Available to Merchants in Most Countries

Please see Product Availability for PayPal's "Website Payments Standard" service.

Checkout Occurs at PayPal.com

With PayPal Standard "Buttons" (a hosted solution); customers do leave your site to complete checkout at PayPal.com, and then they return to complete registration afterward. If you want to avoid this limitation use s2Member's PayPal Pro integration (an s2Member Pro feature), where Pro-Forms are used instead of Buttons, and registration/checkout are both completed in a single step at your site. See: PayPal Pro Integration w/ Pro-Forms.

You Can Accept the Following Forms of Payment

If you choose to integrate with PayPal Standard, you can accept any funding source supported by PayPal; i.e., a credit/debit card, the customer's PayPal balance, their checking account, and others—depending upon your PayPal account configuration.

Full IPN Integration (Instant Payment Notifications)

Instant Payment Notifications (IPNs) are messages (behind-the-scenes, via HTTP) that automatically notify s2Member about events related to PayPal transactions. s2Member uses this to automate back-office and administrative functions, like automatically fulfilling orders or terminating access when a customer cancels their subscription or forces a refund/chargeback.

Full Auto-Return & PDT Integration

Payment Data Transfer (PDT) is a secure method to retrieve the details about a PayPal transaction so that s2Member can process it in real-time (as checkout is completed); and without needing to wait for an IPN to occur silently behind-the-scenes. This works together with PayPal's Auto-Return functionality—a customer is immediately returned to your site after completing checkout at PayPal.

Built-in PayPal® Button Generators

s2Member's Button Generators (in your WordPress Dashboard) are so convenient! With these, you can establish a free trial period (or an initial fee), the cost & billing interval, whether it will be recurring, and much more. You can even set the Membership Level and add a list of any Custom Capabilities that you intend to bundle. Button Generators provided by s2Member produce a WordPress Shortcode that can be copied/pasted into a Post or Page in WordPress. s2Member Pro-Forms work the same way. See: PayPal Pro Integration w/ Pro-Forms.

Available to Merchants in the US, UK, and Canada

Please see Product Availability for PayPal's "Website Payments Pro" service.

Note: PayPal Pro requires a formal application and a small monthly fee. Please see: PayPal Website Payments Pro.

Note: s2Member Pro supports PayPal Website Payments Pro and PayPal Website Payments Pro (Payflow Edition). s2Member Pro does not support Payflow as a stand-alone product. There is a difference. s2Member's support for Payflow is limited to "PayPal Website Payments Pro (Payflow Edition)"; where the Payflow "Edition" of PayPal Pro is now very common in newer PayPal Pro accounts; i.e., if you signup for PayPal Website Payments Pro today, you will get the Payflow Edition automatically—and that's fine!     ~ It's the stand-alone Payflow Payment Gateway that we do not support.

Checkout Occurs on Your Site; via Pro-Forms

PayPal Pro-Forms (instead of PayPal Standard Buttons). s2Member's PayPal Pro-Forms integrate seamlessly with WordPress Shortcodes. This allows you to keep customers on your site at all times, and it consolidates registration/checkout into a single step. Since checkout occurs on your site, you can dress up the Post/Page containing your Pro-Form in ways that are most effective for your product/service.

You Can Accept the Following Forms of Payment

If you choose to integrate with PayPal Pro, you can accept all major credit cards, plus any funding source supported by PayPal Express Checkout; i.e., a credit/debit card, the customer's PayPal balance, their checking account, and others—depending upon your PayPal account configuration.

Full IPN Integration (Instant Payment Notifications)

Instant Payment Notifications (IPNs) are messages (behind-the-scenes, via HTTP) that automatically notify s2Member about events related to PayPal transactions. s2Member uses this to automate back-office and administrative functions, like automatically fulfilling orders or terminating access when a customer cancels their subscription or forces a refund/chargeback.

Built-in PayPal® Pro-Form Generators

s2Member's Pro-Form Generators (in your WordPress Dashboard) are so convenient! With these, you can establish a free trial period (or an initial fee), the cost & billing interval, whether it will be recurring, and much more. You can even set the Membership Level and add a list of any Custom Capabilities that you intend to bundle. Pro-Form Generators provided by s2Member produce a WordPress Shortcode that can be copied/pasted into a Post or Page in WordPress. Pro-Forms are, by far, the easiest way to implement on-site credit card processing.

Available to Merchants in 18+ Countries

Please see Product Availability for Stripe to learn more.

Most Popular: Stripe is the easiest, cheapest, and most powerful payment gateway. It integrates with s2Member Pro-Forms too, so it supports all s2Member Pro features. No monthly fees! Highly recommended by s2Member. ~ You can get your free Stripe account here.

Checkout Occurs on Your Site; via Pro-Forms

s2Member's Stripe Pro-Forms integrate seamlessly with WordPress Shortcodes. This allows you to keep customers on your site at all times, and it consolidates registration/checkout into a single step. Since checkout occurs on your site, you can dress up the Post/Page containing your Pro-Form in ways that are most effective for your product/service.

You Can Accept the Following Forms of Payment

If you choose to integrate with Stripe, you can accept almost any type of credit/debit card. See this article for further details.

Full Integration w/ Stripe Webhooks

Webhooks (aka: IPNs) are messages (behind-the-scenes, via HTTP) that automatically notify s2Member about events related to Stripe transactions. s2Member uses this to automate back-office and administrative functions, like automatically fulfilling orders or terminating access when a customer cancels their subscription or forces a refund/chargeback.

Built-in Stripe® Pro-Form Generators

s2Member's Pro-Form Generators (in your WordPress Dashboard) are so convenient! With these, you can establish a free trial period (or an initial fee), the cost & billing interval, whether it will be recurring, and much more. You can even set the Membership Level and add a list of any Custom Capabilities that you intend to bundle. Pro-Form Generators provided by s2Member produce a WordPress Shortcode that can be copied/pasted into a Post or Page in WordPress. Pro-Forms are, by far, the easiest way to implement on-site credit card processing.

Available to Merchants in 5+ Countries

Please see Product Availability for Authorize.Net to learn more.

Note: Authorize.Net requires a formal application and a small monthly fee. Please see: Authorize.Net Payment Gateway Application.

