Newspaper subscription software that runs itself.
Sell digital, print and bundled subscriptions from your own website. PaywallProject handles the paywall, checkout, renewals and your print mailing list, and our team sets it all up and keeps it running.
What local publishers need from it.
One record per reader
Print and digital subscribers live in the same place, so nobody falls through the cracks between your circulation list and your website.
Payments you own
Money goes straight to your own Stripe account. There’s no revenue share on any managed plan.
No extra staff
You don’t need a developer or a circulation system on the side. Our team runs the software for you.
Included with Community, Daily and Regional. Self-hosted plugin from $99/mo + 5%.
Why most newspaper subscription software falls short.
Most subscription tools were built for one job. Some are billing systems that know nothing about your website. Others are paywalls that can’t tell a print subscriber from a stranger. Bigger circulation platforms do both, but they come with long contracts and a setup project of their own.
That leaves a small paper juggling three or four systems: one for the paywall, one for billing, a spreadsheet for print, and an email tool that doesn’t talk to any of them. Every handoff is a place where a subscriber gets locked out, double-billed, or forgotten at renewal.
PaywallProject puts all of it inside the WordPress site your readers already visit. The paywall, the checkout, the subscriber records, the newsletter and the print export share one database. When a reader subscribes, they can read right away. When they renew, their access just keeps working.
Inside the software
Everything a subscription business runs on.
Paywall
A registration wall first, then the paywall.
Readers trade an email address for more free stories before you ask for money. Dynamic metering sets how many free stories each reader gets.
- Set how many free stories readers get
- Keep breaking news and public safety stories free
- Memberships and donations, alongside or instead of paid plans
Checkout
A checkout readers actually finish.
Readers subscribe with Stripe Checkout, or an inline checkout that keeps them on your site.
- Apple Pay, Google Pay and card
- Default, Full Page or Standalone templates
- WooCommerce when you need more payment gateways
Print and digital, on one record.
Collect a mailing address at checkout and export a clean list for your printer. Sell print, digital or bundled plans side by side, and pair them with a flip-through e-edition.
- Mailing addresses captured at checkout
- A mailing list export for your printer
- Your print edition online with FlipPress
Gifts and groups
More ways to sell a subscription.
Readers buy gift subscriptions for others, and subscribers can unlock a story for a friend. Businesses, schools and households can share one plan, with an admin who manages the seats.
- Gift subscriptions and Gift an Article
- Group subscriptions with seat management
- Analytics that show who converts and who might churn
Trusted by 100+ local publishers
What to look for when you compare options.
Who runs it? Software you have to set up and maintain yourself costs staff time every week. On our managed plans, setup takes 30 days or less and our team handles updates, hosting and support.
Who holds the money? Some platforms collect payments and pay you out later. With PaywallProject, subscription payments go straight to your own Stripe account.
Is there a revenue share? Many tools take a cut of every subscription. Our Community, Daily and Regional plans have none. The self-hosted plugin, $99/mo plus 5%, is the only option with one.
Does it grow your list? A paywall on its own only filters readers. Pair it with a registration wall and newsletters, and it builds the audience your future subscribers come from. Read how one city news site more than doubled its subscription revenue this way.
Can readers help themselves? Subscribers should be able to update a card, change plans and manage their account without calling your front desk. That saves your staff time on every renewal, and it keeps readers from cancelling just because a card expired and nobody could reach them in time.
Weighing a specific platform? See how we stack up on our compare page, including Piano, Leaky Paywall and MemberPress.
Which plan fits your paper?
Community, $299/mo. For weeklies, small dailies and digital startups. We build, host and run your site, with your paywall and subscriptions, newsletters, a digital e-edition, paid obituaries, paid public notices and the AdsGlue ad platform.
Daily, $599/mo. Everything in Community, plus FastPass one-tap sign-in from your newsletter, AI story audio, an events calendar, hosting for higher traffic and priority support. FastPass matters for subscriptions: readers who don’t have to remember a password are more likely to make it past the paywall.
Regional, $999/mo. Everything in Daily, plus enterprise hosting, your own iOS and Android apps, and a dedicated account manager.
Self-hosted plugin, $99/mo + 5%. For digital startups that already run their own WordPress site and want to manage it themselves. You can install it and start selling subscriptions the same day. See the plugin.
None of the managed plans has a setup fee or a revenue share, and you keep every subscription dollar. Run more than one publication? We offer group pricing across your titles.
“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
Questions publishers ask
What is newspaper subscription software?
It’s the system a publisher uses to sell subscriptions and give subscribers access. Good newspaper subscription software covers the paywall, checkout, renewals, subscriber records and print delivery lists in one place.
Can it handle print and digital subscriptions together?
Yes. PaywallProject keeps print and digital subscribers on one record. It collects a mailing address at checkout and exports a clean list for your printer.
How much does it cost?
Managed plans are $299/mo (Community), $599/mo (Daily) and $999/mo (Regional), with hosting included and no revenue share. If you already run your own WordPress site, the self-hosted plugin is $99/mo plus a 5% revenue share. See pricing.
Can you move our existing subscribers over?
Yes. We migrate subscribers from your current system as part of setup, so readers keep their access.
How long does setup take?
On Community, Daily and Regional, 30 days or less, and that build time is included in your first month. With the self-hosted plugin, you can install it and start selling subscriptions the same day.
Does it work for nonprofit newsrooms?
Yes. Nonprofit newsrooms can run memberships and one-time or recurring donations, alongside paid plans or instead of them, and skip the paywall entirely if they choose. Donations go through the same checkout and land in your own Stripe account, and donors are kept on the same reader record as your newsletter subscribers.
Do we keep our own Stripe account?
Yes. Payments go straight to your own Stripe account, and you can add WooCommerce for more payment gateways.
Ready to sell more subscriptions?
Talk to a real person about your paper, your subscribers and your move.