Mateflow gives you several ways to charge members: recurring subscription plans, one-time purchases of a single space, a paid community that people must subscribe to before they can join, and paid courses. You can add coupons to any subscription plan. This page compares the options (paid membership, paywall, gated content, one-time purchase) and points to the setup guide for each.
Who can do this: Community owners and admins. · Where: Web (admin console). · Plan: The Monetization section, where you connect Stripe and create plans, is available when your platform plan includes Paid memberships. See Admin → Billing → Plan & Usage.
Compare the ways to charge members
| Option | How members pay | What they get | Where you set it up |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subscription plan (member upgrade) | Monthly or yearly, with an optional free trial | The access group the plan grants, and the spaces it unlocks | Admin → Monetization → Subscription Plans |
| One-time space purchase | Once | Lifetime Access to one space | The space's Access Policy settings |
| Paid community | Monthly or yearly | The right to join and use the community | Admin → Settings → Registration, plus a community access plan |
| Paid course | Once, or through the plans of selected access groups | Enrollment in the course | The course's Access & pricing settings |
| Coupon | A discount at checkout | A lower price on a subscription plan | Admin → Monetization → Coupons |
You can combine options. For example, a free community can sell a "Pro" subscription plan and also sell one workshop space for a one-time price.
What every paid option needs: Stripe Connect
Every option takes payments through Stripe Connect. Members pay into your own Stripe account, not into Mateflow.
- Connect Stripe in Admin → Monetization → Stripe Connect. You can't create subscription plans until your Stripe account can accept charges.
- For subscription plans, create at least one access group in Admin → Members → Access Groups. Access Groups (previously called member tiers) decide which spaces a subscriber unlocks.
Stripe's processing fee and a platform fee apply to payments. Both are shown on the Stripe Connect page. See Connect Stripe and get paid.
Sell recurring access with subscription plans
A Subscription Plan is what members pay you for, not your own Mateflow platform plan. Each plan has a monthly price, an optional annual price, and an optional free trial. A Member upgrade plan grants exactly one access group: when a member subscribes, they get that access group and every space it unlocks, and when the subscription ends, they lose it. A Community access plan is the one visitors buy to join a paid community, and it doesn't grant an access group.
Subscription plans are always recurring. For a one-time price, sell a space instead. See Create a subscription plan: pricing, trials, and benefits.
Sell one space for a one-time price
A private or secret space can be sold for a one-time price (a buyout). Members pay once and keep Lifetime Access, which they see in their Member Center. Each sale appears in Admin → Monetization → Space Purchases, where you can also refund it. See Sell access to a single space.
Make the whole community paid to join
With the Paid registration mode, visitors must subscribe to a community access plan before their account is created. Members without an active subscription are asked to subscribe again before they can continue. Use this when the membership itself is the product. See Make your community paid to join.
Charge for a course
Turn on Paid course in a course's settings and choose a Payment mode: One-time purchase, or Subscription, where the price comes from the plans of the access groups you select. Paid courses must be private or secret. See Control who can access a course.
Offer discounts on subscription plans with coupons
A coupon gives a percentage or fixed-amount discount on the subscription plans you choose. Members enter the code in Have a coupon code? before checkout. See Create coupon codes.
Things to know about selling in the mobile app
- In-app purchases aren't available in the iPhone and iPad app. Prices and purchase buttons don't appear there, so iOS members buy on the web, and what they buy works in the app too.
- The Android app uses Stripe checkout, like the web.
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