Fennec Members vs Paid Memberships Pro
Paid Memberships Pro is a mature product with years of add-ons behind it. If you want to know what you get before you pay anything, here's how the free and entry tiers line up, with a source for every Paid Memberships Pro fact.
Side by side
Paid Memberships Pro (free): Free core. Source: PMPro Stripe docs
| As of Oct 6, 2026 | Fennec MembersFree core; Pro from $79/yr | Paid Memberships Pro (free)Free core |
|---|---|---|
| Fee on member payments | 0% | 2% via Stripe Connect without a paid license |
| Free edition takes payments | Yes | Yes |
| Pay only Stripe’s processing fees | Yes | Only with a paid license or your own API keys |
| AI agent access (Abilities / MCP) | Yes | Not listed |
Figures were checked on each vendor’s own pages on October 6, 2026 (the same sources as our alternatives pages). MemberPress charges 0% only on its higher Growth and Scale plans; Launch is $399/yr, half price in the first year. On a $10/month membership with 500 members, a 4.9% fee is about $2,940 a year. “Not listed” means we couldn’t confirm it on the vendor’s own pages. Sources: PMPro Stripe docs.
What the free Members plugin includes
No account, no license key, no time limit. This is the shipped list, taken from the plugin's readme.
Membership levels
Free, one-time or subscription (every N days, weeks, months or years) in any currency Stripe supports. Free and one-time levels can run for a fixed length.
0% transaction fees
Payments go straight to your Stripe account with your own keys. No Stripe Connect, no application fee, no revenue share.
Restrict content your way
Per post or page, whole categories and tags, or part of a page with the Members Only block or [fennec_members_only]. Visitors see a teaser and a join link.
No leaks
Restricted content is also hidden from the REST API, RSS feeds, search results and comments. Short posts are never given away whole by the teaser.
Join and checkout
A pricing table or single-level join form. Free levels create the account and email a set-password link. Paid levels use Stripe Checkout, so card details never touch your site.
Member account page
Members see their memberships and renewal dates, cancel at period end, and manage cards and invoices in the Stripe customer portal.
Verified Stripe webhooks
Renewals, failed payments and cancellations apply automatically. Signatures are checked, replays are refused, and each event applies once.
Members admin
Search and filter by level and status, add members by hand, revoke and reactivate, and export CSV that’s safe to open in spreadsheets.
Trials and plan changes
Free trials on subscription levels, and upgrades or downgrades between levels with Stripe proration previewed before the member confirms.
Failed-payment recovery
Retry-aware dunning emails that follow Stripe’s Smart Retries, a payments ledger per member, and a grace period before access ends.
Move from MemberPress or PMPro
Import levels, members and active subscriptions from MemberPress or Paid Memberships Pro, with a dry run first. Existing Stripe subscriptions keep billing without re-signup.
Members-only forms
With Fennec Forms, limit any form to members of chosen levels. Visitors without access see your join message instead of the form.
Member emails
Welcome, payment failed, cancelled and expiring soon. Plain text, each one can be switched off, and developers can rewrite them with a filter.
Built for automation
Suite events for activated, cancelled, expired and payment-failed, plus WordPress Abilities. Member status is personal data, so agents can’t see it unless you opt in.
Requires WordPress 6.9+ and PHP 8.1+. Read the docs · Pro pricing