Checkout Occurs on Your Site; via Pro-Forms

s2Member's Authorize.Net Pro-Forms integrate seamlessly with WordPress Shortcodes. This allows you to keep customers on your site at all times, and it consolidates registration/checkout into a single step. Since checkout occurs on your site, you can dress up the Post/Page containing your Pro-Form in ways that are most effective for your product/service.

You Can Accept the Following Forms of Payment

If you choose to integrate with Authorize.Net, you can accept almost any type of credit or debit card. See this article for further details.

Full Integration with Authorize.Net AIM/ARB and Silent Posts

AIM (Advanced Integration Method) allows merchants to host their own secure payment form on a website, mobile device, etc., and send transactions to the payment gateway using an end-to-end secure sockets layer (SSL) connection. s2Member also support ARBs (Automated-Recurring Billing), and Silent Posts (aka: IPNs). Silent Posts are messages (behind-the-scenes, via HTTP) that automatically notify s2Member about events related to Authorize.Net transactions. s2Member uses this to automate back-office and administrative functions, like automatically fulfilling orders or terminating access when a customer cancels their subscription.

Built-in Authorize.Net® Pro-Form Generators

s2Member's Pro-Form Generators (in your WordPress Dashboard) are so convenient! With these, you can establish a free trial period (or an initial fee), the cost & billing interval, whether it will be recurring, and much more. You can even set the Membership Level and add a list of any Custom Capabilities that you intend to bundle. Pro-Form Generators provided by s2Member produce a WordPress Shortcode that can be copied/pasted into a Post or Page in WordPress. Pro-Forms are, by far, the easiest way to implement on-site credit card processing.

Available to Merchants in Most Countries

Please see Countries Compatible w/ ClickBank Direct Deposit service.

Checkout Occurs at ClickBank.com

With ClickBank (a hosted solution); customers do leave your site to complete checkout at ClickBank.com, and then they return to complete registration afterward. If you want to avoid this limitation use s2Member's PayPal Pro, Stripe, or Authorize.Net integrations, where Pro-Forms are used instead of Buttons, and registration/checkout are both completed in a single step at your site.

You Can Accept the Following Forms of Payment

If you choose to integrate with ClickBank, you can accept almost any type of credit or debit card, and you can also accept PayPal. See this article and/or contact ClickBank support for further details regarding accepted payment methods.

Full IPN Integration (Instant Payment Notifications)

Instant Payment Notifications (IPNs) are messages (behind-the-scenes, via HTTP) that automatically notify s2Member about events related to ClickBank transactions. s2Member uses this to automate back-office and administrative functions, like automatically fulfilling orders or terminating access when a customer cancels their subscription or forces a refund/chargeback.

Full API & Thank-You Page Integration

The ClickBank API is a secure method to retrieve the details about a ClickBank transaction so that s2Member can process it in real-time (as checkout is completed); and without needing to wait for an IPN to occur silently behind-the-scenes. This works together with ClickBank's Thank-You Page functionality—a customer is immediately returned to your site after completing checkout at ClickBank.

Built-in ClickBank® Button Generators

s2Member's Button Generators (in your WordPress Dashboard) are so convenient! With these, you can establish a free trial period (or an initial fee), the cost & billing interval, whether it will be recurring, and much more. You can even set the Membership Level and add a list of any Custom Capabilities that you intend to bundle. Button Generators provided by s2Member produce a WordPress Shortcode that can be copied/pasted into a Post or Page in WordPress. s2Member Pro-Forms work the same way. We recommend: Stripe Integration w/ Pro-Forms.

Seamless Integration with WordPress

s2Member integrates seamlessly with an existing WordPress® concept that facilitates varying degrees of permission across different portions of a site or service (including the backend of WordPress itself). So Roles/Capabilities are not something new that s2Member introduces, it simply works with and customizes an existing WordPress community concept.

For example, you may already know that site owners are normally WordPress Administrators. A WordPress "Administrator" being your Role on the site. This Administrator Role grants you the ability to do certain things, because it includes many different Capabilities (like edit_posts, install_plugins, etc). To learn more about Roles/Capabilities in the WordPress core, please see this article in the WP Codex.

s2Member Roles/Capabilities (Including bbPress/BuddyPress Support)

When you install s2Member it adds some additional Roles and Capabilities to a default installation of WordPress. s2Member also makes extensive use of an existing Role in WordPress, the Subscriber Role. s2Member uses the Subscriber Role to classify Free Subscribers (i.e. people with an account—but they've not paid you anything yet). Or, maybe they have paid you for something in the past, but they were since demoted back down to the Subscriber Role (so they no longer have Membership privileges; i.e., Capabilities).

Upon plugin activation (or reactivation), s2Member creates a new Role for each Membership Level that you offer, and each of these Membership Levels gains incremental access; i.e., a Member at Level 3 can also access Membership Levels 2, 1, and 0. This is a basic structure that works well for a lot of business models. For added flexibility, s2Member also makes it possible to sell CCAPS (Custom Capabilities); where Custom Capabilities can provide access to as much or as little as you like (Posts, Pages, Categories, Tags, URIs, parts of a Post/Page, and more)— and without incremental access associated with Membership Levels coming into play whatsoever.

Since s2Member also supports bbPress & BuddyPress, Members at any Level (including Free Subscribers) will be able to spectate and/or participate in bbPress/BuddyPress forums too. Of course, you can also limit this sort of access using one of s2Member's many Restriction Options.

s2Member Custom Capabilities (CCAPS)

Custom Capabilities are for added flexibility. The WordPress function current_user_can(), can be used to test for additional Custom Capabilities that you sell access to. Whenever a Member completes checkout, after having purchased a Membership from you (one that included Custom Capabilities), s2Member will add those Custom Capabilities to the account for that specific Member. You can watch this video to learn more about the power of Custom Capabilities.

Free/Open Registration (Enable/Disable)

s2Member can lock-down all registration forms provided by WordPress and many of the most popular plugins/themes for WordPress. In this way, only paying customers can get an account. Or, you can choose to allow Open Registration; making it possible to acquire Free Subscribers that might later become customers by completing checkout and upgrading their account to a paid status.

