Creative tips and tricks

Should You Use with a Membership Plugin? -

Apr 4, 2022

When you create an online class using WordPress it is likely that you'll discover numerous routes to reach the goal.

WordPress is the perfect platform for creating and selling online classes because it's flexible and it you own the platform. Yet there numerous plugins to choose from which can get somewhat too overwhelming.

Maybe you're facing this dilemma in relation to your online course , and are not sure which way to go. In the event that you choose to manage your own WordPress site, you will ultimately face the following decision to run your course:

  1. Only use for the courses you have chosen.
  2. Use a membership plugin only
  3. Make use of both

The answer to this question is dependent on the particulars of your particular project. Therefore, unfortunately I cannot offer a strict guidelines on when you should apply each. Let's take a look at various scenarios.

1. Using only

If you're considering it, you really don't require a membership plugin to protect your content. Our LMS will protect your content without the need of a membership plugin using the Access Settings.

Let's take for instance you're trying to sell three distinct course. The contents of these classes (lessons or quizzes.) are not accessible to those who are not yet enrolled. Only people who are registered to take the course have access to the content. When someone buys a course, they won't have access to the others. They only have access to only the course they purchased.

If the course you are taking isn't cost-free, you might be thinking about how you can add the option of paying for your course. It is compatible with these popular shopping carts:

  • Simple Digital Downloads
  • SamCart
  • ThriveCart (beta)

It is important to note that the WordPress shopping carts (1 and 2 above) are compatible with hundreds of payment processors. The carts include the following payment gateways if you prefer to use no shopping cart:

  • PayPal
  • Stripe
  • 2Checkout

There is no problem using any of these options to take payments. This will safeguard your course's information without the requirement of a membership plugin. People who choose this approach appreciate the streamlined process for designing their courses because it eliminates learning a new solution.

2. Using a Membership Plugin (Only)

It's important to remember that there are some instances where using an LMS plugin isn't required.

If the project you are working on only demands the protection of just a few pages, articles or even assets that are on your WordPress site Then a membership plugin is all you'll require. Using a learning management plugin in this case would be overkill.

An example is if your site includes a community forum and maybe some useful downloads for users. In this case it is not necessary to install application like this since there isn't a need for enrolling students in courses, scheduling quizzes, badges, certificates as well as points report.

3. Using Both and a membership plugin

Although a membership-based plugin isn't necessary but there could be benefits when using a membership plugin depending on the requirements you have.

For instance, if you're interested in having more metrics about the members of your organization, then a Membership plugin can be a great value addition. A lot of membership platforms have reports built-in to them. Utilizing this in conjunction provides you with more insights into your users.

Another common scenario for using each is when you own already a membership-based website, and you want to incorporate courses in a more formal, structured manner. The addition of a plugin makes it simple to increase the value of your membership website by creating classes that your members can take. You don't have to change the way you manage your members either since the case is that you're still using your membership plugin.

is directly integrated with the following membership solutions:

For a note of caution Beware of vendor lock-in!

The learning programs you choose to enroll in can differ with regard to requirements and sometimes those needs alter. Start your course using any option above, and then switch between them as required.

What I have learned after nearly a decade working within the world of online learning is that learning software and online courses are not universally applicable. Learners change and the same goes for demands.

Whether you use or not whether you use or not recommend strongly encourage you to avoid any method that focuses on using a single e-commerce platform or solution for protecting content. The same way, be cautious of any solution that is billed with the tagline "all-in-one". It's rare to find this claim true, but assuming it is it means that you're locked in too. It's not a good idea to take on this kind of risk. This has caused people major headaches throughout the years.

Still confused? Watch this webinar!

This webinar will cover the most common scenarios where using a membership plugin and combined with a membership plugin could be beneficial.