WooCommerce Memberships – WordPress Plugin Review

If you’re running a WooCommerce store and want to offer exclusive access to content, products, or perks, WooCommerce Memberships WordPress Plugin may be the solution you need. Designed to work seamlessly with WooCommerce, this plugin helps you create a professional membership site—without the complexity often found in standalone tools.

Rather than being just another content-restricting plugin, WooCommerce Memberships WordPress Plugin integrates fully into your eCommerce platform. It enables you to manage memberships, restrict purchases or content, drip material over time, and reward your members with exclusive discounts.

In this complete review, you’ll discover what the WooCommerce Memberships plugin offers, how it works, and whether it’s the right tool for your WordPress site.

What Is WooCommerce Memberships?

WooCommerce Memberships Plugin is a premium extension for WordPress that lets you turn your WooCommerce store into a membership platform. With it, you can restrict:

• Content (pages, posts, custom post types)

• Product viewing and purchasing

• Download access

• User engagement and permissions

Unlike traditional Learning Management Systems (LMS) or bulky membership plugins, this solution blends directly into WooCommerce’s product and order system. You can sell memberships like any other product, attach them to purchases, or assign them manually.

Why Use a Membership Plugin?

WooCommerce Membership plugins allow you to:

• Gate content for paying or registered users

• Sell ongoing access to premium areas

• Reward loyal customers with member-only benefits

• Drive recurring revenue through subscription plans

With WooCommerce Memberships Plugin, all of this is possible without leaving your WordPress dashboard.

Key Features of WooCommerce Memberships

Let’s explore what this plugin delivers and how it supports different membership models.

1. Unlimited Membership Plans

WooCommerce Memberships plugin allows you to create as many membership plans as you need. Each plan can have:

• Unique access rules

• Different durations (e.g., monthly, annually, lifetime)

• Drip schedules for content

• Linked products for automatic access

This flexibility makes it suitable for simple one-plan sites or complex multi-tiered communities.

2. Restrict Access to Content

The plugin provides a robust system to lock content behind membership paywalls. You can restrict:

• Individual posts or pages

• Entire categories

• Custom post types (e.g., courses, portfolios)

• Downloads and media files

Moreover, using shortcodes, you can even protect sections within a single page, offering sneak previews to non-members.

3. Sell Memberships as Products

Memberships can be attached to WooCommerce products, making it easy to sell access:

• One-time payments grant fixed-length access

• Subscription-based products (via WooCommerce Subscriptions) enable recurring payments

• Free products can grant trial or community access

Customers automatically gain membership access upon completing a purchase, which streamlines the onboarding process.

4. Offer Purchasing Discounts

Members can receive exclusive discounts on products or categories, which are configurable per plan. For example:

• Gold members get 20% off all electronics

• Bronze members receive $5 off select items

• VIP customers access flash sales or early deals

These incentives encourage users to join and remain subscribed to your membership plans.

5. Drip Content Over Time

If you don’t want to give away all your content at once, you can use drip scheduling. This feature allows you to release access gradually:

• Unlock posts after a set number of days

• Delay product visibility

• Schedule downloadable content access

Content dripping is especially useful for online courses, training programs, or coaching sessions.

6. Manage Members Easily

WooCommerce Memberships plugin includes a detailed member management interface, where you can:

• View active and expired members

• Filter by membership plan

• Manually assign or remove memberships

• Pause, cancel, or resume accounts

• Export member lists for analysis

Administrators have full control over every aspect of user access and plan history.

7. Customize Member Emails

Communication is key when running a membership program. This plugin lets you send custom emails when:

• A membership is activated

• A plan is set to expire

• Access is updated or revoked

• Content is unlocked

These emails can be fully personalized with dynamic tags and branding.

8. Member Account Dashboard

Members gain access to a dedicated dashboard within their WooCommerce account area. From there, they can:

• View active membership plans

• See upcoming content availability

• Track expiration dates

• Download resources and access perks

The experience feels integrated, familiar, and user-friendly—no need for additional login portals.

