Table of Contents
- 1. Sotion
- Why Sotion Stands Out
- Key Features & Analysis
- Pricing and Access
- 2. Patreon
- Strategic Analysis
- How to Replicate This Model with Sotion
- 3. Substack
- Strategic Analysis
- How to Replicate This Model with Sotion
- 4. Ghost (Ghost(Pro))
- Strategic Analysis
- How to Replicate This Model with Sotion
- 5. Kajabi
- Strategic Analysis
- How to Replicate This Model with Sotion
- 6. Podia
- Strategic Analysis
- How to Replicate This Model with Sotion
- 7. MemberPress (WordPress plugin)
- Strategic Analysis
- How to Replicate This Model with Sotion
- Top 7 Membership Platforms Comparison
- Your Blueprint for Building a Successful Membership Website
- Synthesizing the Core Lessons
- Choosing Your Platform and Path Forward
Slug
websites-with-memberships
Excerpt
Explore 7 top websites with memberships and learn their strategies. Get actionable tips on building your own membership site with no-code tools in 2025.
Building a successful membership site is one of the most effective ways to generate predictable, recurring revenue. But transforming an idea into a functional, profitable platform involves navigating a maze of technical and strategic decisions. Which platform is right for your content? How do you structure your offerings? What does a high-converting signup flow actually look like? This guide provides the answers by deconstructing real-world websites with memberships.
We'll move beyond surface-level descriptions to offer a deep strategic analysis of top platforms and creators. For each example, you will find a breakdown of their membership model, tech stack, and the specific tactics they use to attract and retain members. We provide screenshots and direct links so you can see these strategies in action. A critical aspect of unlocking recurring revenue for membership sites involves implementing proven strategies for keeping subscribers engaged; our analysis incorporates insights from resources like this SaaS playbook for reducing customer churn to highlight effective retention tactics.
This article is designed to be your blueprint. Whether you're a course creator, a newsletter publisher, or an agency building sites for clients, you'll gain actionable takeaways and replicable strategies. Our goal is to help you choose the right tools and implement proven models, saving you time and costly mistakes on your journey to building a thriving membership business.
1. Sotion
Sotion earns its top spot as a featured choice for anyone seeking to create powerful websites with memberships directly from their Notion content. It’s a no-code platform that masterfully bridges the gap between Notion's incredible content management capabilities and the professional, secure front-end required for a membership business. Instead of complex development cycles, Sotion lets you convert any Notion page into a fully-branded, member-ready website on a custom domain in minutes.
Why Sotion Stands Out
What makes Sotion a standout solution is its seamless integration of robust membership controls. You’re not just publishing a static site; you’re building a secure ecosystem. Sotion offers a complete suite of access management tools that cater to various business models, making it exceptionally versatile for creators, coaches, and agencies.
Strategic Insight: Sotion's core value is speed-to-market combined with enterprise-grade functionality. By leveraging Notion as a backend CMS, users can focus entirely on content creation while Sotion handles the complex technical infrastructure of hosting, security, and payment processing.
Key Features & Analysis
Sotion's feature set is designed for both simplicity and power. Here’s a breakdown of what makes it a comprehensive platform for membership sites:
- Flexible Access Gating: Easily protect your content with multiple options. You can use simple password protection, require an email signup to build your list, use an email whitelist for private communities, or set up paid memberships.
- Integrated Payment Gateways: Monetize your content effortlessly by connecting to top-tier payment processors. Sotion integrates directly with Stripe, Lemon Squeezy, and Gumroad, allowing you to sell access without writing a single line of code.
- Powerful Automation: The platform is built for efficiency. With a Members API, Zapier and Make integrations, and webhooks, you can automate critical workflows like member onboarding, CRM updates, and email marketing sequences.
- High-Performance Hosting: Your site is hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS), ensuring enterprise-grade reliability, security, and minimal downtime for a professional user experience.
- Deep Customization: While it's a no-code tool, Sotion provides the flexibility for advanced branding. You can apply custom CSS and JavaScript to fine-tune the design and match your brand identity perfectly. For those interested in a deeper dive, Sotion provides an excellent guide on how to build a membership website with Notion.
Pricing and Access
Sotion offers a 7-day free trial with no credit card required, allowing you to fully test its capabilities. While specific pricing tiers are not published on the main product page, this model encourages users to experience the platform's value firsthand before committing. This approach is ideal for validating a membership site idea without upfront investment.
