If you want to build a WordPress website where you can sell both ebooks and online courses, you’ll need a combination of plugins for membership management, payments, file protection, and course delivery. Below is a curated list of the most useful tools:
Suggested Setup Flow:
This way:
With this stack of plugins, you can run a professional ebook + course shop fully powered by WordPress.
Ebook Sales & Protection
- WooCommerce
- The core eCommerce plugin for WordPress.
- Manages products (ebooks), checkout, and payments.
- Supports various payment gateways including local methods (with add-ons).
- Prevent Direct Access (PDA)
- Protects your original ebook files (PDF, EPUB, etc.) from being accessed or shared via direct links.
- Ensures only authorized users/customers can view or download files.
- PDF Secure – Secure PDF with HTML5 Lightbox
- Displays ebooks in a secure PDF viewer.
- Allows you to disable download and print buttons to prevent unauthorized sharing.
- Perfect for offering "view-only" access inside your shop.
Online Courses (LMS)
- LifterLMS
- A powerful Learning Management System (LMS) for WordPress.
- Lets you create courses, lessons, quizzes, certificates.
- Built-in membership features, but can also integrate with external membership systems.
- LifterLMS WooCommerce Integration
- Lets you sell courses and memberships through WooCommerce.
- All payments are handled by WooCommerce (so you can use VNPay, Momo, QR Bank Transfer, etc.).
Membership Management
- Paid Memberships Pro (PMPro)
- A flexible membership plugin for WordPress.
- Create tiered membership plans (e.g., Silver = view ebooks only, Gold = view & print, Platinum = download).
- Control access to specific content: ebooks, downloads, or courses.
- PMPro WooCommerce Add-on
- Connects PMPro with WooCommerce.
- When users purchase a WooCommerce product, the corresponding PMPro membership plan is automatically assigned.
Putting It All Together
Suggested Setup Flow:- Use WooCommerce as the payment hub.
- Protect ebooks with Prevent Direct Access + PDF Secure for secure viewing.
- Manage course content with LifterLMS.
- Control membership tiers and restrictions with Paid Memberships Pro.
- Sync memberships between PMPro and WooCommerce using the PMPro WooCommerce Add-on.
- Sync WooCommerce with LifterLMS using the LifterLMS WooCommerce Integration.
This way:
- Free users can view sample content.
- Paying members can read/view securely online.
- Higher-tier members can print or download (with permissions).
- Students get automatic access to courses after purchasing.
With this stack of plugins, you can run a professional ebook + course shop fully powered by WordPress.