Paid Memberships Pro v3.5 Release Candidate: Ready for Developer-Supported Production Sites

We are excited to announce the release candidate (RC) for Paid Memberships Pro v3.5. The three biggest updates in this release include Action Scheduler support, a framework for Restricting Files, improved Payment Settings UI to prepare for v4.0, and a new Membership Dashboard for admins.

The 3.5 release makes irreversible changes to the functionality of your membership site. For this reason, we are offering the release candidate to developers as a way to get live site feedback before the public release.

The rest of this post covers the four major features in a bit more detail, and highlights several other feature, security, and bug fixes. Keep reading to learn how to download and test the v3.5 release candidate.

We will maintain this post for all release candidate versions. We are currently on Paid Memberships Pro v3.5 RC 1.

How to Forward and Redirect PayPal IPN Traffic to PMPro

If you’re using Paid Memberships Pro along with another WordPress plugin that relies on PayPal IPN (Instant Payment Notification), you may need to redirect paypal IPN requests between both systems.

PayPal allows only one IPN URL in your PayPal account settings. However, this code recipe shows you how to forward those IPN requests to PMPro, so your membership transactions are still processed even if the IPN is routed to another plugin.

This is helpful for sites using PMPro for memberships and another plugin for generic ecommerce, digital downloads, or donation handling.

4 Best WordPress Membership Plugins Compared

Best WordPress membership plugins on your mind?

Besides making it incredibly easy to build and maintain websites, WordPress opens up a whole new world of recurring-revenue opportunities for creators, coaches, organizations, and businesses that want to gate premium content.

There are now dozens of WordPress membership plugins available, giving site owners true choice. But what are the best WordPress membership plugins in 2025? Which of the best WordPress membership plugins should power your member portal from day one?

The best WordPress membership plugins in ranked order are:

  1. Paid Memberships Pro
  2. MemberPress
  3. WooCommerce Memberships
  4. Ultimate Member

This article explains why these four membership plugins stand above the rest, highlights their key differences, and shows you how to pick the *best membership plugin for WordPress, for you.

Remove or Rename User Fields on the Member Profile Edit Page

The [pmpro_member_profile_edit] shortcode displays editable member profile fields on the frontend. This code recipe offers a straightforward way to customize the default fields shown in that form. It allows you to remove fields like first_name, last_name, or display_name, or rename them to better reflect your site’s branding, tone, or community language.

By customizing these fields, you can simplify the profile experience for your members, improve clarity, and ensure the form only includes information that’s relevant and meaningful for your use case. This is especially useful for membership sites that prioritize a clean, intuitive user experience on the frontend.

Send a Different Approval Email Based on Membership Level

When a new member is approved on your site, sending a tailored approval confirmation email can make their onboarding experience more personal and relevant. If your Paid Memberships Pro-powered website offers multiple levels, you may want to send different approval emails based on the member’s level. This helps set expectations, deliver level-specific benefits, or share next steps unique to each level group.

This guide shows you how to send a custom approval email for each membership level using the Paid Memberships Pro Approvals Add On. It is a great way to improve the post-approval user experience for your members while keeping your messaging organized and professional.

Customize PMPro Checkout Page Styles by Membership Level with CSS

CSS is the easiest way to customize the appearance of your Membership Checkout page.

Sometimes you want your checkout experience to match your membership level. Maybe you offer a ‘Gold’ tier of membership and want to add a few golden highlights to the form. The good news is that you can make these visual changes easily with CSS, no deep code customizations required.

In this post, you will learn how to target a specific level’s checkout page using built-in CSS selectors available today in your PMPro-powered site. Armed with knowledge of these selectors, we will show you two recommended ways to apply custom styles to your site: one in the theme customizer, and the other by leveraging WordPress’ wp_footer hook.

WordPress vs SaaS For Membership Sites: Real Costs, Pros & Cons, and Who Actually Wins

Membership websites are a powerful way for creators and entrepreneurs to generate recurring revenue, deliver exclusive content, and build engaged communities.

Whether you’re launching a digital course, creating a premium newsletter, or building a private forum, choosing the right platform, WordPress vs SaaS for membership, can be a key factor in your success or failure.

Both WordPress and SaaS (Software as a Service) platforms, like Kajabi or Podia, have their strengths, but they represent two very different approaches.

If you’re leaning toward control and flexibility, WordPress stands out as a popular and powerful foundation. It’s open-source, self-hosted, and endlessly customizable, especially when paired with the right membership plugin, such as Paid Memberships Pro (PMPro).

But if speed and simplicity are your top priorities, SaaS platforms offer an all-in-one solution that gets you up and running quickly without technical setup.

In this article, we’ll break down the key differences between WordPress and SaaS platforms, compare features like content gating, payment processing, and community tools, and help you decide which option is right for your goals.

We’ll also share real-world examples and frameworks to help you think long-term, so you can build a membership site that lasts.

Let’s get started.

How to Customize the Default Confirmation Message Shown to New Members

Paid Memberships Pro includes a default message on the membership confirmation page. As a site owner, you may want to display a custom confirmation message to your members based on the membership level they are registering for.

This guide shows you how to override the default confirmation message entirely using a custom function. Use this when you need full control over the message content beyond what the admin settings allow.

