WishList Member – WordPress Membership Plugin Review

Running a membership site is one of the most reliable ways to generate recurring revenue, build a loyal community, and deliver gated content. But it all hinges on one thing—your membership plugin. That’s where WishList Member Plugin has quietly dominated the space for over a decade.

It’s one of the oldest and most battle-tested membership plugins built for WordPress, yet it continues to evolve with modern features, deep integrations, and rock-solid reliability. Whether you’re launching your first course or scaling a multi-tiered membership empire, WishList Member can handle it.

In this review, we’ll dive into what makes WishList Member a long-standing favorite, explore its features, use cases, pros and cons, and why it remains a smart choice in a world full of flashy alternatives.

What Is WishList Member?

WishList Member is a powerful WordPress plugin that lets you create, manage, and protect membership content on your website. It allows you to:

• Restrict content by membership levels

• Create free or paid memberships

• Integrate with payment processors and email tools

• Drip content over time

• Manage members and their access

• Protect online courses, digital downloads, and more

Unlike some plugins that feel overly developer-centric or bloated with fluff, WishList Member focuses on doing membership management really well—with flexibility and control.

Who Is WishList Member For?

This plugin is ideal for:

• Online course creators

• Coaches and consultants

• Digital product sellers

• Community builders

• Nonprofits offering member-only content

• Publishers or bloggers creating premium content areas

Whether you’re managing a small community or thousands of paying members, WishList Member scales up or down with your needs.

Core Features of WishList Member

Let’s walk through the standout features that make this plugin worth considering.

1. Flexible Membership Levels

You can create unlimited membership levels, and each can have:

• Unique access permissions

• Pricing (free or paid)

• Duration (ongoing or time-limited)

• Upgrade/downgrade paths

This allows you to build a simple free/paid structure—or a full-blown tiered membership ecosystem.

Members can also belong to multiple levels simultaneously, giving you room to build bundles or stack access.

2. Content Protection and Access Control

WishList Member lets you protect any type of WordPress content:

• Posts

• Pages

• Categories

• Custom post types

• Downloads

• Videos and courses

You can set access by:

• Membership level

• Sequential drip (day-based or date-based)

• Specific users

• Expiry rules

This ensures that only the right members see the right content, at the right time.

3. Drip Content and Scheduling

Dripping content over time helps reduce overwhelm and increase retention.

WishList Member allows you to:

• Deliver content X days after signup

• Schedule lessons on specific calendar dates

• Show/hide content based on time or membership rules

This is perfect for structured online courses, onboarding sequences, or timed coaching programs.

4. Payment Gateway Integration

WishList Member integrates natively with:

• Stripe

• PayPal

• ThriveCart

• WooCommerce

• ClickBank

• Authorize.Net

• Infusionsoft (Keap)

You can create:

• One-time payments

• Subscriptions

• Free trials

• Payment plans

• Coupons and discounts

The built-in checkout options vary depending on the gateway, and you can combine WishList with WooCommerce for more flexibility.

5. Email Marketing Integration

Automating email sequences based on member activity is crucial for engagement.

WishList Member connects directly with:

• ActiveCampaign

• ConvertKit

• Drip

• Mailchimp

• AWeber

• GetResponse

• MailerLite

• Keap

You can trigger email campaigns based on actions like:

• Signup

• Level upgrade

• Cancellation

• Failed payment

• Content access

These automations let you re-engage inactive users, upsell members, or simply keep everyone informed.

6. Built-In Member Management

WishList Member gives you a full dashboard to manage users:

• View member profiles

• Assign or revoke access

• See login history

• Approve pending users

• Export lists by level or status

This keeps everything in-house—no need for external spreadsheets or CRMs.

7. Multi-Level Access and Stacking

You can allow members to access multiple levels simultaneously. This means:

• A user could be in “Monthly Plan” and also in “Workshop Add-On”

• You can create bundles or promotions with combined access

• It’s easier to upsell and cross-sell

This stacking ability sets WishList apart from plugins that only allow one level per user.

8. Partial Content Protection

Sometimes you want to protect only a portion of a post or page.

WishList Member lets you use shortcodes to:

• Hide content for non-members

• Show upgrade links

• Tease locked sections

This is great for “blurred” content previews, sales teases, or gated downloads inside free articles.

9. Integration with Page Builders

WishList Member plays nicely with:

• Elementor

• Beaver Builder

• Divi

• Gutenberg

You can use their content protection features inside widgets and modules, giving you more design control over how gated content is presented.

Real Use Cases for WishList Member

Let’s look at how real creators use WishList Member to grow their businesses.

Online Course Creator

A course creator builds a three-tier membership:

• Free Level: Free lead magnet access

• Premium Level: Main course

• VIP Level: Monthly coaching

Each level is dripped, and members are automatically added to relevant email campaigns via ConvertKit.

Consultant or Coach

A business coach offers group coaching and recorded sessions inside a protected portal.

Using WooCommerce + Stripe, clients purchase access and are instantly added to the right level. Content is released weekly using drip rules.

Content Publisher

A blogger wants to turn their content into a paid subscription. They protect certain categories and posts and offer:

• Monthly subscriptions via PayPal

• Annual discounts via Stripe

• Custom welcome emails with login info

WishList manages it all behind the scenes.

Pros and Cons of WishList Member

Let’s evaluate what WishList Member gets right—and where it might fall short.

Pros

• Reliable and well-supported since 2008

• Powerful membership rules and level stacking

• Great integration with payment and email platforms

• Content dripping, scheduling, and partial protection

• Built-in user management and automation triggers

• One-time or subscription-based pricing

• Compatible with most major WordPress themes and builders

• Large knowledge base and documentation

Cons

• Interface can feel a bit outdated compared to modern SaaS tools

• Learning curve if you’re setting up complex tier systems

• Some integrations (like affiliate tools) may require third-party solutions

• No built-in course builder (need to use your theme, page builder, or LMS plugin)

WishList Member vs Other Membership Plugins

Here’s a quick comparison to help position WishList against other options:

WishList Member wins on level stacking, one-time purchase flexibility, and integration depth. If you don’t need an all-in-one LMS, it’s a strong, focused option.

Pricing – Is WishList Member Worth It?

WishList Member offers transparent pricing:

• $149/year for 1 site

• $299/year for up to 10 sites

• $399/year for unlimited sites

• Occasional lifetime licenses during promo windows

You get access to all features, integrations, and priority support.

Given that most membership plugins cost $200 to $400 per year for just a few sites, WishList Member is priced competitively—especially if you plan to use it across multiple client projects.

And because it’s not SaaS-based, you own your platform and avoid monthly lock-in.

Final Verdict: Should You Use WishList Member?

If you’re serious about launching or growing a membership site on WordPress, WishList Member is a solid and proven choice.

It’s not the flashiest plugin out there, but what it lacks in hype, it makes up for in reliability, flexibility, and real-world usability. From flexible access rules and stacked levels to seamless integrations and content dripping, it has everything most creators and agencies need.

It’s especially strong if:

• You want deep control over content access

• You sell to multiple tiers or membership levels

• You manage more than one site or plan to grow

• You want to avoid high recurring fees

If you’re building a membership site from scratch or migrating from a clunkier system, WishList Member is a powerful, battle-tested solution that won’t let you down.

TL;DR Summary

Set it up once. Deliver value consistently. Build a membership site that grows with you.

Click here to get WishList Member Plugin Now!