Top 10 Memberstack Alternatives in 2023: Deep Dive

Memberstack is a popular membership software. According to a recent update on their blog, they've crossed 1000 users using the tool.

However, their fees are relatively high (starting from 4%, along with a monthly fee to pay starting at $29/month) and it also lacks some key features such as client messaging or service and product catalogs.

Lastly, it also requires a steep learning curve, you'll need to integrate it within your Webflow website.

In this in-depth review I've listed both 5 criteria to consider when choosing a membership software, and for each tool reviewed I've listed both the pros and cons.

While we also run our own client portal software at ManyRequests (where you can manage clients and subscriptions), I've done my best to keep this review as impartial as possible.

To summarise, the biggest downsides of Memberstack are the following:

- High fees
- Steep learning curve
- Lack of built-in client communication tool

So what are the alternatives?

Here are the 10 best MemberStack alternatives

1. ManyRequests - Best for agencies.
2. Memberspace - Best for entrepreneurs that want to gate website content.
3. Outseta - Best for SaaS.
4. Memberpress - Best for Wordpress.
5. Ghost Membership - Best for bloggers and newsletters creators.
6. Restrict Content Pro - Best for Wordpress businesses that want a simple membership system.
7. Teachable - Best for course creators.
8. Memberful - Best for creators.
9. Stripe Customer Portal - Best free option without monthly fees.
10. Podia - Best for digital downloads and communities.


Please continue reading if you'd like a deeper review on each.

5 criteria to consider when choosing a membership software

If you're evaluating a new software to manage members - be it to run a community, sell services, or info products - here's what I'd consider:

1. Price

The question to answer here is: Does it fit within your budget?

Especially as you grow and add more members or process more transaction.

Here's what to consider:

• Is there a free trial or a free plan?
• Are there transaction fees?
• Does it charge per additional member?

2. Features

The next consideration is: Is the tool feature complete?

Your monthly software bill can quickly add up.

Here are the specific features I'd be looking at to run a membership-based business:

• Customization: Can you customize the branding to fir your brand colors?
• Custom domain: Can you use your own domain name?
• Upsells and cross-sells: Can you easily charge your clients more?
• Integrations: A key thing to consider is whether the tool integrates with Zapier, Slack, or whether it has an API.
• Automations: What automations are available to save you time? Specifically, can send emails to new clients or announcements?

3. Ease of use and implementation

This is also extremely important that the tool is easy to use for working with clients (or in this case, members)

The point is, if your clients find it too complicated or the UI, they simply won't use it.

Specifically, I'd look at the following:

• Learning curve: Do you need to learn how to code to implement the tool?
• Onboarding: Does the team help with onboarding and migration?
• Maintenance: Can you change the setup yourself r you'll have to pay a freelancer or agency to make changes to your own set up?

A golden rule I recommend to follow here when choosing a membership software: Keep things simple. For example if your business only has a few members, Stripe portal (without any monthly fees) may well be sufficient.

However, if you're looking for specific features, read along.

4. Your own use case (and goals)

What kind of business do you run? Which features are must-have and other "nice to have" ?

To do this, list the mission-critical features you'll need and assess whether the software your consider has them.

For example, if you run a service-based business you might need a custom client onboarding, messaging, and a way to delegate tasks. Whereas if you run a course business, you might need a way to upload lessons for your students and track completion rate.


5. Support and updates

Lastly, great support is essential. After all, your business will be highly dependent on the software you use.

Check if the company has a live chat (and if possible, a responsive one!) or offers phone support.

Last but not least, check the product updates. Has the company released or improved features recently? If so, that's a great sign that the product is evolving and will offer more value on the long term.


With that in consideration, let's now dive into the 10 best Memberstack alternatives.

1. ManyRequests

ManyRequests is a client portal software for agencies.

The plans start at $59/month (with a 14-day free trial)

It's highly popular among Webflow agencies (for example Flowout and Flowguys use it) as well as design agencies to run their client operations.

Key features:

- Customizable client portal
- Billing (Subscriptions and one-off payments)
- Build unique client pages with extensions
- Onboarding
- Client requests
- Client management and announcements
- Service catalog
- Add-ons, discounts, and upsells
- Messaging
- Zapier integration

Pros:

- Modern user interface that you can customize for both admins or clients
- No transaction fees (you only pay Stripe fees)
- Unlimited members / clients, you don't pay extra for these
- Free migration service
- Fast support

Cons:

- No API but there's a Zapier integration

Best suited for: Agencies (Webflow and Wordpress agencies, Design Agencies, Content and Marketing agencies)

2. Memberspace

Like the headline suggests, Memberspace offers a simple solution to add a membership to our website.

It's main value proposition is that it integrates easily with a lot of platforms (their website mentions "Any platform") such as Wix, Squarespace, Wordpress, and even newer platforms such like Notion.

The great thing about Memberspace is that it has a free plan (with 5% transaction fees on top of Stripe fees)

This makes it an attractive option for creators who are just starting out and want to keep their costs low. It also has a reasonably priced $49/month plan (but that comes also with 5% transaction fees) and unlimited members and websites.

Key features:

- Integrates with a lot of platforms (Notion, Webflow, Wordpress, Wix, Squarespace)
- Upgrades and downgrades
- Cancellation alternatives
- Upsells
- Gated content

Pros:

- Very easy to use (no-coding required)
- Unlimited members / clients
- Instant payouts

Cons:

- High transaction fees (5% + Stripe fees) but there's a free plan.

