PayPal is the payment method most visitors already trust, which is exactly why "just add a PayPal button" turns into a bigger decision than expected. A shortcode button is not the same job as a WooCommerce checkout, a donation form, or a recurring membership charge.
Most roundups treat every PayPal plugin as interchangeable. They are not.
I looked at plugins built for different PayPal jobs: a simple standalone button, a full WooCommerce gateway, donations, digital downloads, and recurring membership payments, because picking the wrong one means either missing features or dragging in a full ecommerce plugin you did not need.
Here is what actually fits each case.
Quick Picks: Best WordPress PayPal Plugins
Short on time? Start here.
- Best Free, No WooCommerce Needed: Payment Button for PayPal
- Best For WooCommerce Stores: WooCommerce PayPal Payments
- Best For Donations: GiveWP
- Best For Digital Product Sales: Easy Digital Downloads
- Best Multi-Gateway Cart (PayPal, Stripe, Square): WP EasyCart
- Best For Membership And Recurring Payments: MemberPress
Best WordPress PayPal Plugins
1. Payment Button for PayPal - Best Free, No WooCommerce Needed
4,000+ active installs, 4.5 stars. If the actual need is a Buy Now, Add to Cart, Donation, or Subscription button on a single page, without installing a full ecommerce plugin, this covers it with shortcodes and nothing else to configure.
It includes PayPal Sandbox testing, order management inside the WordPress dashboard, and support for PayPal's smart buttons and Pay Later option, which is more than most "just add a button" plugins bother with.
Payment Button for PayPal features:
- 4,000+ active installs, 4.5 stars
- Shortcode-based Buy Now, Add to Cart, Donation, and Subscription buttons
- PayPal Sandbox support for testing before going live
- Order management inside the WordPress dashboard, no separate ecommerce plugin required
2. WooCommerce PayPal Payments - Best For WooCommerce Stores
800,000+ active installs, the official PayPal extension for WooCommerce. If you are already running WooCommerce, this is the default choice simply because of how deeply it is integrated, PayPal, Venmo, Pay Later, and card processing all through one gateway on the standard WooCommerce checkout.
Worth saying plainly: the rating sits at 2.9 stars from 580 reviews, which is low for a plugin this widely installed. Most of the complaints in reviews are about account verification and payout holds on PayPal's side, not the plugin's checkout functionality itself, but it is fair to go in with that expectation rather than be surprised by it.
WooCommerce PayPal Payments features:
- 800,000+ active installs, official PayPal-built extension
- PayPal, Venmo (US), Pay Later, and card processing in one gateway
- Works with WooCommerce Subscriptions and PayPal Subscriptions for recurring billing
- 2.9-star rating, mostly tied to PayPal account and payout issues rather than checkout bugs
3. GiveWP - Best For Donations
100,000+ active installs, 4.6 stars. GiveWP is built specifically around donation forms, not general product sales, and it includes PayPal Donations with no additional fees layered on top of PayPal's own rates.
Donor management, fundraising reports, and campaign-based fundraising come with it, which a generic PayPal button plugin will not give a nonprofit or fundraiser out of the box.
GiveWP features:
- 100,000+ active installs, 4.6 stars
- PayPal Donations built in, no extra fees on top of PayPal's own rate
- Customizable donation forms and campaign-based fundraising
- Donor dashboard and fundraising reports included
4. Easy Digital Downloads - Best For Digital Product Sales
40,000+ active installs, 4.7 stars. Selling PDFs, software, music, or any downloadable file through PayPal is a different problem than a physical product store, file delivery, license limits, and download expiration matter more than shipping.
Easy Digital Downloads is a verified member of the PayPal partner program and supports PayPal, PayPal Credit, and Venmo, with unlimited products and transactions on the free version.
Easy Digital Downloads features:
- 40,000+ active installs, 4.7 stars
- Verified PayPal partner program member
- Built for digital file delivery: expiration controls, license limits, any file type
- Unlimited products and transactions, zero listing fees on the free version
5. WP EasyCart - Best Multi-Gateway Cart (PayPal, Stripe, Square)
3,000+ active installs, 4.5 stars. If you want PayPal available alongside Stripe and Square rather than picking one gateway, WP EasyCart bundles all three in its free edition, with retail products, subscriptions, digital downloads, and donations all supported in the same cart.
Professional and Premium editions add PayPal Pro and PayPal Payflow among 30+ total gateways, plus live shipping rates and mobile apps, but the free tier already covers a small multi-gateway store.
WP EasyCart features:
- 3,000+ active installs, 4.5 stars
- PayPal Express, Stripe, and Square included free
- Supports retail products, subscriptions, digital downloads, gift cards, and donations in one cart
- Premium editions add 30+ gateways and live carrier shipping
6. MemberPress - Best For Membership And Recurring Payments
PayPal support requires the Growth plan or higher, $349.50/yr for year one (renews at $699/yr), the entry-level Launch plan is Stripe only and carries a 4.9% transaction fee. If recurring membership billing through PayPal specifically is the requirement, this is the plugin built for that, not a general payments plugin with membership bolted on.
