You can accept payments on your WordPress site for a wide range of purposes. Whether for content monetization, selling products, etc. But first, you need to install a proper plugin to handle the payments.
I have tested some plugins that you can use to accept payments on your WordPress site and put them together in the list below. All plugins on the list offer a free version.
With the plugins below, you can create a payment form and connect it to popular payment gateway platforms like Stripe and PayPal.
Before you install a payment plugin, there is one crucial thing you need to know in advance regarding how a payment plugin works.
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How a Payment Plugin Works
A payment plugin has no capability to handle the payments from the customers. Instead, it acts only as the bridge that connects a customer with a payment gateway platform. In this context, the bridge is the form (application) where customers enter information like card number, name, email, and so on.
The payment plugin then sends the information to a payment gateway service which has the capability to handle the payments.
Some examples of payment gateway services include Stripe, PayPay, Authorize.Net, Mollie, Razorpay, and Xendit.
Apart from sending information to a payment gateway service regarding transactions made by customers, a payment plugin is also responsible for providing the bridge (the payment form).
In most cases, payment plugins also record the transaction data for reporting purposes.
Crucial Features to Look for in a Payment Plugin
Again. A payment plugin has no capability to handle the payments made by your customers. It only provides the bridge that connects your customers to a payment gateway service (you can connect a payment form to multiple payment gateway services).
With that said, the payment gateway services supported by a payment plugin is the feature you need to notice the most before you install and stick with a certain plugin. Because it determines how you can get the real money.
Also consider features like reporting, form editor and integration with other plugins.
Here are some crucial features you need to look for in a payment plugin:
- The payment gateway services it supports
- Reporting
- Form editor
- Compatibility with the builder you use
- Redirection after payment
List of Free WordPress Payment Plugins
On the list:
- JetFormBuilder
- Forminator
- Formidable Forms
- ProfilePress
- Paymattic
- WP Full Pay
- Payment Page
- WP Simple Pay
- Better Payment
1. JetFormBuilder
JetFormBuilder is a WordPress plugin from Crocoblock, which also owns JetEngine. It is not designed specifically to be a payment plugin. Instead, JetFormBuilder is designed to be a form builder plugin.
I include it to the list because you can use JetFormBuilder to create a payment form and connect it to PayPal. The best part, you don’t need to upgrade to the pro version although the payment option is extremely limited if you stick with the free version.
If you upgrade to the pro version, you will be able to connect your payment form to Stripe and other payment gateway services — other than PayPal.
JetFormBuilder is great if you want to offer exclusive content that is only accessible by the registered paid members. When creating a form with JetFormBuilder, you can set the form action to Register User. Meaning that you can use it to create a registration form.
Unfortunately, JetFormBuilder has no reporting feature to allow you to monitor the transaction history on your website.
Key Features of JetFormBuilder Free:
- Form builder
- Integration support with PayPal
- Flexible form installation via shortcode
- Integration support with marketing platforms
- Custom redirect after payment
- Email notification
2. Forminator
If you need a free plugin to accept payments via PayPal and credit cards (via Stripe), Forminator is one of the plugins you can try.
Forminator is quite similar to JetFormBuilder whereby it is basically a form builder plugin which you can use to create a wide range of form types. Including, of course, a payment form.
As mentioned, you can connect your Forminator-powered form to Stripe and PayPal without needing to upgrade to the pro version.
The ability to add a radio button and a dropdown menu allows you to create a payment form with a better UX.
Key Features of Forminator Free:
- Form builder
- Display condition
- Integration support with PayPal and Stripe
- Flexible form installation via shortcode
- Integration support with marketing platforms
- Custom redirect after payment
- Email notification
3. Formidable Forms
Formidable Forms is also a great solution if you are looking for a free form builder with a payment feature. The free version of the plugin allows you to create a payment form and accept payments via credit cards thanks to its Stripe integration support.
However, it’s super crucial to note that there is a 3% cut for every payment you receive if you stick with the free version. You need to use the pro version to eliminate the cut.
Formidable Forms offers plenty of ready-to-use payment form templates. However, free users can only access one template.
The overall features offered by Formidable Forms are not much different from JetFormBuilder and Forminator where it offers several form field types you can add to your form. Multiple form actions are also available.
Key Features of Formidable Forms Free:
- Form builder
- Integration support with Stripe
- Flexible form installation via shortcode
- Custom redirect after payment
- Email notification
4. ProfilePress
If you truly want to monetize your content and are looking for a more comprehensive plugin to control how you deliver the content, then ProfilePress is worth trying.
ProfilePress is a membership plugin for WordPress released as a freemium plugin. The free version allows you to add a membership functionality to your WordPress website and accept payment via credit cards using Stripe.
However, there will be a 2% cut if you use the free version. To remove the cut, you need to use the pro version of ProfilePress.
Not only can you use ProfilePress to offer paid content, but you can also use it to sell digital products. Including WordPress plugins in case you are a developer.
With ProfilePress, you can create multiple pricing plans and set custom content access to your members.
I have published a comprehensive review in case you want to learn more about ProfilePress.
Key Features of ProfilePress Free:
- Ability to create membership functionality
- Custom content access
- Integration support with Stripe
- Form builder
- Member directory
- Custom redirect
- Transaction reports
5. Paymattic
Stripe is the most popular payment gateway service, but everyone knows that not all countries are supported by Stripe. Especially some developing countries in Southeast Asia. If you live in Southeast Asia and are looking for a payment plugin, then you can try Paymattic.
