SLNWP Role Extension for Paid Memberships Pro

Sync WordPress roles with Paid Memberships Pro levels. Pick a role per level; members’ roles update on signup, level change, cancellation and expiry.

Description

SLNWP Role Extension for Paid Memberships Pro syncs WordPress roles to Paid Memberships Pro (PMPro) levels, with a bulk re-sync for existing members.

Requires Paid Memberships Pro, available from paidmembershipspro.com (it is not in the WordPress.org plugin directory).

It replaces the official PMPro Roles add-on and fixes these issues with it:

• Roles were not being updated when a user changed membership level
• Roles were not being removed on cancellation or expiry
• The administrator role was being removed when a membership was cancelled

Key Features

• WordPress Role dropdown on each membership level's settings page
• Shared role slugs — multiple levels can map to one role (e.g. Gold Monthly, Gold Quarterly, and Gold Annual all → gold)
• Protected roles — administrator, editor, author, contributor, customer, and subscriber are never removed under any circumstances
• Admin-safe — users with admin roles get membership roles correctly assigned AND removed without losing their admin role
• Conflict detection — warns if the official PMPro Roles add-on is still active
• One-click bulk sync — a single "Run Sync Now" button under Memberships → Role Sync fixes all existing users immediately

How It Works

Each PMPro membership level has a "WordPress Role" dropdown in its settings. Choose the role you want assigned to members of that level. Multiple levels can share the same role — ideal for sites that offer the same membership tier at different payment frequencies (monthly, quarterly, annually).

Roles are automatically synced when:

• A user signs up for a membership
• A user upgrades or downgrades their level
• A membership is cancelled
• A membership expires

Protected Roles

The following roles are never removed under any circumstances:

• administrator
• editor
• author
• contributor
• customer (WooCommerce)
• subscriber

Note: protecting a role only stops this plugin from removing it — a non-member is still assigned the site's default role (usually subscriber) as normal. Protection just means that role, once held, can never be stripped again afterwards.

You can add additional protected roles via filter:

add_filter('pmpro_protected_roles', function($roles) { $roles[] = 'shop_manager'; return $roles; });

Requirements

• WordPress 6.5+
• PHP 7.4+
• Paid Memberships Pro, from paidmembershipspro.com (not in the WordPress.org plugin directory)
• The Multiple Memberships Per User add-on is supported (a member's levels are each evaluated independently)
• The official PMPro Roles add-on must be deactivated to avoid conflicts

Installation

1. Upload the slnwp-role-extension-pmpro folder to /wp-content/plugins/
2. Activate the plugin through the Plugins screen in WordPress
3. Make sure the official PMPro Roles add-on is deactivated
4. Go to Memberships → Membership Levels and edit each level to choose its WordPress Role
5. Go to Memberships → Role Sync and click Run Sync Now to fix all existing users

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need the official PMPro Roles add-on installed?

No — this plugin is a complete replacement. The official add-on must be deactivated to avoid conflicts. This plugin will show a warning in the admin if it detects the official add-on is still active.

Can multiple membership levels share the same role?

Yes — this is a core feature. If you offer Gold Monthly (Level 1), Gold Quarterly (Level 2), and Gold Annual (Level 3), simply choose the gold role for all three levels. Members will be assigned the gold role regardless of which payment plan they chose.

What happens when a membership is cancelled?

The membership role is removed. If the user has no other active memberships, they are reset to the default WordPress role (usually subscriber). Protected roles such as administrator are never touched.

What happens if a user has both an admin role and a membership?

Both roles are handled correctly. The membership role is assigned and removed as normal, while the admin role is always preserved. This was a key bug in the official add-on that this plugin fixes.

How do I fix existing users whose roles are out of sync?

Go to Memberships → Role Sync and click Run Sync Now. This is safe to run at any time.

How do I add a role to the protected list?

Add a filter to your theme's functions.php:

add_filter('pmpro_protected_roles', function($roles) { $roles[] = 'shop_manager'; return $roles; });

What WordPress roles are protected by default?

• administrator
• editor
• author
• contributor
• customer (WooCommerce)
• subscriber

Is subscriber protected, given it's also the fallback role for non-members?

Yes. Protection only blocks removal — a member who loses their last active membership is still reset to the site's default role (usually subscriber) exactly as before. Protecting it just means that once assigned, it can never be stripped again afterwards, the same as every other protected role.

Does this work with WooCommerce?

Yes — the customer role is in the protected list by default so WooCommerce customers are never affected by membership role changes.

Screenshots

1. Choose the WordPress Role for a membership level, in the level's own settings.
2. The About tab: how roles are kept in sync, and every level's configured role at a glance.
3. The Sync tab: bring all existing members into line in one click, with the protected roles that are never removed.
4. The Developers tab: the pmpro_protected_roles filter for adding your own protected roles.

Changelog

2.1.7

• First release on WordPress.org

Upgrade Notice

2.1.7

First WordPress.org release.