How to Connect WordPress to PayPal Commerce (2024 Guide)
Are you looking to start accepting online payments on your WordPress website? PayPal Commerce is a powerful solution that makes it easy to get paid, whether you‘re selling products, memberships, or accepting donations.
In this guide, we‘ll walk you through how to connect your WordPress site to PayPal Commerce step-by-step. We‘ll cover three different methods so you can choose the one that best fits your needs.
But first, let‘s look at some of the key benefits of using PayPal Commerce on your WordPress site.
Why Use PayPal Commerce in WordPress?
PayPal is one of the most popular and trusted payment solutions in the world, with over 400 million active users across more than 200 countries. Adding a familiar PayPal checkout option to your site can give your business instant credibility and help boost conversion rates.
Here are a few more reasons to consider PayPal Commerce for your WordPress site:
Customers can pay via PayPal or directly with a credit/debit card. No PayPal account is required, eliminating friction.
The whole payment process takes place seamlessly on your website. Customers aren‘t redirected to PayPal, reducing abandoned carts.
PayPal Commerce supports all major credit and debit cards including Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover. You can display card logos on your checkout page.
For membership and subscription sites, PayPal Commerce makes it easy to set up recurring billing and different subscription levels. You can also offer free or paid trials.
PayPal‘s advanced fraud protection and seller protection are included at no extra cost, helping keep your transactions secure.
Selling internationally is simple with PayPal‘s automatic currency conversion. Customers can pay in their local currency.
Nonprofits can use PayPal Commerce to accept one-time and recurring donations.
Now that you know the benefits, let‘s dive into the tutorial. Feel free to use the quick links to jump to the method you want to use:
Method 1: Connect PayPal Commerce to Any WordPress Site (Using WPForms)
Method 2: Set Up PayPal Commerce for Your Digital Product Store (Using Easy Digital Downloads)
Method 3: Accept PayPal Commerce on Your Membership Site (Using MemberPress)
Prefer a different payment gateway? Check out these PayPal alternatives for WordPress.
Method 1: Connect PayPal Commerce to Any WordPress Site (Using WPForms)
If you want to accept PayPal payments on a regular WordPress site without a shopping cart, the easiest way is to use WPForms. It‘s the best drag-and-drop form builder plugin for WordPress used by over 5 million websites.
With the PayPal Commerce addon, you can create a payment form and add it anywhere on your site to accept credit card and PayPal payments. This is great for selling single products, accepting donations, or taking payments for services.
Step 1: Install and Activate WPForms
First, you‘ll need to install and activate the WPForms plugin. If you need help, see this guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.
To access the PayPal Commerce addon, you‘ll need at least the "Pro" plan.
Once the plugin is active, go to WPForms » Settings and enter your license key. You can find this key in your WPForms account.
Step 2: Install the PayPal Commerce Addon
Next, go to WPForms » Addons. Look for the PayPal Commerce addon and click the "Install Addon" button.
Step 3: Connect WPForms to Your PayPal Account
Now you need to connect WPForms to your PayPal account. Go to WPForms » Settings and click on the Payments tab.
Select your currency and then click the Connect with PayPal Commerce button.
A popup window will appear prompting you to log into your PayPal account. After logging in, click the "Grant Permission" button to give WPForms access to your PayPal account.
PayPal will now ask you to fill out some basic details about your business, agree to the terms, and confirm your email. Once you complete this short process, you‘ll be redirected back to your WordPress dashboard.
You should now see a message that says "PayPal Commerce is connected successfully."
Step 4: Create Your Payment Form
Now you‘re ready to create a payment form! Go to WPForms » Add New to launch the form builder.
Give your form a name and select the Blank Form template.
In the form builder, you can add and remove fields by dragging them from the left-hand panel to the right.
To accept payments, drag over the PayPal Commerce field. WPForms will automatically add Name and Email fields, which are required.
You can click on any field to change the label and other settings. For example, you may want to make the phone number field optional.
When you‘re happy with your form, click Save.
Step 5: Configure Your Payment Settings
Next, go to Payments » PayPal Commerce in the form builder.
Select your Payment Type. For one-time payments, make sure Payments is selected. If you want to accept recurring subscriptions, choose Recurring Payments.
