Paid Memberships Pro vs Piano (2026): Which Pays Better?
Both are popular paywall & subscription tools. Here is how Paid Memberships Pro and Piano stack up on requirements, what you keep, payout terms, strengths and weaknesses, and which one we would pick.
Paid Memberships Pro
Open-source WordPress membership plugin with a free core and paid add-ons.
7.5 /10
Pricing: Free plan, paid from $174/mo
Pros
- Free and open source with a large add-on library
- Flexible levels, gateways and gated content
Cons
- Less polished than MemberPress
- Setup takes configuration
Piano
Enterprise subscription, paywall and audience platform used by major publishers.
7.4 /10
Pricing: Free plan, pay as you go
Pros
- Dynamic paywalls, offers, analytics and identity for large newsrooms
- Proven at scale
Cons
- Enterprise pricing and implementation
- Overkill below a large subscriber base
Paid Memberships Pro vs Piano at a glance
| Paid Memberships Pro | Piano | |
|---|---|---|
| Editor score | 7.5 / 10 | 7.4 / 10 |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Paid |
| Starting price | $174/mo | Free |
| Web rank | #259k | #3.9k |
| Minimum traffic | None | None |
| Revenue share / fee | Free core; Plus from $174/year; no per-sale cut | Custom enterprise pricing |
| Commission | – | – |
| Payout | Via your gateway | Via your gateway |
| Methods served | paywall premium content, memberships subscriptions, paid newsletter, online courses | paywall premium content, memberships subscriptions |
| 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 | wordpress, open source, membership plugin | enterprise paywall, subscriptions, newsrooms |
Our pick
Paid Memberships Pro edges it with a score of 7.5 versus 7.4. Paid Memberships Pro is the better fit if you value: free and open source with a large add-on library, flexible levels, gateways and gated content. Choose Piano instead if you need: dynamic paywalls, offers, analytics and identity for large newsrooms, proven at scale.
Other paywall & subscription tools to consider
Full ranking →MemberPress 🧰 PlatformPaid
WordPress membership plugin: paywalls, subscriptions, courses and drip content with no revenue share.
Leaky Paywall 🧰 PlatformPaid
Metered paywall for WordPress publishers: free article counts, registration walls and subscriptions.
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.