Top 5 Membership Website Builders In 2024

In this article, we’ll show you the price, ease of use, feature, app integration, and pros & cons of each Membership Website Builder so you can make an informed decision. 

Key Takeaways

• Shopify: Excellent for integrating a membership section into an online store.
• Wix: Ideal website builder for enhanced member security and control.
• Squarespace: Top choice for crafting premium member content.
• GoDaddy: The best option for swiftly creating a membership website.
• WordPress.com: Great for incorporating membership plugins.

What Is a Membership Website?

A membership website is a private section providing exclusive content access for registered users only. This means that users must create an account and log in to access the restricted content or services offered on the site.

Now, let’s distinguish between a subscription website and a membership website:

A subscription website requires users to enter into a financial contract with the site to access its content and services. An example is Netflix, where users must pay a monthly fee to enjoy their vast library of TV series and films.

On the other hand, membership websites do not necessarily require payment for access. Users can sign up using their email address and access various rewards, newsletters, and other included benefits without making any payments.

To help you make an informed decision, our list includes the most relevant and up-to-date information, resulting from a combination of hands-on experience and in-house research conducted by our dedicated team. If you want to know more about our methodology, you can find it in our dedicated section at the end of the article.

Top 5 Membership Website Builders

Shopify

Pricing

Shopify provides various pricing plans tailored to your business needs and budget, with monthly fees ranging from $39 to $2000, depending on the subscription level. You can start with a 3-day free trial to explore their features before selecting a plan. New merchants can take advantage of a special offer at $1/month for the first 3 months. 

Additionally, you can save 25% on fees by opting for an annual subscription.

Ease of use

Shopify is an excellent option for those interested in creating a membership website. One standout feature is its user-friendly interface with drag-and-drop web editing for easy customization without any coding knowledge required. This allows you to craft a professional and personalized website that aligns with your brand identity effortlessly.

Moreover, Shopify offers a wide selection of ready-made themes designed by professionals, fully customizable to establish your online store swiftly. With its ease of use, Shopify is an ideal choice for store owners seeking a quick and straightforward setup for their membership website.

Outstanding features

Shopify offers a comprehensive set of features that make it an ideal platform for stores with membership programs. The inventory management system ensures smooth tracking and control of products, making it easy to manage exclusive content or products offered only to registered members. This feature streamlines managing and updating your membership offerings, providing a seamless experience for store owners and members.

Regarding marketing tools, Shopify provides 10,000 free emails per month, enabling store owners to engage with their membership base effectively through newsletters, announcements, promotions, and personalized updates. You can inform customers about new benefits, exclusive offers, and upcoming events.

Shopify’s customer profile feature lets you gather valuable data about your members, including their purchase history, interests, and demographics. By having this information at hand, you can tailor your content and services to meet their specific needs, increasing member satisfaction and retention.

Additionally, Shopify provides password protection functionality for designated membership-only areas, ensuring that only registered members can access the website’s exclusive benefits and resources. 

These features empower membership website builders to deliver a seamless and engaging experience to their target audience, fostering loyalty and satisfaction among their members.

App integration

Shopify has an extensive App Store with over 8000+ apps that can help merchants enhance their online stores. There are several membership apps available on the Shopify App Store that can help merchants set up and manage membership programs.

Some popular membership apps on the Shopify App Store include:

• Conjured Memberships: which allows you to offer a digital membership program to your customers easily. It offers a 30-day free trial, and pricing starts at $9.99/month +2.9% of all membership transactions (minimum $0.10 per transaction) for their Summer Special plan.
• AAA Membership Loyalty Program: This app helps you create recurring paying members & subscribers with loyalty rewards. It offers a free plan, and pricing starts at $9/month for its Growth plan.
• Bold Memberships: pricing starts at  $9.99/month with a 14-day free trial. Bold Memberships allows you to sell recurring memberships to your brand, giving members access to pages, products, member pricing, and more.

These apps offer features such as member pricing, restricted content, and loyalty rewards. By integrating these apps into their Shopify stores, merchants can create a more engaging and personalized shopping experience for their customers.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• User-Friendly Interface
• Easy to set up
• Ideal choice for e-commerce websites
• Offers excellent scalability for growing your site
• Abundance of Themes and Customization
• Secure and Reliable
• Payment Gateway Integration
• App Ecosystem with over 8,000+ app integrations
• 24/7 customer service

Cons: 

• Higher-tier plans are pricey
• Some apps may require payments
• Transaction Fees while using third-party payment gateways

How to add your online store password for membership content on Shopify

While Shopify lacks a built-in membership area feature, you can still password-protect pages on your online store, follow these steps in your Shopify admin:

• Go to Online Store > Preferences.
• Find the Password protection area and select Restrict access to visitors with the password.
• Enter a password that you’ll give to the customers you want to access your store. Make sure it’s different from your admin login password.
• Optionally, you can add a message to display on the password page. If you don’t want to show a message, you can leave this field blank.
• Save your settings by clicking on the Save button.

