The Best Membership Site Platforms in 2026
We researched membership site platforms through their official websites, including pricing pages, plan tables, and product documentation. Rankings focus on the core job of selling access to gated content, value for money, and verified features such as billing, limits, and content controls.
Our top picks
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Top ranked
Patreon#1 of 839.4/10An affordable way to sell memberships, content, and community access, with a 10% platform fee.
Free plan
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Runner-up
Ghost#2 of 839.2/10A focused membership platform for paid publications, newsletters, and protected posts.
14-day trial
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Top-ranked free plan
9.0/10A beginner-friendly way to launch a web membership site with AI and paid access.
Free plan
Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.
The full ranking 83 tools, best first · page 1 of 2
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Best forCreators starting a paid community affordably
An affordable way to sell memberships, content, and community access, with a 10% platform fee.
- Custom domain
9.4/10★★★★★Visit Patreon -
Best forPublishers building paid member publications
A focused membership platform for paid publications, newsletters, and protected posts.
- Custom domain
9.2/10★★★★★Visit Ghost -
Best forBeginners wanting inexpensive AI-built membership sites
A beginner-friendly way to launch a web membership site with AI and paid access.
- Drip content
- Custom domain
9.0/10★★★★☆Visit Appy Pie -
Best forNewsletter-first paid communities
A newsletter-first platform combining publishing, paid subscriptions, and community tools.
8.9/10★★★★☆Visit Substack -
Best forLow-cost funnels with basic membership hosting
A low-cost way to combine funnels, marketing automation and basic course hosting.
- Custom domain
8.8/10★★★★☆Visit Systeme.io -
Best forEnterprise publishers needing advanced paywalls
A flexible enterprise paywall platform for publishers with complex subscription journeys.
8.7/10★★★★☆Visit Zephr -
Best forWordPress users wanting flexible membership control
A flexible self-hosted WordPress option for memberships, payments, and gated content.
- Drip content
- Custom domain
8.6/10★★★★☆Visit site -
Best forAssociations needing memberships, events, and courses
A broad membership platform for associations that also need events, courses, and community tools.
- Custom domain
8.5/10★★★★☆Visit Raklet -
Best forMembership businesses needing broad payment options
A broad membership platform with flexible payments, content gating, and community integrations.
- Custom domain
8.4/10★★★★☆Visit Memberful -
Best forPremium course and membership businesses
A broad membership business platform for premium course creators with a high starting price.
- Custom domain
8.3/10★★★★☆Visit Kajabi -
Best forCreators combining memberships, courses, and community
A broad platform for creators who want memberships, courses, community, and marketing together.
- Drip content
- Custom domain
8.2/10★★★★☆Visit Simplero -
Best forVideo-first membership businesses
A focused choice for paid video libraries, livestreams, and branded apps.
8.1/10★★★★☆Visit Uscreen -
Best forMembership directories with strong publishing tools
A broad hosted toolkit for branded membership directories and gated content.
- Custom domain
8.0/10★★★★☆Visit site -
Best forSmall associations needing broad membership operations
A broad membership platform for small associations that need one operational hub.
- Custom domain
7.9/10★★★★☆Visit WildApricot -
Best forLarge associations needing mature operations
A broad association platform for organizations that need membership, events, billing, and portals.
- Custom domain
7.8/10★★★★☆Visit GrowthZone -
Best forClubs needing membership and mobile engagement
A club platform combining member management, events, payments, communications, and mobile access.
- Custom domain
7.7/10★★★★☆Visit ClubExpress -
Best forAssociations wanting a broad managed platform
A broad managed platform for associations that need membership, events, content, and payments together.
7.6/10★★★★☆Visit YourMembership -
Best forOrganizations wanting simple membership administration
A focused membership platform with hosted sites, payments, communications, and member self-service.
- Custom domain
7.5/10★★★★☆Visit Join It -
Best forOrganizations combining memberships, payments, and events
A broad membership platform for organizations that also manage payments and events.
- Custom domain
7.4/10★★★★☆Visit memberplanet -
Best forMarketing-led membership businesses
A broad membership platform for businesses that sell through marketing and funnels.
- Drip content
- Custom domain
7.3/10★★★★☆Visit Kartra -
Best forSmall businesses wanting affordable gated websites
A practical website builder for small businesses that need gated pages and Stripe billing.
- Custom domain
7.3/10★★★★☆Visit Avantiy -
Best forCourse creators wanting simple paid memberships
A course-first membership platform with community, email, checkout, and paid access tools.
- Custom domain
7.2/10★★★★☆Visit Podia -
Best forPublishers wanting simple free paywalls
A simple free paywall platform with recurring memberships and a 10% commission.
7.1/10★★★★☆Visit Steady -
Best forCreators selling courses and communities across devices
A broad creator platform covering courses, memberships, commerce, email, and mobile access.
- Drip content
- Custom domain
7.0/10★★★★☆Visit Zanfia -
Best forLow-cost course memberships
A low-cost membership platform with strong course tools but a 100-member Starter ceiling.
