Swift Member [review]
POS:
Affordable and viableNEG:
Interface can be a bit overwhelmingWatch the video below for my full review of the new Swift Member WordPress plugin. Swift Member is a WordPress plugin that is designed to allow anyone, even those who do not have coding or site building experience easily create membership sites. Now before I get to into the software I first want to explore […]
Watch the video below for my full review of the new Swift Member WordPress plugin.
Swift Member is a WordPress plugin that is designed to allow anyone, even those who do not have coding or site building experience easily create membership sites.
Now before I get to into the software I first want to explore why membership sites are important. There are two main reasons people have them. First if your selling a digital product such as a software you need to give your customers a way to access their purchase while at the same time securing the download. Membership sites are often used to accomplish this. Secondly if you are selling training products then you need to give people a way to access their training.
For a lot of people selling training is the most idea. Training membership sites are great. You make the membership site once, create a sales page, and it becomes a passive source of income. In fact I have training sites myself and I make several hundred dollars a month from them without doing any additional work. Once I set them up, the work is done ,and its just free money every month.
I’m in the IM space and that’s what I know so I tend to create membership sites that teach people about internet marketing. However even if you don’t know about internet marketing you can still benefit from membership sites. Everyone has a skill, something they are good at, that they can teach to other people. Also because the world is such a big place the odds are that somewhere in the world there are thousands of people willing to pay to learn the skill you are good at.
Now I created my membership sites by hand. That is I custom wrote the code for them. I can do this because I’m an web developer but most people are not so they are forced to use some other solution. The problem with most of them is that they are very expensive. Many charge a monthly fee and the ones that don’t come with a high one time price, normally $395+.
Swift Member is a plugin that is designed to fill the gab and meet the needs of people who can’t code their own sites and who cant or don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on a cloud based system. You add it to your existing WordPress site and it will let you create a members area in a separate directory without effecting any of the existing site.
Above is the log in screen for a test membership are that I made with this software. Once people log into their accounts they can then access the members dashboard which in my test looks like this:
No I made my members area look simple and clean just because I like simple layouts. But I could have gotten fancy if I wanted and had all kinds of background textures, header graphics etc. The plugin is extremely flexible in its customization options. In fact its so flexible that it can be a little intimidating. Fortunately though they do have preset layouts that you can select from if you don’t want to take the time to completely customize it.
As for the software itself. It is quite flexible, powerful and full of features. As I already said it lets you fully customize the layout of your membership site, but it also has a lot of other functionality.
For example this integrates with many different payment processors and several different auto responders. In order to add content to your members area you simply create a new page on your WordPress site and set it to ‘private’. You can then link it up in the Swift Members software. This will ensure that the content does not show in your site for the random site visitor but will be included in the members area you create. Though you can limit what they get by membership levels. I did not see any way to add drip feed or timed content.
The interface itself is clean and easy to use though because if the sheer number of customization options there may be a little bit of a learning curve when you first start using it. It took me about 25 minutes or so to understand everything.
The plugin has a ‘live chat’ and a link to contact support. In my test though the live chat was always offline. I would have expected them to have someone on line given that launch time is going to be the most busy support time but it was not. So really the live chat is more of a way to contact support and send a help request. Though there are video tutorials in the members area for people who buy this there where none in the software. I mentioned this to one of the vendors (OJ) and he agreed to have them added to the plugins support section without question.
My version of Swift Member was given to be before I suggested that they add this so when I tested there where no videos built into the plugin. However given how fast he agreed that having them easy to access ‘makes sense’ I have no reason to believe that they will not be putting them in.
Ok so what do I think of Swift Member over all? Well first I want to point out something that I think is important. When you buy this plugin you are taken to a members area to access your purchase. The members area is made with this plugin. I think it says a lot that they believe in their product so much that they use it themselves.
