Paid Memberships Pro vs Steady
Paid Memberships Pro
paidmembershipspro.comSteady
steady.pageSide by side
| Figure | Paid Memberships Pro | Steady |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $41.58/mo | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 7 | 1 |
| Spec score · Membership Site Platforms | 9.1 (#5) | 8.3 (#29) |
| Content gating | post | full_site |
| Custom domain | Yes | No |
| Founded | 2010 | 2016 |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Security | The setup wizard includes checkout spam protection that blocks repeated attempts from the same IP address and recommends reCAPTCHA or Akismet. | Steady’s API is accessible only over HTTPS and uses OAuth 2.0 for application authorization. |
| Subscription billing | both | recurring |
| Support | The company provides support forums and says Max plans include hands-on help customizing membership sites and implementing new features. | The creator success team helps creators price membership tiers, plan launches and maintain momentum after launch. |
| Transaction fee | No platform transaction fee; payment gateway charges still apply. | 10% Steady commission, plus variable payment-provider fees and VAT |
Plans
Paid Memberships Pro
- FreeFree
- Standard$49 a month
- Max$99 a month
- Max 2x$299 a month
- Standard$499 a year
- Max$999 a year
- Max 2x$2,999 a year
In their own words
Paid Memberships Pro
Paid Memberships Pro is a WordPress plugin and open-source platform for restricting content, taking payments, and managing subscriptions on a website. Site owners can protect 28 types of content and create unlimited membership levels, with free or paid access, one-time charges, or recurring billing from hourly to annual intervals. Pricing tools include trials, coupons, proration, donations, gift codes, invite codes, and variable pricing. Stripe and PayPal are included without a platform transaction fee, although gateway charges still apply. The free plan provides the self-hosted platform and 25 free add-ons; Standard, Max, and Max 2x include 54 premium add-ons. Paid plans start at $49/mo. Standard is $49 a month, Max is $99 a month, and Max 2x is $299 a month, all billed monthly. The platform includes member administration, customizable dashboards and forms, reporting, and integrations such as WooCommerce, Mailchimp, and LearnDash. It supports WordPress installations running version 5.2 or higher, while technical support covers only the three most recent minor releases. Premium purchases have a 100-day money-back guarantee covering one payment.
Steady
Steady is a web and API platform for independent media makers, including magazines, newsletters, podcasts and video channels. It helps creators publish newsletters and memberships and earn directly from audiences. Newsletter sending is free without audience limits or escalating costs. Memberships use recurring billing, with monthly or annual charges, and Steady takes a 10% commission on membership revenue once earning begins; payment-provider fees and VAT also apply. The service supports full-site content gating, flexible paywalls, embedded buttons and supporter prompts. Newsletter tools can welcome readers automatically, resurface selected work and re-engage quiet subscribers. Externally hosted podcasts can be gated by membership tier and distributed through Spotify or private RSS. Steady Code adds website layers and embeds regardless of a site’s CMS. Creator income is transferred in lump sums, and failed payments are retried automatically. The Free plan is free. Custom domains are not supported.