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Which Plugins Should You Choose to Use With an Plugin for Membership? -

Apr 4, 2022

When creating an online course with WordPress it is likely that you'll discover numerous ways to get there.

WordPress is the perfect instrument for selling and creating online courses because it is versatile and also because you own the platform. Yet there are so many plugins available which can get a little confusing.

Maybe you're in this situation for your own online course and you aren't sure of what to do. If you decide to self-host your WordPress site, you will ultimately face the following decision to run your course:

  1. Make sure you only use it for your classes.
  2. Use a membership plugin only
  3. Utilize both

The answer to this question will depend on the details of your particular project. Therefore, it is not possible to provide a definitive guideline for when to use each. Let's take a look at some common situations.

1. Using only

If this is something you're thinking about, you actually do not need a membership plugin for content protection. Our LMS will protect your content, without the use of a membership plugin using our Access Settings.

As an example, suppose you're trying to sell three distinct course. Content of the course (lessons and quizzes, for instance.) are not accessible to those who aren't yet registered. Only registered users to take the course have access to the course's content. If someone buys one course, they don't get access to all the other courses. They are only able to access only the course they purchased.

If your class isn't cost-free, you might be looking for a way to include the option of paying for your course. It is compatible with these popular shopping carts:

  • Easy Digital Downloads
  • SamCart
  • ThriveCart (beta)

The WordPress shopping carts (1 and 2 above) are compatible with hundreds of payment processing services. The carts include the following payment gateways , if you choose to not use a shopping cart:

  • PayPal
  • Stripe
  • 2Checkout

It is very easy to use any of these options for accepting payments. This will safeguard your course's contents without having to use a membership plugin. Users who use this option benefit from the speedier process when designing their courses since it reduces the need for having to learn another solution.

2. Using a Membership Plugin (Only)

It's crucial to keep in mind that there may be circumstances where an LMS plugin like isn't necessary.

If your work only requires protection of a few posts, pages or assets within your WordPress website Then a membership plugin is what you'll require. The use of a learning management software is in this instance excessive.

One example would be if your site offers a community forum as well as possibly some beneficial downloads available to the members. In this scenario there is no need for application like this since there's no need for course enrollments, quizzing, badges, certificates or points and reports.

3. Using Both and a Membership Plugin

Though a membership plugin isn't necessary, there can be advantages of using a membership plugin depending on your requirements.

In the case of instance, if you're looking to add additional metrics on your members , then installing an membership plugin can be a great value addition. Many membership platforms come with the ability to report on their members. When used in conjunction with it, it provides you with more insights into your users.

A different scenario that can be used for each is when you own a membership site already but you would like to add the course features in a more formal, well-organized manner. Inserting makes it easy to add value to your membership site by creating courses for your members to enroll in. There is no need to change the way you manage your members either since the case is that you're still by using the membership plugin.

has direct integration with the following solutions for membership:

As a word of caution Avoid locking in vendors!

Learning programs can vary in demands and at times, these needs alter. With you can start your program with any of the above options and freely switch as needed.

One thing I know after over a decade in the field of e-learning is that learning courses and online classes are not the same for everyone. Learners change and the same goes for demands.

No matter if you are using or not, If you do or not, I strongly encourage you to avoid any method that focuses on using one e-commerce platform, or method for content protection. Also Be wary of solutions that are advertised with the tagline "all-in-one". This is rarely the case, but assuming it is it means that you're locked in also. Don't take on this kind of risk. I have seen this cause individuals major pain over the years.

Still confused? Check out this webcast!

In this webcast, we will discuss typical scenarios in which employing a membership-based plugin in conjunction could make sense.