Wix

Pricing

Wix has four paid plans, starting from $16 per month, plus a free plan that you can use for as long as you like.  In addition to these four plans, Wix offers a custom plan for large enterprises. 

Ease of use

Wix offers a user-friendly platform, perfect for anyone looking to create a membership website. With its built-in membership area, you can easily set up and manage access for your registered users, providing exclusive content and services.

The drag-and-drop interface of Wix allows for effortless website building. You can simply select elements like text, images, and forms and position them on your site with ease, without the need for coding skills.

Customizing your membership website to match your branding identity is a breeze with Wix. You can upload your logo, choose your color scheme, and adjust fonts to maintain a consistent look and feel that reflects your brand.

Wix offers a rich collection of ready-made templates specifically designed for various industries and purposes, including membership websites. These templates serve as a great starting point, saving you time and effort in designing your site from scratch.

Wix’s user-friendly interface and powerful features make it easy for you to create a professional-looking site without any technical skills.

Outstanding features

Wix offers a range of features that can help you create a membership website.

With Wix’s Members Area tool, you can enhance your membership website by offering your members login bars and user profile accounts. Each member gets their own dedicated page where they can access account information, redeem rewards, and enjoy exclusive content you’ve granted them access to.

For a thriving membership website, including a community forum is valuable. It allows your online members to connect, share knowledge, ask questions, and make recommendations, fostering customer engagement with your brand.

In addition to the Members Area tool, Wix offers the Wix Forum app, which enables you to create an online community where members can engage in discussions, share ideas, and interact with each other. This fosters a sense of belonging and encourages active participation within your membership website.

App integration

Wix offers seamless app integration, making enhancing your website with various features and functionalities easy. Some easy-to-install apps available on Wix include Wix Forum, Wix Bookings, and a Contact Form.

• Wix Forum: With the Wix Forum app, you can quickly set up a community forum on your website. This allows your visitors and members to engage in discussions, share knowledge, and interact with one another, fostering a sense of community and boosting customer engagement.
• Wix Bookings: The Wix Bookings app enables you to offer online booking and appointment scheduling services directly on your website. Whether you’re running a membership-based service or offering exclusive events, this app streamlines the booking process for your members.
• Contact Form: The Contact Form app provides a simple and effective way for your website visitors to contact you. It allows you to create customizable contact forms, making it convenient for members to reach out and inquire about your services or membership program.

With these easy-to-install apps, Wix empowers you to effortlessly add valuable functionalities to your membership website. Whether creating a vibrant community, managing appointments, or staying connected with your audience, Wix’s app integration makes it a breeze.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• User-friendly interface and drag-and-drop functionality
• Built-in Members Area tool for login bars and user profile account
• Seamless app integration with features like Wix Forum, Wix Bookings, and Contact Form
• Customizable ready-made templates for a personalized membership website
• Mobile-friendly design for easy access and management on-the-go

Cons:

• Limited customization freedom compared to some other website builders
• Advanced features may require additional app installations and costs
• Higher-tier plans can be pricey for some membership website owners
• Transaction fees may apply for certain payment gateways, affecting profit margins
• Limited number of free themes, potentially requiring a premium purchase for more design options

Squarespace

Pricing

Squarespace provides four pricing plans, with monthly costs ranging from $16 to $651. One advantage is that there are no hidden fees, and pricing remains consistent upon renewal. You can try out their features with a 14-day free trial before choosing a plan. Additionally, Squarespace offers a members-only feature that can be added to your site for $9 per month.

Ease of use

Squarespace offers a user-friendly platform that is ideal for store owners seeking to create membership websites.

You can build and customize your membership website effortlessly with Squarespace’s simple drag-and-drop interface. Just choose the elements you want, like text, images, and forms, and place them wherever you like on your site – no coding knowledge is needed.

With Squarespace, you can customize your membership website to match your branding identity. You can change colors, fonts, and layouts to maintain a consistent look and feel that reflects your brand.