But beyond that I think Swift Member is a viable way to create membership sites. Though it lacks a few features such as drip fed content it is still very well done and for the price its a great value that is well worth considering. Membership sites can be a great way to make passive income (once you set them up). Now everyone has a very affordable way to create them without needing to be a web developer.
A quick note about the reviews I do on this site. The product vendors give me access to their products for free in order for me to do my review. However I make no promises to them regarding the results of my tests or what I will write in my review. Should you click a link that takes you to a sales page for a paid product for sale this link will be an affiliate link and I will be paid a percentage of the sales price should you decide to invest in it.
About the Author
Brett: Did you happen to take a look at FreshMember as well? Was looking at both and have not made a decision as of yet. Thanks for any insight you might be able to provide.
No I have not, I thought it was a little pricy to be practical to many people so I opted to review the one that would be more affordable to a larger audience. I mean it does not help you much if a software is awesome, if you cant afford to buy it anyway. Because of this I thought it would be more efficient to check out the lower cost product first, then if it was bad, look at the more expensive option (but we got fortunate and the lower cost option was not bad)
Hey Brett,
Thanks for the review we have added the tutorials inside the plugin you should see an update notification inside your plugin section. if not just login and download the new version.
Also we are taking some suggestions from our customers and implementing them as we speak.
Awesome 🙂
Hey,
I purchased Swiftmember last year on JVzoo and can now unfortunately not access it and I have no way of contacting you, Could you please give me an email address or a way to contact the support so that I can use my purchase?
Thanks,
Antoine
Why would you contact me about someone elses product?
As for contacting the vendor. You 100% for sure have a way since every purchase on JVZoo requires a support email which is then sent to every buyer by JVZoo (along with your purchase receipt).
Very helpful review, Brett!
Have you had the opportunity to test the other member site creation software now being launched (Fresh Member and Smart Member)? It would be interesting to see how the three products compare against each other.
Both of them are multiple hundreds of dollars I believe. Smart Member is by Mark Thompson who refuses to speak to me ever since I pointed out bugs on one of his other software products in Jan (http://brettrutecky.com/Software-detail/easy-vsl-review/). I can probably get review access to Fresh Member though, though I have not tried as of yet.
Hey Brett. FreshMember is Mark Thompson and I haven’t seen anyone pushing that one to their buyers list. SmartMember is Chris Record and from what I have seen it is going to be worth the cost. I have a beta copy of Bridge Pages and it is very well done. Would definitely like to see how Swift Member and Smart Member compare other than definite cost. Smart Member has a ton of features and Chris does use it for his own membership sites.
“Chris does use it for his own membership sites” .. well unless its something he developed a while back that really cant be true. If its a new software then he may be using it for his new membership sites, but unless its an old software that he had for a while how could he be using it for his established ones? Im sure at that price point it is going to have more features. The problem with higher cost software though is that even if it has great features if the customer cant afford it it does not help them. I’m going to try to get a review copy of it.
Hey Brett love you reviews
Just pointing out that Fresh Member is Mark Thompson’s Product and Smart Member is Chris Record’s Product 🙂
There Seems to be heaps of Membership software going around these days including mine that i started on recently lol.
Keep up the Great work mate.
Yea somewhere I got them mixed up. Thanks for pointing that out. Your right three of them back to back is a lot.
Hey Brett,
Yeah it is easy to get mixed up Mate.
Yeah it’s crazy 3 Different Products in 1 month is crazy but i guess you never know what other Marketers have in the works.
That’s the chance you take i guess
A small correction Brett,
Freshmember is a product by Mark Thomson ; Wheras Smartmember is a product by Chris Record (Promoter of Internet Bar and Dark Post Profits).
Looking forward to your reviews on the same if possible.
Did I get them mixed up somewhere? Sorry about that. To many membership sites coming out at once.
Thanks Brett. I thought smart member was by OJ James and Fresh Member by Mark Thompson.
