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Compare Paywall Providers

So you're looking for the perfect paywall software for your website? Well, when we shop for something big, we like to do a lot of research. You’re probably the same way. So to help you in your research, we’ve compiled a list of every paywall provider that we’re aware of. Here at Pigeon, we don’t mind you shopping around and comparing the competition, we encourage it. That way, when your research inevitably circles you back around to us, you’ll be absolutely certain that you’re making the best choice possible.

Key Features to Look for in Paywall Software

When shopping for a good paywall solution, there’s a few key features to look for. If you will be charging people to access content on your website, then the following features will be required.

  • Paywall

    Obviously, you’ll need the ability to block content for non-subscribers, while allowing access to paying cusomters. If you are continually pushing out new content, or intend to offer a variety of complex access plans, then you will want it to be easy to determine what content goes behind the paywall. Additionally, you should have the option to implement a variety of paywall models such as metered, soft, or hard paywall.

  • Payments

    You will need the ability to collect payments, charge recurring subscriptions, and offer refunds.

  • Manage Members

    If you have lots of customers, then storing and browsing customer contact information, subscription and billing details, and even customer support tools will be important.

  • Communication

    Communication with your customers is critical. Sending email messages and newsletters is essential, and its even more powerful when you can automatically target specific customers based on specific criteria.

  • Analytics

    Knowledge is power. Being able to access and browse different layers of engagement analytics, combined with tools for financial reporting, can help you make more informed decisions.

Those are the minimum features you’ll need to run a successful subscription-based business. Many of the solutions listed below only include some of these features though, which means you may need to purchase additional software services from another vendor. Mixing and matching services is technically fine, but can get costly, cluttered, and confusing. You could end up using Mailchimp for email communication, Salesforce for customer management, Stripe for subscription and payment handling, and something else yet for the paywall content protection. In our list below, we’ve tried to identify which of these features are available in each solution.

Other Important Factors in Choosing a Paywall Solution

Beyond these required software features, there’s a few other factors to consider that are a little more intangible:

  • Financial

    Pricing structures vary widely. Investing in the right paywall from the start can help avoid costly changes later.

  • Software

    If it’s good paywall software, it will have subscriber and user management tools, which means you’ll likely be using the software nearly everyday. So you want to make sure that it’s easy to work with and sparks joy each time you use it. No one wants to use software everyday that’s ugly or fills you with a sense of dread each time you login. Some of these products look like their interfaces were designed 25 years ago. Seeing Windows XP in product screenshots should be a big red flag.

  • Support

    The quality of support is another major factor for consideration. If you have questions, will it be possible to get a hold of someone? This varies widely across the different paywall companies. With a few of these companies, you can expect a quick response and a quality answer. With some other providers, you can only expect reasonable levels of support if you’re a mega-huge corporation, while medium to small-sized businesses should expect to find themselves forgotten and neglected. And with other paywall solutions, don’t count on ever being able to contact a real support person. You will be completely on your own.

  • Flexibility

    With many of the paywall companies, what you get is what you get and don’t expect a lick more. If you have a unique situation that requires something custom, most will not even entertain a discussion. So if you have special needs, your options will be more limited.

  • Universal

    If you are married to a certain content management system, you’ll want to make sure the paywall software is compatible with your website. Some of the solutions only work with specific CMSs, and some providers even require you to migrate your website to their exclusive CMS, which may be more of a headache then you are willing to accept.

With all that in mind, we hope the following list will aid you in your research. To eliminate any bias, we’ll simply list the solutions in alphabetical order. Good luck on your research journey!

Notice any inaccuracies? Unfortunately, many of these product websites are strangely vague about what they truly offer. We've done our best to thoroughly review every available piece of information—including promotional websites, documentation, and press releases—but some details can still be unclear. We want to be perfectly accurate and honest though, so if you find any inaccuracies or companies not in the list, please let us know so we can update our guide.

Admiral

Their claim

Relationships Matter.

Growing great relationships leads to the best in life and in business. Welcome to Admiral: The Visitor Relationship Management Company. A single platform helping Publishers grow Visitor Relationships and Revenue via simple, powerful, marketing automation.

