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Quick Start Guide

Get your paywall up and running quickly. This guide provides an overview of the setup process with links to detailed tutorials.

Overview​

Here's what you'll configure:

  1. ✅ Set up a payment gateway (Stripe or PayPal)
  2. ✅ Create a subscription plan
  3. ✅ Set up CAPTCHA (recommended)
  4. ✅ Protect your first content
  5. ✅ Test the checkout flow

Step 1: Configure Payment Gateway​

You need at least one payment gateway to accept subscriptions.

Stripe offers the smoothest checkout experience with credit cards, Apple Pay, and Google Pay.

Full Tutorial: Stripe Test Mode Setup

Quick Summary:

  1. Get API keys from Stripe Dashboard
  2. Create a webhook at Stripe Webhooks
  3. Enter credentials in PaywallWP → Settings → Payments

Option B: PayPal​

PayPal is ideal for users who prefer PayPal account payments.

Full Tutorial: PayPal Sandbox Setup

Quick Summary:

  1. Create an app in PayPal Developer Dashboard
  2. Set up webhooks in your app settings
  3. Enter credentials in PaywallWP → Settings → Payments
Both Gateways

You can enable both Stripe and PayPal to give users payment options.

Step 2: Create a Subscription Plan​

  1. Go to PaywallWP → Plans
  2. Click Add New Plan
  3. Fill in the details:
FieldExampleNotes
NamePremiumCustomer-facing name
Monthly Price9.99Must match your gateway price
Yearly Price99.00Optional
Access Level51-10, higher = more access
  1. Add features (shown on pricing page):
Unlimited access to premium content
Weekly exclusive newsletter
Ad-free reading experience
  1. Click Publish
Price Matching

Your plan prices must exactly match the prices you created in Stripe/PayPal.

Protect your forms from bots with CAPTCHA.

  1. Go to Cloudflare Turnstile
  2. Click Add site
  3. Enter your site name and domain
  4. Select Invisible mode (best UX)
  5. Copy Site Key and Secret Key
  6. In WordPress, go to PaywallWP → Settings → Captcha
  7. Select Turnstile and paste your keys

See CAPTCHA Configuration for other options.

Step 4: Protect Your First Content​

  1. Edit any post or page
  2. Find the Content Protection meta box in the sidebar
  3. Set the Access Level (e.g., 5 to require Premium plan)
  4. Update/Publish the post

Content will now show a paywall to non-subscribers.

See Content Protection for more options.

Step 5: Test the Checkout​

  1. Open an incognito browser window
  2. Visit your protected content
  3. Click the subscribe button on the paywall
  4. Complete checkout:

For Stripe: Use test card 4242 4242 4242 4242 with any future expiry and any CVC.

For PayPal: Use sandbox buyer account credentials from PayPal Sandbox Accounts.

  1. After payment, verify:
    • Subscription appears in PaywallWP → Members
    • Member can access protected content
    • Webhook logs show successful delivery

Go Live Checklist​

When ready for real payments:

Technical​

  • Test complete checkout flow in test mode
  • Webhooks working (check gateway dashboard)
  • SSL certificate installed (HTTPS)

Content​

  • At least one plan published
  • Pricing page configured
  • Account page configured
  • Content protected

Gateway​

  • Create live products/plans in gateway
  • Create live webhooks (separate from test)
  • Switch to Live Mode in PaywallWP
  • Enter live API keys
  • Terms of Service published
  • Privacy Policy published
  • Refund Policy published

Live Setup Tutorials:

Next Steps​