Swift Member is OJ James + Sam Bakker, in MunchEye Sam is listed as the vendor which is why I listed him as the creator in the review. Fresh Member is Mark Thompson, and a new one coming out in a couple days called Smart Member is by Chris Record. Three membership product launches in the same month!
Hi Brett,
One quick observation – The Live Chat Function that you mentioned in the review is a part of the PRO Version, which is the OTO1. The Basic Version (Front End) does not have the Live Chat.
Honestly it did not seem that important to me anyway.
Thanks for the bonus Brett! I purchased through your link this morning since you always offer such great value!
Rich
I added access instructions right inside of JVZoo (in a .zip file you can download) so everyone who already purchased can get the bonus to. If its now showing for you please send me and email.
Brett…no issues in dropping this into an already built WordPress site?
No there should be none. I put it on my testing blog, which had other content and it worked without an issue.
FYI… the messaging system inside Swift is for your members to msg you. Not for you to msg the Swift folks – why no one was ever there. Plus you have to turn it on.
Andrew
Ahh thanks for the clarification. That was not explained will to me. Another reason it was a good suggestion for them to put the tutorial videos right inside the plugin. I might have noticed that 🙂 Appreciate you letting us all know.
Hi Brett…. thanks for the review.
I noticed somewhere you mention that there is no way to drip in content over time, if true, do they have any plans to add a feature like that. It really helps to make a memebersihp site and keep members paying.
Thanks
Scott
I dont know what they plan on adding. Im just the product reviewer and not a part of their business so they have not shared their future plans with me. Sure you cant automatically drip feed content, but there is nothing stopping you from adding new content your self once a week or so to the members area.
I’m not sure this would work or not, but you might be able to drip by post dating the pages. Create the pages you wish to drip, then instead of publishing immediately, add a date in the futre in which they will be published automatically.
Just a thought..
I had thought of that as well, but I did not want to say it since I did not test it and I dont know for sure that it will work. However it for sure sounds like it should.
Brett,
Thanks for the review and the bonus. Looking forward to your review of Fresh Member as well
Jim
Thanks Brett…..I would be very interested in your review of ‘FRESHMEMBER’ too.
Lee
Fresh member is kind of costly, Im not sure if I will be reviewing that one. Ill see if I can get access though.
Thanks for the review Brett. I picked this up mainly because the price was right and it looked like it was well thought out. I also have a license for member deliver which looks similar that is self hosted that came out a few months back. It is becoming more difficult to know what and when to buy due to all the multiple options out there for video players, membership sites, webinar platforms, etc. so your reviews really help out. Some look great on the surface but their interface, training or customer service is terrible. I have become more discerning in what I buy and remind myself that a new product or products will be out soon with more features, maybe a better price point, etc. I also ask myself if this is something I will use now or in the future.
Thanks Brett for another great review and thank you for the early email regarding the early bird launch. It was actually the only email I’ve come across regarding this product as I’ve unsubscribed form many vendors and affiliate marketers’ lists.
The DAP (Digital Access Pass) is one of the established membership product for wordpress with Tons of Features inbuilt for marketers. At its price point of $167 & $297 for single or unlimited sites, it is real value for money !
I would love to see how the high end membership products such as SmartMember or FreshMember compare with already established products like DAP in terms of their features.
One question if I buy to you the plugin I get the bonus that ofer here {link removed} and your course ? Thanks
That was a bonus page from a different affiliate. Some of them may be included in the purchase but Im not sure. The only bonus I can guarantee you will get is the one I personally added, which is my “How I Earn Money Online” training.
Can you give me your link to buy thanks
That would be the big green graphic at the bottom of the review that says “APPROVED: Click here to learn more”
Hey Brett, love your work mate! I’m glad you reviewed this because ANYTHING Sam Baker offers is usually junk! Additionally his reputation for support is terrible. I have removed him + him girlfriend and everyone who promotes him from my email list. But maybe he might finally have a decent product.