Free/Open Registration with Pro-Forms Requires s2Member Pro

s2Member Pro makes it possible to allow Open Registration using Pro-Forms of your choosing—even if you don't intend to use Pro-Forms or a payment gateway. Free Registration Pro-Forms can be used to acquire new users (regardless of your global Open Registration setting). They can also be used to configure a specific Membership Level, CCAPS, trial period, and more—specifically for Free Subscribers, and based on a specific Pro-Form instance. In this way, it is even possible to offer paid Membership Levels > 0 at no charge whatsoever, and maybe for a limited-time only.

s2Member can Protect Anything/Everything in WordPress

Protect WordPress Pages, Posts, a specific Post Type, all Posts of a specific Post Type, Tags, Categories, URIs, URI word fragments, URI Replacement Codes for BuddyPress, Specific Post/Page "Buy Now" access, Conditionals that test for Custom Capabilities, and even portions of content within Posts, Pages, themes, plugins. Easily configurable & highly extensible. You can even protect downloadable files and streaming audio/video with s2Member. Store files locally, or use s2Member's integration with Amazon® S3/CloudFront.

Content can be protected through an easy-to-use meta box in your Post/Page Editing Station, through a global configuration provided by s2Member's Restriction Options, or by integrating [s2If /] (Simple Shortcode Conditionals) into your content. It's also possible to build themes/plugins around s2Member, where you can call upon the current_user_can() function in your PHP template files. Flexibility is here!

Searches, Feeds, Comment Feeds, Custom Menus, Page Lists, and More!

s2Member protects Categories, Tags, Posts, Pages, Files, URIs & more. However, even with all of those security restrictions, it's still possible for protected content excerpts to be seen through Custom Menus, XML feeds, in search results generated by WordPress, and/or (depending on your theme), possibly in other Archive views; which might include: Posts by Author, Posts by Date, a list of featured items formulated by your theme, or even through other widgets/plugins adding functionality to your site. ~ We refer to all of these collectively, as "Alternative Views".

With s2Member's Alt. View Restrictions, you can tell s2Member to protect some (or all) of these "Alternative Views", by filtering WordPress database queries for you. s2Member can automatically hide protected content that is not available to the current user. In other words, s2Member is capable of pre-filtering all database queries, so that excerpts of protected content will not be allowed to slip through.

Preventing Brute-Force Attacks Before They Begin

As with any membership system, it is possible for someone to try and guess username/password combinations by attempting a Brute Force Attack; whereby multiple/repeated logins are strategically attempted with various username/password combinations until a correct guess is made. It is not likely that you'll be attacked in this way, but it's still a good idea to protect your system; just in case somebody tries this. s2Member thwarts this behavior by monitoring failed login attempts that occur within a short period of time. Whenever s2Member detects an IP address (i.e., a remote user) that is consistently failing to enter a valid username/password, a temporary ban is created; preventing additional attempts from taking place for 30 minutes (configurable). This temporary ban, will only affect the offending IP address.

Tracking Users by Their IP Address (Location)

As with any membership system, it is possible for one member to signup, and then share their username with someone else; or even post it online for the whole world to see. This is known as link sharing (aka: username sharing). It is not likely that you'll be attacked in this way, but it's still a good idea to protect your system; just in case somebody tries this.

s2Member's Unique IP Restrictions work for Membership Level Access (account logins), Specific Post/Page Access, Registration Links, and other secure entry points. In all cases, the rules are simple. A single username, access link, and/or entry point; is only valid for a certain number of unique IP addresses. Once that limit is reached, s2Member assumes there has been a security breach. At that time, s2Member will place a temporary ban (preventing access) to a specific post/page, or to an account associated with a particular username. This temporary ban, will only affect the offending link and/or username associated with the security breach. You can fine-tune this behavior through configurable options.

Guarding Against Open Source Peepers

Just like WordPress, s2Member is open-source software. Which is wonderful. However, this also makes it possible for anyone to grab a copy of the software, and try to learn their way around its security measures. In order to keep your installation of s2Member unique/secure, you should configure a Security Encryption Key. s2Member will use your Security Encryption Key to protect itself against hackers. It does this by encrypting all sensitive information with your key. A Security Encryption Key is unique to your installation.

Quick Overview; Content Restriction + Simple Shortcode Conditionals

s2Member makes it very easy to protect entire Posts, Pages, Categories, Tags, URIs, etc. This can be accomplished from the WordPress Dashboard using one of s2Member's global Restriction Options. Or, from your Post/Page editing station in WordPress you will find a meta box where Restrictions can be applied. We consider all of this to be point-and-click functionality. Very easy!

What many site owners don't realize though, is that s2Member also makes it pretty easy to protect "parts" of a Post or Page. You can even get creative about what you display to certain users; based upon your own custom criteria. The [s2If /] Shortcode (Simple Shortcode Conditionals) are the key to accomplishing this.

In fact, to say that s2Member (i.e., the [s2If /] Shortcode) can merely protect "parts" of a Post or Page, is really an understatement. With s2Member's Simple Shortcode Conditionals, you can not only protect parts of your content, you can also deal with other kinds of conditions; making [s2If /] a vital part of a successful membership site.

Scenarios where [s2If /] (Simple Shortcode Conditionals) can Help!

Basic Download Restrictions

By basic, we mean that you will let s2Member control access to any File Downloads that you make available. It's basic, because all you do is simply tell s2Member how many unique File Downloads are allowed within a given time-period, based on the Membership Level that a particular user has. For instance, you might make 100 ZIP files available, but you only allow Members at Level 1 to download a maximum of 10 unique files each day/week/month/year. Members at Level 2 might be allowed more, and so on.

Advanced Download Restrictions (w/ Download Keys)

By advanced, we mean that you take complete control over the availability of any File Downloads that you make available. s2Member makes it possible for you (as the site owner) to produce Download Keys (with help from the [s2File /] Shortcode), so that protected files can be served to anyone; where all Basic Download Restrictions are bypassed whenever you deem necessary. This makes it possible for you to sell access to File Downloads in creative ways; i.e. in whatever way you desire.

