Membership site examples: the shapes that renew
The membership sites that last share a shape rather than a topic: something renews every month that a member would miss. The examples below are organised by that shape, because the shape decides both the platform class you need and the cost model that fits. Each example names the platform type from the verified index rather than a specific vendor, and the table shows what those platform types publish for entry plan and cut; no example here claims what its operator earns.
- median published entry plan, per month
- $40.5
- vendors with a verified published price
- 18
- platform types with measured demand
- 4
Figures on this page come from the PaywallCompass Creator Platform Price Index: 18 vendors with a verified published price, median entry plan $40.5 per month, checked against each vendor's own pricing page.
- 18 vendor pricing pages verifiedevery figure matched verbatim to the vendor's page
- Quoted and dated, never estimatedlast verification pass 2026-09-03
- 4 platform types coveredeach with measured search demand behind it
Published prices, verified
| Vendor | Entry plan | Next tier | Platform cut | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gumroad | $0/mo | 10 % cut | gumroad.com | September 2026 | |
| Substack | $0/mo | 10 % cut | substack.com | September 2026 | |
| Skool | $9/mo | $99/mo | 10 % cut | skool.com | September 2026 |
| MailerLite | $12/mo | $25/mo | mailerlite.com | September 2026 | |
| systeme.io | $17/mo | $47/mo | 0 % cut | systeme.io | September 2026 |
| Ghost | $18/mo billed yearly | $29/mo billed yearly | 0 % cut | ghost.org | September 2026 |
| LearnWorlds | $29/mo | 5 USD per enrollment | learnworlds.com | September 2026 | |
| Memberstack | $29/mo | $49/mo | 4 % cut | memberstack.com | September 2026 |
| Teachable | $39/mo | $89/mo | 7.5 % cut | teachable.com | September 2026 |
| Podia | $42/mo billed annually | $84/mo billed annually | 5 % cut | podia.com | September 2026 |
| Outseta | $47/mo | $87/mo | 2 % cut | outseta.com | September 2026 |
| beehiiv | $49/mo | $96/mo billed annually | 0 % cut | beehiiv.com | September 2026 |
| Memberful | $49/mo | 4.9 % cut | memberful.com | September 2026 | |
| Uscreen | $49/mo | $199/mo | 10 % cut | uscreen.tv | September 2026 |
| Mighty Networks | $79/mo | $179/mo | 2 % cut | mightynetworks.com | September 2026 |
| SamCart | $79/mo | $199/mo | 0 % cut | samcart.com | September 2026 |
| Circle | $89/mo | $199/mo | 2 % cut | circle.so | September 2026 |
| Kajabi | $179/mo | $249/mo | 0 % cut | kajabi.com | September 2026 |
| Kit | Pricing page could not be read (checked September 2026) | ||||
| Patreon | Pricing page could not be read (checked September 2026) | ||||
| Thinkific | Pricing page could not be read (checked September 2026) |
Reading these examples for your own membership
- Find the shape closest to yours. A content library, a paid newsletter with a members' community, a cohort program that runs in rounds, a tool or template membership, or a professional community with a directory and events. Most successful memberships are one of these five with a topic attached.
- Note what renews in it. Libraries renew on new content; communities renew on the other members; cohorts renew on the next round; tools renew on use. If your plan has nothing on that list, add one before choosing a platform.
- Match the platform class. Libraries and tools fit course and membership platforms; newsletter-led memberships fit newsletter platforms with paid tiers; community-led memberships fit community platforms. The verified table shows the published entry plan and cut for each vendor, and each platform-type page lists the vendors evidenced for that class.
- Price the shape, not the topic. Libraries and tools sit at the lower end of monthly pricing and rely on volume; cohorts and professional communities sit higher and rely on retention. Use the shape's typical band and the platform's cut at your expected member count to set the number.
Five membership shapes, with the platform class each needs
The content library: a growing set of lessons, templates or recordings behind a login, priced monthly or annually, renewing on new additions. It runs on a course platform with membership pricing or a membership layer on an existing site, and it is the shape most exposed to churn when additions slow down. The newsletter-plus-community: a paid weekly issue with a members' thread or chat, renewing on both the writing and the room; it runs on a newsletter platform with a paid tier or on an all-in-one platform.
The cohort program: a course that runs in dated rounds with live sessions, sold per round or as a rolling membership that includes every future round; it runs on a course platform with community and needs the operator's time each round. The tool membership: a calculator, a database or a template set that members use weekly, renewing on use; it runs on a membership layer over a website and prices low. The professional community: a directory, events and a space for people in one trade, renewing on the other members; it runs on a community platform and is the shape that retains best when it works.
What the examples have in common on cost
Every one pays a platform entry plan or a cut, and card processing on top. Low-priced, high-volume shapes (libraries, tools) are hurt most by a percentage cut and suit flat plans once they pass a few hundred members; high-priced, low-volume shapes (cohorts, professional communities) are hurt least by a cut and can start on a free plan that takes one.
The verified table is the same for every shape; what changes is the member count and price you run through it.
Common questions
- What is the most successful type of membership site?
- By retention, communities of people in one trade, because the other members are the product and it improves as it grows. By ease of launch, a paid newsletter with a members' thread, because it starts from a free list. Neither claim is about revenue.
- Which platform do membership sites usually use?
- It follows the shape: newsletter platforms for newsletter-led memberships, course platforms for libraries and cohorts, community platforms for community-led ones, and membership layers for an existing website. Each platform-type page in the index lists the evidenced vendors.
- Can a membership site combine several shapes?
- Yes, and the strongest often do (a cohort with a community and a library). Choose the platform for the primary shape and confirm on the vendor's page that the secondary ones are included on the plan you are pricing.
Not sure which platform you need?
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Cite or embed this figure
The median published entry plan per month in the creator platform market was $40.5 in September 2026, across 18 verified vendor pricing pages recorded in PaywallCompass Creator Platform Price Index.
Cite as: "PaywallCompass Creator Platform Price Index", updated 2026-09-03, https://paywallcompass.com/membership-site-examples/.