live on 100+ publisher sites, from small-town weeklies to nonprofit statehouse bureaus.
This is what your readers see.
What you get
Subscriber management made easy with an all-in-one dashboard.
Manage digital, print, and donations from one dashboard. See which stories convert readers into subscribers, track engagement before they hit the paywall, and watch your list grow, all from one dashboard.
See what’s inside
The paywall
A metered paywall that turns readers into subscribers.
Set how many free articles a visitor gets before the paywall shows, by the day, week, or month, and by post type or section. News stays open, investigations don’t, it’s your call, no code required.
The meter tracks by IP address for anonymous and free-registered visitors, so it holds up even when someone clears cookies or opens a private window.
See paywall settingsYou’ve read 3 of 3 free articles
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlimited access to Ridgeline Gazette, starting at $6/mo.
Subscribe nowHow you pay us
We only earn when you do.
No setup fee and no flat monthly bill. We take 10% of the reader revenue we help you bring in, and nothing when there isn’t any.
A local paper keeps its existing budget, since new subscriptions cover the cost. A digital-native newsroom launches on day one without a software line item eating into runway. A nonprofit adds a paid membership tier alongside its donations, with no new fixed cost for the board to approve.
See the full plan detailsExample month
No revenue this month? No bill this month.
E-Editions
Your print edition, online the same day.
A full page-flip edition for every issue, built in, no third-party platform or extra login for readers to manage. Every past issue stays archived and searchable, so readers can find that story from three weeks ago as easily as today’s front page.
Bundle it with a print subscription, sell it on its own, or offer it as a perk for digital subscribers, it’s your call how it fits into the plans you already sell.
See E-Editions in action
Local Calendar
An events calendar that fills itself in.
AI finds and organizes what’s happening in your coverage area, school board meetings, farmers markets, high school games, and adds them automatically. No one on staff has to enter a single event by hand.
It’s another reason for someone to visit your site who wasn’t there for the news, and another chance to turn that visit into a subscriber.
See the calendar in action
And everything else
Grow your publication with the best tech
No separate tools to buy, no third-party plugins to manage, it’s all in the same plan.
Design and setup. High-converting, ultra-fast publisher themes. Our team can match any design and fully manage setup.
Subscriptions and checkout. A subscription platform that enriches your CRM, paired with an all-in-one checkout, including a Shopify-style flow.
Analytics. Pinpoint growth opportunities with data on your most engaged free subscribers and early signals for churn mitigation.
Group subscriptions. Let businesses, schools, and households share access under one plan, managed by a subscriber admin.
Gift subscriptions. Give readers a way to share what they love, one of the most reliable drivers of new subscriber growth.
Integrated newsletters. Create, personalize, and deliver newsletters directly from WordPress, with automated segmentation.
Gift an Article. Subscribers can unlock any story for a friend, no subscription required, a frictionless way to grow readership.
Print subscription management. Collect a mailing address at checkout and export a clean list for your printer every week.
AI text to audio. Transform posts into audio with AI-powered text-to-speech, delivered in seconds.
Mobile apps. An iOS and Android app that syncs with WordPress, push notifications, ads, and subscriber access built in.
Slack support. Skip the ticket queue with a shared Slack channel for direct, real-time support with our team.
Public notice submissions. Let attorneys, agencies, and local governments submit public notices directly through your site.
Modern checkout options. Apple Pay, Google Pay, and card, plus alternate checkout styles like a Shopify-style flow, all with no developer required.
Obituary submissions. Let families submit and pay for obituaries online, priced automatically by length.
WooCommerce integration. Plug into the full WooCommerce payment ecosystem for more gateways and payment options than a single processor allows.
How we work
From first draft to live in four steps
Publisher sites
Real publishers, real sites
A weekly in Massachusetts, a daily in West Virginia, a neighborhood site in Brooklyn. Same platform underneath. No two look alike.