Protected File Download Storage (Local or Remote)

s2Member can protect File Downloads locally (/wp-content/plugins/s2member-files/*). Or, you can use s2Member's integration with Amazon S3 and/or Amazon Cloudfront; where protected File Downloads are stored remotely inside an Amazon S3 Bucket. The [s2File /] Shortcode can then generate digitally-signed URLs that lead to those files—using either Basic or Advanced methods.

Inline Delivery; Files are Not Always "Download Prompts"

s2Member has the ability to deliver File Downloads with a download prompt, or not. Without the download prompt, a file can actually be served Inline; i.e., within the browser. This is a popular technique for images, PDF files, and audio/video files. See also: Protected Audio/Video Streams for additional considerations when serving audio/video streams.

Audio/Video Files through Amazon S3/Cloudfront/JW Player

s2Member has an optional integration with Amazon S3, Amazon Cloudfront, and with JW Player. All of these services can be integrated with s2Member. Once that is complete, you will then have an easy-to-use [s2Stream /] Shortcode (provided by s2Member). This allows you to serve protected audio/video streams through digitally-signed URLs. Please watch this video tutorial to learn more about the [s2Stream /] Shortcode that brings all of this together inside WordPress for you.

Seekable (Non-Downloadable) RTMP Audio/Video Streams

One of the great things about Amazon CloudFront, is its ability to stream/seek media files in the truest sense of the word. For sites delivering protected FLV, MP4, OGG, WEBM and other streaming audio/video file types over the RTMP protocol, Amazon CloudFront is our recommendation. Once you've successfully configured s2Member to use both Amazon S3 and Amazon CloudFront together, s2Member will automatically serve your protected files over the RTMP protocol using an Amazon CloudFront Streaming Distribution—configured automatically by s2Member.

Audio/video files streamed over the RTMP protocol can be viewed, but never downloaded. This is critical for some sites. If your entire business model is based on the delivery of audio or video, RTMP can work to prevent users from gaining access to your media and then illegally redistributing it without your permission. Please note the following limitation: RTMP streams are currently not compatible with mobile devices. The [s2Stream /] Shortcode can be configured to provide an MP4 fallback if you like. If videos should be viewable on mobile devices, an MP4 fallback is necessary.

Offline Payments, Manual Account Creation, Virtual Terminal Transactions

You can accept offline payments (e.g., check by mail, funds collected in cash, by phone, etc). Customer accounts can be created from your WordPress Dashboard to fulfill orders, or through s2Member's Pro Remote Operations API. With PayPal Pro, Stripe, or Authorize.Net, you will also acquire a Virtual Terminal where you can process credit cards manually by logging into your merchant account.

What are Custom Registration/Profile Fields?

By default, s2Member only collects details from a user that are absolutely required to process a registration and/or transaction; e.g., email address, name, username, password, credit card, billing address, etc. If there are other fields that you'd like to introduce; either as part of the registration process, or as part of the user's profile at your site; Custom Registration/Profile Fields are an easy way to accomplish this. Custom Registration/Profile Fields are compatible with the built-in WordPress registration form, with s2Member Pro-Forms, and even with BuddyPress registration forms. See: WordPress Dashboard → s2Member → General Options → Custom Registration/Profile Fields for more information.

Supported Custom Registration/Profile Field Types

Text entry, multiline text entry, select menus that require a specific option, select menus that allow for multiple options, a single checkbox, multiple checkboxes, and multiple radio buttons. You can configure which Membership Levels they apply to, whether they are required, if they will be shown during checkout or only in a profile, if they should be for internal use only, if they begin a new section in the form, specific field validation patterns, styles, classes, and other HTML attributes of your choosing.

Tip: If you integrate with PayPal Pro, Stripe, or Authorize.Net (i.e., with s2Member Pro-Forms), it is also possible to create custom Pro-Form templates, where you can edit the underlying PHP files and get even more creative in your presentation. For instance, you might decide to build additional fields into your Pro-Form template file, and process those in custom ways.

Styling the Default WordPress Login/Registration System

s2Member Pro provides a Pro Login Widget that integrates with a WordPress theme of your choosing, and Pro-Forms can be used for registration. However, the default WordPress login/registration system (/wp-login.php, /wp-login.php?action=register) can also be customized with s2Member (optional). You can set a font family, font size, background color, background image properties, text/shadow colors, a logo image, the click URL for your logo image, the title attribute for your logo image, and a custom footer design that supports raw HTML and even PHP code.

Customization of Email Messages Sent by s2Member

s2Member makes it easy to build custom email messages that are sent in response to a customer completing checkout. You can customize the subject, body, and even the list of recipients. Replacement Codes are provided for added flexibility. For instance, you can insert the customer's name, email address, transaction/subscription ID, the amount charged, currency code, item number, item description, recurring rate, recurring term/cycle, initial/recurring amounts, coupon code, coupon affiliate ID, and any custom field values. Emails configured with s2Member also support the use of PHP and WordPress Template Tags; making it possible for advanced users to incorporate custom functionality if desirable.

Which Transactional Emails Can I Customize?

Customization of New User Notifications

s2Member also makes it possible to customize the default New User Notifications that are processed by the WordPress core. There are two of these. One is sent to the user, and another is sent to the site owner. Replacement Codes are provided by s2Member for these email templates too. You can enable or disable this functionality, but the ability to customize these additional emails is a nice touch!

The New User Notification templates can be found in WordPress Dashboard → s2Member → General Options → Email Configuration.

What Exactly is the Login Welcome Page?

A Login Welcome Page (in the context of s2Member), is a Page you create in WordPress (like any other Page). Then you designate it as your Login Welcome Page when configuring s2Member. This can be configured (or reconfigured) under s2Member → General Options → Login Welcome Page. It's the page where a user/member (anyone who can log into your site) is redirected to upon logging in.

Most Common Use of the Login Welcome Page

Often times, the Login Welcome Page that you configure with s2Member will serve as a customer's "My Account" page, or something similar. Most site owners will use this page to introduce links to important areas of their site, so that users can gain access to whatever it is you've sold them. This makes it easy for a customer to find what they've purchased, and to locate information associated with their account.