2. Patreon
Patreon is a heavyweight in the world of websites with memberships, offering a comprehensive platform for creators to build recurring revenue streams directly from their audience. It's an ideal choice for podcasters, artists, writers, and YouTubers who want a quick, recognizable way to offer exclusive content and build a community without the technical overhead of a self-hosted site.
The platform streamlines the process of launching a membership. Creators can set up multiple tiers with varying monthly or annual prices, each offering different perks like bonus content, early access, or direct interaction. Patreon handles the complex parts: payment processing, content hosting, and providing a dedicated space for members.
Strategic Analysis
Patreon's core strength is its marketplace effect. Millions of fans already have Patreon accounts and saved payment methods, dramatically reducing the friction for them to subscribe to a new creator. This built-in trust and familiarity make it a powerful conversion tool, especially for creators with an existing following on other platforms like YouTube or Instagram. The platform also includes native video hosting and a community chat feature, keeping engagement centralized.
How to Replicate This Model with Sotion
While Patreon offers an all-in-one solution, you can create a more branded and flexible membership site using Sotion with your Notion content.
- Membership Tiers: Use Sotion's password protection to gate different Notion pages for different membership levels. You can create a "Gold Tier" page and a "Silver Tier" page, each protected by a unique password.
- Payment Processing: Integrate with Stripe, Lemon Squeezy, or Gumroad to handle payments. Set up recurring subscriptions for your tiers.
- Member Access: Use tools like Zapier or Make to automate member access. When a new member subscribes via Stripe, an automation can send them the password for their specific tier's content page in Sotion. This creates a seamless, self-service signup flow.
Key Takeaway: Patreon's biggest advantage is its low-friction signup process for existing users. To emulate this, ensure your payment and access system is as simple as possible. A one-click purchase followed by an immediate, automated welcome email with access instructions is crucial.
For creators looking to deepen their connection with supporters, it's vital to implement effective member engagement strategies. Learn more about building a thriving member community to retain subscribers long-term.
3. Substack
Substack has become a go-to platform among websites with memberships, especially for writers, journalists, and thought leaders. It offers an incredibly simple, all-in-one solution for launching a paid newsletter, turning written content into a recurring revenue business with almost no technical setup. The platform handles everything from content hosting and email delivery to payment processing.
It excels at empowering creators to offer free and paid subscription tiers. This allows them to build an audience with public posts while monetizing their most valuable insights, podcasts, or community discussions for dedicated supporters. Substack integrates email, a web-based publication, and community features like discussion threads into one seamless package.
Strategic Analysis
Substack's primary strength is its network effect and extreme ease of use. The built-in recommendation system helps writers get discovered by readers of similar publications, creating a powerful growth loop that is difficult to replicate on a self-hosted site. By bundling payments directly through Stripe, it removes a major barrier to entry for creators who want to start charging for their work without managing complex integrations.
The platform's 10% fee is a key consideration, but for many, it's a worthwhile trade-off for the audience growth features and zero-maintenance infrastructure. For those exploring platforms that are primarily built around paid newsletters, a deeper look into the broader landscape of available tools can be beneficial. You can find more options among the best newsletter services to compare features and pricing.
How to Replicate This Model with Sotion
You can build a more customizable and brand-aligned newsletter membership site using Sotion, giving you full control and avoiding high platform fees.
- Gated Content: Write your premium articles directly in Notion. Use Sotion's password protection to create a members-only archive accessible only to paying subscribers.
- Subscription Management: Integrate a payment processor like Gumroad or Lemon Squeezy to sell monthly or annual subscriptions to your newsletter content.
- Automated Access: Connect your payment tool to your email marketing service using Zapier or Make. When a new subscriber pays, automatically add them to a "premium" list and send a welcome email containing the password to your Sotion-powered content hub.
Key Takeaway: Substack's magic lies in its simplicity and built-in discovery. To replicate its success, focus on creating a frictionless signup process and a clear value proposition for your paid tier.
Building a newsletter-based membership is a powerful way to monetize your expertise. Find out more about how you can build your own membership website using tools you already know and love.
4. Ghost (Ghost(Pro))
Ghost is a powerful open-source platform designed for professional publishers, making it one of the most robust websites with memberships for content-centric creators. Its managed hosting service, Ghost(Pro), gives you a fully branded site with native email newsletters, custom themes, and complete ownership over your audience and content, all without needing to manage your own servers.