Best for: Creators and entrepreneurs who want a simple, yet customizable solution.

3. Outseta

Outseta is a membership software that focuses on Memberships, SaaS, and Communities.

Its pricing starts at $39/month and goes up to $119/month. It also charge 1% fee per transaction (+ Stripe fees)

The main thing to note about Outseta is its clean UI + all-in-one platform focus (it features CRM, email automations, help desk, and knowlege base)

Key features:

- Authentification
- CRM
- Emails
- Knowledge base

Pros:

- Reasonable fees (1%)
- "All-in-one" focus: You won't have to pay extra for help desk, email tools, CRM.
- Frequent updates

Cons:

- High lock in: "All-in-one" can also be a curse for your business: All your data (customers, messages, emails) will be in Outseta, so if the company decides to increase costs it will be harder to move.
- Limited customization for your customer portal


Best for: SaaS and communities

4. Memberpress

Memberpress is a membership plugin for Wordpress.

The biggest advantages of Memberpress is that it integrates directly with your Wordpress site and that you don't need to pay monthly fees. It's also easy to set up. It offers yearly payments starting at $179/month.

There are also no transaction fees.

Key features:

- Customizable coupons
- Customizable access rules (for example when content expires for members)
- Course builder
- Email marketing integrations and automations (automatic reminders when users sign up)
- Subscription management

Pros:

- No transaction fees
- No monthly fees (you only need to pay yearly)
- Unlimited members / clients
- Easy to use
- Great support

Cons:

- Support might be limited since it's a relatively affordable solution
- It's limited to Wordpress only
- Lots of features but can feel cluttered.

Best for: Wordpress-based membership and course sites

5. Ghost Membership

Ghost is another alternative to consider. It refers to itself as "The indie subscription platform for creators"

It's an open source alternative to Wordpress that focuses on people who want to turn their audience into a business.

The key things to note about Ghost is its well polished user interface, reasonable fees (starting at $11/month), and no transaction fees.

Key features:

- Blogs
- Newsletters
- Subscription management
- Analytics

Pros:

- Modern user interface
- No transaction fees (you only pay per extra member)
- Unlimited members / clients
- Open source
- Lots of themes (free and paid) and customizations options

Cons:

- No course features
- No way to sell digital products
- Limited member portal functionalities

Best suited for: Bloggers or newsletters creators.

6. Restrict Content Pro

Restrict Content Pro is another membership plugin for Wordpress. It's a simpler, less cluttered alternative than Memberpress.

The biggest advantage (especially over Memberpress) is that it offers a free plan (with 2% transaction fees on top of Stripe fees), its annual plan is also slightly cheaper starting at $99/year.

Key features:

- Gated content with previews
- Discount codes and coupons
- Free trials
- Subscriptions

Pros:

- No transaction fees
- Easy to set up
- Unlimited members / clients

Cons:

- Lacks customizations

Best for: Wordpress-based membership sites that want a free plan.

7. Teachable

Teachable is a platform that focuses on course creators.

Pricing plans start at $59/month (or $39/month if paid annually) but come with 5% transaction fees. Its Pro plan starts at $119/month and doesn't have transaction fees.

It also has a free plan but with a whopping 10% transaction fee (+$1 per transaction)

Key features:

- AI curriculum
- Subscription management
- Coupons and order bumps
- Email marketing
- Live group coaching

Pros:

- Easy to use (Teachable features a no-code course and page builder)
- No transaction fees (you only)
- Unlimited members / clients

Cons:

- High transaction fees on both the free and basic plans

Best for: Agencies

Who uses it: Webflow agencies (for example, Flowout or Flowguys), Design subscription services.

8. Memberful

Memberful is another membersip software to consider.

Its pricing start at

However, its biggest downside is charges high fees (4.9% fees + Stripe fees)

Key features:

- Subscription management
- Metrics
- Cancellation surveys
- Staff accounts
- Collect VAT and taxes + 134 currencies support

Pros:

- Fast checkout (with lots of customizations and upsells)
- No need to have a website (you can use Memberful hosted tools)
- Modern user interface
- Easy to use and set up (you can customize checkouts with a visual customization editor)

Cons:

- High fees


Best for: Creators

9. Stripe Customer Portal

I also decided to include a free option in this list. Why? Because when you get started you probably don't want to spend too much or simply don't need a tool.

Stripe customer portal is a great alternative. You only need to pay Stripe transaction fees which makes it the cheapest option in this list.

If you're starting out and looking for a way to sell one-off or subscriptions, Stripe is thus a great option.

Key features:

- Subscription management
- Payment link
- Self-serve customer portal

Pros:

- Free, you only pay Stripe transaction fees
- Simple and fast checkout experience

Cons:

- Limited features (you'll have to pay for other tools to gate content, send emails, etc)

10. Podia

In addition to the tools listed above, Podia is a great alternative to Memberstack when it comes to selling digital products.

Its pricing starts at a reasonable $39/month (with no transaction fees) and it also has a free plan (with 8% transaction fees)

One of the best thing about Podia is that you don't need to have a website. It features a website builder, community, and digital products.

Key features:

- Website builder
- Community software
- Online courses
- Sell coaching
- Subscription management

Pros:

- No transaction fees on its Mover and Shaker plans.
- Unlimited members / clients

Cons:

- You have to pay yearly for the migration service.

Best suited for: Communities and infoproducts.