The best WordPress paywall plugins for news sites.
Six ways to put a paywall on a WordPress site, compared on price, metering, revenue share, and who does the work. Updated November 2026.
At a glance
| Plugin | Best for | Starting price | Metered paywall | Revenue share | Who runs the site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PaywallProject | Local news publishers who want the site run for them | $299/mo, hosting included | Yes, plus registration wall | None | We do |
| Leaky Paywall | Publishers who run their own WordPress site | Free plugin; paid plans | Yes, plus registration wall | 10% on the free plan | You do |
| MemberPress | Memberships, courses and communities | $349.50 first year, then $699/yr | Yes (PayWall setting) | None on Growth | You do |
| Paid Memberships Pro | Open-source membership sites | Free core; $499/yr Standard | With an add-on | None with a license | You do; Max adds hosting |
| Kadence Memberships (Restrict Content Pro) | Sites already on Kadence | $350/yr bundle, one site | Not listed | None on paid plans | You do |
| WooCommerce Memberships | Stores that sell memberships | $199/yr, plus $279/yr Subscriptions | Not listed | None | You do |
Scroll the table sideways to see every column.
Prices are from each company’s public pricing page in November 2026 and may change. “Not listed” means the feature isn’t shown on that company’s public pages. Payment processing fees (such as Stripe’s) apply to all of them.
What to look for in a WordPress paywall plugin.
A meter and a registration wall. A news site does best when readers can sample stories, then sign up free, then pay. Not every membership plugin can do that.
The real price. Add the license, hosting, a developer’s time, and any revenue share. A free plugin that takes 10% of your subscriptions isn’t free.
Who keeps it running. Paywalls touch caching, payments and sign-in. When something breaks on a deadline night, someone has to fix it.
Your data. Subscribers should live in your WordPress site and payments in your own Stripe account, so you can leave whenever you want.
1. PaywallProject
Best for local news publishers who want it done for them
PaywallProject is a WordPress paywall plugin and a fully managed service in one. We build, host and run your news site, with a metered paywall, free registration wall, print and digital subscriptions and newsletters built in. Plans start at $299 a month with no revenue share, and payments go straight to your own Stripe account.
Good for: weeklies, small dailies and growing local outlets without a developer on staff.
Watch for: it’s a monthly plan, not a one-time license, because hosting and a team are included.
2. Leaky Paywall
Best for publishers who run their own WordPress site
Leaky Paywall is a paywall and subscription plugin built for publishers. It has a metered paywall, a registration wall and paid subscription levels, and it keeps subscriber data in WordPress. The plugin is free to install. If you sell paid subscriptions on the free plan, it takes a 10% revenue share on new ones, and paid plans lower or remove that share.
Good for: publishers with someone in house to host and maintain WordPress.
Watch for: the revenue share on the free plan, and the hosting and upkeep you take on.
3. MemberPress
Best for memberships, courses and communities
MemberPress is an all-in-one WordPress membership plugin. It locks posts, pages and categories, and its PayWall setting lets visitors read a set number of protected pages before they’re asked to sign up. Growth is $349.50 for the first year, then $699 a year, with no transaction fee. Launch is cheaper but adds a 4.9% fee on each charge.
Good for: sites selling courses, coaching or communities alongside content.
Watch for: news features such as e-editions, public notices and obituaries aren’t part of it.
4. Paid Memberships Pro
Best for open-source membership sites
Paid Memberships Pro is a free, open-source membership plugin. Paid licenses unlock add-ons and support: Standard is $499 a year for one site, and Max is $999 a year with managed hosting. Content can be limited by membership level, and an add-on limits how many posts a visitor can read for free.
Good for: teams with a developer who want open-source code they control.
Watch for: you assemble the news features yourself from add-ons.
5. Kadence Memberships (formerly Restrict Content Pro)
Best for sites already built on Kadence
Restrict Content Pro is now Kadence Memberships and is no longer sold on its own. A free version is on WordPress.org, and the paid features come with Liquid Web’s Kadence plans. Liquid Web lists its one-site software bundle at $350 a year. It restricts content by membership level and sells recurring memberships.
Good for: sites already using Kadence themes and blocks.
Watch for: a meter and registration wall aren’t listed, and the product is mid-transition.
6. WooCommerce Memberships
Best for stores that also sell memberships
WooCommerce Memberships turns a WooCommerce store into a membership site for $199 a year. Recurring billing needs WooCommerce Subscriptions as well, at $279 a year. It’s a strong fit when memberships sit alongside products you already sell.
Good for: publishers who already run a WooCommerce store.
Watch for: two paid extensions for recurring subscriptions, and no meter listed.
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Questions publishers ask
What is the best WordPress paywall plugin?
For a local news site, PaywallProject is the only option on this list that also hosts and runs your WordPress site, with a metered paywall, registration wall and newsletters built in and no revenue share. If you want a plugin you run yourself, Leaky Paywall is built for publishers, and MemberPress and Paid Memberships Pro are strong general membership plugins.
Is there a free WordPress paywall plugin?
Yes. Leaky Paywall, Paid Memberships Pro and Kadence Memberships all have free versions. Leaky Paywall’s free plan takes a 10% revenue share on new paid subscriptions. You still pay for hosting and upkeep with any of them.
Which WordPress paywall plugins have a metered paywall?
Leaky Paywall and PaywallProject have a meter and a registration wall built in. MemberPress has a PayWall setting that allows a set number of free views. Paid Memberships Pro offers it as an add-on.
Do WordPress paywall plugins take a cut of my revenue?
Some do. Leaky Paywall’s free plan takes 10% of new paid subscriptions, and MemberPress’s Launch plan adds a 4.9% fee. PaywallProject, MemberPress Growth and paid licenses of the others take no revenue share. Payment processing fees, such as Stripe’s, apply everywhere.
Can I switch WordPress paywall plugins later?
Yes. Your stories stay in WordPress. The work is moving subscribers and their Stripe subscriptions without double charges. We handle that move for publishers coming to PaywallProject.
Want the paywall without the upkeep?
We set up, host and run your WordPress news site with the paywall built in. Talk to a real person first.