Paywall
Restriction
Yes
Subscriptions
& Payments
Yes
Members
Management
No
Communication
Tools
No
Analytics

Yes
Universal
Platform
Yes

Adapty

Their claim

In-app subscriptions made profitable

Integrate in-app purchases within an hour. Double your subscription revenue in 3 months with A/B testing for paywalls. Run monetization experiments faster and cheaper.

Quick Notes

  • This is specifically for mobile apps.
Paywall
Restriction
Yes
Subscriptions
& Payments
Yes
Members
Management
No
Communication
Tools
No
Analytics

Yes
Universal
Platform
No

Aptitude - Formerly MPP Global

Their claim

Driving transformation.

Finance transformation solutions that drive growth, efficiency and sustainability.

Paywall
Restriction
Weak
Subscriptions
& Payments
Yes
Members
Management
No
Communication
Tools
No
Analytics

Weak
Universal
Platform
Yes

Blink

Their claim

Change the way you use the Internet

Blink offers an easy way to log in to different publications and make digital news purchases. Access the content you love. Support those who create it.

Paywall
Restriction
Weak
Subscriptions
& Payments
Weak
Members
Management
No
Communication
Tools
No
Analytics

No
Universal
Platform
Yes

Blox Digital - formerly TownNews

Their claim

Activating content. Delivering results.

BLOX Digital empowers you to deliver cutting-edge digital experiences that engage and convert—on every platform.

Quick Notes

  • If you already have a website, you must switch to their proprietary CMS.
Paywall
Restriction
Yes
Subscriptions
& Payments
Yes
Members
Management
Weak
Communication
Tools
Weak
Analytics

Yes
Universal
Platform
No

ChargeBee

Their claim

Unlock a lifetime of subscriber growth and retention

Thousands of subscription businesses trust Chargebee’s unique Revenue Growth Management platform to acquire, grow, retain, and manage customers in 227 countries and territories globally.

Quick Notes

  • Primarily a subscription billing platform.
  • Paywall functionality is weak and only works in WordPress.
Paywall
Restriction
Weak
Subscriptions
& Payments
Yes
Members
Management
No
Communication
Tools
Weak
Analytics

Yes
Universal
Platform
Weak

Corrily

Their claim

How subscription companies grow revenue

The all-in-one platform to design, test, deploy and analyze your monetization strategies across web and mobile

Quick Notes

  • Despite using the word “paywall” repeatedly, Corrily does not actually offer the typical paywall technology that blocks users from accessing content. Rather, Corrily allows you to create experimental pricing pages. Corrily refers to these pricing pages as “paywalls”.
  • Seems to only handle the paywall pricing page. You will still need other services to handle subscriptions, billing, and customer management.
Paywall
Restriction
No
Subscriptions
& Payments
Weak
Members
Management
No
Communication
Tools
No
Analytics

Yes
Universal
Platform
Yes

Evolok

Their claim

The engagement and monetisation platform for digital media

Helping online publishers and content brands engage audiences and grow subscription revenues.

Paywall
Restriction
Yes
Subscriptions
& Payments
Yes
Members
Management
Yes
Communication
Tools
No
Analytics

Yes
Universal
Platform
Yes

FewCents

Their claim

Turn Casual Visitors Into Engaged Users

Fewcents reimagines micro access to individual content with global payments and sponsorships. Built for any digital media, the Fewcents Wall is a plug-and-play widget that unlocks revenue and data from undervalued casual visitors.

Quick Notes

  • Not a typical paywall solution.
  • All about micropayments and just selling access to individual articles.
Paywall
Restriction
Weak
Subscriptions
& Payments
Weak
Members
Management
No
Communication
Tools
No
Analytics

Weak
Universal
Platform
Yes

Flip-Pay

Their claim

Digital Publishing Content Monetization and Solutions

Rapidly test, deploy and grow your digital revenue business with advanced user journeys and customer retention tools. Flip-Pay delivers insights, segmentation, subscriptions, carts and more for digital publishers.