- Drip content
- Custom domain
6.9/10★★★☆☆Visit Kourses -
Best forWebflow and WordPress sites needing gated content
A flexible membership layer for Webflow, WordPress, and custom websites.
- Custom domain
6.8/10★★★☆☆Visit Memberstack -
Best forHigh-volume WordPress membership businesses
A feature-rich WordPress membership system for businesses that need scale and control.
- Drip content
- Custom domain
6.7/10★★★☆☆Visit MemberMouse -
Best forEstablished WordPress course memberships
A feature-rich WordPress membership plugin for established course businesses.
- Drip content
6.6/10★★★☆☆Try WishList Member -
Best forSelf-hosted sites needing legacy breadth
A broad self-hosted toolkit for paid memberships, billing, and protected content.
- Drip content
6.5/10★★★☆☆Visit aMember Pro -
Best forWordPress membership sites with commerce needs
A flexible WordPress membership plugin for gated content, subscriptions, and commerce.
- Drip content
6.4/10★★★☆☆Visit site -
Best forAdvanced WordPress course and membership businesses
A broad WordPress membership suite for advanced course and community businesses.
- Drip content
6.3/10★★★☆☆Visit AccessAlly -
Best forWordPress marketers using CRM-tag memberships
A CRM-driven WordPress membership plugin with strong access automation and no free plan.
- Drip content
6.2/10★★★☆☆Visit Memberium -
Best forSmall clubs needing dues, events, and member pages
A broad club-management platform for dues, events, member pages, and communications.
- Custom domain
6.1/10★★★☆☆Visit ClubRunner -
Best forWordPress sites needing forms and membership access
A flexible WordPress membership plugin with free and paid access controls.
- Drip content
6.0/10★★★☆☆Visit WPEverest -
Best forCourse-centered membership sites
A course-focused WordPress add-on with structured learning, memberships, and sales tools.
5.9/10★★★☆☆Visit MemberPress -
Best forProfessional associations with event-heavy programs
A broad association platform for organizations that need membership and event workflows together.
- Custom domain
5.8/10★★★☆☆Visit Glue Up -
Best forPublishers optimizing paywalls and registration journeys
A specialized monetization layer for publishers refining paywalls, registration and retention.
5.7/10★★★☆☆Visit Poool -
Best forPremium video subscriptions and streaming services
A powerful streaming membership platform for organizations with substantial video needs.
5.6/10★★★☆☆Visit Muvi One -
Best forDevelopers building gated member experiences
A flexible web-and-API membership stack with strong billing and automation tools.
- Custom domain
5.5/10★★★☆☆Visit Gately -
Best forVideo-first memberships and OTT sales
A strong fit for video-first memberships, OTT sales, and paid viewing access.
5.5/10★★★☆☆Visit Vimeo -
Best forAssociations managing chapters, events, and dues
A broad association platform for chapters, dues, events, and member communications.
- Custom domain
5.3/10★★★☆☆Visit SilkStart -
Best forWordPress sites needing broad membership features
A feature-rich WordPress option for sites that need flexible membership and content controls.
- Drip content
5.2/10★★★☆☆Visit ARMember -
Best forCommunity owners needing live interaction
A broad community platform for creators who need paid spaces and live communication.
5.1/10★★★☆☆Visit Concord -
Best forLow-cost self-hosted access control
A low-cost WordPress option for granular access control and paid memberships.
- Drip content
5.0/10★★☆☆☆Visit s2Member -
Best forFree WordPress sites needing basic memberships
A capable free WordPress plugin for basic free and paid memberships.
4.9/10★★☆☆☆View plugin -
Best forWordPress sites needing straightforward access control
A focused WordPress membership plugin with granular access rules and paid plans.
- Drip content
4.8/10★★☆☆☆Visit SureMembers -
Best forPublishers monetizing metered content
A publisher-focused WordPress paywall with deep subscription and subscriber tools.
4.7/10★★☆☆☆Visit Leaky Paywall -
Best forOrganizations managing memberships, venues, and events
A broad membership operations platform for organizations running people, venues, and events.
4.6/10★★☆☆☆Visit Members.dev -
Best forEstablished trade associations
A mature, association-focused platform for managing members, dues, content, events, and payments.
- Custom domain
4.6/10★★☆☆☆Visit MemberClicks -
Best forFans and creators selling gated media and products
A flexible membership and commerce platform with a free entry tier and creator-focused monetization tools.
- Custom domain
4.5/10★★☆☆☆Visit Kulcho
No tools match those filters.