Designing a Logo for Your Membership Site

Whether you’re just starting your membership business, or you already run an established membership site, having a professional logo is an essential piece of the marketing puzzle. A strong logo builds trust, creates recognition, and sets the tone for your entire membership experience.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to create a logo that not only looks great, but also works across your website, emails, and social channels. Whether you’re DIY-ing or hiring help, you’ll walk away with:

  • A simple logo design brief to clarify what you need
  • An interactive quiz to shape your logo direction and creative prompt
  • Three solid logo creation paths (based on your budget and style)
  • Tools to pull a cohesive color scheme from your logo for your site
  • Links to PMPro settings to help bring your brand to life in WordPress

Let’s build a logo and brand that fits your membership business.

Active Members Per Level

The Active Members Per Level report in Paid Memberships Pro gives you a comprehensive overview of the distribution of active members across different membership levels within the system. This report offers valuable insights to administrators and managers regarding the popularity and utilization of various membership levels.

Visits, Views and Logins

This report shows aggregate user statistics for the day, month, and all time. The full report offers a detailed view of data points by user and member. For help understanding this report, we define each as the following: About Report Discrepancies Between Traditional Analytics Tools and PMPro’s Report Data If you are using another analytics...

Membership Stats

The report details various Membership-related stats including Signups and Cancellations (for all time, this year, this month, today).

Export Report Data

With Paid Memberships Pro, you can export nearly any piece of data tracked in your membership site. For example, you can export your full members list, your full orders list, or any filtered view of this data.

We also support exporting the data that is used to generate any built-in report.

Sales and Revenue Report

The Sales and Revenue report gives you valuable insights into the sales volume and revenue generated by your membership business. With this report, you can analyze your data across different time periods and filter the information based on specific criteria.  Here are a few noteworthy features: Sales and Revenue Report Features View Sales and Revenue Data...

How to Restrict Access to Anything in WordPress

WordPress is a flexible tool that can be used to create and display content of all kinds. This post explains various ways to restrict access to your WordPress website. Keep reading to learn how to lock down ANY piece of content, feature, or download you might have on your WordPress site.

All of the instructions below assume that you are running the latest versions of WordPress, Paid Memberships Pro, and any other plugins mentioned.

If we missed something or you still have questions about protecting any specific kind of content on your site, let us know.

Override the Limit Post Views Add On Logic to Restrict Access to Certain Posts

By default, the Limit Post Views Add On for Paid Memberships Pro restricts access to posts after a non-member has viewed their specific number of posts. However, in some use cases, you may want to always restrict access to some posts unless the visitor is a logged-in member, regardless of the free post views limit you have set for non-members.

This guide shows you how to enforce a stricter content restriction by hiding these posts from non-members immediately, ensuring the PMPro protected content message is displayed on these posts, prompting the visitor to sign up for a membership on your site.

Apply the Reduced EU Tax Rates for Your Membership Site

If your business is based in the European Union (EU), you may be eligible to apply reduced VAT rates based on your country, products, and industry. This guide shows Paid Memberships Pro users how to update their membership site’s tax settings to reflect those reduced rates.

Keep scrolling to find four ready-to-use code recipes for applying VAT adjustments based on country, date, or membership level. Whether you need to update all EU tax rates or target a specific scenario, these recipes give you flexible ways to stay compliant and optimize your pricing for local tax laws.

Customize Login Error Messages to Boost Account Security

By default, WordPress and plugins like Paid Memberships Pro display detailed login error messages such as:

“The password you entered for the username info@paidmembershipspro.com is incorrect.â€

While helpful for legitimate users, this kind of feedback can unintentionally tip off attackers that a specific username or email exists on your site.

For example, if someone enters an existing email with the wrong password, the error confirms the account is valid, handing useful intel to bots or bad actors.

This code recipe helps you lock that down by replacing all login errors with a single, generic message:

“There was an error with the login details provided. Please try again.â€

With this change in place, login feedback becomes neutral, offering no clues about whether the issue was the username, email, or password. It’s a simple but effective way to tighten your site’s security without affecting usability.

Introducing Memberlite v6.0

We’re excited to announce the release of Memberlite v6.0, an update that sets the course for a more integrated and flexible future for membership site design.

This version goes beyond theme improvements: it’s a statement to the world that reshapes how Memberlite fits into the Paid Memberships Pro ecosystem.

Read on for a full overview of what’s new in Memberlite v6.0, how to access updated documentation, and the steps to upgrade your site today.

Capture User Fields as User Properties for Reporting in Google Analytics Integration Add On

Membership site owners often need to track additional user data for better insights and marketing strategies. If you have the Google Analytics Integration Add On for Paid Memberships Pro, you might want to track extra details, such as a custom user field created within Paid Memberships Pro.

This guide shows you how to send custom user field information from your site to Google Analytics. You can use this information within Google Analytics to analyze engagement trends based on specific user attributes. This would allow you to improve on your marketing or offerings to current and prospective audiences or customers. 

Adding Additional Consent Checkboxes at Checkout

Requiring members to agree to terms or provide consent can be a requirement for many membership sites. Paid Memberships Pro allows you to add a single Terms of Service (TOS) agreement by default. When members agree, the “Terms of Service” tab records their consent as TOS Consent History. But you’ll need more flexibility if you have multiple terms or policies.

This recipe allows you to add additional required consent checkboxes at checkout and records each agreement in the Terms of Service tab in the Edit Member area. Use it to ensure members acknowledge all necessary terms before completing their purchase.

How to Create a Child Theme for Memberlite

Need to customize a site that’s using the Memberlite theme? It’s time to set up a child theme. Whether you are tweaking styles, adding functions, or making layout changes, doing it the wrong way could mean hours of lost work after the next theme update.

This guide walks you through exactly what a child theme is and how to build one the right way—whether you are adding a child theme to a new or existing site.

Let’s break it down.