Growth and Scale plans remove the transaction fee entirely and unlock PayPal and Square alongside Stripe, which matters if membership revenue is the actual business model.
MemberPress features:
- PayPal support starts at the Growth plan, $349.50/yr for year one
- Launch plan (Stripe only) carries a 4.9% transaction fee; Growth and Scale remove it
- Built specifically for membership and subscription access, not general product sales
- 0% platform transaction fees on Growth and Scale plans
Which Type Of PayPal Integration Do You Need?
A Single Buy Now Or Donate Button
Payment Button for PayPal. No WooCommerce, no ecommerce plugin, just a shortcode button.
A Full Online Store
WooCommerce PayPal Payments if you are already on WooCommerce. WP EasyCart if you want a lighter cart with PayPal, Stripe, and Square bundled without WooCommerce.
Nonprofit Or Fundraising Donations
GiveWP, built specifically for donation forms and donor management rather than product sales.
Selling Digital Files
Easy Digital Downloads, because file delivery and license limits are a different problem than a physical product cart.
Recurring Membership Or Subscription Access
MemberPress, once PayPal support on the Growth plan is factored into the budget.
My Advice
Start with what you are actually charging for, a one-time product, a donation, a digital file, or ongoing membership access, because that answer picks the plugin category before you even compare individual options. Do not install WooCommerce just to take PayPal payments on one page. Do not use a general PayPal button plugin to run recurring membership billing.
What To Look For In A WordPress PayPal Plugin
- Does it need WooCommerce, or does it work standalone?
- One-time payments, donations, digital downloads, or recurring subscriptions, these are different feature sets.
- What are the actual transaction fees, separate from PayPal's own processing fees?
- Does the free version cap products, transactions, or gateways?
- Is PayPal Sandbox testing available before going live with real transactions?
What Is PayPal Smart Checkout In WordPress?
PayPal Smart Checkout refers to PayPal's dynamic payment buttons that automatically show the payment methods available to a specific visitor, PayPal balance, card, Venmo, or Pay Later, without the site needing to build separate buttons for each option. Most current PayPal plugins use these smart buttons rather than the older static button code PayPal used to generate.
This matters because it is what makes Pay Later and Venmo show up automatically without extra plugin configuration.
Conclusion: Which WordPress PayPal Plugin Should You Choose?
For a single button on a single page, Payment Button for PayPal does the job free and without extra weight. WooCommerce stores should default to WooCommerce PayPal Payments despite its rough review average, since the complaints trace back to PayPal's own account processes more than the plugin. GiveWP and Easy Digital Downloads both earn their spots by being built around one specific transaction type instead of trying to be general-purpose. MemberPress is the only one built for recurring membership billing, and it is priced accordingly.
FAQs About WordPress PayPal Plugins
What is the best WordPress PayPal plugin?
It depends on what you are selling. Payment Button for PayPal for a single button, WooCommerce PayPal Payments for a full store, GiveWP for donations, and MemberPress for recurring membership payments.
What is the best free WordPress PayPal plugin?
Payment Button for PayPal for a standalone button, or WP EasyCart's free edition if you want a small multi-gateway cart with PayPal, Stripe, and Square included.
Do I need WooCommerce to accept PayPal payments in WordPress?
No. Plugins like Payment Button for PayPal, GiveWP, and WP EasyCart all accept PayPal payments without WooCommerce installed.
Can I accept recurring PayPal payments in WordPress?
Yes. MemberPress supports recurring PayPal billing on its Growth plan and higher, and WooCommerce PayPal Payments supports PayPal Subscriptions when paired with WooCommerce Subscriptions.
Is WooCommerce PayPal Payments free?
Yes, the plugin itself is free. You still pay PayPal's standard transaction processing fees on each sale.
Can I accept PayPal donations without a fundraising platform?
Yes, with GiveWP, which is built around donation forms specifically and adds no extra fees on top of PayPal's own rate.
What is the difference between PayPal Payments and PayPal Payflow?
PayPal Payflow is an older, more configurable gateway aimed at larger or more established merchants, typically available on premium plugin tiers like WP EasyCart's Professional edition. PayPal Payments (Smart Buttons) is the standard, easier setup most plugins default to now.
Can I sell digital downloads through PayPal in WordPress?
Yes, specifically with Easy Digital Downloads, which is built around file delivery, license limits, and download expiration rather than physical product shipping.
Does PayPal charge extra fees on top of what these plugins charge?
PayPal's own processing fees apply regardless of which plugin you use. Some plugins add their own platform fee on top, MemberPress's Launch plan is one example at 4.9% per transaction, so check both fee layers before choosing.
Can I test PayPal payments before going live?
Yes, most plugins on this list, including Payment Button for PayPal, support PayPal Sandbox mode for testing transactions without moving real money.
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