Paywall
Restriction
Yes
Subscriptions
& Payments
Yes
Members
Management
Yes
Communication
Tools
No
Analytics

Yes
Universal
Platform
Yes

Ghost

Their claim

Independent technology for modern publishing.

Ghost is a powerful app for professional publishers to create, share, and grow a business around their content. It comes with modern tools to build a website, publish content, send newsletters & offer paid subscriptions to members.

Quick Notes

  • Ghost is a publishing platform comparable to Substack and Medium.
  • If you already have a website, you’ll need to migrate to Ghost’s CMS instead.
Paywall
Restriction
Yes
Subscriptions
& Payments
Yes
Members
Management
Yes
Communication
Tools
Yes
Analytics

Weak
Universal
Platform
No

Google Reader

Their claim

Grow your revenue and deepen your reader engagement

Reader Revenue Manager provides publisher solutions to deepen audience engagement and convert subscribers or contributors

Quick Notes

  • Most publishers are trying to get out from under Google’s thumb, not get in bed with Google.
  • It's a somewhat experimental Google project, so no guarantee it will be around for the long haul.
Paywall
Restriction
Weak
Subscriptions
& Payments
Weak
Members
Management
Weak
Communication
Tools
Weak
Analytics

Weak
Universal
Platform
Weak

Leaky Paywall

Their claim

The flexible subscription platform for publishers. Built for WordPress.

Elevate your readers’ subscription experience. Engage and nurture casual visitors, populate your CRM, and grow revenue.

Quick Notes

  • Still need a separate CRM service.
  • Email communication is an extra paid service.
Paywall
Restriction
Yes
Subscriptions
& Payments
Yes
Members
Management
No
Communication
Tools
No
Analytics

No
Universal
Platform
No

MediaOS

Their claim

One Software for All Things Publishing

CRM Software for Magazines, Newspapers and Digital Publishers

Paywall
Restriction
Yes
Subscriptions
& Payments
Yes
Members
Management
Yes
Communication
Tools
Yes
Analytics

Yes
Universal
Platform
No

MemberGate

Their claim

Easily launch your own subscription website

Start a profitable website by collecting recurring fees using the MemberGate software.

Quick Notes

  • If you already have a website, you must switch to their proprietary CMS.
Paywall
Restriction
Yes
Subscriptions
& Payments
Yes
Members
Management
Yes
Communication
Tools
No
Analytics

Weak
Universal
Platform
No

MemberPress

Their claim

The “All-In-One” Membership Plugin for WordPress

With MemberPress you can monetize your WordPress site, build a perfect membership site, control who sees your content, sell online courses and digital downloads, and accept credit cards and digital wallets securely.

Paywall
Restriction
Yes
Subscriptions
& Payments
Yes
Members
Management
Yes
Communication
Tools
No
Analytics

No
Universal
Platform
No

Mocono

Their claim

The next-generation paywall platform

Sell and manage subscriptions for your content with Mocono. We don’t charge fixed fees, there’s no minimum term, and no setup costs.

Paywall
Restriction
Yes
Subscriptions
& Payments
Yes
Members
Management
Yes
Communication
Tools
Weak
Analytics

Yes
Universal
Platform
No

MultiPub

Their claim

Subscription and Recurring Billing Platform

Multipub, our subscription and audience management platform, automates accounting, fulfillment and marketing operations. Designed to help you work more efficiently, we offer full-service capabilities, in addition to our on-premise or Cloud solutions.

Quick Notes

  • Looks like extremely antiquated software.
  • Demo videos still show Windows XP!
Paywall
Restriction
Yes
Subscriptions
& Payments
Yes
Members
Management
Weak
Communication
Tools
No
Analytics

Yes
Universal
Platform
No

Nami

Their claim

Optimize your paywalls faster and easier

Designed to help businesses optimize their in-app purchase and subscription revenue, Nami offers an advanced, no-code paywall CMS that enables faster paywall experimentation.

Quick Notes

  • This is specifically for mobile apps.
Paywall
Restriction
Yes
Subscriptions
& Payments
Yes
Members
Management
Yes
Communication
Tools
No
Analytics

Yes
Universal
Platform
No

Omeda

Their claim

Unlock your audience's full potential with Omeda

Omeda is enterprise software that combines subscription management, customer data platform, and email and marketing automation so you can manage, activate and monetize your audience more efficiently. Improve lead generation, spark engagement, reduce churn, and increase revenue — all in one unified platform.