Trusted by 100+ publishers Start your site
In their words
What publishers are saying
PaywallProject has been an essential partner for the all-digital Salem Reporter. Their fully managed setup means we have an expert and available team handling the technical side: hosting, updates, security. When we need support, they’re responsive and knowledgeable. And their counsel on growing our subscriber base has made a material difference in our revenue.
Les Zaitz
Publisher, Salem Reporter · Oregon
PaywallProject understands what independent publishers need. The fully managed tech means our team stays focused on the storytelling that matters to our community. Their support has remained incredibly responsive and reliable, and their help in growing our donor base has strengthened our ability to do the journalism Appalachia deserves.
Dana Coester
Publisher, 100 Days in Appalachia · West Virginia
We encountered the Paywall Project during a major financial crisis. The hosting service saves us money, streamlines our online subscription model, and absolutely sets the bar for the best tech support.
Niki Turner
Publisher, Rio Blanco Herald Times · Colorado
The Paywall Project’s technical support has been invaluable as I transition my legacy newspaper into a digitally robust media company. I often recommend the team and their services to other publishers.
Rashah McChesney
Publisher, Chilkat Valley News · Alaska
They make the specialized aspects of our online newspaper presence easy to update and easy to manage. That lets us deliver news and special features to our digital readers more easily and professionally.
Kate Shunney
Editor, Morgan Messenger · West Virginia
A relief to have every technical aspect of our site covered. Finally, we can spend our time writing as our subscriber base grows.
Gary Kopycinski
Publisher, News Park Forest · Illinois
We couldn’t be more satisfied with the outstanding service provided for our organization’s digital needs. The hosting, updates, support, and overall customer care have been truly top-tier. Their reliability and responsiveness have allowed us to work efficiently and significantly strengthen our online presence.
Francisco Pérez Alviárez
Publisher, Venezuela Inmortal · Venezuela
As a content creator, and non-traditional publisher, I wasn’t sure PaywallProject was built for someone like me, but it’s been a perfect fit. My site is fully managed: hosting, plugin updates, Stripe integration, all of it. Their in-house Paywall plugin is the best I’ve used, fast, and every setting you’d want (copy, design, subscriber emails) is right there in the WordPress dashboard, laid out in a way that actually makes sense. Stripe alone can make a solo creator nervous, and I never have to think about it. It means I can focus on making content, knowing my whole site is in good hands.
Evan Handyside
Musician, Intellimusica · Pennsylvania
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to purchase additional software licenses and hosting?
All software and hosting is included and fully managed by our team.
Can I use PaywallProject for free?
Yes. The Self-serve plan is $0 a month: you install and configure the plugin yourself, and we take a 10% share of the subscriber revenue it brings in, nothing if it brings in nothing. There's no setup fee and no cap on subscribers.
If you'd rather we design, build, host, and manage everything for you, the Standard plan is a flat $299 a month with 0% revenue share, you keep everything your subscribers pay.
What is included with website development?
We offer several custom PaywallProject WordPress themes designed specifically for news publishers. You can choose from one of our preferred templates at no extra cost, or bring your own. We apply your branding and get your site up and running fast.
What is proactive site monitoring?
We partner with BigScoots, an industry-leading managed WordPress host, to monitor your site every 60 seconds. If an issue is detected, no matter the time of day, our hosting partner works to resolve it right away.
Do I need to hire a developer alongside PaywallProject?
No. Every aspect of your website and paywall is managed by PaywallProject. Need a highly custom feature? Our development team will provide a free estimate.
Can you migrate our existing site content?
Yes. Regardless of your current CMS, we can migrate your site into WordPress. Contact us for an estimate.
How long does it take to get up and running?
On average, about two weeks or less.
Still have a question? Talk to our team.
Ready to grow with PaywallProject?
See how you can boost subscribers, ads, and revenue with an all-in-one publishing stack.
Up and running in about two weeks. Start free with revenue share, or go flat-fee at 0%.