How to Accept Recurring Payments in WordPress (4 Methods)

Introduction

Are you looking to boost your revenue and make your business more predictable by accepting recurring payments on your WordPress website? Implementing subscription billing is a smart move that can transform your business.

With a recurring revenue model, you charge customers on an ongoing basis at regular intervals – such as weekly, monthly, quarterly or annually. This allows you to better forecast revenue, provides a more stable cash flow, and can improve customer retention since they don‘t have to take action to make repeat purchases.

The great news is, you can easily start accepting recurring payments on your WordPress site using plugins. In this post, we‘ll dive into the top methods and walk you through exactly how to get set up in 2023.

By the end, you‘ll have everything you need to confidently implement recurring billing and supercharge your WordPress site. Let‘s jump in!

Method 1: WPForms + Stripe Addon

WPForms is a beginner-friendly form builder plugin that allows you to create all types of forms for your WordPress site. When paired with their Stripe addon, you can use WPForms to create a basic recurring payment form.

This method is best if you want a simple solution for accepting recurring donations or selling access to a single product/service. However, it doesn‘t provide a full shopping cart or membership system.

Here‘s a quick overview of how to set it up:

1. Install and activate the WPForms plugin. You‘ll need at least the "Pro" license for access to the Stripe addon.

2. Go to WPForms » Settings and enter your license key. Then navigate to WPForms » Addons and install the Stripe addon.

3. Connect WPForms to your Stripe account by going to WPForms » Settings » Payments.

4. Create a new form and add fields to collect the necessary information (name, email, address, etc). Be sure to add the "Stripe Credit Card" field.

5. In the form settings under "Payments", check "Enable recurring subscription payments". Configure the subscription settings.

6. Publish your form on a page or post using the WPForms block or shortcode.

Once your form is embedded on your site, visitors can fill it out, enter their credit card details, and sign up for recurring payments.

The main drawback of this method is that it‘s not a complete recurring payments solution. Your customers won‘t have a way to manage their subscriptions or payment methods after signing up.

But if you just need a quick way to accept recurring payments for a single product or service, the WPForms and Stripe combo can get the job done.

Method 2: MemberPress

MemberPress is a robust membership plugin that makes it easy to accept recurring payments for subscription-based content or products. It‘s the ideal solution if you want to sell courses, digital downloads, premium content, or any type of ongoing access.

One advantage of MemberPress is that it provides a complete recurring billing system out of the box. Your members will be able to log in, view/change their subscriptions, update payment methods, and access members-only content all from the front-end of your site.

Here‘s how to get started with MemberPress:

1. Purchase and install the MemberPress plugin on your WordPress site.

2. Go to MemberPress » Settings to configure the basics like your business info and email settings.

3. Activate the Stripe payment gateway and connect your Stripe account.

4. Create a Membership Level for each recurring subscription you want to offer. Set the price, billing interval, access rules, etc. You can also offer free or paid trials.

5. Create "Rules" to protect content and determine what membership levels can access certain pages, posts, categories, tags, files, etc.

6. Add the MemberPress login, account, and checkout forms to your site.

With MemberPress, your customers will have a seamless experience subscribing to your membership plans and accessing their benefits from your site. The plugin handles generating invoices, sending reminder emails, and automatically granting/revoking access based on payment status.

The only potential downside of MemberPress is the price tag, which starts at $149/year for use on a single site. But considering all the time-saving automations and powerful subscription management features it provides, it‘s well worth the investment for most membership site owners.

Method 3: WooCommerce Subscriptions

If you‘re already using WooCommerce to sell products on your WordPress site, the Subscriptions addon lets you easily add recurring payments into the mix. This allows you to sell subscriptions alongside your existing one-time products.

The main benefit of WooCommerce Subscriptions is tight integration with the rest of your store. Customers can mix-and-match subscriptions with regular products, manage subscriptions from their account, and you can view all order/revenue data in one place.

Here‘s how to start selling subscriptions with WooCommerce:

1. Purchase and install the official WooCommerce Subscriptions addon.

2. Activate the Stripe (or PayPal) payment gateway and connect your account.

3. Create a new WooCommerce product and select the "Simple subscription" or "Variable subscription" type. Configure the price, billing schedule, sign-up fees, and free trials.