Some site owners will also insert the [s2Member-Profile /] Shortcode into this page. Or, they might choose to insert a link that takes a user to a separate page which contains the [s2Member-Profile /] Shortcode. The [s2Member-Profile /] Shortcode produces a Profile Editing Form. Users can update their profile on your site (i.e., name, email address, any custom fields you've configured, etc). You can learn more about this Shortcode here. See: WordPress Dashboard → s2Member → General Options → Profile Modifications

A Unique Login Welcome Page for Every User?

Obviously, not every customer will have access to the same content or services you offer. Maybe you've restricted content with s2Member in different ways, at different Membership Levels, or with different Custom Capability packages. If someone logs into your site as a Free Subscriber, you might want to show a Free Subscriber something different than you show a Member at Level 1. If you always display links to content that requires Membership Level 1, but it's a Free Subscriber who logs in; those links may not work for them. So let's not show those links to a Free Subscriber.

To accomplish this, site owners will typically use [s2If /] (Simple Shortcode Conditionals) in their Login Welcome Page (provided by s2Member). In this way, you can tailor the content/links displayed on the Login Welcome Page to specific users (e.g., Free Subscribers, Members at Level 1, Members at Level 2, Members with a particular Custom Capability, with a particular username, etc). You can learn more about Simple Shortcode Conditionals here: WordPress Dashboard → s2Member → API / Scripting → Simple/Shortcode Conditionals

What is a Membership Options Page?

Can Users Update their Own Profile?

Yes. The [s2Member-Profile /] Shortcode makes it easy for users to edit/update their profile upon logging into your site. See: WordPress Dashboard → s2Member → General Options → Profile Modifications for additional details and other options. Users can update their name, email address, password, and any custom fields that you've configured at Membership Levels that apply to a given user.

Can Administrators Update User Profiles?

Absolutely. Users can be edited/updated in various ways from your WordPress Dashboard at any time you like. See: WordPress Dashboard → Users. Find (or search for) a specific user and click [Edit] to access their WordPress profile, along with all of the editable fields provided by s2Member.

Read more about Member Profile Modifications

Pre-integrated List Servers (Mailing List Services)

Features Supported by All List Server Integrations

• Double Opt-In Checkbox integration with s2Member Pro-Forms and/or the default /wp-login.php?action=register form in WordPress.

• Custom Merge Fields; the ability to configure custom merge fields using the instructions in this article.

• Automatic Profile Sync; whenever an existing subscriber updates their profile using the [s2Member-Profile /] shortcode or popup alternative, the user's email address, name, IP address, along with any custom merge fields are updated on the list server to match.

• Automatic List Transitioning. If a customer's Role is changed in WordPress they can be moved automatically to a different mailing list.

Additional Features Supported by MailChimp Integration

• MailChimp Interest Groups can be assigned to each Membership Level, making it possible to use one list for all members, but then build segments that identify Members at various Levels in WordPress.

Integrating Another Mailing List Service of your Choosing

s2Member's event-driven API Notifications (via email, or through HTTP communication behind-the-scenes), make it possible for all sorts of 3rd-party service integrations. If you have a developer to assist you, please take a look at: WordPress Dashboard → s2Member → API / Notifications. Here you will find additional details and options intended for advanced site owners.

Recommended Affiliate Management Platforms

Integrating Another Affiliate Platform of your Choosing

s2Member's event-driven API Notifications (via email, or through HTTP communication behind-the-scenes), make it possible for all sorts of 3rd-party service integrations. If you have a developer to assist you, please take a look at: WordPress Dashboard → s2Member → API / Notifications. Here you will find additional details and options intended for advanced site owners.

Forum Software w/ a Twist; from the Creators of WordPress

The bbPress™ plugin (forums/topics/replies) integrates seamlessly with WordPress and s2Member. If bbPress was already installed when you activated s2Member, your s2Member Roles/Capabilities are already configured to work in harmony with bbPress. If you didn't, you can simply click the "Update Roles/Capabilities" button; see: WordPress Dashboard → s2Member → Other Integrations → bbPress. That's all it takes. Once your Roles/Capabilities are updated, s2Member and bbPress are fully integrated with each other.

Social Networking Software; from the Creators of WordPress

The BuddyPress™ plugin (for social networking functionality) integrates seamlessly with WordPress and s2Member. BuddyPress is a powerful plugin that takes your WordPress-powered site beyond the blog with social-network features like user profiles, activity streams, user groups, and more. BuddyPress comes with several components that integrate directly with your site, with each other, and even with other plugins (like s2Member).

s2Member comes pre-integrated with BuddyPress registration forms, with BuddyPress profiles, profile fields, and it's also possible to integrate s2Member Custom Registration/Profile Fields into BuddyPress—instead of using BuddyPress-generated profile fields. The choice is yours. See: WordPress Dashboard → s2Member → General Options → Registration/Profile Fields to learn more.

Comet Cache™, WP Super Cache, W3 Total Cache, and Others

s2Member has been thoroughly tested against all of the most popular caching plugins for WordPress. These include, but are not limited to: Comet Cache™, WP Super Cache, W3 Total Cache, and WP Rocket. When dynamic content is processed by s2Member, all of the appropriate runtime constants are defined by s2Member; i.e., the flags needed to keep it fully compatible with caching plugins for WordPress.

Comet Cache™ Developed by the Creators of s2Member Pro

If you definitely want to use a caching plugin for WordPress, but you're not sure which would be the best, go with Comet Cache™. It's super easy to install, highly effective, and it was developed by the creators of s2Member; i.e., it works in complete and total harmony with all s2Member features—without any additional configuration needed whatsoever.

Tip: Comet Cache has a unique ability to cache logged-in users too, which is highly effective whenever it runs alongside the s2Member Pro application; keeping WordPress fast even when a user is logged in as a member. Very impressive!

Avoid Object Caching Plugins Warning

Page caching is highly recommended. Object caching—not so much. In particular, the W3 Total Cache plugin is known to cause problems with the WordPress Transient API whenever Object Caching is enabled. If you choose to install W3 Total Cache and run this alongside s2Member, that's fine! Just remember NOT to enable the Object Cache; i.e., leave that part off please.

We Take Security Seriously ~ and We're Proud of It!

