Which Membership Platform is Right for You?

May 4

If you read my last blog post on ‘How to Choose a Membership Platform’ and followed my recommendations, you have some clarity on what you need for your membership platform. If you haven’t read it, do it now and you will save yourself time going down rabbit holes researching different apps.

Let’s dig into a few of the most popular platforms for hosting memberships.

Squarespace Member Areas -

Launched in 2020, Member Areas is pretty basic. The nice thing about it is that it is part of your Squarespace website and pretty easy to set up. You can host courses and memberships on it. However, some key features that are not currently covered are: member forums for people to interact with each other, multiple payment options and drip content for courses (there is a workaround for this, however). Since Member Areas is missing such key features, I don’t recommend it for most people.

Memberspace -

Circle -

Circle is a newish app (launched in 2020) that is still building out and adding integrations. Features include: community forums, video hosting, as well as direct integration with Teachable and Memberspace. It is similar to Facebook and Mighty Networks (which I’ll get into next), but the big difference is that Circle is modular and, unlike Mighty Networks, you cannot host courses on Circle. The modular feature means that you can take chunks of your Circle app and drop them into your website in different places. For example, if you create a discussion on a particular topic you can embed the discussion area right on your website. It costs $39-$199 per month. One of the downsides of Circle is the bare bones User Interface. It look like a forum (because that’s basically what it is), so for a premium membership where look and feel is important, I do not recommend it for most people.

Mighty Networks -

Mighty Networks is a new platform that offers an alternative to Facebook (Zuck sucks!) as well as a course hosting platform. Some people set up their Mighty Network as a free membership like a Facebook group in order to create a container to market their paid services to. Other people set up their membership as a paid subscription. You can grab a link to your Mighty Network and add it to your website so people can access your membership platform from your website. It does cost around $38-$99/month to have a Mighty Network with the features you need for hosting courses and a paid membership. Some people find the platform a bit cumbersome to navigate when starting out, but it does have a lot of features like drip content for courses and they step you through the set-up. One detail that can be a deterrent is that MN can only accept payments up to $999 at the time of writing this post. You can work around that with an external payment processor, which takes a bit of know-how, but is doable. One other perk of MN is that it is a woman-owned business (a rarity in the tech industry)! I like Mighty Networks a lot and can set up your Mighty Network membership and/or course for you. If that is of interest, ook a free consultation [LiNK} so we can discuss your needs.

Kajabi -

What it can do: host courses, email marketing, funnels and website.

Cons: No membership community, can’t sell physical products. Since it is an all-in-one (really a ‘some-in-one’) platform it can be harder to integrate with your existing tech stack. Moving everything over to a new platform can be quite time-consuming, as well.

Pros: It is all in one platform if you want to streamline email marketing, funnel, CRM, course hosting.

Custom Membership Site on Wordpress -

If you have a Wordpress website and are committed to staying with it you can have a developer create the membership site of your dreams. The downside of this option is it costs more to build and maintain. The upside is that you have everything on your own website and have full control over the design as well as features. I recommend this option for people who already have a Wordpress website and have an established business with a substantial audience and clear vision for growth via a membership. I am super excited to announce that I’ve partnered with a Wordpress developer to offer custom Wordpress membership sites! I do the design and she does the development.

If you want help digging in and sorting through all this, book a VIP Day with me. We’ll do a deep dive into your needs then I’ll do research and testing to provide you with a customized action plan for your membership and course. I also offer set-up services for all the platforms mentioned above.

Book a Free Consultation

membership sites

Sarah Berkeley

I am a front-end web designer, photographer, and conceptual artist. I hold an MFA in Art & Design from the University of Michigan and a BFA in Studio Art from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. I started my career as a UI/UX designer in New York City. Later, I moved to Berlin, Germany to pursue my art career and live a more bohemian lifestyle. After three years in Berlin, I returned to the United States for graduate school. Following my MFA, I began teaching web and graphic design, photography, and video the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Nebraska Wesleyan University and Metro Community College.

In 2018 I left my tenure track position at Nebraska Wesleyan University, to pursue The Unknown! That year I did my first triathlon, founded an artist residency program at a state park in Iowa, performed in Seattle and hiked the 273 mile Vermont Long Trail. In the subsequent years I hiked the Pacific Crest Trail, Colorado Trail and half of the Continental Divide Trail. Following clues that appeared during the downtime led me to founding Expansive Media. I am super excited to be able to combine my tech and art skills through Expansive Media. I am also able to incorporate my passion for well-being and community by working with clients who make the world a better place.

https://www.expansivemedia.co