Simple Membership vs Buy Me a Coffee – Button and Widget… (2026)
Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.
Buy Me a Coffee – Button and Widget…
6.0K+ active installs
Free
Quick Verdict
As of April 2026, Simple Membership has a higher user rating (4.6/5 from 466 reviews) and leads in active installations (40K+ vs 6.0K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. Simple Membership has accumulated 3.3M+ total downloads while Buy Me a Coffee – Button and Widget… has 161K+.
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Simple Membership | Buy Me a Coffee – Button and Widget… | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.6/5 | ◄ | 3.8/5 |
| Total Reviews | 466 | ◄ | 17 |
| Active Installs | 40K+ | ◄ | 6.0K+ |
| Total Downloads | 3.3M+ | ◄ | 161K+ |
| Support Resolution | 80% | N/A | |
| Last Updated | 1 month ago | ► | 4 days ago |
| First Released | 2014 | 2017 | |
| Age | 12 years | 9 years | |
| WP Requires | 6.0+ | 3.0.1+ | |
| PHP Requires | 7.4+ | 5.2+ | |
| Business Model | Free | Free | |
| Latest Version | 4.7.2 | 4.4.4 |
Rating Breakdown
Simple Membership
Buy Me a Coffee – Button and Widget…
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, Simple Membership averaged approximately 503 daily downloads while Buy Me a Coffee – Button and Widget… averaged 306.
Recent Reviews
Simple Membership Reviews
Very good plugin for membership levels and control
I have tested various plugins for creating and controlling members in various levels. This is the only plugin which I trust totally. It is very easy to create user groups/levels and users in different
PERFETTO!
Questo plugin è la soluzione perfetta per chi vuole realizzare l’accesso a vari livelli di abbonamento (gratuito ma con registrazione delle credenziali, oppure a pagamento) per i propri utenti: chi
werkt zoals het hoort
Mooie plugin voor een basis login en membership.
Buy Me a Coffee – Button and Widget… Reviews
Fabulous!!
REALLY!!!! Seemed simple to setup, seems to work just fine. Sure no one has donated yet but hey not the pluins fault!Could things be done better?? I’m sure that might be so, however I’m happy with wha
Not working
Trying to add my account I get the error “Sorry, this is not a valid account!” Funny, as I’m in the other tab connected to this account on buymecoffee. Shame. This topic was modified 1 year
Customize Widget
The plugin doesn’t allow to customize widget where I can show it. It shows on every page and blog posts. I’d like to hide it on my pages and show it only on my blog posts.
More Members Worth Comparing
Top alternatives in the same category as Simple Membership and Buy Me a Coffee – Button and Widget…
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Member search and member directories for BuddyPress and the BuddyBoss Platform.
Simple Membership Addon to generate registration form shortcode for specific membership access level.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Simple Membership or Buy Me a Coffee – Button and Widget… more popular?
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Are Simple Membership and Buy Me a Coffee – Button and Widget… free?
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Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.