An s2Member® Security Badge (optional), can be used to express your site's concern for security; demonstrating to all users/members that your site (and the s2Member® software) takes security seriously.

To qualify your site, you will need to enable s2Member's Security Badge Status API, and then generate a Security Encryption Key in your Dashboard—with s2Member installed as an active plugin. Also, there are a few additional requirements. Some of the requirements pertain to WordPress security in general, and some of the requirements are s2Member-specific. What we want to see is that you've made an effort to tighten security on your installation of WordPress by following guidelines presented by s2Member. Your site and your users will be safer as a result.

API Notifications / Webhooks Advanced

If you use affiliate software, or have back-office routines that need to be notified whenever a registration occurs, when payment transactions (including recurring payments) take place; or when cancellations, refunds, chargebacks occur; s2Member's event-driven API Notifications can be used. s2Member's API Notifications will send data to Webhooks that you build (or that come with services you're integrating). Webhooks allow you to build or set up integrations that subscribe to certain events that occur in s2Member. When one of those events is triggered, s2Member will send an HTTP payload to any number of Webhook URLs that you've configured. For example, Webhooks can be used to update a sales chart, stats regarding user signups, or other custom post-processing routines that might exist outside of WordPress.

Building a Theme or Plugin that Works Together with s2Member Advanced

Other Useful Functions in the WordPress Core Advanced

Hacking s2Member® Via Hooks/Filters Advanced

If you need to add custom processing routines, or modify the default behavior of existing processing routines; please use an s2Member Hook or Filter for WordPress. Hooks & Filters give you the ability to "hook into", and/or "filter" processing routines with files/functions of your own—instead of editing the s2Member plugin files directly. This way you won't need to merge your tweaks each time a new version of s2Member is released.

What Hooks/Filters are Available?

There are more than 1000 Hooks/Filters spread throughout s2Member's codebase. While we work to document each of these, you can search our Knowledge Base for tips/tricks. Also, you can search the s2Member source code for do_action and/or apply_filters. This can also be very helpful. In fact, before you integrate with any s2Member Hook/Filter, it is suggested that you first see how it's used in the source code; i.e., to gain the insight that is needed for a reliable customization.

Highly Organized Codebase w/ SPL Class Autoloading

I Gain Access to ALL of the Source Code? ~ Even the Pro Version?

That's right! We are firmly against locking the source code of any application. Like WordPress itself, both s2Member and s2Member Pro are released under a GPL license. You are free to modify and adapt these applications to meet your needs, or the needs of your clients. The source code for the s2Member Framework (i.e., the free version) is publicly available at WordPress.org and at GitHub.

When you purchase s2Member Pro, you get the source code for that also. ~ Hooray!

Choosing a Payment Gateway that Supports s2Member Pro-Forms

PayPal Buttons in the free version of s2Member are great, but registration comes after checkout—it's a multistep process. With s2Member Pro you can integrate with PayPal Pro, Stripe, or Authorize.Net and take full advantage of s2Member Pro-Forms. Pro-Forms consolidate registration/checkout into a single step that occurs always on your site. It's quicker, easier, and better-er-er.

Four Membership Levels Not Enough?

The s2Member Framework (the free version) is limited to a maximum of 4 paid Membership Levels. With s2Member Pro you can create and label an unlimited number of Membership Levels. Of course, you can also use Custom Capabilities for added flexibility—where Custom Capabilities are not associated with any incremental access like WordPress Membership Levels are.

Quick Overview (Pro Forms vs. Buttons)

s2Member Pro comes with "Pro-Forms"—shortcodes that generate Registration/Checkout Forms, and other kinds of forms too. In contrast, the free version of s2Member does not come with Pro-Forms. In the free version of s2Member you have "Payment Buttons" only. Payment Buttons lead visitors away from your site to complete checkout at your payment gateway, whereas Pro-Forms keep visitors on your site at all times, and you will have full support for on-site credit card processing.

There are Pro-Forms for Free Registration, Paid Checkout, Billing Updates (e.g., for a customer to update the credit card they have on-file), Billing Modifications (e.g., altering an existing membership plan—upgrade or downgrade), and Cancellation Pro-Forms too.

Why Should I Use Pro-Forms Instead of Buttons?

Increased conversion rates! Not all customers like PayPal. Also, with s2Member Pro you're keeping customers on your site throughout the entire checkout process. You can control the surrounding elements on the page, the flow of events, and do a better job at building confidence in your products/services. Pro-Forms can dramatically increase sales! Best of all, they're super easy to integrate thanks to s2Member Pro Shortcodes. If that's not enough, Pro-Forms also allow you to configure Custom Tax Rates, Coupon Codes, and even to sell Gift/Redemption Codes. These advanced features are only possible with s2Member Pro-Forms.

Choosing a Payment Gateway that Supports s2Member Pro-Forms

Pro-Forms work with PayPal Pro, Stripe, or Authorize.Net. You'll want to select one of those payment gateways if you intend to take full advantage of s2Member Pro-Forms. It's quicker, easier, and better-er-er.

Free/Open Registration (Enable/Disable)

s2Member can lock-down all registration forms provided by WordPress and many of the most popular plugins/themes for WordPress. In this way, only paying customers can get an account. Or, you can choose to allow Open Registration; making it possible to acquire Free Subscribers that might later become customers by completing checkout and upgrading their account to a paid status.

Free/Open Registration with Pro-Forms Requires s2Member Pro

s2Member Pro makes it possible to allow Open Registration using Pro-Forms of your choosing—even if you don't intend to use Pro-Forms or a payment gateway. Free Registration Pro-Forms can be used to acquire new users (regardless of your global Open Registration setting). They can also be used to configure a specific Membership Level, CCAPS, trial period, and more—specifically for Free Subscribers, and based on a specific Pro-Form instance. In this way, it is even possible to offer paid Membership Levels > 0 at no charge whatsoever, and maybe for a limited-time only.

