With the rise of online communities and subscription-based models, creating a membership website has become increasingly popular. The good news is that many membership website builders are now available to help you build and manage your membership site.
However, with so many options, knowing which one best fits your needs can take time and effort.
Thus, in this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know about the 7 best membership website builders, including:
7 Best Membership Website Builders: A Comprehensive Comparison
Like any other website, to make the most out of your membership website, your site itself needs to be visually appealing and highly functional.
However, building a website from scratch is nearly impossible if you’re not familiar and comfortable with technical aspects and coding skills.
Worry no more! Here are the seven best membership website builders we’ve compiled for your sake!
#1. Shopify
Pricing: $29 – $299 per month (annually paid)
If you’re looking for membership website builders with robust eCommerce features, your search should end with Shopify. Shopify is a powerful and versatile eCommerce platform offering a membership website-building option.
With its user-friendly interface, it allows users to create and manage a membership website with ease. Its customizable design options and wide range of integrations make it possible to create a professional-looking website that meets the specific needs of any business.
In addition, Shopify offers a variety of payment gateways and supports recurring payments, making it easy to manage a membership program with recurring fees.
So basically, Shopify is a cool choice for businesses that want a complete solution for their membership website needs, with lots of tools for marketing, sales, and customer engagement.
#2. Wix
Pricing: $17 – $35 per month
Wix is a popular website builder that offers an array of features for creating a wide range of websites, including membership sites. It provides a user-friendly drag-and-drop interface, a vast library of customizable templates, and a wide range of design tools that allow even those with little to no web design experience to create an attractive and professional-looking website.
In terms of functionality, Wix provides a built-in membership system that enables you to manage your members, create membership levels, and restrict access to certain parts of your site based on membership status. Additionally, Wix integrates with various payment gateways, making setting up recurring payments for memberships easy.
However, Wix’s membership features are somewhat limited compared to other platforms, and there may be limitations in terms of customization options for the membership system. On the other hand, Though you can compensate for this with the aid of membership apps, Wix App Store is limited too.
Therefore, Wixit is one of the best membership website builders for those looking for a beginner-friendly way to create a membership website. But those who need more advanced features may want to consider alternative platforms.
#3. Weebly
Pricing: $10 – $25 per month | Free plan available
Weebly is one of the membership website builders that offer a simple and intuitive platform for creating and managing membership websites.
It provides a wide range of customizable templates, easy-to-use drag-and-drop features, and a robust set of features for managing members, content, and payments.
The membership functionality in Weebly includes features like member registration, member profiles, and membership levels, making it easy to create a personalized and engaging experience for your members.
The payment management system is also robust, offering integration with various payment gateways and the ability to set up recurring payments. Plus, Weebly’s ease of use, simple eCommerce features, and affordable pricing plan make it a top choice for small and local businesses.
#4. SureMembers
Pricing: $69 – $149 per year
If you’ve been searching for a WordPress membership website builder, SureMembers should be your go-to choice.
SureMembers is a fantastic membership plugin for WordPress websites. It is an easy-to-use plugin that allows website owners to quickly create, manage and sell memberships.
The plugin is highly customizable and has a wide range of features, making it an excellent choice for website owners looking for a powerful membership solution. It allows for multiple membership levels, user roles, and permissions and integrates seamlessly with PayPal and Stripe for payment processing.
SureMembers is also easy to set up and has a user-friendly interface that makes it simple for website owners to manage their memberships. The customer support is also excellent, and the team is always available to help and answer any questions.
With many plus points, SureMembers is a must-have plugin for website owners looking to create a membership site on WordPress and easily sell memberships. It is an excellent investment and is definitely worth the cost.
#5. MemberSpace
Pricing: $49 per month | Free plan available
MemberSpace is a membership website builder that provides users with an easy-to-use platform to create and manage their membership websites on WordPress, Squarespace, and other sites. The tool offers various customization options to help users create a website tailored to their needs and requirements.
It features flexible payment options, including recurring subscriptions and one-time payments, and allows members to set up different access levels. MemberSpace integrates seamlessly with popular payment gateways like Stripe, PayPal, and Square, making it easy for users to accept payments for their memberships.
The platform also offers robust analytics and reporting features, which provide users with valuable insights into their membership site’s performance. In addition, MemberSpace offers excellent customer support, helping users quickly resolve any issues they may encounter.
Overall, MemberSpace is an excellent option for an easy-to-use membership website builder that provides a wide range of customization options, payment options, and exceptional customer support.
#6. MemberMouse
Price: $29 – $199 per month
Similar to SureMembers, MemberMouse can be your lifesaver if you’re looking for a plug-in to add powerful membership features to your WordPress site. MemberMouse is a highly-rated membership website builder that has earned recognition for its ease of use and features.
The plug-in is user-friendly and makes creating and managing your membership website simple. The drag-and-drop interface is intuitive, and the comprehensive customization options allow you to personalize your site to suit your needs.