The platform integrates paid and free memberships directly into its core. You can effortlessly lock posts for paying subscribers, send out premium newsletters, and manage your member list all from one dashboard. Ghost's biggest selling point is that it takes a 0% platform fee on your revenue; you only pay Stripe's standard processing fees. This makes it an incredibly scalable option for serious publishers.
Strategic Analysis
Ghost's primary strength lies in its blend of professional publishing tools and built-in membership monetization. Unlike marketplaces, it provides a white-label solution, giving you full control over your brand, design, and SEO. The tight integration of content creation (the editor is excellent), email distribution, and paid subscriptions creates a seamless workflow. This allows creators to focus on producing high-quality content while the platform handles the technical logistics of monetization and delivery.
How to Replicate This Model with Sotion
While Ghost offers an integrated publishing and membership system, you can build a similarly powerful and branded experience by combining Sotion with your Notion content.
- Content & Site: Use Notion as your powerful content management system and Sotion to turn it into a fast, SEO-friendly website with your own custom domain.
- Payment & Tiers: Integrate a payment provider like Stripe or Lemon Squeezy to create subscription plans. This allows you to set up monthly or annual tiers just like on Ghost.
- Member-Only Content: Use Sotion’s password-protected pages to gate your premium content. You can create different pages in Notion for different membership levels and protect each with a unique password in Sotion, effectively creating secure member zones.
Key Takeaway: Ghost's main advantage is its 0% platform fee and deep integration of content with monetization. To replicate this, focus on building an owned-and-operated system where you control the branding and customer data, minimizing reliance on third-party marketplace commissions.
For those serious about growing a content-based business, optimizing your site is crucial. Discover how to improve your Notion website's SEO to attract the right audience for your membership.
5. Kajabi
Kajabi is an enterprise-grade, all-in-one platform for serious creators and businesses building professional websites with memberships. It’s designed for those who need to manage memberships, online courses, coaching, email marketing, and sales funnels from a single, integrated dashboard, eliminating the need for a dozen separate tools.
The platform consolidates everything from landing pages and email automations to payment processing and community forums. This comprehensive approach allows creators to build sophisticated customer journeys, such as nurturing leads with an email sequence, selling a course, and then upselling them into an exclusive membership community, all without leaving Kajabi.
Strategic Analysis
Kajabi’s main advantage is its powerful integration and automation engine. Where other platforms require connecting multiple third-party tools, Kajabi handles it natively. This means you can create rules like, "When a member completes this course, automatically grant them access to this bonus content and tag them for a future marketing campaign." This level of control is ideal for scaling a knowledge-based business and maximizing customer lifetime value.
The platform also offers a branded mobile app on higher tiers, allowing members to consume content on the go and strengthening brand presence. This cohesive ecosystem is what positions Kajabi as a premium choice for established creators who have outgrown simpler solutions and need robust, reliable infrastructure.
How to Replicate This Model with Sotion
While Kajabi is a powerful suite, you can recreate its core membership and content delivery functionality using Sotion and your Notion content for a fraction of the cost.
- Integrated Content: House your courses, bonus materials, and community info within different Notion pages. Sotion turns these pages into a professional, navigable website.
- Gated Access: Use Sotion's password protection to create distinct access levels. You can have one password for a beginner course and another for an advanced membership tier, all managed from your Notion workspace.
- Automated Funnels: Combine a payment processor like Stripe or Lemon Squeezy with an automation tool like Make. You can create a workflow where a new sale automatically triggers a welcome email from your email service provider (like ConvertKit) containing the password for their specific Sotion page.
Key Takeaway: Kajabi’s strength lies in its seamless, automated user journey. To replicate this, focus on creating a smooth-as-possible flow from payment to content access. The automation should be invisible to the user: they pay, and moments later, they have exactly what they need in their inbox.
6. Podia
Podia is a creator-focused platform that simplifies selling memberships, courses, and digital downloads. It stands out among websites with memberships by bundling a website builder, integrated email marketing, and product hosting into one clean, user-friendly package. This makes it an excellent choice for creators who want an all-in-one solution without the steep learning curve of more complex systems.
The platform empowers creators to build a full-fledged digital storefront. You can structure membership plans with recurring payments, offer one-time purchase courses, or sell downloadable files, all from a single dashboard. Podia handles the technical aspects like payment processing via Stripe and PayPal, content delivery, and providing a cohesive member area.
