Can Member Jungle Work With WordPress?

You undoubtedly have a lot of questions you want to be answered before you sign up with Member Jungle. One of the biggest questions people ask is, “Does Member Jungle work with my current WordPress site?” This is probably something you have been thinking about too. Your website is an integral part of your club or organisation. It is the first thing prospective members see, and your current members will spend a lot of time on it. It makes perfect sense, that you would be eager to ensure it is looked after.  

Today we are talking about some of these big questions. We will be helping to clear up a lot of the confusion around how Member Jungle works with WordPress. In this article, you will learn:

• Can Member Jungle Integrate With My Existing WordPress Site?
• Can I Keep My Existing WordPress Site?
• Using Member Jungle As A Member Portal Only
• Do I Have To Decide between WordPress and Member Jungle Now? 
• WordPress and Member Jungle, Which Is Best For My Club?
• Price comparison between WordPress and Member Jungle
• Downsides of WordPress plugins
• WordPress security concerns
• Member Jungle’s All-in-one system 
• Should I Leave WordPress and Move to Member Jungle?

 

Alright, let’s dive in. 

Can Member Jungle Integrate With My Existing WordPress Site?

Many people who run WordPress websites are well aware of the available plugins. There are even some basic membership management plugins available. Many people ask whether Member Jungle can integrate with their WordPress site like plugins do. The answer is no. Member Jungle can not integrate with your current WordPress site. 

Member Jungle doesn't integrate with third-party apps because our system is designed to provide everything within one system. We have decided to focus on delivering an all-in-one solution that does everything you need it to do. This allows us to ensure that Member Jungle users can access all the features they need in one place without navigating multiple platforms. 

Instead of constantly fixing new bugs and issues with integrating the system, we focus that time and energy on continually updating and improving Member Jungle. We are constantly releasing new features and improvements for Member Jungle customers. We wouldn't have the time to do this if we were spending time working on integrations with other systems. It's a trade-off, but we firmly feel it is worth making.

Can I Keep My Existing WordPress Site?

Short answer, yes. 

It is possible to use Member Jungle and keep your current website. This can be done by using Member Jungle as a members-only portal. This means that your current website will continue on as normal but you will be able to use member jungle for member login and managing your members. This way you get to keep your existing website and get all the benefits of using Member Jungle. 

How To Use Member Jungle As A Member Portal Only

Using Member Jungle as a member portal allows you to access all the benefits of using Member Jungle while keeping your current website. You will have access to all the Member Jungle resources and tools. So, you will be able to start running your club more effectively. Your members will be able to use the member portal to log in to your site and access member-only content. We can design your members portal to look like your current website so your members don’t have a disjointed experience when logging into your website. 

Here is an example of one of the clubs we work with that has chosen to do exactly this. They use their WordPress site and use Member Jungle as a Member portal. 

 

As you can see the portal is nearly identical to the WordPress website’s design. 

A Member Portal allows you to showcase the advantages of becoming a member and provide a signup form for new members to register. All membership enquiries and member logins can be done through the member portal. This is the approach of having your cake and eating it too. 

Do I Have To Decide between WordPress and Member Jungle Now? 

No, you absolutely don’t need to decide now. If you choose to keep your current website and only use Member Jungle as a member portal you can change your mind at any point. Many clubs begin by using Member Jungle solely as a member portal before transitioning to using the Member Jungle website as their main site. This approach allows them to become familiar with the membership management features before committing to moving everything over. It allows more of a staged approach to implementing the system.

This is great for a lot of clubs as they are volunteer-run and may not be the most tech-savvy of people. Staggering the changes gives you more time to get used to all the new features and technology. 

You can use the Member Jungle website as your main site right from sign up or switch at any point in time in the future. The choice is entirely up to you. 

WordPress and Member Jungle, Which Is Best For My Club?

There are several different things to consider when choosing between staying with WordPress and switching to Member Jungle, and this is where we are going to cover them. 
 

Price comparison between WordPress and Member Jungle

Comparing Member Jungle and WordPress prices is complicated as they are entirely different models. It is like comparing apples and oranges. 

