Description
This plugin is deprecated and should not be used for new installations.
PayPal API Subscriptions was built in 2008 using the PayPal NVP (Name-Value Pair) API v52.0, which PayPal has since discontinued in favour of their REST APIs. The plugin also directly handles raw credit card numbers on your server, which creates PCI compliance obligations that most WordPress sites cannot meet.
Recommended alternatives:
- WooCommerce + PayPal Payments — modern PayPal integration with Smart Buttons (card data never touches your server)
- MemberPress — full membership/subscription management with PayPal and Stripe
- Paid Memberships Pro — free membership plugin with PayPal support
What happens in v1.2.0:
- Existing
[ppsa]shortcodes display a retirement message instead of subscription buttons - An admin notice reminds you to migrate
- All PayPal API code, the credit card form, and bundled jQuery have been removed
Installation
This plugin is deprecated. Please use one of the alternatives listed above.
FAQ
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Why was this plugin deprecated?
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Two reasons: (1) PayPal’s NVP API v52.0 is discontinued — all new integrations must use the REST API. (2) The plugin handled raw credit card numbers on your server, which is a PCI compliance risk. Modern payment integrations (PayPal Smart Buttons, Stripe Elements) never let card data touch your server.
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I still have active subscribers
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Your existing PayPal recurring payment profiles continue to work on PayPal’s side regardless of this plugin. The profiles are managed by PayPal, not WordPress. You can manage them from your PayPal merchant dashboard.
Reviews
There are no reviews for this plugin.
Contributors & Developers
“PayPal API Subscriptions” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.
Contributors
Translate “PayPal API Subscriptions” into your language.
Interested in development?
Browse the code, check out the SVN repository, or subscribe to the development log by RSS.
Changelog
1.2.0
- Deprecated: Plugin is now retired — displays admin notice and shortcode retirement message
- Removed: PayPal NVP API integration (discontinued by PayPal)
- Removed: Credit card form (PCI compliance risk)
- Removed: paypal_api.php, form.php, bundled jQuery 1.2.6, images
1.1.0
- Security hardening: ABSPATH guards, input sanitization, output escaping, SSL verification
- PHP 8.x compatibility fixes
- Capability checks on admin pages
1.0
- First release