Paywall
Restriction
Yes
Subscriptions
& Payments
Yes
Members
Management
Yes
Communication
Tools
Yes
Analytics

Yes
Universal
Platform
Weak

Paid Member Subscriptions

Their claim

Effortless Subscriptions and Recurring Revenue for Membership Sites

Launch your WordPress membership site, online course, or paid community, increase conversions, and generate subscription revenue with one flexible and seamless solution.

Paywall
Restriction
Yes
Subscriptions
& Payments
Yes
Members
Management
Yes
Communication
Tools
Weak
Analytics

Weak
Universal
Platform
No

Paywall Project

Their claim

WordPress paywall web development for local news publishers

PaywallProject supports small and medium-sized digital news publishers by relieving them from the responsibility of creating and managing their own tech stack.

Quick Notes

  • This is a managed web design and hosting provider for newspapers.
Paywall
Restriction
Yes
Subscriptions
& Payments
Yes
Members
Management
Weak
Communication
Tools
Weak
Analytics

No
Universal
Platform
No

Pelcro

Their claim

Make clients want to pay you faster.

Personalize invoices, accept all payment types, and design experiences with ease.

Paywall
Restriction
Yes
Subscriptions
& Payments
Yes
Members
Management
Yes
Communication
Tools
No
Analytics

Yes
Universal
Platform
Yes

Piano

Their claim

Analytics + Activation

Empower every team to understand and influence customer behavior.

Paywall
Restriction
Yes
Subscriptions
& Payments
Yes
Members
Management
Yes
Communication
Tools
Yes
Analytics

Yes
Universal
Platform
Yes

Pigeon

Their claim

The perfect paywall for any project

Create profitable paywalls and easily manage subscriptions and customers with our flexible and robust plugin.

Paywall
Restriction
Yes
Subscriptions
& Payments
Yes
Members
Management
Yes
Communication
Tools
Yes
Analytics

Yes
Universal
Platform
Yes

Poool

Their claim

The Membership and Subscription Suite

The simple, all-in-one audience conversion, management & retention platform to turn content into business.

Paywall
Restriction
Yes
Subscriptions
& Payments
Yes
Members
Management
No
Communication
Tools
No
Analytics

No
Universal
Platform
Yes

Recurly

Their claim

Acquire, retain, and grow subscriptions

The subscription management platform trusted by leading brands to grow recurring revenue.

Paywall
Restriction
Weak
Subscriptions
& Payments
Yes
Members
Management
Yes
Communication
Tools
No
Analytics

Yes
Universal
Platform
Yes

Restrict Content Pro

Their claim

The easy membership plugin for WordPress

Robust content restriction tools and a powerful WordPress membership site, all in one easy to manage plugin.

Paywall
Restriction
Yes
Subscriptions
& Payments
Yes
Members
Management
Weak
Communication
Tools
No
Analytics

No
Universal
Platform
No

RevenueCat

Their claim

In-app subscriptions made easy

The world's best subscription apps use RevenueCat to power in-app purchases, manage customer data, and grow revenue on iOS, Android, and the web.

Quick Notes

  • This is specifically for mobile apps.
Paywall
Restriction
Yes
Subscriptions
& Payments
Yes
Members
Management
Weak
Communication
Tools
No
Analytics

Yes
Universal
Platform
No

Subscription DNA

Their claim

Automate Your Recurring Billing Business with Subscription DNA

Subscription DNA's powerful SaaS platform creatively integrates subscription billing, robust subscription management, paywalls and authentication.

Paywall
Restriction
Yes
Subscriptions
& Payments
Yes
Members
Management
Weak
Communication
Tools
Weak
Analytics

No
Universal
Platform
Yes

Subscription Genius

Their claim

Love Publishing

Our cloud software replaces costly fulfillment houses and clunky spreadsheets, giving you the power to grow.

