Top 12 Membership Website Builder Platforms for 2025

• Ideal Use Cases: Who is this platform really for? We identify the specific creators, businesses, and communities that will benefit most.

• Key Feature Analysis: An honest look at the tools that matter, from content dripping and member management to payment gateway integration.

• Pricing Transparency: A clear explanation of subscription tiers and hidden costs to help you budget effectively.

• Real-World Limitations: Every platform has drawbacks. We highlight them so you can anticipate potential challenges.

1. Sotion: The No-Code Notion-to-Website Powerhouse

Key Features & Analysis

• Membership Tiers: Easily set up password-protected pages for basic access, use email signups to build a lead list, or implement an email whitelist for exclusive communities.

• Paid Memberships: Monetization is straightforward with direct integrations for Stripe, Lemon Squeezy, and Gumroad. Sotion simplifies the process of creating premium, paid-only content sections. For a practical walkthrough, you can explore their guide on how to set up a paid membership site using Notion and Gumroad.

• Workflow Automation: With native integrations for Zapier and Make, plus support for webhook member events, you can automate user onboarding, email sequences, and other administrative tasks, creating a seamless experience for your members.

• Technical Performance: The platform is built on Amazon Web Services (AWS), guaranteeing enterprise-grade reliability and minimal downtime. Custom domain setup is refreshingly simple, requiring just two DNS records.

Pricing

2. Wix

Key Features and Considerations

• User Experience: The editor is highly visual and intuitive. If you can use presentation software, you can build a Wix site. However, once you choose a template, you are locked in, so select carefully.

• Pricing for Memberships: While the Members Area app is free, selling paid subscriptions requires a Business and eCommerce plan. These start with the "Core" plan at $27/month, which includes secure online payments and recurring payment options.

• Best Use Case: Wix is perfect for content creators, fitness instructors, or consultants who want to offer gated blog content, exclusive video libraries, or community forums alongside a standard business website. The integrated booking and e-commerce tools also make it a strong all-in-one solution.

• Implementation Tip: After adding the Members Area app, go to your page settings and manually set permissions for each page you want to restrict. This granular control is key to designing your membership tiers effectively.

3. Squarespace

Key Features and Considerations

• User Experience: Squarespace offers a structured section-based editor that is less "free-form" than Wix but ensures a professional, responsive design. Its interface is clean and intuitive, though finding specific settings can take some initial exploration.

• Pricing for Memberships: The Member Areas feature is an add-on to a standard Squarespace plan. Pricing starts on top of a Business plan (or higher) and has its own tiers based on transaction fees, beginning with the "Starter" plan at $9/month.

• Best Use Case: Squarespace is perfect for photographers, designers, authors, and high-end consultants who need an elegant portfolio or business site with an integrated, premium content layer. Its strong e-commerce and scheduling tools also make it a great fit for service-based businesses offering exclusive workshops or digital products.

• Implementation Tip: Use Squarespace's integrated Email Campaigns tool to nurture your member community. You can create automated welcome sequences for new members and send exclusive newsletters to keep them engaged, all without needing a third-party service.

4. MemberPress

Key Features and Considerations

• User Experience: As a WordPress plugin, its interface will feel familiar to existing users. However, newcomers to WordPress may face a significant learning curve getting the initial site, theme, and hosting set up before even installing MemberPress.

• Pricing for Memberships: MemberPress is a premium plugin with annual pricing. Plans start with "Basic" at $179.50/year, which includes unlimited members and content restriction for one site. More advanced features like integrations with corporate payment gateways require the "Plus" or "Pro" plans.

• Best Use Case: It excels for educators and businesses creating robust online courses or a series of tutorials. The extensive integration with LMS plugins like LearnDash and a wide range of email marketing services makes it a highly extensible core for a learning-based business.

• Implementation Tip: Plan your membership levels and access rules before you start configuring the plugin. Creating clear rules from the beginning will save you significant time and prevent confusion as you restrict different pieces of content across your site. For a smoother member experience, consider exploring tools for automating member onboarding.

5. Kajabi

Key Features and Considerations

• User Experience: The interface is clean, logical, and user-friendly, guiding you through the process of building products and marketing funnels. Its focus is on function and simplicity rather than granular design control.