9. Integrates With WooCommerce Subscriptions

To enable automatic renewals or monthly billing, WooCommerce Memberships plugin works perfectly with the WooCommerce Subscriptions plugin.

Together, they offer:

• Monthly, yearly, or custom billing cycles

• Free trials or sign-up fees

• Auto-renewals with supported gateways

• Synchronization between subscription and membership statuses

This combination is perfect for SaaS platforms, content libraries, and subscription-based businesses.

10. Content Teasers for Non-Members

Instead of hiding your content completely, WooCommerce Memberships plugin allows you to display teaser messages. These previews entice non-members by showing what they’re missing and encouraging them to upgrade.

You can:

• Display an excerpt

• Add a custom CTA

• Link to membership sign-up pages

This boosts conversion rates while maintaining SEO visibility.

Real-World Use Cases

Let’s break down how WooCommerce Memberships plugin supports different business models.

A. Online Course Platform

If you’re selling educational content, you can restrict lessons and modules to members only. Use drip content to schedule releases, and combine with Subscriptions for recurring billing.

B. VIP eCommerce Club

Create exclusive member-only products, apply special discounts, and offer free shipping perks. Your most loyal customers will feel valued—and keep coming back.

C. Freelancers or Coaches

Use memberships to give clients access to premium downloads, templates, video calls, or private blog content. Set limits or unlock new tools over time.

D. Content Publishers or Bloggers

Offer a members-only blog tier with access to premium content, tools, or behind-the-scenes updates. Include downloadable files and archive access.

E. Wholesale Store Access

Restrict certain products or pricing tiers to verified wholesale customers. Set memberships to activate after product purchase or manual approval.

How to Set Up WooCommerce Memberships

Setting up the plugin is simple if you already have a WooCommerce store.

Step 1: Install the Plugin

• Purchase from Themexplug

• Upload and activate the plugin via WordPress

• Ensure WooCommerce is active and configured

Step 2: Create Membership Plans

Navigate to WooCommerce > Memberships > Membership Plans, then:

• Click “Add Membership Plan”

• Enter a plan name and description

• Choose how access is granted (purchase or manual)

• Define duration (lifetime, fixed period)

• Add content access rules

• Set purchasing and discount rules

Step 3: Link Products to Memberships

Edit or create a WooCommerce product and scroll to the Memberships tab. From there:

• Select which plan this product grants access to

• Define if access starts after purchase, or after a delay

• Combine multiple plans or upgrade paths if needed

Step 4: Set Content Restrictions

Inside each plan, configure rules for:

• Posts, pages, or categories to restrict

• Drip schedules

• Product visibility and purchase rules

• Member discount levels

Use shortcodes or Gutenberg blocks to control access within individual pieces of content.

Step 5: Test the Member Experience

Before going live, create a test account and simulate the membership purchase flow. Ensure:

• Access is correctly granted

• Content restrictions apply as expected

• Member dashboard shows plan details

• Emails are sent properly

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Full WooCommerce integration

• Content, product, and download restrictions

• Unlimited membership plans

• Drip content and teaser previews

• Member-only discounts

• Excellent for product-based memberships

• Custom email and dashboard experience

• Works with Subscriptions for recurring billing

Cons:

• No course builder or LMS functionality

• Requires WooCommerce Subscriptions for auto-renewals

• Not ideal for community forums (without third-party add-ons)

• Price may be steep for small businesses

Pricing

WooCommerce Memberships plugin is a premium plugin, sold exclusively on WooCommerce.com.

• Cost: $199 per year

• Includes: 1 website license, plugin updates, and email support

• 30-day money-back guarantee

Final Verdict

WooCommerce Memberships Plugin is a robust, developer-friendly, and tightly integrated membership plugin built for serious businesses. It allows you to control access, monetize content, and manage members—all within the WooCommerce ecosystem.

Whether you’re running an eCommerce brand, educational portal, or content-driven business, this plugin equips you with the tools to build a flexible, scalable membership experience.

If you’re already using WooCommerce and want to add memberships without switching platforms or overcomplicating your tech stack, this plugin is one of the best investments you can make.

Click here to get WooCommerce Memberships Plugin now!