Strategic Analysis
Podia's primary strength is its balance of simplicity and power. While competitors might offer more advanced automation, Podia focuses on providing the essential tools creators need in a way that is intuitive and fast to set up. Its integrated email marketing allows for easy communication with members and customers without needing a third-party service, streamlining workflows for segmentation and promotional campaigns. The transparent pricing, especially the zero-fee plan on higher tiers, is a major draw for creators scaling their business.
How to Replicate This Model with Sotion
You can build a streamlined, Podia-like digital product and membership hub using your Notion content with Sotion.
- Product & Membership Pages: Create dedicated Notion pages for each digital product (course, download) or membership tier. Use Sotion's password-protection feature to gate access to each page individually.
- Payment Processing: Connect a payment gateway like Gumroad or Lemon Squeezy to your Sotion site. Set up products for each of your offerings, whether they are one-time purchases or recurring membership subscriptions.
- Automated Access Delivery: Use a tool like Zapier or Make to connect your payment processor to your email service. When a customer makes a purchase, trigger an automation that sends them a welcome email containing the specific password for the Sotion page they bought access to.
Key Takeaway: Podia thrives by offering an integrated, low-friction experience. Replicate this by ensuring your entire customer journey is automated. A smooth purchase should lead directly to an automated email that instantly delivers access credentials, removing any manual steps for you or your members.
To maximize your membership's value, focus on delivering content that keeps subscribers engaged. Explore different content ideas for your membership site to keep your offerings fresh and compelling.
7. MemberPress (WordPress plugin)
MemberPress is a powerful WordPress plugin that transforms a standard website into a full-featured membership platform. It's a top choice for entrepreneurs, educators, and businesses who want complete control over their branding, member data, and functionality. Unlike hosted platforms, MemberPress gives you the keys to build websites with memberships directly on your own self-hosted WordPress site.
The plugin allows you to create unlimited membership tiers, restrict access to pages, posts, or custom post types, and even drip content out to members over time. It integrates seamlessly with payment gateways like Stripe and PayPal, and its built-in course builder (LMS) lets you create and sell structured online courses without needing a separate plugin.
Strategic Analysis
The primary advantage of MemberPress is ownership. You own your content, your member data, and your platform's destiny. This is a crucial distinction from hosted marketplaces where you are subject to their rules, fees, and algorithm changes. The deep integration with the WordPress ecosystem means you can extend its functionality with thousands of other plugins, from forum software to advanced email marketing tools, creating a truly custom solution.
How to Replicate This Model with Sotion
Sotion provides the same level of control over your branding and content as a self-hosted solution like MemberPress, but without the technical burden of managing a WordPress installation.
- Content Paywalls: Use Sotion's password protection to lock specific Notion pages. You can create different pages for various membership levels, courses, or one-off digital products, each secured with its own password.
- Recurring Payments: Integrate Sotion with a payment processor like Stripe, Gumroad, or Lemon Squeezy to set up and manage recurring subscriptions for your membership tiers.
- Automated Access & Dripping: Connect your payment processor to Sotion using Zapier or Make. When a new member signs up, an automation can instantly email them their password. For drip content, you can set up delayed automations to send out new passwords for new content on a schedule (e.g., weekly or monthly).
For those considering building their own platform, understanding the technical components is essential. Explore how to connect a custom domain to your Notion site to establish a professional, branded online presence from day one.