I cant review his support of course, I can only review the product. This is the 2nd time I reviewed Sam, the firs time the product did not get my approval. While I thought the product could have some improvements (notice I only rated execution 3 out of 5, which is good but not great) it did work well in my testing. Something to keep in mind is that Sam did not create this product on his own, he did it with a partner, OJ.
Yeah, I appreciate Brett’s review, but because Sam is part of this I’m going to hang back for awhile before buying it. OJ being in on it gives me some hope, but jeez, I wish most of these sellers would get their crap together. I like the demo and it looks great for me (I don’t need drip feeding), but I’ve learned not to jump into the launch pond too quickly (water moccasins lurking underneath sometimes. Lol).
Well that’s why I do the reviews Mike.. if you browse around you will notice Im not afraid to tell people not to buy stuff. In fact this is the second time I reviewed Sam. The first time I told people not to buy.
Hi Brett, thank you for the great review. Have bought the front end and OTO 1 thru your link.
I purchased Swift Member through your link. Between this and Webinar Hero, I think I’ve most of my plugins in place. A bigger question I face. Which WP theme is good for membership sites? I’ve looked at OptimizePress, but that’s pretty costly. Can anyone recommend a good alternative theme that would be good for membership sites?
If your using Swift Member your theme should not matter at all.
Hi Brett
……I purchased Swift Member (+OTO’s) yesterday and today went back to acquire your ‘How I Make Money’ bonus access. However, I cannot locate any link that gives me access. I also looked inside my JVZoo account but it is not there either. Can you help please? Thank you.
Kind regards,
Leon
The bonus was removed from JVZoo last night because the bonus period ended. Send me an email with your receipt ID and I will forward you access instructions.
Brett, Let’s say I set up a membership site and offer some sort of software as a service. In terms of buying white label rights to a software that already exists then what tips/strategies do you advise us to implement in terms of rebranding/reselling the software. Just change the name of it and then promote the membership site on Facebook ads? Simple as that or any extra steps required to really make it an effective business practice?
Well assuming you have a good software that you bought white label rights to you should be fine with just changing the name.
I can report that having both opened a ticket and sent an email to FreshMember support…. CRICKETS.
For SwiftMember, can you add in your own PHP driven pages, and have those pages protected by the membership security?
(sounds like yes)
Are there multiple levels of membership? (sounds like yes)
Can you give someone an expiring trial membership? Not sure about that.
Thanks for the review.
1) Given that the content is made my creating WordPress posts I dont think this is going to be practical without an additional plugin.
2) Yes
3) I did not see an option to do this.
just wanted to point out that the live chat function is meant for you to chat with your customers, not for you to chat with swiftmember support. if you hit “enable” and go to the members area, you will get a popup saying live chat is available.
Makes more sense 🙂 Thanks for pointing that out.
Hi Brett, I just discovered you as I was looking for reviews after having bought both MemberDeliver and SwiftMember. In MD do you have to pay for the cloud service or is it included? In SM if they don’t have a drip feed would it be possible to create that thru integration with your autoresponder? Hard to believe that no one did their homework to put all the most important features together in one place. Thanks for your feedback.
I cant comment on Member Deliver because I have not used it. This is a review for Swift Member. Your auto responder is not going to help you drip feed content on a membership site.
Thanks for your quick response Brett. If having drip fed content is important, the membership can’t do it, and I can’t use an autoresponder to manage that, then how can I create that process using something else? Thanks!!!
Having ‘drip fed’ content is not important. Drip feed is where you make a ton of content in advance and dont let people access it all right away. I dont do that. If you want to give your members additional content respect them enough to give them fresh new content, not stuff they could have accessed right away (buy you held back)
Brett – drip feed in my situation is not about respect at all – It’s about having people follow a logical progression in a program, giving them a little at a time so that they don’t feel overwhelmed and don’t skip to something out of order without doing the basics first and then not getting the results they wanted… This is something an autoresponder would do. It’s just that I don’t want them sharing it with the world…
That makes no sense because people can still skip a training then come back to it later or take things out of order. All they have to do is wait. Normally drip feeding is designed to keep the customer paying their monthly fee by making them constantly wait for more content (and thus keep their monthly service). Either way though,
I wish you great success with your membership site.