Squarespace also offers a wide selection of professionally designed templates that cater to various industries, including membership websites. These ready-made templates serve as an excellent starting point and can be easily customized to fit your specific needs.

For store owners seeking a hassle-free and visually appealing way to create membership websites, Squarespace makes it a compelling choice.

Outstanding features

Squarespace comes with a built-in membership area feature, making it easy for store owners to create and manage their membership websites. You can control access to exclusive content, services, or products, making it ideal for creating a private and engaging experience for your registered users. 

Whether you want to offer premium articles, online courses, or members-only discounts, the built-in membership area empowers you to deliver personalized content and benefits to your valued members.

In addition, Squarespace allows you seamlessly integrate your membership website with social media platforms. By integrating your site and social media presence, you can streamline your social strategy, grow your following, and ensure that you get more mileage out of your hard work

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Built-in Membership Area
• User-Friendly Interface
• Attractive Design Templates
• Responsive Design
• Social Media Integration

Cons:

• Limited Customization
• Learning Curve for New Users
• Transaction Fees on Lower Plans
• Confusing Pricing Structure

How to set up a members-only area with Squarespace

To set up a members-only area with Squarespace, you’ll need to create a Squarespace account and sign up for one of its premium plans. Once you’ve done that, follow these steps:

1. First, create a Squarespace account and choose one of its premium plans.
2. When you’re editing your website, find the ‘Settings’ option on the left-hand side.
3. Click on the ‘Members Area’ tab in the settings.
4. Next, press the ‘Create Member Area’ button, which will take you to the members’ panel.
5. Click the + button to create a new member area and give it a name, like ‘Members Only’.
6. Choose the type of membership you want to offer: One Time, Recurring, or Free. If it’s a paid membership, specify the amount you want members to pay.
7. Congratulations! Your brand-new members-only area is now set up and ready to go!

Once you’ve set up your members-only area, you can start adding content and customizing it to meet the needs of your members.

GoDaddy

Pricing

GoDaddy offers a range of pricing plans for its Website Builder, with monthly costs ranging from $9.99 to $29.99 when billed annually. GoDaddy offers a free trial, so you can try their features before committing to a plan. Additionally, GoDaddy offers discounts on annual subscriptions, allowing you to save up to 33% compared to paying monthly.

Ease of use

GoDaddy offers a user-friendly interface, making it easy for beginners and non-tech-savvy users to build and manage their websites without any hassle. The platform provides intuitive tools and features that simplify the website creation process.

In addition, GoDaddy provides a single dashboard to manage all aspects of your website. This centralized dashboard allows you to efficiently handle domain management, website design, content updates, and other tasks, streamlining the entire website management process.

GoDaddy also comes with a store of Ready-Made Templates. You can easily customize these templates to match your brand and create a professional-looking website quickly.

Outstanding features

GoDaddy’s membership builder involves a manual process compared to other website builders. To add members to your site, you can either enter their details individually or upload a file with existing members who have been permitted be contacted in the past. 

Once you have all your members on your site, you can create exclusive content and email them. Managing all your members’ areas is easy from an all-in-one dashboard, where you can also remove a user’s membership status if they choose to cancel.

A unique feature of GoDaddy is that you can import contacts from a small contact list, which means you don’t have to start from scratch when building a new site. This feature can save you time and effort, especially if you already have a small group of contacts that you want to include in your membership program.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• User-Friendly Interface
• Quickest way to create a website
• All-in-One Dashboard
• Member Only Website Option
• Contact Import
• Email Marketing Integration

Cons:

• Manual Member Addition
• Free plan limits membership to 25 members
• Limited Automation
• Less Advanced Membership Features
• Learning Curve
• Customization Options

How to add members to your GoDaddy site

1. Go to your GoDaddy products page.
2. Scroll down to find your list of GoDaddy sites.
3. Click on the ‘Manage’ button next to the site where you want to add members.
4. Once you’re in the editor, click on ‘Dashboard’ and then select ‘Connections’ > ‘Members.’
5. Choose ‘Add Contacts.’
6. You can now add individual members to your site by entering their personal information, like names, email addresses, and phone numbers. Alternatively, you can add members by uploading a file with their details.

WordPress.com

Pricing

WordPress.com offers several pricing plans, with monthly costs ranging from $0 to $45 (if billed annually). WordPress.com offers a free plan, so you can try out their features before committing to a paid plan.  Annual discounted subscriptions allow you to save up to 33% compared to paying monthly.