Top 7 Membership Platforms Comparison
Solution | Implementation 🔄 (complexity) | Resources ⚡ (requirements) | Expected outcomes 📊 (results/impact) | Ideal use cases 💡 | Key advantages ⭐ |
Sotion | Low — no‑code publish from Notion in ~2 min; optional CSS/JS for advanced tweaks | Low — Notion content, 2 DNS records, Stripe/Lemon/Gumroad for payments; AWS‑hosted | High — branded, member‑ready site with reliable uptime and membership workflows | Creators, course authors, agencies, solopreneurs wanting fast membership sites | Ultra‑fast setup, built‑in access controls & automations, AWS reliability |
Patreon | Very low — signup and configure tiers; no self‑hosting | Minimal — platform‑managed, mobile apps; platform fees + payment processing | Moderate — recurring revenue + built‑in community and discoverability | Creators seeking fan monetization and marketplace exposure | Marketplace effect, fast launch, native community & video hosting |
Substack | Very low — newsletter‑first, publish & enable paid subscriptions quickly | Minimal — Stripe payments; platform fee applies | High for writers — paid subscribers, reader network discovery | Writers, journalists, podcasters focusing on newsletters | Rapid launch, reader ecosystem, built‑in commenting/community |
Ghost (Ghost(Pro)) | Moderate — managed hosting simplifies but theme/customization work required | Moderate — paid managed plans, custom domain, only payment processor fees | High — publication‑grade SEO, full site control, no platform revenue cut | Publishers and creators who want ownership and SEO advantages | 0% platform fee on revenue, strong publishing features, full control |
Kajabi | Higher — full suite setup for courses, funnels, automations | High — subscription pricing, optional Kajabi Payments, higher‑tier features (apps) | High — professional, scalable business platform with advanced automations | Course creators, coaches, businesses needing funnels & CRM | All‑in‑one platform, strong automations, enterprise‑grade features |
Podia | Low — straightforward website and product setup; quick to start | Moderate — subscription plans, Stripe/PayPal support; fewer advanced automations | Moderate — fast sales for courses/memberships with simple UX | Makers and creators wanting low friction storefronts | Easy to use, good value, transparent fees and support |
MemberPress (WP) | High — requires WordPress setup, hosting, maintenance and plugin config | High — hosting, WordPress expertise, annual license; integrations available | High — full ownership, unlimited members, robust paywall/LMS capabilities | Site owners seeking self‑hosted control, extensibility, and LMS features | Full data ownership, deep WordPress ecosystem, advanced access controls |
Your Blueprint for Building a Successful Membership Website
Throughout this deep dive into successful websites with memberships, a clear pattern emerges. The most effective platforms are not just about gating content; they are about building sustainable digital businesses centered around a dedicated community and high-value, exclusive access. We've seen how creators, educators, and communities leverage diverse models, from simple newsletter paywalls to complex, multi-tiered course libraries.
The key takeaway is that the underlying technology is an enabler, not the destination. Your primary focus should always be on the value you provide to your members. Whether it's through expert analysis, a supportive community, or a transformative educational experience, your content and engagement strategy will ultimately determine your success.
Synthesizing the Core Lessons
Let’s distill the most critical insights from the examples we analyzed:
- Clarity is King: Every successful membership site clearly communicates its value proposition. From the moment a visitor lands on the page, they understand what they get, for how much, and why it's worth it.
- The Tiered Approach Works: Offering multiple membership levels, like we saw with many creator and community sites, caters to different segments of your audience. It allows for a low-barrier entry point while providing a high-value option for your most dedicated supporters.
- Onboarding Matters: A smooth and intuitive signup and payment flow is non-negotiable. Reducing friction at this crucial stage, as demonstrated by platforms like Kajabi and Podia, directly impacts conversion rates and sets a professional tone from the start.
- Integration is Power: The best websites with memberships don't operate in a silo. They integrate email marketing, payment processing, and automation to create a seamless experience for both the owner and the member. This is where webhooks and APIs become your secret weapons for efficiency.
Choosing Your Platform and Path Forward
Selecting the right tool is your next critical decision. Your choice should align with your technical comfort, business model, and long-term goals.
- For Content-First Creators: If your core offering is a newsletter or blog, platforms like Substack or Ghost offer a streamlined, content-focused experience right out of the box.
- For All-in-One Course Builders: If you're building a comprehensive educational business with courses, webinars, and digital products, an integrated platform like Kajabi or Podia provides a powerful, unified solution.
- For Maximum Flexibility and Control: If you are comfortable with WordPress and need granular control over every aspect of your site, a plugin like MemberPress offers unparalleled customization.
- For Simplicity and Speed from Notion: If your content already lives in Notion and you want the fastest path to a secure, branded membership site without complex development, Sotion is purpose-built for that exact need.
Building a thriving membership business is a marathon, not a sprint. It requires a strategic blend of valuable content, genuine community engagement, and the right technical foundation. Start by defining your core offer, understanding your audience's needs, and then select the tool that removes the most friction between your vision and your launch. The examples we’ve explored prove that with a clear strategy and the right toolkit, creating a profitable membership site is more accessible than ever.
Ready to turn your Notion workspace into a fully functional membership site in minutes? Sotion provides the essential tools to password-protect your content, integrate with Stripe for payments, and launch a secure, branded website without writing a single line of code. Start your free trial today and build the membership business you've been dreaming of at Sotion.
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Meet Bruce, the founder behind Sotion, and explore his vision on enhancing Notion Pages. Get a glimpse of the journey and the future roadmap of Sotion.