Compare at a glance
| # | Tool | Free plan | Paid from | Custom domain | Content gating | Subscription billing | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Patreon | Yes | Yes | Post | Both | 9.4 | |
| 2 | Ghost | No | $18/mo | Yes | Post | Both | 9.2 |
| 3 | Appy Pie Membership Website Builder | Yes | $18/mo | Yes | Full_site | Both | 9.0 |
| 4 | Substack | Yes | 8.9 | ||||
| 5 | Systeme.io | Yes | $17/mo | Yes | 8.8 | ||
| 6 | Zephr | Page | Recurring | 8.7 | |||
| 7 | Paid Memberships Pro | Yes | $499/yr | Yes | Post | Both | 8.6 |
| 8 | Raklet | Yes | $49/mo | Yes | Page | Both | 8.5 |
| 9 | Memberful | No | $49/mo | Yes | Full_site | Both | 8.4 |
| 10 | Kajabi | No | $143/mo | Yes | 8.3 | ||
| 11 | Simplero | No | Yes | Course | Both | 8.2 | |
| 12 | Uscreen | No | $49/mo | 8.1 | |||
| 13 | Brilliant Directories | No | $40/mo | Yes | Page | Both | 8.0 |
| 14 | WildApricot | No | $56.10/mo | Yes | Page | Both | 7.9 |
| 15 | GrowthZone | Yes | Full_site | Recurring | 7.8 | ||
| 16 | ClubExpress | No | Yes | Page | Both | 7.7 | |
| 17 | YourMembership | Page | Recurring | 7.6 | |||
| 18 | Join It | No | $313.20/yr | Yes | Both | 7.5 | |
| 19 | memberplanet | Yes | Yes | Page | Both | 7.4 | |
| 20 | Kartra | No | $52/mo | Yes | Post | Both | 7.3 |
| 21 | Avantiy | No | £20.79/mo | Yes | Page | Recurring | 7.3 |
| 22 | Podia | No | $42/mo | Yes | 7.2 | ||
| 23 | Steady | Yes | No | Full_site | Recurring | 7.1 | |
| 24 | Zanfia | No | $31/mo | Yes | Course | Both | 7.0 |
| 25 | Kourses | No | $9/mo | Yes | Course | Both | 6.9 |
| 26 | Memberstack | No | $25/mo | Yes | Full_site | Both | 6.8 |
| 27 | MemberMouse | No | $299/yr | Yes | Page | Both | 6.7 |
| 28 | WishList Member | No | $299/yr | Page | Both | 6.6 | |
| 29 | aMember Pro | No | $149 one-time | Page | Both | 6.5 | |
| 30 | Paid Member Subscriptions | Yes | €99/yr | Page | Both | 6.4 | |
| 31 | AccessAlly | No | Page | Both | 6.3 | ||
| 32 | Memberium | No | $370/yr | Page | Both | 6.2 | |
| 33 | ClubRunner | No | Yes | Page | Recurring | 6.1 | |
| 34 | User Registration & Membership | Yes | $99/yr | Full_site | Both | 6.0 | |
| 35 | MemberPress Courses | No | $399/yr | 5.9 | |||
| 36 | Glue Up | No | Yes | Page | Both | 5.8 | |
| 37 | Poool | Recurring | 5.7 | ||||
| 38 | Muvi One | No | $339/mo | 5.6 | |||
| 39 | Gately | Yes | $39/mo | Yes | Page | Both | 5.5 |
| 40 | Vimeo | Yes | $12/seat/mo | 5.5 | |||
| 41 | SilkStart | No | $241/mo | Yes | Page | Both | 5.3 |
| 42 | ARMember | Yes | $99/yr | Page | Both | 5.2 | |
| 43 | Concord | No | Full_site | Both | 5.1 | ||
| 44 | s2Member | Yes | $89/site one-time | Full_site | Both | 5.0 | |
| 45 | Simple Membership Plugin | Yes | Free | Page | Both | 4.9 | |
| 46 | SureMembers | No | $99/yr | Full_site | Both | 4.8 | |
| 47 | Leaky Paywall | No | $299/mo | Post | Both | 4.7 | |
| 48 | Members.dev | No | Both | 4.6 | |||
| 49 | MemberClicks | No | $3,500/yr | Yes | Page | Both | 4.6 |
| 50 | Kulcho | Yes | $15/mo | Yes | Full_site | Recurring | 4.5 |
Head-to-head All 27 comparisons →
- Patreon vs Ghost
- Patreon vs Appy Pie Membership Website Builder
- Patreon vs Substack
- Patreon vs Systeme.io
- Patreon vs Zephr
- Patreon vs Paid Memberships Pro
- Patreon vs Raklet
- Ghost vs Appy Pie Membership Website Builder
- Ghost vs Substack
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How we rank membership site platforms
Every tool on this page was researched by iTechGuides Editors from its official website — pricing pages, plan tables and product documentation. We rank on how well each one does this category's core job, what the free or entry plan includes, and where it falls short. Where we have enough verified facts, the score out of 10 is a rubric — job fit, value and how much we could verify — shown with its breakdown on every tool's page; a tool we have not verified enough to score yet shows its rank without a number. Scores are re-checked when a product changes its plans. Read the full editorial policy, or submit a tool we missed.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Last updated · How we research and update