• Pricing for Memberships: Kajabi is a premium solution with pricing to match. Plans start with the "Basic" plan at $149/month, which includes everything you need to launch, but with limits on products and active members. Higher-tier plans unlock more advanced features and increase these limits.

• Best Use Case: It's the perfect choice for established experts, coaches, and digital entrepreneurs who sell high-value courses and memberships. If your business model revolves around digital education, Kajabi provides the robust infrastructure to support growth. For those focused on digital education, explore proven strategies for marketing your online course to maximize enrollments.

• Implementation Tip: Leverage the "Pipelines" feature (Kajabi's term for marketing funnels). Use their pre-built templates for webinars, product launches, or freebie opt-ins to quickly build automated marketing campaigns that convert visitors into paying members.

6. Teachable

Key Features and Considerations

• User Experience: The interface is exceptionally intuitive, especially for building courses. The step-by-step process guides you from content upload to pricing setup, making it very beginner-friendly. Design customization, however, is more limited compared to general website builders.

• Pricing for Memberships: Teachable offers a free plan with a 59/month (or $39/month billed annually), which reduces transaction fees to 5% and adds features like custom domains and email marketing tools.

• Best Use Case: Teachable is perfect for entrepreneurs, coaches, and creators whose primary offering is structured learning. If your goal is to sell online courses as part of a membership, its specialized tools for student management, progress tracking, and certifications are invaluable.

• Implementation Tip: Use the "Bundles" feature to create your membership tiers. You can group multiple courses together and sell access to the entire bundle as a single subscription product. This is an effective way to provide massive value and encourage recurring payments.

7. Mighty Networks

Key Features and Considerations

• User Experience: The interface is clean and intuitive, prioritizing community interaction feeds and member profiles. It feels more like a private social network than a standard website, which is a major pro for engagement but means less design flexibility for a traditional "homepage."

• Pricing for Memberships: All plans support memberships. The Community Plan starts at 119/month.

• Best Use Case: Ideal for creators building a masterclass, a paid networking group, or a brand community. If your primary goal is to facilitate member-to-member connections, discussions, and live group activities, Mighty Networks is purpose-built for that.

• Implementation Tip: Leverage the "Spaces" feature to organize your community. You can create dedicated spaces for different topics, courses, or membership tiers, each with its own feed, events, and content. This keeps the experience organized and relevant for members.

8. Podia

Key Features and Considerations

• User Experience: Podia's interface is exceptionally clean and intuitive. The setup process is guided and straightforward, allowing you to launch your membership or course in hours, not days. However, this simplicity comes with less design flexibility compared to more complex builders.

• Pricing for Memberships: Podia offers a free plan with an 8% transaction fee. Paid plans start with the "Mover" plan at $39/month, which removes transaction fees and adds features like unlimited courses and downloads. All paid plans include integrated email marketing.

• Best Use Case: Podia is ideal for solopreneurs and content creators focused on selling knowledge-based products. If your primary goal is to offer online courses, digital workbooks, or a paid community with minimal fuss, Podia's streamlined, all-in-one system is hard to beat.

• Implementation Tip: Leverage the built-in affiliate marketing tools early on. You can turn your most enthusiastic members into promoters by offering them a commission on new sign-ups, creating a powerful, organic growth engine for your community.

9. MemberSpace

Key Features and Considerations

• User Experience: The setup process is remarkably straightforward. You install a small code snippet on your site and then manage everything from the MemberSpace dashboard. The interface is clean and focused solely on membership management, which keeps things simple.

• Pricing for Memberships: MemberSpace offers a few pricing tiers. The "Starter" plan is 59/month, which is ideal as your member base grows.

• Best Use Case: This tool is perfect for creators, consultants, and businesses who already have an established website on a platform that lacks native membership features (like Squarespace or Carrd). It's also excellent for those wanting to offer tiered access to content without being locked into a single ecosystem.

• Implementation Tip: Use the "Content Links" feature to create a secure, centralized hub for downloadable files like PDFs, audio files, or templates. This prevents non-members from accessing your premium files, even if they somehow find the direct link.

10. Wild Apricot

Key Features and Considerations

• User Experience: The interface is function-oriented, focusing on database and event management rather than pure web design. While powerful, it can present a steeper learning curve compared to visual builders, and the website design flexibility is more limited.

