Glossary
Membership site
A membership site is a website where people pay a recurring fee for access to gated content, a community, courses, or services.
A membership site gates some or all of its value behind a recurring payment. Members subscribe — usually monthly or annually — and get access to content, a community, courses, events, or services that non-members can't see.
Membership sites overlap heavily with community platforms: the difference is emphasis. "Membership site" describes the business model (recurring paid access), while "community platform" describes the software. Many membership businesses run on a community platform because recurring engagement, not just content, is what keeps members subscribed.
Key ingredients of a successful membership site are tiered access (free and paid levels), reliable payments, gated spaces or content, and enough ongoing value — discussions, events, fresh material — to keep churn low.
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Related terms
Paid community
A paid community is an online community that charges members for access, typically via a subscription or one-time fee.
Community monetization
Community monetization is the set of models — memberships, tiered access, courses, events, sponsorships, and services — used to turn an engaged community into revenue.
Community platform
A community platform is software for building a branded online space where members connect, discuss, learn, attend events, and pay for access — all in one place.
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