If you are looking to build a membership website, you may have come across WildApricot, a popular membership management software.

But does WildApricot work with WordPress, the most widely used content management system today? Let’s find out.

Does WildApricot work with WordPress?

Yes, WildApricot provides seamless integration with WordPress, allowing you to combine the power of both platforms.

With this integration, you can leverage WildApricot’s robust membership management capabilities while taking advantage of WordPress’s extensive customization options.

By integrating WildApricot with WordPress, you can easily embed WildApricot’s membership forms, event calendars, and member directories into your WordPress website.

This means that your members can seamlessly navigate between your WordPress site and WildApricot-powered membership features without any hassle.

Additionally, WildApricot’s powerful membership management tools can help you streamline your membership workflow while WordPress takes care of your website’s content management.

To set up the integration between WildApricot and WordPress, you will need to install the WildApricot for WordPress plugin. This plugin allows you to connect your WildApricot account with your WordPress website and sync the necessary data. Once the integration is complete, you can start utilizing WildApricot’s membership features within your WordPress site.

But wait, what are these terms? WildApricot, is it a fruit? Is WordPress some kind of stamping machine? Let’s find out.

Should You Use WordPress and WildApricot For Your Membership Site?

While you certainly can use the pair to create a membership site, our recommendation would be not to if you are starting from scratch.

Today, there are much better membership website solutions, such as Kleq, which provide a simple to use all-in-one solution. They include a content management system, membership management system, tools such as optin forms, opt in pages, pop ups, etc, that you would otherwise have to add with plugins, a very easy to use drag and drop design editor, and even fast hosting. 

By contrast, unless you have extensive experience building websites and have mastered CSS, WordPress is tough from a design standpoint. Most people end up hiring a front end developer which costs thousands, and pay hundreds of dollars on upkeep & tweaks each month.

You also need to add (or pay for) plugins to get much of the functionality that you would want in a membership website. Those thousands of plugins available for WordPress often don’t play well with each other, and can end up breaking things on your website, which need to be identified, and then fixed, costing you time and significant technical support costs.

We think integrating WildApricot with WordPress is best for someone who already has put together a WordPress website and has made significant progress on content marketing. In short, if you already have a strong WordPress site, then WoldApricot is well worth a look.

What Exactly is WildApricot?

WildApricot is a membership management software that provides organizations with a comprehensive set of tools to manage and automate their membership processes. 

It is designed to help associations, clubs, nonprofits, and other membership-based organizations streamline their operations, engage with their members, and grow their community.

With WildApricot, organizations can easily create and manage their membership database, including member profiles, contact information, and membership status. The software allows organizations to automate membership renewals, send out email reminders, and track member payments.

In addition to membership management, WildApricot also offers features for event management. 

Organizations can create and promote events, manage registrations, and collect payments online. The software allows for customization of event registration forms, automated email confirmations, and integration with popular payment gateways.

WildApricot also provides website management tools, allowing organizations to create and customize their own website without any coding knowledge. The software offers pre-designed templates, drag-and-drop functionality, and the ability to add custom pages and content. Organizations can also create member-only areas, where they can share exclusive content and resources with their members.

What is WordPress?

On the other hand, WordPress is a versatile content management system that powers over 35% of all websites on the internet. Think of it as blogging web software that has a lot of other use cases.

It is highly customizable and offers a vast ecosystem of themes and plugins, allowing you to create virtually any type of website. WordPress is particularly popular for its flexibility and scalability, making it a preferred choice for many businesses and organizations.

Overall, if you are looking for a membership website builder that works with your existing WordPress authority site, WildApricot is a great choice.

Its seamless integration with WordPress allows you to combine the best of both worlds – WildApricot’s robust membership management features and WordPress’s customization options.

There are issues, however. Plugins don’t always play well together, and things often break, requiring a development team to fix. That’s more money out of your pocket each month.

If you don’t yet have a website, then we highly recommend skipping WordPress in favor of a dedicated membership website builder such as Kleq. It will save you thousands of dollars in startup cost, weeks of frustration, and you know that everything will work together smoothly.

Read next: Is WildApricot WordPress?