Memberful vs MemberPress
We give Memberful a 2.0 GPA and MemberPress a 1.8, out of 4.0. Memberful grades higher on the free plan. MemberPress grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Memberful
Membership platform for paid newsletters, podcasts and communities
MemberPress
WordPress plugin for paid memberships, courses and communities
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAMemberfulFair | 1.8GPAMemberPressWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | D$49 a month plus Memberful's 4.9% of every charge, $49 more on $1,000, comes to $98 a month, with Stripe's fee on top (not counted). That's in this category's dearest tenth, about level with Patreon's 10%. | CLaunch is $399 a year at renewal plus 4.9% of every payment, about $131 a month at $2,000 of sales. Growth drops the fee: $699 a year at renewal, about $58 a month ($349.50 in the first year). The middle of this category, with hosting on top. |
| Free plan and trial | CNo free plan, but test mode is free for as long as you like: you can build everything, and billing starts only when you connect Stripe and go live. | FNothing free: no free version and no trial in the listing. You buy a yearly license to see it. |
| Features | CMemberships of every shape, paywalls, a website and newsletter builder, Discord and Discourse access, email sync, referrals and global tax collection. It does the membership job fully, but it's a smaller job: no upsells, order bumps or affiliates in the listing. | CPaywall rules, memberships, a course builder, quizzes and certificates on Growth, ClubSuite forums and a member directory, and CoachKit coaching. A broad kit, but it needs a WordPress site to be useful, and Zapier and the API wait for Scale. |
| Ease of use | CNo App Store rating on record. You'll connect Stripe, set up plans and either build a site or wire it into WordPress before members can join. | CNo rating on record. You need WordPress on a host before anything else, then content rules and memberships to set up, so it takes some learning. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, with Stripe, WordPress, Discord, Discourse, Mailchimp, Kit, ActiveCampaign and Google Analytics. No phone or desktop app is listed. | BRuns in the browser inside WordPress, with Stripe, PayPal, Square, Authorize.net, Zapier, Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign and Kit. The REST API and webhooks are on Scale. |
| Best for | paid memberships on your own website | paid memberships on your own WordPress site |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Memberful and MemberPress. How we grade
Where they differ
- Memberful starts at $49 per month. MemberPress starts at $399 per year at renewal, after a first year for $199.50.
- Memberful also covers paid newsletters and digital downloads.
At a glance
| Memberful | MemberPress | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Paid |
| Starts at | $49 per month | $399 per year at renewal, after a first year for $199.50 |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | Free in test mode for as long as you like; billing starts when you connect Stripe and go live | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Memberful LLC | Caseproof, LLC |
| Price read from | memberful.com | memberpress.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Memberful
- Writers and publishers running a paid newsletter on their own site
- Podcasters selling members-only episodes
- WordPress sites that need a paywall for members
MemberPress
- Site owners who want to sell memberships on their own WordPress site
- Paywalled content, courses and coaching under one login
- Builders who want to own their member data and pick their own host
Worth knowing
Memberful
- Memberful takes 4.9% of every successful charge on top of the $49 monthly fee, and Stripe adds its own fee, typically 2.9% + $0.30.
- A Stripe account is required: Stripe processes the payments and transfers the money to your own bank account.
- There is one self-serve plan; volume pricing and migration help are only on the custom Enterprise plan.
MemberPress
- MemberPress needs a WordPress site. Each plan covers one site activation, staging sites included; up to 15 more are sold as separate yearly subscriptions.
- Launch takes 4.9% of every payment and accepts Stripe only; Growth and Scale drop the fee, though Stripe or PayPal charges still apply.
- First-year prices are half the list price, and every plan renews at full price: $399, $699 or $999 a year.
- Forums, coaching and quizzes start on Growth; Zapier, the REST API and webhooks, and affiliates need Scale.
Key features
Memberful
- Flexible memberships
- Weekly, monthly or annual subscriptions, one-time payments, group plans, gifts, free and paid trials, free registration and pay-what-you-want pricing.
- Content behind a paywall
- Gate newsletters, podcasts, courses, downloads and community access, with dynamic paywalls and integrated comments.
- Website and newsletter builder
- Build a site and landing pages on a custom domain with your own theme, or protect members-only content on a WordPress site.
- Community integrations
- Paid members are invited to a Discord server or Discourse forum and lose access automatically when their subscription ends.
- Email list sync
- Keeps members in sync with Mailchimp, Kit, ActiveCampaign, Klaviyo, MailerLite, Campaign Monitor, Drip or Sailthru, segmented by plan.
- Retention and growth tools
- Coupons, a built-in referral program, automated retention discounts, cancellation surveys, global tax collection and growth reports.
MemberPress
- Paywall and content rules
- Smart Rules protect pages, posts, custom post types, categories, tags, files or parts of a page by membership; dripping content on a schedule needs Growth.
- Memberships and checkout
- Unlimited one-time and recurring memberships with upgrades, downgrades and pausing, coupons, a multi-item cart and a self-serve member dashboard.
- Courses and quizzes
- A drag-and-drop curriculum builder for unlimited courses and lessons; quizzes, assignments and certificates come with Growth.
- AI Course Generator
- Describe a course and AI drafts the sections, lessons and quiz questions, using a yearly allowance of AI credits that grows with the plan.
- ClubSuite community
- Forums and private groups called Circles, member profiles and a searchable directory on Growth, with direct messaging added on Scale.
- CoachKit coaching
- Run coaching programs with unlimited coaches, clients and cohorts, milestone and habit tracking, and dashboards for coaches and clients.
Plans
Memberful
Standard$49
per month
Everything Memberful offers, unlimited members. Memberful also takes a 4.9% transaction fee on each successful charge, plus Stripe's processing fee.
EnterpriseCustom
Custom volume-based pricing, premium services and success management, and custom migration and implementation support.
MemberPress
Launch$399
per year at renewal, after a first year for $199.50
$199.50 the first year. One site, unlimited members and courses, Stripe only, 25,000 AI credits. MemberPress takes a 4.9% fee on each payment.
Growth$699
per year at renewal, after a first year for $349.50
$349.50 the first year. No transaction fee, PayPal and Square, forums and member directory, CoachKit, quizzes, certificates, dripping, 50,000 AI credits.
Scale$999
per year at renewal, after a first year for $499.50
$499.50 the first year. REST API and webhooks, Zapier, Easy Affiliate, direct messaging, gradebook, corporate accounts, Authorize.net, 100,000 AI credits.
Ways to pay less
Memberful
No public discounts listed.
MemberPress
- Other savings
Half price for the first year
The pricing page sells the first year of Launch at $199.50, Growth at $349.50 and Scale at $499.50; renewals are at the full $399, $699 and $999.
- Nonprofit
Introductory price for life for nonprofits
Qualifying nonprofits keep the introductory price at every renewal, which MemberPress describes as up to 50% off all plan levels.