Ease of use

WordPress is known for its versatility and powerful features, but it might require a bit more effort to get started compared to some other website builders that offer drag-and-drop interfaces. While WordPress does have an intuitive interface, it may take a little time to familiarize yourself with its settings and options.

One aspect that sets WordPress apart is its extensive library of plugins. While the basic features are readily available, more advanced functionalities might require you to install specific plugins. While this allows you to tailor your website precisely to your needs, it does add an extra step compared to other website builders that have all features integrated from the start.

Once you get used to WordPress and explore its vast plugin ecosystem, you can unlock its full potential and enjoy the flexibility to create a website that suits your specific requirements. While it might be a bit harder to get started, many users find that the learning curve is worth it for the vast customization options and long-term scalability offered by WordPress.

Outstanding features

WordPress allows you to create a membership website using third-party plugins. These plugins are free to install and enable you to offer exclusive members-only content that can be either charged for or provided at no extra cost.

One popular plugin for building membership sites with WordPress is “Members” by MemberPress. With this plugin, you have complete control over each member’s permissions. For instance, a member with a year-long subscription can access more restricted content compared to someone with a monthly subscription.

Keep in mind that if you need more advanced features beyond what the free version offers, there is a premium version of the MemberPress plugin available at approximately $150 per year. It’s essential to consider how much detail you want in your membership site and whether you require special permissions for content access.

Using these plugins, WordPress provides a flexible and customizable platform to build and manage your membership website, catering to different membership levels and offering exclusive content to your members based on their subscription plans.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Extensive Plugin Support
• Availability of a free plan
• Flexibility in Content Access Control
• Customizable Membership Levels
• Wide Range of Payment Options
• Scalability for Growing Membership Communities

Cons:

• Learning Curve for Beginners
• MemberPress plugin may come with a price tag of $150
• Might not be the most user-friendly option for some users.
• Reliance on Third-Party Plugins
• Plugin Compatibility and Updates
• Potential Security Concerns

5 Best Membership Website Builders: Detailed Comparison Chart

Factors to Consider When Choosing A Membership Website Builder 

When selecting a membership website builder; several factors should be taken into account to ensure it aligns with your specific needs and requirements. Some crucial factors to consider include

Business Needs and Goals

Assess your business needs and goals for the membership website. Consider the type of content you want to offer, the level of customization required, and the specific features necessary to achieve your membership site’s objectives.

Scalability and Flexibility

Look for a builder that can scale alongside your membership community as it grows. The platform should offer flexibility in terms of membership levels, content access control, and other functionalities to adapt to changing business needs.

Budget and Pricing Plans

Evaluate the pricing plans and costs associated with the membership website builder. Consider your budget and choose a plan that aligns with your financial resources while offering the necessary features for your site.

Support and Customer Service

Check the availability and quality of customer support the website builder provides. Ensure reliable support is available if you encounter technical issues or need assistance in managing your membership site effectively.

By carefully evaluating these factors, we found that Shopify stands out as the top choice for creating a membership website, offering a combination of user-friendly design, comprehensive membership features, extensive app integration options, and the capacity to grow alongside your membership community.

5 Additional Tips and Best Practices for Successful Membership Websites

Create Valuable and Exclusive Content

Offer high-quality and exclusive content to your members. Provide valuable resources, such as premium articles, videos, courses, or downloadable materials, to incentivize users to join and remain active members.

Foster Community Engagement

Encourage interaction and engagement among your members by creating a sense of community. Offer discussion forums, live webinars, or member-only events to facilitate connections and networking within your membership community.

Offer Tiered Membership Levels

Implement tiered membership options with varying levels of access and benefits. This allows members to choose a level that best suits their needs and budget, and it also provides an opportunity for upselling and increased revenue.

Leverage Email Marketing

Utilize email marketing to communicate with your members regularly. Send personalized and targeted emails to keep them informed about new content, exclusive offers, or upcoming events, fostering a strong relationship with your audience.

Monitor and Analyze Member Engagement

Use analytics tools to track member engagement and behavior on your website. Analyze data such as login frequency, content consumption, and subscription retention to identify trends and areas for improvement in your membership site.

By implementing these best practices, you can create a thriving membership website that offers value to your members, fosters a sense of community, and maximizes member engagement and satisfaction.

Bottom Line

Each website builder provides a wide range of features to help you create an excellent membership site. However, if you aim to maximize the potential of your membership area and engage with users in various ways, we recommend using Shopify.