How to Add Subscription Products to WooCommerce

Go to Products → Add New in your WordPress admin. Enter the product name — be specific and customer-friendly (e.g., "Pro Membership — Monthly" or "Premium Course Access — Annual").

Write a clear product description that explains what subscribers get, how billing works, when they'll be charged, and how to cancel. This information sets expectations and reduces support questions.

Add a featured image that visually represents the subscription.

In the "Product data" panel, change the product type from "Simple product" to "Simple subscription" using the dropdown. This option is added by WPSubscription — if you don't see it, ensure the plugin is activated.

The panel will update to show subscription-specific fields: subscription price, billing interval, length, trial settings, and sign-up fee. For products with monthly/annual options, use "Variable subscription" instead.

Enter the subscription price per period (e.g., $19). Set the billing interval using the dropdowns: "every" [1] [Month].

Options for interval are: Day, Week, Month, Year. Common combinations: $19/month, $49/quarter, $179/year.

The subscription period (how long each billing cycle lasts) should match the billing interval in most cases. Avoid unusual intervals like "every 6 days" — they confuse customers and create date math issues.

If you charge a one-time setup or onboarding fee in addition to the recurring price, enter it in the "Sign-up fee" field. This is charged once at the time of the first purchase and does not recur.

It appears as a separate line item in the checkout order. Signup fees are common for products requiring onboarding effort (consulting, custom setup, certification) but are unusual for purely digital subscriptions.

In the "Free trial" fields, set the trial length in days (7, 14, or 30 are most common). During the trial, no charge is made.

When the trial ends, the first billing cycle charges automatically. Ensure your payment gateway supports $0 authorization if you plan to collect payment details at signup before any charge occurs.

Trial periods significantly increase signup conversion when used appropriately.

In the "Subscription expiry" or "Subscription length" field, set a maximum subscription length if the product has a defined end (e.g., a 12-month access plan, a 6-installment payment plan). Leave blank for indefinite subscriptions that continue until the customer cancels.

Most membership and software subscriptions are indefinite; courses with defined access periods and installment plans use length limits.

Set product visibility (public, private, or catalog visibility) as appropriate and publish. Open the product page in a browser to verify everything renders correctly: subscription terms visible, price formatted properly, trial period shown if configured, and the "Sign up now" or "Subscribe" button works.

Complete a test purchase in your gateway's test mode to verify the full checkout-to-active-subscription flow works.