Memberful – Membership Plugin

How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.

Directory searches this plugin turns up in, and which way each one is moving. WordPress.org publishes no history of search positions, so this starts the day we first tracked a keyword and never backfills.

wp.org is where the directory puts the plugin for that search. On merit is where it would sit if results were ranked on rating, support and updates, without the install boost. The last column is how far the wp.org position moved, from our first reading in the last 90 days to the latest.

55 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 8 listed. 47 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 4 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.

Directory rank vs rivals

wp.org popularity rank over time · higher is better · when a rival's line climbs above yours, they've overtaken you

How often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.

Share of active installs on each version of this plugin. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.

Crossed into this band today and the previous band took 10.8 years to cross, so the real count is still just under 1K.

1. ★★★★★ chasewg

   1.6y ago

   As a developer, Memberful is at the top of my shortlist for plugins I recommend to clients seeking a way to put a paywall on their website. First and foremost, it tremendously simplifies the payment tracking process through their customized gateway and platform. Second, it’s backed by an awesome team that will actually meet with you and help you get everything configure and tuned to your site as part of the on boarding process. Finally, the codebase is robust enough that I can get it to fit any use case imaginable. It’s really the perfect blend of the philosophies of SaaS: “just do it for me” and Open Source: “I want to be able to do anything with it”.

   Read on wp.org ↗
2. ★★★★★ Maximilian Mackson

   1.6y ago

   Among my clients, I’m known for dishing out harsh criticism of so-called “modern” software—which is often slow, unstable, and riddled with bugs. My experience working with Memberful has been a notable exception: It does what it says on the tin quickly, without issue, and without frustration. Not to mention I’ve found it straightforward to integrate with other software on every occasion, and is supported by one of the best customer service teams I’ve had the pleasure of interacting with—Lauren in particular always being a joy. If the pricing works for your business, I think you’ll find working with Memberful to be a far more pleasant experience than you’ll have working with any comparable software.

   Read on wp.org ↗
3. ★★★★★ MattDotCom

   1.6y ago

   Memberful handles paywalled and protected content, user CRM, and payments both elegantly AND precisely in a way no other WP membership solution can. While other options want to be a jack of all trades and master of none, Memberful handles what it handles and stays out of the way – giving full freedom to design and development teams to make memorable websites unhampered by one-size-fits-all “solutions.”

   Read on wp.org ↗
4. ★★★★★ drbaker48

   5.1y ago

   I have been using Memberful for a couple of months now and think it is great. Support is awesome and prompt. I would recommend it for anyone creating or updating a membership site.

   Read on wp.org ↗
5. ★★★★★ Jon Henshaw

   7.9y ago

   I’ve been using Memberful for several years now. One of the things I like about them most is that they’re focused on constantly making the service better without constantly adding new features and making it bloated and difficult to use. I use Memberful for my Homeowners Association (HOA) site where all members are free (yes, Memberful supports that!). I also use it for a membership site that requires a subscription to access premium content. It works perfectly for my needs and it’s easy to use shortcodes and functions. For example, I use functions on template pages to show and hide certain information depending on if they’re logged in or not, and also what level of membership they have. Additionally, it fully integrates with Discourse, which is what I use for my forum. I love this service!

   Read on wp.org ↗
6. ★★★★★ echrom

   8.8y ago

   plugin does not secure content. i can still access “restricted” content when not logged in. would not recommend

   Read on wp.org ↗
7. ★★★★★ jesselperry

   10.6y ago

   There are lots of options out there for providing a paywall in front of your content. Memberful provides the perfect balance between the two extremes. On one extreme you have overly complicated corporate systems that are overpriced and antiquated. On the other extreme you have sites that control everything and try to do everything for you — on those you have very little customizability. Memberful is the best of both worlds. It provides modern features (webhooks, OAuth, WordPress integration, an API, etc) without being overly complicated. Because it integrates with WordPress easily and any website with some development — it gives you the power to set up however you need to. Add to that, the customer service is top notch.

   Read on wp.org ↗
8. ★★★★★ HaydenHill

   10.7y ago

   I use the plugin for an online jazz piano lessons website and love the integrations, functionality and features. The set up is simple and the payment processing panel is very well designed and conversion centric. All payments are deposited directly into my Stripe account which makes things super easy to manage. From an SEO standpoint, the plugin allows you to have two versions of the same page, 1 for paying members and the other version full of copy and teaser videos to increase search engine visibility and new member acquisition. I always recommend this plugin… It’s not overly complicated and just does the job, allowing you to focus on running your membership site! Hayden Hill Founder http://www.pianogroove.com

   Read on wp.org ↗

All 5 disclosed vulnerabilities are patched in the current version (1.82.3). Sites still on an older version should update.

1. Patched Medium · 4.3 Memberful – Membership Plugin <= 1.81.2 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Protected Post Content Disclosure ↗
   2026-10-05 CVE-2026-104401 Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor Affects <= 1.81.2 Patched in 1.82.0
2. Patched Medium · 4.3 Memberful – Membership Plugin <= 1.81.0 - Cross-Site Request Forgery ↗
   2026-10-01 CVE-2026-103067 Cross-Site Request Forgery Affects <= 1.81.0 Patched in 1.81.1
3. Patched Medium · 6.5 Memberful <= 1.75.0 - Missing Authorization ↗
   2025-09-22 CVE-2025-58000 Missing Authorization Affects <= 1.75.0 Patched in 1.76.0
4. Patched Medium · 5.3 Memberful <= 1.73.9 - Unauthenticated Content Restriction Bypass to Sensitive Information Exposure ↗
   2024-12-16 CVE-2024-11294 Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor Affects <= 1.73.9 Patched in 1.74.0
5. Patched Medium · 6.4 Memberful – Membership Plugin <= 1.73.7 - Authenticated (contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting ↗
   2024-10-03 CVE-2024-9242 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 1.73.7 Patched in 1.73.8

Whether ChatGPT and Claude name this plugin when asked the category question, and whether the readme gives them something to quote.

Not measured yet for this plugin’s topics. Its tracked searches are not among the measured topics. See the topics measured so far.

Growth timeline

Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow

1. 2026-11-02 1K+ → 900+ down after 3927 days in tier
2. 2016-02-01 900+ → 1K+ up after 80 days in tier
3. 2015-11-13 800+ → 900+ up

Competes with

The plugins that solve the same job, ranked by shared tags then reach, closest match first. The letter on the right is each plugin's health grade (A best, F worst).

Embed this report card

Drop a live Pulse card for Memberful – Membership Plugin into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.

Memberful – Membership Plugin: 900+ active installs, 4.7★ (13 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-02. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/memberful-wp