Best Paywall Software in 2026
Updated
In short: Pelcro is ranked #1 of 31 as of 4 October 2026, ahead of Cleeng and Admiral. The best-ranked option with a free plan is Cleeng. The lowest first paid tier on this page is PaywallProject at $10/mo.
If you publish digital content, paywall software can help manage who gets access and how readers pay. Compare entitlement rules, metered paywall and registration-wall support, and whether one-time payments are available. Pelcro, Cleeng, and Admiral are among the named options. Included pageviews, payment processors, and supported CMS are also worth checking against your publishing setup. Free-plan availability and the published paid-from price offer additional points of comparison. Consider which access model suits your content, how readers should register, and which payment routes and CMS support you need before weighing the available software.
31 paywall software ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
#1 Pelcro Top pick · 7.3 Free plan · $450/mo
#2 Cleeng Runner-up · 7.2 Free plan · Free
#3 Admiral Also great · 7.1 
- Free plan AndroidapiiOSWeb
- Free plan
- Yes
- Paid from
- 450 /mo
- Metered paywall
- Yes
- Registration wall
- Yes
- One-time payments
- Yes
- Entitlement rules
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms$450/mofirst paid tier About PelcroVisit site - Free plan AndroidapiiOSWeb
- Free plan
- Yes
- Paid from
- 0.39 /mo
- One-time payments
- Yes
- Entitlement rules
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Free trial apiWeb
- Free plan
- No
- Metered paywall
- Yes
- Registration wall
- Yes
- One-time payments
- Yes
- Entitlement rules
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Free plan Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- Metered paywall
- Yes
- Registration wall
- Yes
- One-time payments
- No
- Entitlement rules
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Free plan Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- Metered paywall
- No
- Registration wall
- Yes
- One-time payments
- Yes
- Entitlement rules
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Free plan self-hostedWeb
- Free plan
- Yes
- Paid from
- 9.99 /mo
- Metered paywall
- Yes
- One-time payments
- Yes
- Entitlement rules
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Free plan Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- Paid from
- 99 /mo
- Metered paywall
- Yes
- Registration wall
- Yes
- One-time payments
- Yes
- Entitlement rules
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms$99/mofirst paid tier About PigeonVisit site - AndroidiOSWeb
- Free plan
- Yes
- Paid from
- 299 /mo
- Metered paywall
- Yes
- Registration wall
- Yes
- One-time payments
- Yes
- Entitlement rules
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms$10/mofirst paid tier About PaywallProjectVisit site - Free plan Web
- Free plan
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - apiWebRecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms
- apiWeb
- Free plan
- Yes
- Metered paywall
- Yes
- Registration wall
- Yes
- Entitlement rules
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - AndroidapiiOSWeb
- Registration wall
- Yes
- One-time payments
- Yes
- Entitlement rules
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- Registration wall
- Yes
- One-time payments
- Yes
- Entitlement rules
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Web
- Metered paywall
- Yes
- Registration wall
- Yes
- One-time payments
- Yes
- Entitlement rules
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- Metered paywall
- No
- One-time payments
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Web
- Registration wall
- Yes
- Entitlement rules
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Web
- Free plan
- No
- Paid from
- 299 /mo
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms$299/mofirst paid tier About Leaky PaywallVisit site - Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- One-time payments
- Yes
- Entitlement rules
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- Paid from
- 10 /mo
- Metered paywall
- No
- Registration wall
- No
- One-time payments
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - WebiOSAndroidRecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms
-
- Free plan
- Yes
- Registration wall
- No
- Entitlement rules
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms -
- Free plan
- Yes
- One-time payments
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - apiRecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms
- Web
- Metered paywall
- Yes
- Registration wall
- Yes
- Entitlement rules
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Web
- Metered paywall
- Yes
- Registration wall
- Yes
- One-time payments
- Yes
- Entitlement rules
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms
Is your platform on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored. They are labelled, and the editorial order and scores never change for payment.
Questions about this list
Which paywall software is ranked first on The Geeks Club?
Pelcro is ranked #1 of 31 with a score of 7.3. Cleeng is second and Admiral third.
How many of these have a free plan?
7 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, PaywallProject has the lowest first paid tier we found: $10/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked on how quickly a newcomer can get going: documentation depth, a free tier or trial, and the platforms it runs on. Paid placements never change a rank.