Whether you’re a coach, content creator, educator, or running a private community, this guide is your shortcut to building a full-featured membership website using the free version of the User Registration & Membership plugin.
By the end, you’ll be able to:
- Create free or paid membership plans
- Accept payments via PayPal or Bank Transfer
- Restrict content based on membership levels
- Design custom registration and login forms
Watch a Detailed Tutorial Video
Prefer learning by watching? Here’s the complete video guide that walks you through every step of creating a Membership website in WordPress for free using the User Registration & Membership plugin:
If you want to follow the text based tutorial, you can continue reading. All the important steps have a time-stamped video that you can follow with the mentioned steps.
Let’s start!
How to Create a Membership Website in WordPress?
For a step by step guide, follow these ten steps on creating the website.
Step 1: Install the Plugin
First, we need to add the core plugin that lets you create membership in WordPress for free, User Registration & Membership.
So, Go to Plugins → Add New on your WordPress dashboard.
- Search for User Registration & Membership.
- Install and activate User Registration & Membership (70,000+ active installs).
The setup wizard will launch automatically.
Step 2: Complete the Setup Wizard
The setup wizard helps you configure important basics like registration behavior, login settings, and auto-generated pages.
Choose Membership Registration when in the Setup Wizard. Then the plugin will:
- Create a custom registration form
- Enable guest sign-ups
- Disable default (less secure) WordPress registration
- Add key pages like: My Account, Login, Pricing, Thank You
Also configure these options to properly setup the plugin for future:
- User Approval: Choose manual or automatic workflows.
- Dashboard Access: Restrict access for roles like Subscriber.
- Password Settings: Enforce strong password policies.
- Default Role: Leave as Subscriber, unless using custom roles.
Step 3: Create Membership Plans
Next, let’s create different membership plans.
First, define your membership levels and their prices. These tiers will control access to content.
We’ll start by creating tiers like:
- Gold – $100
- Silver – $60
- Bronze – $20
To do this, go to User Registration & Membership → Memberships → Create New Membership.
Next, add details about your membership plan, such as the Membership Name, Description, Role, and Type.
For example, for a Gold Membership priced at $100, enter “Gold Membership” in the Membership Name field, provide information about the membership and its features in the Description section, and specify the access level in the Role field.
Finally, select Paid to create a membership plan that can be sold.
Subscription billing is available in the Pro version.
Then, let’s move on to the payments settings.
Step 4: Configure Payment Gateways
You need to set up payment methods so users can purchase memberships.
Here’s the section in the video explaining about payment configuration.
Click on the One-time Payment option and enter the price for the plan under Amount. Then, setup the payment gateway through which you want to receive your earnings.
Within each membership: (Similar for PayPal and Stripe)
- Click the Settings > Paypal Settings, it will redirect you to PayPal setup page. You can use Sandbox (test) or Production (live) mode.
- Fill in your PayPal email, Client ID, Secret Key and other details on the Payment Settings page. Then, save the changes.
For Bank Transfer, enter your bank details (name, account number, etc.)
Once saved, use the toggle icon in the Create Membership page and enable either of the payment options for each plan. Then, click on Create Membership.
Do the same for the Silver and Bronze plan.
Step 5: Build the Registration Form
This is the form users will fill out to register and purchase a membership.
Go to User Registration & Membership → All Forms. Edit the default form or create a new one via Add New > Start From Scratch.
The form includes fields for:
- Username
- Password
The default form has the membership field already in it. For new form, search and add Membership field from the Fields section at the left. Then, select your membership.
You can also:
- Add fields like Phone Number
- Use multi-column layouts
- Require certain fields
- Enable CAPTCHA for spam protection
Or, add any other fields from the form builder.
Use the Gutenberg block or shortcode at the top to place this form on any page and create a membership page.
Step 6: Set Up the Login Form
Create a clean login experience for returning members.
Go to User Registration & Membership → All Forms → Login Form:
- Customize the layout and placeholder text
- Enable login via username, email, or both
- Optionally add CAPTCHA and registration links
Copy the Shortcode from the right side on your Login page.
Step 7: Test the Full Registration Flow
Verify that your forms, memberships, and payments are working smoothly.
- Open your site in Incognito mode
- Fill out the registration form
- Choose a plan and payment method
- For PayPal: you’ll be redirected to PayPal
- For Bank Transfer: manual payment instructions are shown.
Track all transactions under User Registration & Membership → Payment History — where admins can approve or reject pending payments.
Step 8: Restrict Content on Specific Pages
Prefer to keep your site public, but limit access to certain pages? Here’s how.
- Go to each membership page (e.g., Membership Page via Pages > All Pages)
- Scroll to the restriction settings.
- Enable restriction → Override global settings → Allow access to specific memberships.
Repeat this for each plan so that users only access the content tied to their membership level.
Step 9: Restrict Content Site-Wide (Optional)
Want your entire website to be members-only? Use whole-site restriction.
Go to User Registration & Membership → Settings → Content Restriction:
- Enable Whole Site Restriction
- Allow access to:
- Specific memberships
- Customize the restriction message and save changes.
You can still allow access to specific pages (like your landing page) by editing them individually and overriding the global restriction.
Step 10: Use Partial Content Restriction
Only want to restrict part of a page instead of the entire thing? Use blocks or shortcodes.
In the block editor:
- Add a Content Restriction block.
- Place content (text, images, etc.) inside.
- Choose which roles or memberships can view it.
You can also use a shortcode if preferred:
[urm_restrict memberships="gold"]
This content is for Gold members only.
[/urm_restrict]
Bonus: Advanced Content Rules (Pro Feature)
For more powerful logic and access control, upgrade to the Pro version.
With Content Rules, you can:
- Use advanced conditions (e.g., registration source, payment status, email domain)
- Target pages, posts, taxonomies, and custom post types
- Apply logic like AND/OR/NOT
- Define actions (e.g., redirect, show message)
Ideal for advanced membership workflows and large sites.
Ideal for advanced membership workflows and large sites.
Summing up the Membership Setup
That’s it — you’ve just built a fully functional membership website in WordPress!
From creating paid membership plans to restricting content and setting up custom forms, the User Registration & Membership plugin gives you everything you need to launch and grow your community — all without touching code.
Whether you’re offering premium blog content, online courses, or exclusive resources, you now have a scalable system ready to go.
Have questions or feedback? Drop a comment below or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.
Want to try it live? Explore the URM demo and see how it works in action.