• Pricing for Memberships: Pricing is transparent and based on the number of contacts in your database, not features. Plans start at $60/month for up to 100 contacts and scale upwards, with all core features like online payments and event management included in every tier.

• Best Use Case: It is the ideal choice for established organizations like chambers of commerce, alumni associations, or sports leagues that need a centralized system to manage their members, events, and communications effectively. The integrated mobile app for members is a significant plus.

• Implementation Tip: Spend time importing and organizing your member database first. Clean data is crucial, as many of the platform’s automations for renewals, event discounts, and member-only content rely on accurate contact records and membership levels.

11. Webflow

Key Features and Considerations

• User Experience: Webflow has a much steeper learning curve than template-based builders like Wix or Squarespace. Its interface resembles professional design software like Adobe Photoshop, which offers immense power but requires time to master.

• Pricing for Memberships: To use the Memberships feature, you need both a Site plan (starting at $14/month billed annually) and a Workspace plan. The Memberships feature itself is part of the "Logic" add-on, which has its own pricing based on usage, so costs can be higher than other platforms.

• Best Use Case: Webflow is ideal for design agencies, freelance web designers, and tech-savvy creators who need to build a highly customized, brand-specific membership site. It excels where off-the-shelf templates feel too restrictive.

• Implementation Tip: Leverage Webflow's CMS (Content Management System) to its fullest. Create a "Courses" or "Resources" collection and use the Memberships logic to dynamically show or hide specific items based on the logged-in user's subscription tier.

12. Hostinger Website Builder

Key Features and Considerations

• User Experience: The interface is clean, intuitive, and built for speed. The AI website generator can create a solid starting point in minutes, which you can then customize.

• Pricing for Memberships: The single "Website Builder & Web Hosting" plan is incredibly competitive, often available for just a few dollars a month. It includes the ability to create up to 100 websites and password-protect pages at no extra cost.

• Best Use Case: Hostinger is ideal for freelancers, coaches, or small creators who need a simple, low-cost way to offer exclusive content. It's perfect for a basic membership model, such as a gated resource library, a private blog, or a client-only portal.

• Implementation Tip: Use the password protection feature on a "hub" page that links out to all your other members-only content. This way, members only need one password to access the entire exclusive area, simplifying the user journey.

Membership Website Builders Feature Comparison

Making Your Final Decision and Launching Your Community

How to Choose Your Perfect Platform

• What is my primary goal? Is it to sell online courses (Kajabi, Teachable), build a vibrant community (Mighty Networks), gate premium content on an existing site (MemberSpace), or manage a formal organization (Wild Apricot)? Your central objective should be the primary filter.

• What is my budget? Be realistic about both your starting budget and your long-term financial plan. Consider transaction fees, the cost of higher tiers as you grow, and any add-ons you might need. Hostinger offers a very low entry point, while Podia provides a great all-in-one value proposition.

• What are my technical skills? Be honest about your willingness to learn a new system. If you want a straightforward, drag-and-drop experience, Wix or Squarespace are excellent choices. If you're comfortable with a steeper learning curve for more power, MemberPress on WordPress or the design freedom of Webflow might be a better fit.

• How important is scalability? Think about where you want your membership to be in one year, or even five. Choose a builder that can grow with you. Platforms like Kajabi and MemberPress are built for scale, ensuring you won't need to migrate your entire business as your community and content library expand.

Your Actionable Next Steps to Launch

1. Shortlist Your Top 2-3 Tools: Based on your answers above, pick two or three builders that seem like the best fit.

2. Sign Up for Free Trials: This is non-negotiable. Spend a few hours inside each platform on your shortlist. Test the user interface, build a sample landing page, and create a test membership tier. This hands-on experience is more valuable than any review.

3. Map Out Your Membership Structure: Before you start building, outline your membership levels on paper. What content or benefits will each tier receive? What will you charge? A clear plan makes the technical setup much faster.

4. Prepare Your Launch Content: You don't need a massive library of content to start. Prepare a few key pieces of "welcome" content for your first members. This could be a downloadable guide, an exclusive video, or an introductory course module.

5. Focus on Your Growth Strategy: Once your site is being built, think about how you will attract your first members. To effectively grow your membership community, leveraging modern strategies like video for lead generation can be a powerful way to attract and convert prospective members.