Leaky Paywall vs MemberPress (2026): Which Pays Better?
Both are popular paywall & subscription tools. Here is how Leaky Paywall and MemberPress stack up on requirements, what you keep, payout terms, strengths and weaknesses, and which one we would pick.
Leaky Paywall
Metered paywall for WordPress publishers: free article counts, registration walls and subscriptions.
7.2 /10
Pricing: Paid from $199/mo
Pros
- Purpose-built metering (X free articles, then subscribe) for news and magazine sites
- Google-friendly paywall markup
Cons
- Publishing-only focus
- Annual licence and add-ons
MemberPress
WordPress membership plugin: paywalls, subscriptions, courses and drip content with no revenue share.
7.9 /10
Pricing: Paid from $179/mo
Pros
- Complete membership stack on your own WordPress site
- Courses, coupons, corporate accounts and Stripe billing
Cons
- You maintain WordPress and handle tax
- Annual licence
Leaky Paywall vs MemberPress at a glance
| Leaky Paywall | MemberPress | |
|---|---|---|
| Editor score | 7.2 / 10 | 7.9 / 10 |
| Pricing model | Paid | Paid |
| Starting price | $199/mo | $179/mo |
| Web rank | – | #116k |
| Minimum traffic | None | None |
| Revenue share / fee | From $199/year; no per-sale cut | From $179/year; no per-sale cut |
| Commission | – | – |
| Payout | Via your gateway | Via your gateway |
| Methods served | paywall premium content | paywall premium content, memberships subscriptions, paid newsletter, online courses |
| Niches accepted | General, Tech & SaaS, Finance & Insurance, Health & Supplements, Gaming & Esports, E-commerce & Retail | General, Tech & SaaS, Finance & Insurance, Health & Supplements, Gaming & Esports, E-commerce & Retail |
| Reader upvotes | 0 | 0 |
| Best for | metered paywall, wordpress, publishers | wordpress, membership plugin, paywall |
Our pick
MemberPress edges it with a score of 7.9 versus 7.2. MemberPress is the better fit if you value: complete membership stack on your own wordpress site, courses, coupons, corporate accounts and stripe billing. Choose Leaky Paywall instead if you need: purpose-built metering (x free articles, then subscribe) for news and magazine sites, google-friendly paywall markup.
Other paywall & subscription tools to consider
Full ranking →Paid Memberships Pro 🧰 PlatformFreemium
Open-source WordPress membership plugin with a free core and paid add-ons.
Piano 🧰 PlatformPaid
Enterprise subscription, paywall and audience platform used by major publishers.
Poool 🧰 PlatformPaid
Dynamic paywall and registration wall platform for mid-sized publishers, with audience scoring.
Supertab 🧰 PlatformFree
Micropayments and time passes for articles: readers pay per piece or per hour without a subscription.