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MembershipWorks – Membership, Events & Directory

By MembershipWorks

Community & Social / User-Generated Content

Reviewed by Abdul Hameid

Trusted WordPress expert with 20+ years of experience evaluating plugins for the WP ecosystem.

MembershipWorks – Membership, Events & Directory Review - In-Depth Analysis

MembershipWorks is an all-in-one solution for managing memberships, events, directories, and donations. It offers secure member profiles and customizable access controls.

Performance Overview

WPS Score

6.91/10

User Rating

4.4/5 (based on 37+ reviews)

Active Installations

2,000+

Update Frequency

Average It is calculated using the weighted average of same category plugins.

Security Score

5 / 10 (Medium Risk) It is calculated using the weighted average of all versions.

What It Does

MembershipWorks is an advanced all-in-one membership, directory, events, and donation platform for chambers, associations, professional, networking, and other membership groups. This plugin integrates your MembershipWorks account to your WordPress site. MembershipWorks is free for small groups and also free to try with our 50 member/account plan.

The plugin allows easy WordPress setup using shortcodes to place membership forms, events calendar, member directory, and more on your pages. It is fully responsive and works with most themes.

MembershipWorks supports various payment gateways, accounting software, and email services. It provides unlimited membership levels, configurable billing options, and automated email notifications for payments and renewals.

Events can be displayed in a calendar or list format, with options for ticketing and registration. The plugin also includes features for member-only access, directory management, and customizable member profiles.

Additional functionalities include job boards, classifieds, and a financial dashboard to manage billing and accounting. SEO optimization is included for events and directory listings.

Comparing to Alternatives

MembershipWorks offers a comprehensive membership and event management solution with hosting included, standing out among several capable alternatives.

Top alternatives

Strengths

Includes hosting as part of the service, simplifying setup.
Highly responsive and helpful support team.
User-friendly system praised by multiple users.
Comprehensive features including event calendar, membership database, directory, forms, and shopping cart.
Integrates with popular email marketing platforms like MailChimp.

Weaknesses

Limited event sorting options, only by category.
Documentation is not available before installation, making evaluation difficult.
API does not address some simple issues effectively.
Known medium severity security vulnerability fixed in recent update.

User Sentiment Analysis

With an overall rating of 4.4 out of 5 from 37 reviews, most users praise the plugin's support and feature set, though a minority report significant limitations.

Positive highlights

'Amazing support – I could not be a bigger fan of this plugin and the great support they provide.' – ahufford
'Great software with a lot of options that's perfect for a Chamber of Commerce.' – thequiltedquirrel
'Our organization is helped immensely by this membership plugin!' – wcamembers
'Excellent software and support, membership has more than doubled.' – Complectia
'Support is extremely responsive, often replying within minutes.' – tnruss

Common complaints

Inflexible system with many limitations, including poor event sorting capabilities.

Weaknesses

Limited documentation availability before installation.
API limitations for simple tasks.
Medium severity security vulnerability reported and fixed.

Who Should Use This?

Best for

Organizations seeking an all-in-one membership and event management solution with hosting included, valuing responsive support and integration with email marketing tools.

Not ideal for

Users needing advanced event sorting features or those who require comprehensive pre-installation documentation and highly flexible APIs.

Pricing & Value

Free version includes

The plugin is free to use with its full feature set available without a paid version.

Final Verdict

MembershipWorks is a robust and user-friendly membership and event management plugin with excellent support and useful integrations, making it a strong choice for many organizations. Its inclusion of hosting and comprehensive features adds significant value.

However, its limitations in event sorting, lack of pre-installation documentation, and a past security vulnerability may deter users with more complex needs or heightened security concerns. Alternatives may be better suited for those requiring more flexibility.

Other Notable Features

Here are a few other notable features of this free MembershipWorks – Membership, Events & Directory plugin.

Membership

Screenshots

FAQ

This plugin is an interface to your MembershipWorks account, much like how MailChimp or Google Maps plugins are an interface to those systems. When you embed a Google Map on your web page, the map is not generated from your WordPress server. Similarly the heavy lifting and processing for our system happens on our side, including all data storage (triple redundant with daily backups), email delivery, security, updates and compliance. The plugin provides the convenience of integrating features on the website with shortcodes, provides an admin panel on the WordPress dashboard, and checks access on member only pages/posts.