Dude Paywall
What Dude Paywall is
Dude Paywall is a WordPress plugin for selling one-off access to individual posts and pages through Stripe Checkout. A purchase unlocks one piece of content; publishers can place a free preview before the paid section using a block or shortcode. Customers receive passwordless magic links and can recover access by email without a WordPress user account. Paid unlocks require a Stripe account, and the plugin says card data is held by Stripe rather than WordPress. Customer email addresses are stored with transactions and entitlements, while an optional Freemius account connection may collect usage data. Stripe Tax can calculate and collect tax if enabled, subject to tax registrations in the Stripe Dashboard. The Free plan costs nothing and includes unlimited protected posts or pages, Stripe Checkout, magic links, and test and live mode. Pro costs £29 a year and adds webhooks, CSV export, a REST API, custom success pages and emails, and admin notifications. Pro also includes sales reports, transaction filters, audit logs, manual entitlement management, and WP-CLI commands. Its licence includes one year of support and updates. The WordPress.org listing says the plugin was closed pending review and unavailable for download when that page was read.
Who it suits
Dude Paywall suits WordPress publishers who want to sell access to individual posts or pages through Stripe Checkout. It fits one-off content purchases rather than cart-based sales or memberships.
What it does well
- Free plan supports unlimited protected posts or pages
- Magic links let customers access purchases without WordPress accounts
- Pro adds webhooks, CSV export, and REST API
- Stripe Tax can calculate and collect tax
What to know first
- Each purchase unlocks only one post or page
- No shopping cart or membership system
- Paid unlocks require a Stripe account
- WordPress.org listing says it was closed pending review
Limits
The Free plan includes unlimited protected posts and pages, Stripe Checkout, magic links, and test and live modes. Each purchase unlocks one post or page. Pro adds webhooks, CSV export, a REST API, custom success pages and emails, and admin notifications.
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free forever · Unlimited protected posts/pages · Stripe Checkout · magic links · test and live mode | Free |
| Pro | £29/year · Webhooks · CSV export · REST API · custom success pages · custom emails · admin notifications | £29 a year |
As wpdude.com lists them, read 9 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.
Getting started
- Visit the Dude Paywall website.
- Use a self-hosted WordPress site with WordPress 6.5 or later and PHP 8.1 or later.
- Choose the Free plan or Pro at £29 a year.
- Connect a Stripe account for paid unlocks.
- Protect a post or page and optionally separate a free preview with a block or shortcode.
Verdict
Dude Paywall focuses on one-off access sales for WordPress posts and pages, with passwordless customer access and Stripe Checkout. The listing says it was unavailable for download pending a full review, so availability is a key consideration.
Questions
Is there a free plan?
Yes. The Free plan costs nothing and includes unlimited protected posts or pages, Stripe Checkout, magic links, and test and live modes.
How much does Pro cost?
Pro costs £29 a year.
Which payment processor does it use?
Paid checkouts use Stripe Checkout, and a Stripe account is required for paid unlocks.
Which platform does Dude Paywall support?
It is a self-hosted WordPress plugin. The documentation lists WordPress 6.5 or later and PHP 8.1 or later.
Does it offer a membership system?
No. It has no shopping cart or membership system, and each purchase unlocks one post or page.
What does Pro add?
Pro adds webhooks, CSV exports, a REST API, custom success pages and emails, admin notifications, sales reports, advanced transaction filters, audit logs, manual entitlement management, and WP-CLI commands.
Facts from Dude Paywall's own pages
- Availability
- The WordPress.org listing says the plugin was closed on September 12, 2026, pending a full review, and was not available for download when that page was read. · wordpress.org, 9 Oct 2026
- Content access
- A purchase unlocks one post or page, with a free preview optionally separated from paid content by a block or shortcode. · wpdude.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Customer sign-in
- Customers receive passwordless magic links and can recover access by email without creating a WordPress user account. · wpdude.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- Pro supports signed outgoing webhooks to Make, n8n, Zapier, or a custom URL, plus an admin REST API. · wpdude.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Notable limits
- The plugin has no shopping cart or membership system, and each purchase unlocks only one post or page. · wpdude.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Payments
- Paid checkouts use Stripe Checkout, and the plugin says card data is stored on Stripe rather than WordPress. · wpdude.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Privacy
- Customer email addresses are stored with transactions and entitlements; optional Freemius account connection may collect usage data. · wpdude.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Pro tools
- Pro adds sales reports, CSV exports, advanced transaction filters, audit logs, manual entitlement management, and WP-CLI commands. · wpdude.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Requirements
- The documentation lists WordPress 6.5 or later, PHP 8.1 or later, and a Stripe account for paid unlocks. · wpdude.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Support
- The Pro licence includes one year of support and one year of updates. · wpdude.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Tax
- Stripe Tax can be enabled to calculate and collect tax, but requires tax registrations in the Stripe Dashboard. · wpdude.com, 9 Oct 2026
- What it does
- Dude Paywall is a WordPress plugin for selling one-off access to individual posts and pages through Stripe Checkout. · wpdude.com, 9 Oct 2026
Where Dude Paywall stands on Freedom251
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