For one-time payments, you‘ll need to enter the Item Name and Price.
For recurring payments, you‘ll need to select the Billing Period and Billing Frequency. You can also specify a Trial Period if you want to offer a free or discounted trial.
Below that, you can choose whether or not to enable email notifications for new payments.
There are also some optional settings to collect a billing address or cancel the subscription after a certain number of charges.
When you‘re finished, click Save at the top of the form builder.
Step 6: Add Your Payment Form to Your Website
The final step is to publish your payment form on your WordPress site.
Go to any post or page and click the "+" button to add a new block. Find the WPForms block and add it to your content.
Select your payment form from the dropdown menu and WPForms will load a preview of the form.
You can now update or publish the page and click the Preview button to see your payment form in action!
Here‘s an example of what your payment form might look like:
[Insert screenshot example of WPForms PayPal Commerce payment form]That‘s it! You can now accept one-time or recurring payments through your WordPress site.
Method 2: Set Up PayPal Commerce for Your Digital Product Store (Using Easy Digital Downloads)
Do you want to sell digital products like ebooks, courses, music, or software through your WordPress site? The easiest way to do this is with Easy Digital Downloads (EDD).
EDD is a complete eCommerce solution built for selling digital products. With the PayPal Commerce addon, you can accept payments quickly and easily.
We‘ll walk you through the process step-by-step.
Step 1: Install and Activate Easy Digital Downloads
First, install and activate the Easy Digital Downloads plugin on your WordPress site. If you need help with this step, see this guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.
Step 2: Install the PayPal Commerce Payment Gateway
To access the PayPal Commerce gateway you‘ll need to have an active Easy Digital Downloads license key. You need at least the "Extended" license to access the gateway.
Go to Downloads » Settings and click on the Licenses tab. Enter your license key here.
Next, go to Downloads » Settings » Payment Gateways. Click the button to Install and Activate the PayPal Commerce gateway.
Step 3: Connect Easy Digital Downloads to Your PayPal Account
After installing the gateway, go to Downloads » Settings » Payment Gateways and click on the PayPal Commerce link.
Easy Digital Downloads will automatically check if you have a PayPal account connected. You‘ll see a notice that says "Connect your PayPal account to Easy Digital Downloads to get started with PayPal Commerce Platform."
Click the Connect with PayPal button. You‘ll be redirected to PayPal and prompted to log in. After logging in, you‘ll need to grant Easy Digital Downloads permission to connect to your account.
You‘ll now be redirected back to your WordPress site. You should see a success message.
Step 4: Configure Your PayPal Commerce Settings
After connecting your account, you‘ll see some additional PayPal Commerce settings.
You can enable PayPal Credit if you want to let customers pay over time. This can help boost sales, especially for higher-priced items.
There‘s also an option to collect a billing address, which is recommended for security and dispute resolution.
Make sure to click Save Changes after configuring your settings.
Step 5: Add PayPal Commerce to Your Checkout
Your store‘s checkout page will now automatically include the PayPal Commerce option.
To test it out, you can add a product to your cart and proceed to checkout. You should see an option to pay with PayPal or a credit/debit card:
[Insert screenshot of EDD PayPal Commerce checkout]Clicking the PayPal button will open a popup where the customer can log into their PayPal account. Alternatively, they can click the "Pay with Debit or Credit Card" button to enter their card details directly.
After a successful payment, the customer will be redirected back to your website to view their receipt and download their digital products.
Step 6: View Your PayPal Commerce Transactions
To view all your PayPal Commerce sales and transaction details, go to Downloads » Payment History.
You can also see your PayPal Commerce payouts and reports by logging into your PayPal account directly.
That‘s it! You‘ve successfully set up PayPal Commerce on your digital product store.
For more details, see this step-by-step Easy Digital Downloads tutorial.
Method 3: Accept PayPal Commerce on Your Membership Site (Using MemberPress)
MemberPress is the best WordPress membership plugin. It makes it easy to create a membership site, restrict content, and accept recurring payments.
With MemberPress, you can connect PayPal Commerce to sell memberships, process one-time payments, or set up recurring subscriptions.