Taking Measures to Prevent Spam Bots from Registering

If you plan to allow Open Registration, this is extremely important. Spam bots surf the Internet every minute of every day—just looking for ways to create free accounts and/or spoof their identity. If you open your site to Free Registration (of any sort), you can expect to find lots of this; unless you are wise & take the proper precautions.

s2Member Pro-Forms come pre-integrated with Google's reCAPTCHA service. For Free Registration Pro-Forms, this is enabled by default. reCAPTCHA is a free service to protect your website from spam and abuse. reCAPTCHA uses an advanced risk analysis engine and adaptive CAPTCHAs to keep automated software from engaging in abusive activities on your site. It does this while letting your valid users pass through with ease.

Prevent Customers from Sharing their Username

As with any membership system, it is possible for one member to signup, and then share their username with someone else; or even post it online for the whole world to see. This is known as username sharing. It is not likely that you'll be attacked in this way, but it's not a bad idea to protect your system; just in case somebody tries this.

s2Member's Simultaneous Login Monitoring will help you prevent a security breach. The rules are simple. A single username can only have X number of simultaneous logins (configurable). Once that limit is reached, s2Member assumes there has been a security breach. At that time, s2Member will place a temporary ban (preventing access) and the offending username will be unable to login until somebody else (who is already logged into the account) has logged-out; clearing the way for someone new.

What is Content Dripping Exactly?

Content Dripping is the gradual, pre-scheduled release of premium website content to paying members. This has become increasingly popular, because it allows older members; those who have paid you more, due to recurring charges; to acquire access to more content progressively, based on their original paid registration time. It also gives you (as the site owner), the ability to launch multiple membership site portals, operating on autopilot, without any direct day-to-day involvement in a content release process.

Using [s2Drip /] Shortcodes to your Advantage

The [s2Drip][/s2Drip] Shortcode tags are inserted into a Post/Page using the WordPress editor. Inside the shortcode tags you place content that should only be visible to paying members who are at a certain Membership Level (or higher); and have been at this Membership Level (or higher) for at least X number of days. It is also possible to hide this content after X number of days; i.e. to drip content for a specific number of days and then automatically stop the drip too.

Import/Export Users, Members, Metadata, and Plugin Options

Coming from Another Membership Platform?

s2Member's Advanced Import/Export Tools, coupled with s2Member's Auto-EOT System can save the day! You can import all of your existing customers and provide them with access to your new site and services. In addition, if you import them with an EOT (End-Of-Term) Time, you can preconfigure the EOT for their account; based on their status in your previous membership platform.

Please note the following limitation: s2Member's import tools do not attempt to connect with any transactions, IPNs, or recurring billing profiles established by your previous membership platform. So while members can be imported, and even associated with prior transaction IDs, subscription IDs, an EOT, and more; it is non-trivial to arrange for any direct connection to your previous transactions and/or recurring billing profiles. This is where setting an Auto-EOT Time for each customer when you import them can help. If you can calculate when their access should expire, you can establish that from the start with s2Member, and then move forward from there—acquiring new customers that are connected to s2Member in many ways.

Will old billing profiles continue? This depends on what your previous membership platform was exactly, and on how it established and maintained recurring billing profiles for you. In the case of s2Member Pro, all recurring billing profiles are stored on the payment gateway side for best security, and for portability! Therefore, if you move from s2Member to another membership platform, recurring billing for any memberships that you sold with s2Member will continue uninterrupted. If your previous membership platform did the same, you should be fine.

Import/Export s2Member Plugin Options?

This can be a huge time-saver. s2Member is a comprehensive membership platform. Therefore, there are many configurable options. If you purchase an s2Member Pro Unlimited-Site License, you can run s2Member Pro on multiple sites. In this scenario, you could simply configure one instance of s2Member, export your configuration, and then import those config. options into your next site.

Drag n' Drop Login Widget Integrates w/ s2Member Functionality

Using Coupon Codes to Attract a Higher Sales Volume

With PayPal Pro, Stripe, and Authorize.Net (i.e., with any of these payment gateways that work with s2Member Pro-Forms), you can build a configurable list of Coupon Codes that provide a flat-rate discount. Or, a percentage-based discount; up to and including 100% of the transaction amount (i.e., a 100% free checkout experience is possible).

Coupons can be limited in scope too. Such as limiting the discount to the first/initial payment only, or to regular recurring payments only. It's also possible to limit Coupon Codes to specific Pro-Form instances, to specific customers, to specific dates, and even put a limit on the maximum number of times that a specific Coupon Code can be used collectively. It's also possible to integrate s2Member's Coupon Code functionality with affiliate platforms. Affiliates can be identified through promotions that use affiliate-specific Coupon Codes, which your Pro-Forms will graciously accept.

Tracking the Use of Promotional Coupon Codes

s2Member Pro tracks the total number of times that each Coupon Code is used. This information is displayed alongside each Coupon Code in your WordPress Dashboard. s2Member Pro also records each Coupon Code that a customer uses, attaching this information to their account record within WordPress. This is nice for many reasons, but it also makes it possible for the data to be exported, and then analyzed carefully before you start your next set of promotions.

Sell Gift/Redemption Codes (i.e., Gift Certificates or Group Redemption Codes)

With PayPal Pro, Stripe, and Authorize.Net (i.e., with any of these payment gateways that work with s2Member Pro-Forms), you can sell access to auto-generated Gift/Redemption Codes (using the Shortcode: [s2Member-Gift-Codes /]). This makes it possible for you to sell Gift Certificates (aka: Gift Codes). Or, you can sell one customer access to an account that includes a list of Redemption Codes that they can share with others on their team or in their group. Gift/Redemption Codes can provide a flat-rate discount. Or, a percentage-based discount; up to and including 100% of the transaction amount. More details under WP Admin > s2Member Pro > Pro Coupon Codes > Gift/Redemption Codes

Building a Custom Member Directory

s2Member Pro makes light of this. You can use the [s2Member-List /] Shortcode (with many configurable shortcode attributes) to construct a paginated (or non-paginated) list of users at various Membership Levels. Or, with specific Custom Capabilities. You can also limit the list to only those users who match search criteria defined by the configuration of this shortcode. The list can include each user's avatar, along with any additional database fields in the wp_users table, and even custom fields that you've generated with s2Member.