MemberMouse offers a range of integrations with popular platforms like WooCommerce, Infusionsoft, and more. The membership management tools are comprehensive and allow you to manage everything from memberships to payment processing and reporting.
Plus, the platform’s checkout process is simple and streamlined, making it easy for your members to join and manage their accounts.
Put all things together, MemberMouse is an excellent choice for those looking for a robust and reliable platform for building and managing their membership website.
#7. Squarespace
Pricing: $16 – $49 per month
Squarespace is a popular website builder known for its elegant and modern designs. It offers a range of features to create a professional-looking website of any model, including membership websites.
Squarespace’s membership functionality is built on its eCommerce platform, making managing your content, payments, and members easy. The platform also offers a variety of customizable templates and allows you to create a unique and branded website, complete with a custom domain.
Further, Squarespace integrates with third-party tools like Stripe, Mailchimp, and Zapier to enhance its functionality. However, Squarespace’s membership functionality is not as extensive as some other dedicated membership website builders. So, it may not be the best option for complex membership sites with many different membership levels or comprehensive member management needs.
Overall, like Wix, Squarespace is a perfect choice for a simple, visually appealing membership website that won’t require a lot of advanced features.
What Is A Membership Website?
Before we dig into how to create a membership website, let’s first discover what a membership website is.
In short, a membership website is a type of website that provides exclusive access to premium content, services, or exclusive perks to its members. These perks include free shipping, newsletters, invitations to webinars/conferences, online courses, and many more.
Membership website vs subscription website: Are they the same?
Short answer: nope! Although membership and subscription websites are quite similar, they are not the same thing as you might think.
A membership website empowers customers to be members of your group or community. Meanwhile, a subscription website requires customers to pay a monthly/weekly/… subscription fee to use a product or service for a specific period of time.
A typical instance of a subscription website is Netflix and Spotify, where you pay them a monthly subscription fee to get access to the latest movies and trending music. On the other hand, when you register an account to be a member of Newchic on their e-shop, Newchic is then a membership website.
How to build a membership website?
Now that you know what a membership website is, let us show you a quick guide on how to build one!
1. Identify your goal and target audience
When building a membership website, it is essential to identify both your goal and target audience. Your goal can range from generating revenue, providing exclusive content to members, or building a community of like-minded individuals.
Once your goal is established, you can then target the appropriate audience. This could be individuals with a specific hobby or interest, professionals in a particular field, or people looking for exclusive content or discounts.
Understanding your goal and target audience will help you determine the content and features necessary for your website and make sure it appeals to your target audience.
2. Define your membership model
Next, think about your membership model because it will set the foundation for the success of your membership website. It’s important to factor in what will entice people to join your site and what they are willing to pay for.
Consider offering different membership levels at various price points, such as a basic membership for free or a premium membership for a higher fee. It’s also important to consider what you are willing to offer at each level and what resources are required to provide those benefits.
3. Pick the best membership website builder
The third step is to pick the best membership website builder to help make things easier. With so many options available, it can be overwhelming to choose the right one.
However, it’s crucial to find a platform that has all the features you need and is easy to use. Consider the level of customization, the payment gateways you want to integrate, and the technical support you need. It’s also important to choose a scalable builder with a user-friendly interface, so you can add new features and functionalities as your website grows.
Unless your website builder suits your needs, you’re unlikely to pull out a membership website that works. So we’ve compiled a list of the 7 best membership website builders right below for your sake!
4. Build member-only content
After picking your website builder, you should start curating member-only content for your members. By offering unique and valuable content, you can drive engagement and increase the value of your membership. This content can come in the form of articles, videos, podcasts, webinars, and more.
To build this content, you can use your membership website builder’s tools and features, such as a content management system or a media library, to easily create and manage the content. You can also use analytics and metrics to track the performance of your member-only content, allowing you to make adjustments and optimizations for better results.
5. Launch and promote your membership website
The last and arguably most important step in creating a successful membership website is to launch and promote it effectively.
This step involves making your website live and accessible to the public and spreading the word about its existence.
However, launching a membership website without proper promotion is like building a house in the middle of nowhere – it will remain unnoticed and unoccupied. Therefore, you should create a launch plan that includes strategies for promoting your website, such as email marketing, social media advertising, influencer outreach, and content marketing.
A well-executed launch and promotion plan will help you attract and retain members, increase engagement, and grow your business.
Membership Website Builders- FAQs
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Decide on Which Membership Website Builders to Go With?
All in all, a membership website can be highly profitable, but only if you build and promote it the right way. And in order to do so, picking the best membership website builders should be your top priority.
For that, we hope this article will help you choose the best membership website builders that fits your demand and budget the most. Lastly, don’t forget to check out other articles in LitExtension blog and join our Facebook Community for more eCommerce tips and news.