Here‘s how to do it step-by-step:
Step 1: Install and Activate the MemberPress Plugin
First, install and activate the MemberPress plugin on your WordPress site.
Step 2: Connect MemberPress to Your PayPal Account
After activating MemberPress, go to MemberPress » Settings and click on the Payments tab.
Next, click the Connect to PayPal button.
You‘ll be redirected to PayPal and asked to log into your account. After logging in, you‘ll need to grant MemberPress permission to connect to your account.
You‘ll then be redirected back to your WordPress site. You should see the message "You have successfully connected your PayPal account."
Step 3: Configure Your PayPal Commerce Settings
After connecting your account, you‘ll see the full PayPal Commerce settings panel.
Here you can choose whether to use PayPal‘s Smart Payment Buttons. This lets customers pay with methods like PayPal Credit and local alternative payment methods in addition to PayPal and credit/debit cards.
You can also enable Apple Pay and add your Apple Merchant ID.
There are a few other options to customize the checkout experience, like collecting a billing address or adding purchase notes.
Make sure to click Update Options after changing any settings.
Step 4: Create a Membership Level with PayPal Commerce
Now you‘re ready to use PayPal Commerce to sell memberships!
To create a new membership level, go to MemberPress » Memberships and click Add New.
Enter a title and description for your membership level.
Then, scroll down to the Membership Terms section. Select PayPal Commerce from the Payment Methods dropdown.
Enter the price and billing frequency. You can use MemberPress to set up various billing models including one-time payments, recurring subscriptions, free or paid trials, and more.
Here‘s an example of what your MemberPress PayPal Commerce settings might look like:
[Insert screenshot of MemberPress recurring membership settings]Finally, click Publish to activate your new membership level.
Step 5: View Your PayPal Commerce Transactions and Reports
To view your PayPal Commerce sales and membership payments, go to MemberPress » Transactions.
You can also access PayPal‘s transaction reports by logging into your PayPal account.
That‘s it! You can now use PayPal Commerce to accept payments for your membership site.
For guidance on setting up your membership site and configuring other MemberPress settings, see this complete MemberPress tutorial.
Best PayPal Commerce Alternatives for WordPress
While PayPal Commerce is an excellent payment solution for many WordPress sites, it‘s not your only option. Here are a few notable PayPal alternatives to consider:
- Stripe
Stripe is a popular payment processor known for its ease of use and powerful features. With Stripe, you can accept credit card payments directly on your site without redirecting customers to a third-party platform.
To use Stripe on your WordPress site, we recommend the free WPForms Lite plugin or it‘s premium version WPForms Pro for even more Stripe features.
- Square
Square is another user-friendly payment processor with low transaction fees. With the Square plugin for WooCommerce, you can easily connect your WordPress eCommerce store to your Square account.
- Authorize.Net
Authorize.Net has been around for a long time and is known for being a stable and reliable payment gateway. It‘s a great choice for businesses processing a high volume of transactions. You can connect Authorize.Net to WordPress with plugins like WP Simple Pay.
For even more options, check out our complete list of the best PayPal alternatives for WordPress.
In Conclusion
Adding PayPal Commerce to your WordPress site is easier than you might think. With plugins like WPForms, Easy Digital Downloads, and MemberPress, you can start accepting PayPal and credit card payments in just a few clicks.
The setup process is pretty similar for each plugin:
- Install and activate the plugin
- Connect the plugin to your PayPal account
- Configure your payment settings
- Add PayPal Commerce to your payment forms or product pages
So which PayPal Commerce integration method should you choose? It really depends on your unique needs:
If you just want to accept simple one-time payments or donations on your WordPress site, go with WPForms. The setup process is beginner-friendly and you can embed payment forms anywhere on your site.
If you want to sell digital products like software, ebooks, or courses, use Easy Digital Downloads. EDD has all the features you need built-in, like automatic downloads, discount codes, and customer management.
If you want to build a membership site with recurring subscriptions, integrate PayPal Commerce with MemberPress. With MemberPress, you can restrict content and set up flexible billing models.
No matter which method you choose, PayPal Commerce offers a convenient and secure way to accept payments on your WordPress site.
By following this tutorial, you‘ll be up and running with PayPal Commerce in no time. Leave a comment below and let us know how it goes!
