Reference & Support
Magic Link Free vs PRO Features Compared
Not sure whether the free Magic Link plugin covers what you need? The free version gives you complete passwordless email login for WordPress, including shortcodes, a block, branding, an audit log, and WP-CLI. PRO adds email template editing, role-based redirects, a full Security tab, per-link limits, a REST API, webhooks, and every commerce, membership, LMS, form, and CRM integration. This page compares both, tier by tier, for the current release (version 2.2.3).
Magic Link is an email-only passwordless login plugin for WordPress: it sends a one-time sign-in link to a user's registered email address. Both tiers use the same email delivery model.
What you get in the free version
The free plugin is a complete passwordless login system on its own:
- Core email magic-link login with the
[magic_link_form],[magic-link], and[magic_link]shortcodes and the Magic Link Login Form block (kc-ml/login-form). - General settings: Enable Magic Link, Force Magic Link Login, Token Lifespan (Minutes/Hours/Days), Token Validity (how many times a link works), Show on Login Form, and a single Login Redirect URL.
- Intent Confirmation and scanner protection so email security scanners (Safe Links, Mimecast, Proofpoint) don't burn a one-time link before the user clicks.
- Branding: logo, primary colour, and custom CSS applied to the login screen and the magic-link email.
- Dashboard (limited to the last 7 days on free), the Magic Links list with the Delete bulk action, and an admin Create Magic Link form.
- Per-user Generate Magic Link button on the Users screen, plus Revoke Magic Links as a row action and a bulk action.
- Audit Log and Health pages, Email Digest (daily/weekly/monthly), a resend cooldown on the shortcode, and the WP-CLI command
wp magic-link generate.
What PRO adds
PRO features
Everything in this section requires Magic Link PRO. The free plugin does not include email template editing, the Security tab, per-link limits, the REST API, webhooks, or any of the named integrations.
- Email template customization — edit the email subject and body with merge placeholders (Email tab).
- Role-based redirects — send each role to its own destination after login, overriding the single free redirect.
- Outgoing Emails injection — append a magic link to outgoing WordPress emails using the
{magic-link}merge tag, plus a default role for new users. - Security tab — IP Check, Brute Force Protection, Login Request Throttling, Domain Restriction (allow/block lists), Trusted Domains (auto-create a user), and Access Control (IP/CIDR allow list, country allow list, and time windows).
- Per-link usage limits set at creation time.
- REST API (
kc-ml/v1) and outbound webhooks with a Test Fire button. - Bulk account-claim emails on the Users screen, and the Mark as Used and Expire bulk actions on the Magic Links list.
- Anomaly detection in the audit log.
- All integrations — WooCommerce, WooCommerce Subscriptions, Easy Digital Downloads, MemberPress, Paid Memberships Pro, LearnDash, LifterLMS, Tutor LMS, WPForms, Gravity Forms, Fluent Forms, FluentCRM, WP Fusion, and bbPress.
Free vs PRO comparison table
| Feature | Free | PRO |
|---|---|---|
| Email magic-link login | Yes | Yes |
[magic_link_form] / [magic-link] / [magic_link] shortcodes |
Yes | Yes |
Magic Link Login Form block (kc-ml/login-form) |
Yes | Yes |
| Enable Magic Link / Force Magic Link Login | Yes | Yes |
| Token Lifespan (Minutes/Hours/Days) | Yes | Yes |
| Token Validity (usage count) | Yes | Yes |
| Show on Login Form | Yes | Yes |
| Single Login Redirect URL | Yes | Yes |
| Intent Confirmation + scanner protection | Yes | Yes |
| Branding (logo, colour, custom CSS) | Yes | Yes |
| Dashboard | 7-day cap | Full |
| Magic Links list + Delete bulk action + Create form | Yes | Yes |
| Per-user Generate + Revoke (row and bulk) | Yes | Yes |
| Audit Log + Health page | Yes | Yes |
| Email Digest | Yes | Yes |
| Resend cooldown | Yes | Yes |
WP-CLI wp magic-link generate |
Yes | Yes |
| Email template customization (subject/body) | — | Yes |
| Role-based redirects | — | Yes |
Outgoing Emails injection + {magic-link} merge tag |
— | Yes |
| Default role for new users | — | Yes |
| Security tab (IP Check, brute force, throttling) | — | Yes |
| Domain Restriction + Trusted Domains | — | Yes |
| Access Control (IP/country/time window) | — | Yes |
| Per-link usage limits | — | Yes |
| REST API + webhooks | — | Yes |
| Bulk claim emails | — | Yes |
| Mark as Used / Expire bulk actions | — | Yes |
| Anomaly detection | — | Yes |
| Integrations (WooCommerce, LMS, membership, forms, CRM) | — | Yes |
WP-CLI --redirect-to option |
— | Yes |
Conclusion
Choose the free plugin for straightforward passwordless email login, branding, and audit logging. Choose PRO when you need custom email content, role-based redirects, the Security controls, per-link limits, the REST API, webhooks, or any commerce, membership, LMS, form, or CRM integration. For how Magic Link handles user data across both plans, see GDPR & privacy. To see the full feature list and pricing, visit the Magic Link product page.
FAQs
Is Magic Link free to use?
Yes. The free version of Magic Link is a complete passwordless email login system for WordPress. It includes the login shortcodes and block, branding, token lifespan and validity controls, per-user link generation and revocation, an audit log, a health check, email digests, and WP-CLI support. PRO adds advanced security, integrations, and developer tools on top.
Does Magic Link support SMS or QR code login?
No. Magic Link is email-only in the current release (version 2.2.3). It sends a one-time sign-in link to a user's registered email address. There is no SMS or QR code login in either the free or PRO version today.
What is the difference between free and PRO redirects?
The free version supports a single Login Redirect URL that applies to every user after they sign in. PRO adds role-based redirects, so each WordPress role can be sent to a different destination. When role-based redirects are enabled, the role-specific URLs override the single default redirect.
Are the integrations included in the free plugin?
No. Every named integration — WooCommerce, WooCommerce Subscriptions, Easy Digital Downloads, MemberPress, Paid Memberships Pro, LearnDash, LifterLMS, Tutor LMS, WPForms, Gravity Forms, Fluent Forms, FluentCRM, WP Fusion, and bbPress — is a PRO feature. Each integration detects its host plugin and stays inactive if that plugin is not installed.
Which security features require PRO?
The entire Security tab is PRO. That includes IP Check, Brute Force Protection, Login Request Throttling, Domain Restriction, Trusted Domains, and Access Control (IP/CIDR allow lists, country allow lists, and time windows). The free version still protects one-time links with Intent Confirmation and scanner detection.