Memberful Review
Membership and subscription tools you bolt onto your own site instead of a hosted platform
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Looking for a Memberful alternative? See our ranked comparison.→What is Memberful?
Memberful is a membership and subscription tool you plug into a site you already run, whether that's WordPress, a static site, or your own app. It handles checkout, gated content, member accounts, and recurring billing, but it isn't a hosted community platform like Patreon. You keep your own website, your own Stripe account, and your own member data.
Patreon bought Memberful in 2018 and still runs it as a separate product aimed at creators and publishers who want to own their site instead of living inside someone else's platform. It plugs into WordPress, Discord, Mailchimp, and a handful of other tools rather than trying to be an all-in-one hub.
Memberful screenshots
Who it's for
- ✓ Creators and publishers who already have a website and want paywalls and subscriptions bolted on without moving their audience to a new platform
- ✓ Podcasters and newsletter writers who want to keep full ownership of their payment processor and member data
Who should look elsewhere
- ✗ Creators who want a single hosted page to start selling memberships today with no site of their own
- ✗ Anyone just starting out who can't yet absorb a flat $49/month fee before any revenue comes in
Pros
- + You own your Stripe account and your member data instead of routing everything through Memberful's balance
- + One simple published plan instead of a maze of tiers
- + Deep, specific features: courses, podcasts, gift memberships, referral programs, and custom domains are all included at the one price
Cons
- – $49/month plus 4.9% per transaction stacks on top of Stripe's own 2.9% + $0.30, so real fees often land near 7-8% of revenue
- – No free plan, so new creators with no revenue yet still pay the flat fee every month
- – Stripe is the only supported payment processor, which locks out creators whose audience is in countries Stripe doesn't serve
- – No phone line, and human support is limited to weekday business hours (9am-6pm ET); outside those hours you get an AI assistant instead of a person
Memberful pricing
What you pay for
Memberful has one public plan: $49 a month plus a 4.9% cut of every charge, on top of whatever Stripe takes (2.9% + $0.30). There's no free plan anymore, just an unlimited free trial you can build in before you turn on real payments. Above that is an Enterprise tier with custom, quote-only pricing for larger operations. Pricing itself is disclosed and simple; the real cost only becomes clear once you add up the stacked fees.
Starts around $49/month.
| Plan | Price | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | $49/mo | 4.9% transaction fee on every charge · Unlimited members · Full feature set: paywalls, courses, newsletters, community, custom domain, coupons, referral programs |
| Enterprise | Custom | Volume-based pricing · Dedicated support and success manager · Custom migration and implementation help |
Standard plan is $49/month flat plus 4.9% transaction fee, billed monthly, no annual discount published. Stripe's standard processing fee (2.9% + $0.30) applies on top and is separate from Memberful's cut. Enterprise is quote-only.
Pricing verified July 7, 2026 · source
How Memberful's pricing compares
Memberful next to its closest alternatives on entry price, billing, and whether pricing is public.
| Tool | Starting price | Billing | Free option | Pricing disclosed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Memberful | $49/mo | flat + transaction fee | Trial (Free until you go live and start accepting real payments) | Partly public |
| Patreon | Free tier + custom | usage-based | Yes | Not disclosed |
| Ko-fi | Free tier + custom | tiered | Yes | Partly public |
| Buy Me a Coffee | Free tier + custom | usage-based | Yes | Not disclosed |
| Substack | Free tier + custom | revenue-share | Yes | Not disclosed |
Top Memberful alternatives
Memberful FAQ
Does Memberful have a free plan?+
No. The only public plan is Standard at $49/month plus a 4.9% transaction fee. There's an unlimited free trial before you go live, but no ongoing free tier.
What does Memberful actually cost after fees?+
Budget for more than the advertised numbers. On top of the $49/month and 4.9% cut, Stripe adds its own 2.9% + $0.30 per charge, so total fees commonly land around 7-8% of revenue.
Can I use a payment processor other than Stripe?+
No. Memberful only supports Stripe, which means creators whose audience is in a country Stripe doesn't cover can't use it.
Who owns Memberful?+
Patreon acquired Memberful in 2018 and still runs it as a separate, standalone product.