Getting Started
Install MyPaywall and have your first paywall live in under 10 minutes. This guide walks through every step from download to your first paying subscriber.
On this page
This is the complete getting-started guide. After this page, read Gateway Setup — the most important step for payments to actually work.
Requirements
Before installing, confirm your environment meets these requirements:
- WordPress: Version 5.9 or higher (6.x recommended)
- PHP: Version 8.0 or higher
- HTTPS: Your site must use SSL (https://) — payment gateways require it
- Payment gateway account: At least one of Razorpay, Cashfree, or PhonePe (free to create)
- WordPress user role: Administrator access on your site
All payment gateways refuse to process payments on non-HTTPS sites. If your site shows a padlock in the browser address bar, you are fine. If not, contact your hosting provider to enable SSL (usually free via Let's Encrypt).
Installation
After purchasing, you will receive a download link by email containing a .zip file named mypaywall.zip.
Download the plugin zip file
Check your email for the download link sent after purchase. Download the mypaywall.zip file to your computer. Do not unzip it — WordPress needs it zipped.
Go to Plugins → Add New Plugin
In your WordPress dashboard, navigate to Plugins → Add New Plugin. Click the Upload Plugin button at the top of the page.
Upload and install
Click Choose File, select your mypaywall.zip, then click Install Now. WordPress will upload and extract the plugin automatically.
Click Activate Plugin
After installation completes, click Activate Plugin. You will be taken to the Plugins list. MyPaywall should now appear as active.
Some hosts restrict plugin uploads. Alternative: connect via FTP/cPanel, unzip mypaywall.zip, and upload the mypaywall folder to /wp-content/plugins/. Then activate from the Plugins screen.
After Activation
On activation, MyPaywall automatically creates default settings. You will see a new menu item appear in your WordPress admin left sidebar.
Navigate to Settings → MyPaywall to reach the plugin control panel. You will see six tabs: General, Payment Gateway, Paywall Text, Plans, Access Rules, and Emails.
This means your PHP version is below 8.0. Go to your hosting control panel (cPanel, Cloudways, etc.) and switch the PHP version to 8.0 or higher. Then re-activate. If the problem persists, email support@iavinash.com with your PHP version and WordPress version.
First Setup: General Settings
Go to Settings → MyPaywall → General tab. Configure these fields:
Fields you must configure on the General tab before anything else:
- Global Paywall — Turn ON to restrict all posts site-wide, or leave OFF to restrict individually per post.
- Default Paragraphs Shown — How many paragraphs to show before the paywall appears. Default: 2.
- Currency Mode — Select INR Only (recommended for Indian sites), USD Only, or Both.
- Show Login Link — Keep ON so existing subscribers can log in from the paywall.
Click Save Settings at the bottom of the page.
Creating Your Subscribe Page
The subscribe page is where readers land to choose a plan and pay. MyPaywall creates this page automatically.
Go to Settings → MyPaywall → Plans tab
At the top of the Plans tab, you will see the Subscribe Page section.
Enter a slug and click Create Page
Type a slug (e.g. subscribe) in the text field. Click Create Page. The plugin creates a WordPress page at yoursite.com/subscribe with the [rpw_subscribe] shortcode already inserted.
Verify the page exists
A link to the live page appears. Click it to confirm the page loads. At this point it may show "Payment gateway not configured" — that is expected until you complete the Gateway Setup.
Protecting Content
There are two ways to restrict content:
Option A — Global paywall (restrict everything)
In Settings → MyPaywall → General, enable Global Paywall. Every post on your site will be paywalled immediately. Use Access Rules to exempt specific roles (administrators and editors are always exempt).
Option B — Per-post restriction (recommended)
When editing any post or page in WordPress, scroll down to find the MyPaywall metabox in the sidebar. Set it to Premium. Save/update the post. That post is now restricted.
You can also set a custom paragraph limit or preview text for individual posts in the same metabox.
Administrators are always exempt from the paywall. To test, either open an incognito window (logged-out view) or create a test subscriber account with the Subscriber role.
Verifying It Works
After completing setup and gateway configuration, do this end-to-end test:
Open a protected post in incognito/private window
The paywall overlay should appear after the configured number of paragraphs with a "Subscribe Now" button.
Click Subscribe Now and verify the pricing page loads
Your plans should appear with correct prices and the payment button should be visible.
Make a test payment (use gateway test mode)
See Testing Payments for test card numbers and UPI IDs.
Confirm access is granted
After payment, the user should be automatically logged in and able to read the full article. Check WP Admin → Users to confirm the subscriber was created with the correct plan and expiry date.
Check the welcome email arrived
The test subscriber's email should receive a welcome email with login credentials, plan name, and expiry date within a few minutes.
This is almost always a webhook problem. Go to Webhook Configuration and verify your webhook URL is registered correctly in your gateway dashboard. The webhook is how the gateway tells your site "this payment was successful."