Memberful vs Passes (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Passes grades higher than Memberful: 2.2 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Memberful grades higher on platforms. Passes grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on features and ease of use.
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
Which one is for you
Pick Memberful if
- Fits if you run a paid newsletter or podcast on your own website
- Works for WordPress sites that need a members-only paywall with Discord or Discourse access
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you're small, as $49 a month comes before the 4.9% cut and Stripe's fee
- Not for you if you want upsells, order bumps or affiliates, which aren't in the listing
- Watch out: a Stripe account is required, and billing starts the day you connect it and go live
- Tight if you need volume pricing or migration help, which only the custom-priced Enterprise plan offers
- Not for you if you want a phone or desktop app, as only the web is listed
Pick Passes if
- Fits if you are a creator who wants paid DMs and calls beside memberships
- Works for people who prefer a share of earnings to a monthly fee
Look elsewhere if
- Watch out: the homepage only says up to 90%, and no pricing or fees page was found
- Skip it if you need to know your cut before signing up, because the split depends on the account
- Not for you if you want to join straight away, as creators apply and the FAQ lists follower requirements
- Watch out: whether iPhone and Android apps exist is not clear from the pages we could read
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAMemberfulFair | 2.2GPAPassesFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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%. | CNo price is published beyond the homepage line that creators keep up to 90%, so there is nothing to grade against the category. C is where no price is published. |
| 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. | BNo subscription fee, so a creator pays only through a share of earnings. Creators apply to join, so it isn't open to everyone. |
| 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. | CMemberships, paid DMs and calls, a vault, mass DMs, livestreams, merch and digital goods. The FAQ answers on apps and the Creators+ terms could not be read. |
| 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 store rating on record, and it is a web app where the work is building a page and its tiers, so it sits at C. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, with Stripe, WordPress, Discord, Discourse, Mailchimp, Kit, ActiveCampaign and Google Analytics. No phone or desktop app is listed. | CWeb only on record. The FAQ lists a question on iPhone, iPad and Android apps, but its answer could not be read. |
| Best for | paid memberships on your own website | creator memberships with paid messages and calls |
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 Passes. How we grade
Price against what you get
Memberful starts at $49 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Passes has no paid plan and scores 2.0.
Memberful scores higher, and starts $49 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other tools for selling digital products on the chart, 12 score higher than Memberful for less, and none scores higher than Passes for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Memberful also covers paid newsletters and online courses.
At a glance
| Memberful | Passes | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free |
| Starts at | $49 per month | Free |
| Free plan | None | No subscription fee is listed; the homepage says creators keep up to 90% of what they earn, and the exact split by account type is not shown in the page text read. |
| 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 | Passes Inc. |
| Price read from | memberful.com | passes.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
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.
Passes
- The revenue split depends on the account; the homepage only says creators keep up to 90%, and the FAQ answers were not readable here.
- No pricing or fees page was found, so the share Passes keeps could not be confirmed.
- The FAQ lists a question on iPhone, iPad and Android apps, but the answer was not readable; only the web is recorded.
- Creators apply to join; the FAQ lists questions on eligibility and follower requirements.
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.
Passes
- Memberships
- Recurring tiered access for fans, listed as the most popular revenue stream.
- Paid DMs and 1:1 calls
- Creators can charge for direct messages and book paid calls, with an example 30-minute session shown on the homepage.
- Content vault and scheduling
- A vault to organize, price and lock exclusive content, with a smart scheduler for planning posts ahead.
- Mass DMs
- Targeted messages and promotions that reach many fans at once.
- Livestreams and group chats
- Paid livestreams and group chats for exclusive communities.
- Merch, digital goods and discounts
- Sells merchandise and digital items, with discounts and trials to convert fans.
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.
Passes
Creator account$0
Passes keeps a share of earnings; the homepage says creators keep up to 90%. A Creators+ program is listed in the FAQ, but its terms were not readable.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Memberful or Passes?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Passes is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $49 a month for Memberful. Memberful starts at $49 per month, and Passes is free.
Which has a free plan, Memberful or Passes?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Passes has a free plan. Memberful does not, though it has a free trial.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.