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E-Commerce · head to head

Memberful vs WooCommerce

Memberful logo

Memberful

E-Commerce

Membership platform for creators to sell subscriptions, courses and gated content

From
$49/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
WooCommerce logo

WooCommerce

E-Commerce

The flexible, open-source ecommerce platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only WooCommerce has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Memberful charges a 4.9% transaction fee on top of the flat monthly fee on the Standard plan.; WooCommerce the plugin is free but you must supply and pay for WordPress hosting, which WooCommerce itself puts at $25 to $350 per month for most stores
  • They diverge on capability: Memberful covers Membership checkout, WooCommerce covers Product management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Memberful and WooCommerce actually diverge.

Attributes where Memberful and WooCommerce differ
AttributeMemberfulWooCommerce
Starting price$49/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionfreemium
Free tierNoYes
Platformsweb, apiWeb
Founded20132011

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (E-Commerce).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Memberful

  • Membership checkout
  • Flexible subscriptions
  • Member management
  • Landing page builder
  • Dynamic paywalls
  • Third-party integrations

Only in WooCommerce

  • Product management
  • Shopping cart
  • Payment integration
  • Shipping management
  • Tax calculations
  • Customer accounts
  • Order management
  • Inventory tracking

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Memberful

  • Selling paid membership subscriptions from an existing websitenot WooCommerce
  • Gating podcast, newsletter or course content behind a paywallnot WooCommerce
  • Running a WordPress site with paid member-only contentnot WooCommerce
  • Offering one-time purchases alongside recurring membershipsnot WooCommerce

WooCommerce

  • Running an online store inside an existing WordPress sitenot Memberful
  • Selling physical, digital or subscription products with full control of the codenot Memberful
  • Building a customised commerce workflow through plugins and hooksnot Memberful

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Memberful

  • Charges a 4.9% transaction fee on top of the flat monthly fee on the Standard plan.
  • Requires a separate Stripe account, adding setup complexity compared to all-in-one checkout platforms.
  • Lacks built-in course-hosting depth found in dedicated learning management platforms.
  • No free plan beyond the pre-launch trial period; charges begin once payments go live.

WooCommerce

  • The plugin is free but you must supply and pay for WordPress hosting, which WooCommerce itself puts at $25 to $350 per month for most stores
  • Functionality such as subscriptions and bookings comes from paid extensions priced at $29 to $299 per year each, renewed annually
  • Card payments through WooPayments cost roughly 2.50 to 2.90 percent plus 30 cents per transaction
  • Total cost depends on how many extensions a store needs rather than a single published plan price

Pricing, plan by plan

Memberful

$49/month
  • Standard$49/month
    • 4.9% transaction fee
    • Full platform access
    • Free until you go live
  • Enterprise$undefined/mo
    • Custom volume-based rates
    • Premium services and success management
    • Dedicated migration support

WooCommerce

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Core ecommerce features
    • Unlimited products
    • Community support
  • Premium$299/year
    • All Free features
    • Premium support
    • Performance optimization

Which should you pick?

Choose Memberful if

  • You need membership checkout.
  • You work on web, api.
  • You also want flexible subscriptions.
Memberful review

Choose WooCommerce if

  • You need product management.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want shopping cart.
WooCommerce review

Questions people ask

Is Memberful or WooCommerce better?
Neither clearly leads. Memberful starts at $49/month and WooCommerce at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Memberful or WooCommerce?
WooCommerce has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $49/month for Memberful and Free for WooCommerce.
Does Memberful or WooCommerce run on more platforms?
Memberful runs on web, api. WooCommerce runs on Web.
Can I use WooCommerce for free?
Yes. WooCommerce has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Memberful starts at $49/month.
What is Memberful best used for?
Memberful is most often used for selling paid membership subscriptions from an existing website, gating podcast, newsletter or course content behind a paywall, running a wordpress site with paid member-only content, offering one-time purchases alongside recurring memberships. Of those, selling paid membership subscriptions from an existing website and gating podcast, newsletter or course content behind a paywall are not what WooCommerce is typically brought in for.
What can Memberful do that WooCommerce cannot?
Memberful covers Membership checkout, Flexible subscriptions, Member management, Landing page builder. WooCommerce covers Product management, Shopping cart, Payment integration, Shipping management.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Memberful: What does Memberful cost?

Memberful's Standard plan costs $49/month plus a 4.9% transaction fee, while larger organizations can get custom volume-based rates on the Enterprise plan.

Source
WooCommerce: Does WooCommerce offer a money-back guarantee?

Yes. The platform offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Source
Memberful: Is there a free plan, and what are its limits?

Memberful can be used for free while setting up a membership site, with no charges incurred until the creator goes live and starts accepting payments.

Source
WooCommerce: Is WooCommerce secure for online payments?

The platform offers safe and secure online payments through its integrated system.

Source
Memberful: What does Memberful integrate with?

Memberful integrates with WordPress, Mailchimp, Discord and Kit, among other tools, to connect membership data with existing sites and marketing systems.

Source
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