4. Add subscription products to your shop and cart/checkout pages.

With variable subscriptions, you can let customers choose from different billing schedules, such as monthly or yearly. The extension even supports selling subscriptions with finite end dates, like a 6-month meal plan.

WooCommerce Subscriptions is robust, but the $199 price makes it overkill if you just want to sell one or two simple subscriptions. It‘s best for stores that want to offer a range of subscription options alongside other products.

It‘s also worth noting that the plugin is quite complex. While it‘s manageable for those already familiar with WooCommerce, beginners may face a steeper learning curve.

Method 4: WP Simple Pay

WP Simple Pay is a lightweight plugin that allows you to easily create Stripe recurring payment forms. It‘s not as advanced as a full membership or eCommerce plugin, but it‘s a great option if you want to sell individual subscriptions without a lot of overhead.

One nice thing about WP Simple Pay is the variety of form templates and customization options. You can create professional-looking payment forms that match your brand and integrate seamlessly into your site.

To use WP Simple Pay:

1. Install the plugin and activate your license key. You‘ll need the Pro version for recurring payments.

2. Connect to your Stripe account.

3. Create a new payment form, select "Subscription", and configure the settings like the price and billing interval.

4. Customize the form fields and appearance using the template designer.

5. Publish the form on your site using a shortcode.

The main limitation with WP Simple Pay is that there‘s no built-in customer/subscription management. However, the Pro version does integrate with popular CRMs and email marketing tools. This allows you to view customer data and even automate actions like adding subscribers to an email sequence when they sign up.

Overall, WP Simple Pay is best for those who want a simple, affordable way to sell one-off subscriptions and can manage the rest of the customer relationship offsite. But for more advanced needs, one of the other solutions will likely be a better fit.

How to Choose the Best Recurring Payments Plugin

With several recurring payment plugins to choose from, you may be wondering which one is right for your unique situation. Here are some key factors to consider:

• Payment gateways: First and foremost, make sure the plugin supports your preferred payment processor. Stripe and PayPal are the most common, but you may need support for additional gateways depending on your audience.

• Features: Consider your must-have subscription billing features. Do you need the ability to offer free trials, one-click upsells, or tiered pricing? Check that the plugin has what you need.

• Content access: If you‘re selling recurring access to content (courses, downloads, posts, etc.) look for a plugin that makes it easy to manage access based on subscription status.

• Ease of use: Evaluate the plugin‘s setup process and user interface. Is it something you and your team can implement and manage without a huge headache? A solution that‘s overly complex can cause issues down the road.

• Extensibility: Consider how well the plugin plays with other tools in your tech stack, like your email marketing software. Native integrations or the ability to connect via Zapier can be a big plus.

• Price: Recurring billing plugins can range from $50 to hundreds per year. Make sure the option you choose fits your budget, while also evaluating the potential ROI of more advanced features. Often it‘s worth investing a bit more for a solution that will save you time and help maximize revenue.

The best recurring payments plugin is ultimately the one that meets your needs without overcomplicating things. Don‘t be swayed by flashy features you‘ll never use. Instead, focus on finding a reliable solution with the core functionality required for your unique subscription model.

Conclusion

Implementing recurring payments on your WordPress site is a smart way to generate more predictable revenue and increase the lifetime value of each customer.

We‘ve covered four of the top WordPress recurring payment solutions ranging from simple Stripe form builders to advanced eCommerce and membership platforms.

To recap:

• WPForms is best for basic recurring payment forms, but lacks subscription management.

• MemberPress provides an all-in-one recurring subscription platform ideal for selling memberships and courses.

• WooCommerce Subscriptions is great if you want to sell subscriptions alongside regular products in your store.

• WP Simple Pay is an affordable, lightweight option best for those who just want to sell a few subscriptions and manage the rest offsite.

For most WordPress site owners looking to get started with recurring revenue in 2023, MemberPress or WooCommerce Subscriptions are solid choices. They both provide robust subscription billing functionality but also give your customers a way to self-manage their plans and payment methods.

Whichever route you choose, you‘ll be well on your way to generating more revenue for your business on autopilot. The key is to put yourself in your customer‘s shoes and make sure the recurring payments process is as smooth as possible.

Here‘s to building a profitable subscription business with WordPress!