Most Popular Use Cases for [s2Member-List /]

If you want to build a mini social network; i.e., without the overhead of BuddyPress/bbPress; the [s2Member-List /] Shortcode can help make this easier. It can be used to expose community members to each other in various ways. For instance, it might be used to show a list of members that have a certain status on your site; e.g., over achievers, gold members, or members with a specific Custom Capability. Many sites using the [s2Member-List /] Shortcode will actually sell this sort of exposure; i.e., where a certain Membership Level (or Custom Capability) is designed to draw attention to them in some way. Building a members list can add value to your offering.

Making your Members List Searchable w/ [s2Member-List-Search-Box /]

In some cases it is nice to expose all users, and then make it searchable. This functionality is disabled by default, but it can be enabled by adding the enable_list_search="yes" attribute to your [s2Member-List /] Shortcode. Then you can add another shortcode that introduces the actual search box: [s2Member-List-Search-Box /]

Overview of WordPress Shortcodes Provided by s2Member

Throughout s2Member, there are several WordPress Shortcodes exposed. These allow you to integrate small bits of functionality into a WordPress theme of your choosing. s2Member's Shortcodes are an easy way to add additional membership-specific features and functionality to an existing WordPress theme. Because, while they do come with a few default structural styles, they automatically inherit styles/colors provided by your theme—making integration much more seamless.

Shortcode Enhancements (New Shortcode Attributes)

When you have s2Member Pro, many of the shortcodes that come with the s2Member Framework (i.e., the free version) will support new attributes. For example, with s2Member Pro you'll be able to use the success="" attribute in PayPal Standard Buttons (i.e., a custom thank-you page). There is a php="" attribute that is added to the [s2If /] Shortcode (making it possible to incorporate more advanced conditional routines with [s2If /]). Also, the [s2Stream /] Shortcode will support multiple player resolutions when you have s2Member Pro installed.

Shortcodes that Only Come w/ s2Member Pro

In addition to shortcode enhancements, s2Member Pro also adds a few pro-only shortcodes. Such as: [s2Member-List /] (a member directory), [s2Member-List-Search-Box /] (a searchable member directory), [s2Drip /] (easier Content Dripping), [s2Member-Login /] (a configurable login form), and [s2MOP /] (a way to enhance your Membership Options Page in s2Member). There are also several shortcodes added by s2Member Pro for payment gateway integrations and Pro-Forms; e.g., [s2Member-PayPal-Pro-Form ... /], [s2Member-Stripe-Pro-Form ... /], and more!

100% Optional; Pro-Forms Integrate w/ WordPress Shortcodes

Customizing Pro-Form template files is usually NOT necessary, because Pro-Forms inherit styles introduced by a WordPress theme of your choosing. Pro-Forms come fully functional. They work as-is in most WordPress themes. If you need to tweak their appearance, most site owners accomplish this through custom CSS alone. Again, modification of Pro-Form templates is not necessary in most cases.

Customizable PHP Template Files for All Pro-Forms Advanced

With the above in mind, if you'd like to create custom Pro-Form templates, please check your /s2member-pro/includes/templates/forms/ directory. You can take s2Member's default Pro-Form templates, and place some (or all of them) into your own WordPress theme directory. By placing custom templates into your active WordPress theme directory, you can be sure they won't get overwritten in a future upgrade of s2Member. s2Member will automatically detect the presence of your custom template files, using those instead of its default templates.

Tip: Custom template files can also be placed inside of your /wp-content/ directory. s2Member will find them there also.

Remote Communication w/ s2Member Pro Advanced

With s2Member Pro installed, you have access to the s2Member Pro API for Remote Operations. This is made available for developers that wish to create user/member accounts dynamically through custom scripts of their own. s2Member's Remote Operations API requires a secret API Key in order to POST authenticated requests to your installation of s2Member. To acquire your API Key, with s2Member Pro installed see: WordPress Dashboard → s2Member Pro → API / Scripting → Remote Operations API

What Actions Can I Perform Remotely?

For full PHP code examples, see s2Member Pro API for Remote Operations.

Multisite Network Compatibility Built Right In! Requires Unlimited-Site License

Most sites running s2Member use a standard WordPress installation. However, WordPress also supports another flavor of itself (requires advanced config. changes), and this is referred to as a Multisite Network. A Multisite Network allows you to run multiple blogs/sites under a single set of WordPress installation files, and with a single database. s2Member has been thoroughly tested with both Standard and Multisite Network installations of WordPress. Multisite Network Support always requires an Unlimited-Site License—no exceptions.

Running Multiple Instances of s2Member in a Network Advanced

This always requires an Unlimited-Site License, because a Single-Site License of s2Member Pro supports only a single instance of WordPress (i.e., one instance of s2Member only). If you purchase an Unlimited-Site License, s2Member Pro can be activated Network-wide, making it possible for you to have multiple child blogs (aka: sub-sites); each with their own user base and membership offering.

Sharing Users/Members Across Multiple Child Sites in a Network

s2Member was designed to support a separate user base for each child blog/site in a Multisite Network. However, the underlying wp_users table in WordPress is shared between all child sites in a network, and there is nothing to prevent the use of current_user_can_for_blog()—a PHP function provided by the WordPress core to check permissions across blogs. So while the ability to share users across multiple child blogs is not officially supported by s2Member, there are many cases where advanced site owners have found ways to accomplish this effectively.

Planning to use WooCommerce?

s2Member can be used with WooCommerce on the same installation, there shouldn't be any conflicts. s2Member isn't fully integrated with WooCommerce, though, but it's still possible to use them together to some extent. For example, you can use s2Member to restrict access to any page served by WordPress, using s2's URI Restriction, which lets you specify a level requirement for any URL that has a certain word or string of characters, for example. This can be applied to WooCommerce pages, of course.

Selling s2Member's access levels or capabilities, would require you to have a way to sell WordPress roles or capabilities with WooCommerce. s2's access is based on WordPress' roles/caps, so you can assign those to the user with any method you choose, and the user will have the access. What wouldn't work in this case is s2's management of that access afterwards, because it'd be missing the communication with the payment gateway (in the case of a subscription), or wouldn't have an end-of-term (EOT) time set for the user. But a lifetime access, or manual demotion, or a custom solution, would be possible, of course.