With Paymattic, you can accept payments from local banks in your country thanks its integration support with Xendit.
In case you didn’t know, Xendit is a popular payment gateway in Southeast Asia. It is the best Stripe alternative for local payments in Southeast Asia.
Unfortunately, Xendit integration is only available on the pro version Paymattic. So is with PayPal, Razorpay, Mollie, and other payment gateways.
The free version of Paymattic only supports integration with Stripe, which is a bit of a pity given Paymattic is a plugin designed specifically as a payment plugin.
Key Features of Paymattic Free:
- Form builder
- Integration support with Stripe
- Flexible form installation via shortcode
- Custom redirect after payment
- Reporting
6. WP Full Pay
WP Full Pay is a simple payment plugin for WordPress. Currently, it only accepts payments via Stripe and there is a 5% transaction fee you need to pay to WP Full Pay if you use the free version.
To remove the transaction fee, you need to upgrade to the version in which the cost is $79.50 per year.
You can use WP Full Pay whether to accept one-time payments or subscription-based payments. The reporting feature is available to allow you to monitor the transaction history on your website.
WP Full Pay comes with a customer portal feature to allow your customers to manage their subscriptions and access invoices.
Furthermore, it also comes with a tax calculator to make it easy for you to calculate tax for the transactions made on your website.
Key Features of WP Full Pay Free:
- Form builder
- Integration support with Stripe
- Flexible form installation via shortcode
- Custom redirect after payment
- Reporting
- Customer portal
7. Payment Page
Payment Page is a relatively new plugin compared to other plugins above. The plugin allows you to accept payments via credit cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay thanks to integration with Stripe. You can also accept payments via PayPal.
The integration with these two payment gateways is available in the free version.
For Stripe, there will be a 2% cut per transaction, which will be removed if you upgrade to the pro version.
The payment form builder of Payment Page allows you to add custom fields. You can also add a switcher to allow your potential customers to switch between, for instance, subscription payment or one-time payment.
Payment Page allows you to display the form payment in a regular form (embedded form) or in a popup with the on-click trigger. You can set multiple form actions after successful payment, including redirection.
Unfortunately, Payment Page offers no reporting feature so that you need to login to Stripe or PayPal every time you want to monitor the transaction history.
Key Features of Payment Page Free:
- Form builder
- Integration support with Stripe and PayPal
- Flexible form installation via shortcode
- Custom redirect after payment
- Popup builder
- Email notification
8. WP Simple Pay
WP Simple Pay can be another solution if you are looking for a free WordPress plugin to accept payments via credit cards, Apple Pay or Google Pay.
However, same as other plugins above, there will be a small cut if you stick with the free version. WP Simple Pay applies a 3% transaction fee per transaction made via your payment form. The transaction will be removed once you upgrade to the pro version.
WP Simple Pay doesn’t support PayPal so it is not an ideal option if you live in a country where Stripe is not officially available.
If you are looking for a payment plugin that comes with a reporting feature, then WP Simple Pay is a great plugin to go to. It comes with a super useful reporting feature to monitor the transaction history on your website. The feature is accessible on both the free version and the pro version of the plugin.
Key Features of WP Simple Pay Free:
- Form builder
- Integration support with Stripe
- Flexible form installation via shortcode
- Custom redirect after payment
- Reporting
9. Better Payment
Are you an Elementor user? If yes, Better Payment is the plugin you can go to. Elementor itself already has built-in features to accept payments via either Stripe or PayPal. However, the feature is only available on the pro version.
Also, you can only create the payment button without being able to create the payment form. That’s why you need Better Payment.
Better Payment is a payment plugin designed specifically for Elementor. Meaning that it depends on Elementor to work. It supports integration with both Stripe and PayPal.
Unlike other plugins above, Better Payment doesn’t apply a transaction fee. The only transaction fee you need to pay is the one from Stripe and PayPal.
Since the plugin is designed specifically for Elementor, you can create the payment form using the Elementor editor, which is great if you have a big concern on design.
After installing and activating the Better Payment plugin, you will see the following Elementor widgets:
- Better Payment: To create the payment form.
- User Dashboard: To create a custom dashboard.
Better Payment can be a great self-hosted alternative to platforms like Gumroad, Buy Me a Coffee and Ko-fi. The plugin allows you to create a payment form where your potential customers can enter the price on their own, which is great for content creators.
Furthermore, Better Payment allows you to monitor the transaction history thanks to its built-in reporting feature although you need to upgrade to the pro version to check the detailed reports.
Key Features of Better Payment Free:
- Form builder
- Integration support with Stripe, PayPal and Paystack
- Custom redirect after payment
- Reporting
- Ability to accept custom price
- Custom dashboard
Summary
The options are limitless if you want to monetize the content on your WordPress website. You can add a membership functionality to restrict content to paid members only. You can also show the content only to those who have made a payment, without being a member on your website.
The very first thing you need to do before you can accept payments on your WordPress website is to install a payment plugin, in which the options are listed above.
All plugins on the list are available in two versions: Free and Pro. But keep in mind that some plugins apply an extra transaction fee. So, choose the plugin wisely before you settle with one.
There are many other plugins that you can use to accept payments in WordPress, including the ones designed specifically for WooCommerce. I don’t include them on the list because they don’t meet the following criteria:
- Ability to create a payment form
- Custom redirect
- Simple and don’t require complex setup
While the above plugins are great to monetize your content, WooCommerce is still the best solution if you want to create a full-fledged online store in WordPress.
