shouldiuse.io

VERDICT

Should I use Leaky Paywall?

Take control of your audience, traffic, and revenue. Leaky Paywall is the WordPress-native subscription platform with the Publisher Flywheel and AI Insights. - leakypaywall.com

Depends. Buy it if you run a serious WordPress news or magazine site and need metered subscriptions with group accounts. Skip it if you're a hobbyist blogger or hate revenue-share pricing — Memberful, Substack, or the free core plugin fit better.

Confidence

Medium. Based on 20+ public sources including WordPress.org, Reddit, CVE databases, and vendor pages

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support quality
  • Security posture

Pricing

$0

Free (core plugin)

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes
Standard$499/year
Pro / Hosted$299/mo + 5% revenue share + $999 setup

Best for

  • News and magazine publishers on WordPress
  • Metered/'leaky' paywall strategies
  • Publishers selling subscriptions and first-party data
  • Sites needing group or corporate accounts

Not for

  • Hobby bloggers — free core or Substack is plenty
  • Non-WordPress sites; it's WordPress-native only
  • Anyone allergic to 5% revenue share plus setup fees
  • Teams too slow to patch plugin CVEs quickly

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

Pro/hosted plans take 5% of new-subscriber revenue plus reported $750–$999 setup fees

high

Repeated CVE pattern (missing authorization, XSS, CSRF) — patch updates fast or risk exposure

medium

Old reviews cite $55–$75 licensing; current Standard is $499/year — verify current pricing

medium

Deep WordPress lock-in: paywall logic, subscribers, and data all live in your WP install

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Free, open-source core plugin with metered paywall features
  • Purpose-built for news and magazine publishers, not generic memberships
  • Group accounts, recurring payments, and native app option (UniPress)
  • No revenue sharing on the standard plugin per benchmark review
  • Long-term customers report five years of continued use

Cons

  • Pro plans take 5% of new-subscriber revenue
  • One-time setup fee up to $999 on hosted plans
  • Multiple CVEs since 2024, including high-severity authorization flaws
  • WordPress-only; useless outside a WordPress install
  • Benchmark Grid scores it just 3.8/5 among paywall services

Sources & method

Analyzed 9/25/2026 - 10 sources - Several CVEs from 2024–2025, including high-severity missing-authorization flaws — keep the plugin updated.

official x2review x6security x2
  • CVE-2024-33594 — Missing Authorization, HIGH severity vulnerability in Leaky Paywall plugin.
  • CVE-2025-31083 — Improper Input Neutralization, Improper neutralization of input during web page generation.
  • CVE-2024-37540 — Cross-Site Request Forgery, CSRF vulnerability in the plugin.
  • CVE-2025-66124 — Missing Authorization, Missing authorization vulnerability in ZEEN101 Leaky Paywall.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 3/5

    Rating

  • $0

    Starting price

  • 10

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 3/5. Free core; Pro takes 5% cut plus setup fees
  • Ease of use: 3/5. Flexible per reviews; some Reddit frustration
  • Feature depth: 4/5. Metered paywalls, group accounts, apps, AI insights
  • Support quality: 3/5. Case studies show engagement; mixed community feedback
  • Security posture: 2/5. Multiple CVEs 2024–2025, high-severity flaws
  • 4.2/5 WordPress.org rating user reviews
  • 3.8/5 Benchmark Grid score paywall services review
  • $499/yr Starting paid price Standard plan; core plugin is free
  • Yes Free tier Open-source plugin on WordPress.org

Pricing

Free (core plugin)

$0

  • Metered paywall basics
  • Install from WordPress.org

Standard

$499/year

  • Annual plugin license
  • Full paywall feature set

Pro / Hosted

$299/mo + 5% revenue share + $999 setup

  • Hosted plans
  • Revenue share on new subscribers

Security

Several CVEs from 2024–2025, including high-severity missing-authorization flaws — keep the plugin updated.

  • CVE-2024-33594 — Missing AuthorizationHIGH severity vulnerability in Leaky Paywall plugin.⁷
  • CVE-2025-31083 — Improper Input NeutralizationImproper neutralization of input during web page generation.
  • CVE-2024-37540 — Cross-Site Request ForgeryCSRF vulnerability in the plugin.
  • CVE-2025-66124 — Missing AuthorizationMissing authorization vulnerability in ZEEN101 Leaky Paywall.

What users say

Publishers praise its flexibility and stay for years, but Redditors complain loudly about the 5% revenue cut and setup fees.

“Leaky Paywall takes a 5% cut and charges a $750 set-up fee.”
Reddit, r/Wordpress
“We have been using Leaky Paywall for five years”
FeaturedCustomers review
“The latest disappointment is Leaky Paywall”
Reddit, r/Wordpress

Companies that use it

  • ⁵
  • Mexico News Daily
  • Small Boats Nation
Full analysis

Based on 20+ public sources including WordPress.org, Reddit, CVE databases, and vendor pages

Serious WordPress paywall for news publishers; Pro plans take 5% revenue plus setup fees.

Methodology

Based on 20+ public sources including WordPress.org, Reddit, CVE databases, and vendor pages

Sources

  1. Leaky Paywall – WordPress pluginwordpress.org
    review
  2. Leaky Paywall Reviewswordpress.org
    review
  3. Leaky Paywall review — 3.8/5 — Benchmark Gridbenchmarkgrid.com
    review
  4. Paid Memberships Pro alternative — Leaky Paywall pricingleakypaywall.com
    official
  5. Leaky Paywall Pricingleakypaywall.com
    official
  6. Paywall discussion — Reddit r/Wordpressreddit.com
    review
  7. CVE-2024-33594: Missing Authorizationstrix.ai
    security
  8. Leaky Paywall security vulnerabilities — WPScanwpscan.com
    security
  9. Leaky Paywall Customer Reviews & Referencesfeaturedcustomers.com
    review
  10. Plugin Review – Leaky Paywall — WP Tavernwptavern.com
    review

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