Reign vs MemberPress · 14K/mo searches
Reign vs MemberPress - WordPress community theme vs membership plugin
MemberPress is the most-used WordPress membership plugin. People often compare it to Reign but they actually solve different problems - and pair together on most paid community sites. The real comparison is "Reign + MemberPress together" vs "MemberPress + a generic theme."
One-line verdict
MemberPress and Reign are not competitors - they pair. The question is whether you also want a community layer (Reign adds activity feeds, groups, profiles, messages). MemberPress alone gives you paywall + drip content but no social engine.
Where each wins (honest)
Neither one wins everything.
Reign wins
Reign adds the community layer that MemberPress alone lacks - activity feeds, member profiles, groups, friends, messages, gamification - and that layer comes from our own free plugins, so it costs nothing on top of the theme. If your members never see each other on MemberPress, Reign fixes that.
MemberPress wins
MemberPress is the membership engine - access rules, content dripping, multi-tier subscriptions, course bundling, coupon engine, affiliate add-on. Reign does not replace any of this.
Feature-by-feature
The line-by-line comparison.
| Feature | Reign | MemberPress |
|---|---|---|
| Product category | WordPress theme + design system | Membership / access control plugin |
| Activity feed | Yes (BuddyNext, free) | No |
| Member profiles | Yes (rich, customizable) | Minimal (account page) |
| Groups + friends | Yes (BuddyNext, free) | No |
| Direct messages | Yes (BuddyNext, free) | No |
| Paid membership tiers | Via MemberPress / PMP add-on | Native |
| Content dripping | Via MemberPress / LMS | Native |
| Coupon engine | Via WooCommerce | Native |
| Courses | Learnomy (free, Pro from $149/yr), or LearnDash / LifterLMS | Native (MP Courses add-on) |
| Starting price | $99/yr theme, plugins free | $179/year |
| Stripe + PayPal | Via paid plugin | Native |
| Best with | BuddyNext (free) + a paid membership plugin | Any WordPress theme (Reign included) |
FAQ
Common questions.
Should I buy Reign OR MemberPress?
For a paid community site, both. MemberPress handles the paywall + content protection + subscription billing. Reign handles the design + member-facing community pages (feeds, profiles, groups, messages), and the plugins that produce those pages install free. They run side by side on the same WordPress install.
Does Reign include membership / paywall?
No. Reign is the theme - it does design + member-facing pages. For paid memberships you add MemberPress, Paid Memberships Pro, or WooCommerce Subscriptions. Reign's Membership Site recipe at /build/membership-site/ shows the full stack.
Can I just use MemberPress + a free theme?
Yes if your members do not need to interact with each other. The moment you want activity feeds, groups, or member profiles, you need a community theme like Reign on top.
What about MemberPress Courses?
MemberPress Courses is a basic LMS - good if your needs are simple. For richer course experiences (certificates, quizzes, group cohorts) pair MemberPress for the paywall with Learnomy, our own LMS, which installs free and adds payments, drip and grading on the $149/yr Pro plan. LearnDash, LifterLMS, Tutor LMS and Sensei are the third-party alternatives and Reign styles those too.
Try Reign
Buy the theme. The plugins install free.
Reign is $99 a year or $249 once, and it is the only thing you have to buy. The community engine, courses, forums, jobs and directories are our own plugins and they cost nothing to install.