Hi, I realize this post was some time ago, but noticed one possible drip feed scenario commented on but not tested via other posts this page – post dating the content post so that it is posted automatically.
The idea I had was to use your autoresponder to email to an auto posting email you set up for your membership site. when your autoresponder sends the content email to your website’s email post address, the content then is posted on your site. Your member area protects access to the website content for members only. Your autoresponder’s email send setup, then controls the drip feed to your member area.
HiBrett,
Purchase this product & got awesome bonus from jvzoo link.I have found that some features of this plugin is not functioning properly as shown in training videos.l(ike autoresponders,themes,so puzzed after day long excercise so open one ticket .)
Hope so best after getting reply by Support team.
So your going to say in public that something is not functioning before you even get an answer from support? You automatically assume that the issue is with them and that you cant possibly be doing something wrong yourself? You really should wait until you hear from their support and be sure that your not using it wrong before you say in public that someones software does not work properly.
Thanks Brett for your review on Swift Member. I purchase it through your link and hooked it up to one of my newest products using Paypal and it works like a champ. I like it better than some of the other membership plugins I’ve used.
Also, the Devs are quickly upgrading the plugin because I see some of the GUI layout and features have been changed around and added to, so the training videos are a little behind, but that’s a good thing. Oh, and they recently added drip feed which is nice.
This is a solid little plugin with many features and I like that I can customize the member’s area and login area to match the look and feel of my product sales page.
Thanks again for a great review. It sure pushed me over the fence. 🙂
Scott
I found you through SociVids and instantly warmed to the sincerity in your voice. I’m currently browsing your reviews, and I have to say I appreciate your honesty.
I bought SwiftMember recently, but haven’t done anything with it yet – I suppose it’s the “paralysis of analysis”. After watching and reading your reviews of SwiftMember I have more idea of what I’m going to do with it.
So a big thank you for that.
Im glad I can help 🙂
Thank you for your review. I am thinking to purchase this plugin for my membership area. Have you tried to use the Drag and Drop page builder plugin with this? Thanks
No I have not, sorry.
Hi Brett. Thank you for your great and honest reviews. I appreciate this very much. It is very rare these days. Do you know if it is possible to use Swiftmember to create a free membership site? I am interested in making a free membership site to allow members to get access to members only content…
I dont see why it would be a problem to make free membership sites with it.
Hi Brett, I got it from your link. I just wish to ask this before I install it. When you said, there’s no drip-feed, does it mean when a new member joins, he sees and accesses everything that the old members see?
Yes that is correct.
I just wanted to acknowledge Brett’s timely response to comments here regrading questions and his product reviews in general. He is engaging all of us with meaningful insights and comments regarding Internet Marketing and solid informed reviews of software products in order to help us progress in our business and personal goals. He goes deeper to help all of us by contacting developers and making suggestions to them regarding improving their software for everyone’s benefit as well. We should take note and strive to do so well engaging our customers, helping them, and getting them thanking us for being allowed to purchase products from his page with the great added bonuses he provides too.
Well done Brett!
P.S. This is not a solicited comment by Brett. He as no foresight knowledge I am writing this
Jim Robinson
Thank you so much for the kind words Jim. You made me smile today 🙂
I dont know if its just me.
Just Now, the private wp pages and private youtube videos dont show up inside the membership area.
To show up, the wp pages and youtube videos needs to be public.
Hi Brett. Having a problem in setting up the section where people pay if new members or and login if they have paid?.. How do I set that up
Yea it makes total sense to post a support question on my review blog instead of sending the actual owners of this software a support ticket. Wait .. no .. that does not make any sense at all.