WordPress has a monthly or yearly subscription fee for using one of its websites. If you require a store, membership, email, poll, or event plugins, you may have to pay for those on top of your website subscription. Additionally, You will have to pay for hosting with WordPress. WordPress does not provide tech support for plugin compatibility, meaning users may need to hire a developer to ensure their plugins work together. 

Member Jungle has a one-off fee for setting up and onboarding and then a subscription fee covering everything else. Web Hosting, tech support, membership management, email campaigns, polls, online store and events are all covered in the subscription fee. There is no need to pay for several other subscriptions besides Member Jungle. 

To learn more about the pricing of WordPress and Member Jungle, look at the WordPress Pricing Page for your base price and then explore the costs of any plugins you may need. To calculate the cost of your Member Jungle just visit their Pricing Page and choose the package that suits you. 

Advantages of WordPress Plugins 

WordPress is known for its versatility and flexibility because of third-party developers' constant addition of new plugins and functionality. With the right WordPress plugin, your website can do almost anything. 

Thousands of themes are also available that aid in creating visually appealing sites. Additionally, WordPress is compatible with virtually any developer, making it easy to find assistance in building and maintaining a website. Furthermore, WordPress can be hosted anywhere, allowing for freedom and control in managing websites. It can be moved between hosts and developers, giving users flexibility in managing their websites.

Downsides of WordPress Plugins

One of the big plus sides to a WordPress website is its ability to use plugins. WordPress plugins allow you to add features and functions to your website. These plugins are great for a lot of reasons, however, they do have some flaws. 

Having multiple plugins is known to cause issues, some of you may have even experienced this. As they can be updated at different times, resulting in various issues. When one plugin updates and another doesn't, it can lead to the plugins not working together and communicating effectively, leading to malfunctioning.

Instead, at Member Jungle we always update related components at the same time. Unlike using multiple plugins, one part of your website will never suddenly stop working with another part. 

WordPress Security Concerns

WordPress is generally secure and offers a lot of customisation through the use of plugins. However, installing third-party plugins can make your website vulnerable to security breaches, making it one of the most easily hacked platforms on the internet. 

According to Colorlib, “Nobody knows exactly how many WordPress websites get hacked, but our best estimate is at least 13,000 per day. That’s around 9 per minute, 390,000 per month, and 4.7 million per year. 

“4.3% of WordPress websites that were scanned with SiteCheck (a popular website security scanner) in 2021 had been hacked (infected). That’s around 1 in every 25 websites.”

To minimise the risk of hacking, it's crucial to frequently update both WordPress and any plugins you are using. However, some plugins may not be updated by the developer or may not be compatible with newer versions of WordPress. As a result, updating the platform can sometimes cause severe disruptions, rendering WordPress challenging to maintain and secure.

Member Jungle takes your data security extremely seriously. We frequently update our service; to ensure we are on the bleeding edge of data security. To find out more read How does Member Jungle protect your data?

Member Jungle’s All-in-one System 

The Member Jungle system was designed as an all-in-one system that would replace your existing website. Part of the Member Jungle system is a new website for you and your club. Part of the way Member Jungle helps you manage your members better is by replacing all of the following services:

• Membership Management
• Website Builder
• Website hosting service
• Domain name service
• Email campaign manager
• Merchandise sales service 
• Event promotion and ticket sales service
• Integrated Mobile App

That is six different services or plug-ins that you are probably already paying for that can be replaced by Member Jungle.

Member Jungle was designed to work by itself as an all-in-one system, allowing you to only have to make one monthly subscription payment instead of multiple. That being said, Member Jungle will still definitely work alongside your existing WordPress site.

Should I Leave WordPress and Move to Member Jungle?

Should I stay or should I go, isn’t just The Clash’s fourth best song ever, it’s also an important decision for you to make. The good news is that it isn’t a decision you need to make now, or even at sign-up. You can move over from WordPress at any point while you’re with Member Jungle. So take your time, do your research and think it through. If you’re looking for a place to start, read Should I keep my existing website or use the Member Jungle one? If you want to know more about what is involved with onboarding at Member Jungle and the time it takes, have a look at Everything you need to know about onboarding at Member Jungle.