Paywall
Restriction
Yes
Subscriptions
& Payments
Yes
Members
Management
Yes
Communication
Tools
No
Analytics

Yes
Universal
Platform
Yes

SuperTab - formerly LaterPay

Their claim

We’re changing the way the game is paid.

A lot of great content can be found behind paywalls, but no one can afford to subscribe to everything. That’s why we built Supertab. Now you can access just the content you want and simply “put it on your Tab”.

Quick Notes

  • Not a typical paywall solution.
  • All about micropayments and just selling access to individual articles.
Paywall
Restriction
Weak
Subscriptions
& Payments
Weak
Members
Management
No
Communication
Tools
No
Analytics

No
Universal
Platform
Yes

Wallkit

Their claim

Paywalls Made Easy

Wallkit is a powerful paywall & memberships platform that helps publishers monetize audience access to editorial content, newsletters, events and advertising.

Paywall
Restriction
Yes
Subscriptions
& Payments
Yes
Members
Management
No
Communication
Tools
No
Analytics

Yes
Universal
Platform
Yes

Zoura - formerly Zephr

Their claim

Do modern business.

Companies rely on Zuora to build, run and grow a modern business. Whether your business model is based on subscriptions, consumption, or a hybrid approach, our flexible monetization solutions will help you unlock your full growth potential.

Paywall
Restriction
Yes
Subscriptions
& Payments
Yes
Members
Management
No
Communication
Tools
No
Analytics

Yes
Universal
Platform
Yes

Zlick

Their claim

Simple paywall software for WordPress subscription sites

The effortless paywall to maximize conversions and increase revenue. 10-min setup, no developers needed.

Paywall
Restriction
Yes
Subscriptions
& Payments
Yes
Members
Management
Weak
Communication
Tools
No
Analytics

Yes
Universal
Platform
No

The Graveyard

We’ve also seen quite a few paywall solutions go the way of the Dodo bird over the years. Here’s just a few that we remember...

  • CoinTent

  • PressPlus

  • RevenueWire

  • Swishu

  • TinyPass

  • Pico

    Pico has rebranded as Hype, and pivoted away from the paywall to instead building tools for social media creators. It is now primarily link-in-bio software.

  • MediaPass

    MediaPass just suddenly vanished. Records indicate that they raised $1.75 million in Series B funding in March 2012, but they must have took the money and ran, because they completely disappeared immediately after that.

The Do-It-Yourself Paywall

Lastly, if you have a technically savvy team, you could attempt the daunting task of building your own custom paywall solution. We’ve talked with numerous companies that ultimately decided they could save themselves some money by developing their own in-house paywall solution. Each time we cautioned them that there are innumerable “gotchas” that will need to be considered and accommodated for that won’t be immediately obvious. That even with a talented and dedicated team, it will take a minimum of several years just to build a basic paywall. Unless you’re the size of the New York Times, it is very rarely worth the time and energy to attempt such an undertaking.

We often wish these enterprising companies good luck and say, “You’ll be back.” So far, every time this conversation has happened, they returned a year later and admitted, “You were right. We're abandoning our endeavor as this is far more difficult than expected. We should have just signed up with Pigeon from the start, because now we’re way behind schedule and have wasted tons of money.”

Here at Pigeon, we’ve been refining and expanding our paywall software for more than 15 years. Not only have we been constantly building innovative new features during that time, but we’ve seen and accommodated for every conceivable scenario and predicament for paywalls, subscription plans, payments, and more. We’ve done the hard work so you don’t have to. Let us take care of the paywall, so you can focus on what really matters—creating great content.

Conclusion

We genuinely hope this information helps you determine the best solution for your needs. Not every project needs a tool with extensive features, and some can succeed with relatively basic software. Other projects, however, demand a robust platform capable of managing large-scale challenges and complexities. We hope this guide will help you find the tool best for your particular project.

If you're still unsure about which tool to choose, we encourage you to schedule a demo with Pigeon. We believe it's the perfect paywall for any project and we'd be thrilled to connect with you and learn more about your business.

Ready to learn more about Pigeon and see the difference for yourself?

Connect with our team and schedule a demo.

Schedule a Demo Visit Pigeon.io