Patreon leads for individual creators and artists seeking recurring revenue with global reach. Memberful suits WordPress-native publishers wanting owned-audience monetisation. For enterprise communities, Circle excels with its all-in-one social platform approach, ideal for larger organisations building engaged member ecosystems.
RANKENTRYSCORETRENDFROM
1PatreonOver 7 million active members supporting creators across 200+ countries95.0NEW5% + payment fees (creator keeps 95%) 2CircleSupports over 30,000 communities with integrated video, courses and discussion spaces92.7NEW$39 per month 3MemberfulIntegrated with WordPress.com and supports unlimited membership tiers90.3NEW7% + payment processing (free version available) 4SubstackOver 3 million publications with monthly audience exceeding 100 million88.0NEW10% of subscription revenue (free publishing available) 5Mighty NetworksHosts over 125,000 communities with mobile app inclusion85.7NEW$99 per month 6Ko-fiOver 5 million creators use Ko-fi with 100+ million interactions monthly83.3NEW5% + payment fees on revenue 7SkoolRapidly growing platform focused on Gen-Z friendly community building81.0NEWFree plan available; paid from $99 annually 8GumroadOver 7 million fans support creators selling digital products on Gumroad78.7NEW5% + payment processing fees 9BeehiivPowers over 100,000 newsletters with advanced growth and monetisation features76.3NEWFree plan; paid from $45 per month 10LemonsqueezyHandles payment processing for digital goods with Merchant of Record functionality74.0NEW8% + $0.50 per transaction (free tier available) The ranking, in detail
01
Creator economy platform for fans to support creators
Patreon is the largest membership platform globally, enabling creators including artists, musicians, podcasters and writers to build sustainable income through recurring supporter subscriptions with tiered rewards.
From 5% + payment fees (creator keeps 95%)Best for Individual creators, artists, musicians, podcasters
95.0
02
All-in-one community and membership platform
Circle combines membership, community forums, live events, and courses into one integrated platform, designed for organisations and creators wanting to build engaged member communities with rich interaction features.
From $39 per monthBest for Communities, online courses, organisations, membership groups
92.7
03
Membership plugin for WordPress-powered sites
Memberful is a WordPress-native membership plugin owned by Automattic, enabling publishers and bloggers to monetise their audiences through subscriptions whilst maintaining complete ownership of member data and content.
From 7% + payment processing (free version available)Best for WordPress publishers, newsletters, owned-audience monetisation
90.3
04
Newsletter platform with built-in paid subscriptions
Substack empowers individual writers and newsletters to build audiences and generate revenue through paid subscription tiers, combining email publishing with a discovery platform and straightforward monetisation.
From 10% of subscription revenue (free publishing available)Best for Newsletter writers, independent journalists, thought leaders
88.0
05
Community platform with integrated membership and courses
Mighty Networks provides a branded community platform with member directories, discussion spaces, courses and events, designed for professional associations, niche communities and organisations building engaged member bases.
From $99 per monthBest for Professional communities, associations, niche groups, online courses
85.7
06
Creator platform for tips, shops and memberships
Ko-fi enables creators to accept one-time tips, run digital shops and offer memberships from a single personalised page, providing an alternative to Patreon with low fees and straightforward monetisation options.
From 5% + payment fees on revenueBest for Digital artists, indie developers, small creators, hobbyists
83.3
07
Community platform combining courses, groups and memberships
Skool is a newer community platform specifically built for creators wanting to combine courses, group discussions and memberships in one space with a focus on simplicity and mobile-first design.
From Free plan available; paid from $99 annuallyBest for Course creators, community builders, modern educators
81.0
08
Creator marketplace for digital products and memberships
Gumroad allows creators to sell digital products, memberships and subscriptions directly to fans, handling payments and fulfillment with a focus on simplicity and direct creator-to-fan relationships.
From 5% + payment processing feesBest for Digital product creators, digital artists, software developers
78.7
09
All-in-one newsletter and membership platform for writers
Beehiiv combines newsletter publishing, audience analytics and paid subscriptions into one platform, designed for individual writers and publications seeking to monetise email audiences with powerful growth tools.
From Free plan; paid from $45 per monthBest for Newsletter writers, independent media, thought leaders
76.3
10
Global payments platform for digital product creators
Lemon Squeezy is a payments and commerce platform enabling creators to sell digital products, software and memberships with multi-currency support and global tax handling, targeting indie developers and digital creators.
From 8% + $0.50 per transaction (free tier available)Best for Indie developers, digital product sellers, software creators
74.0
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between membership platforms and course platforms?
Membership platforms focus on recurring subscription revenue and ongoing community engagement, whilst course platforms prioritise structured learning content delivery. Many modern platforms like Circle and Mighty Networks combine both, though their strength differs by product focus.
Which membership platform takes the lowest fees?
Ko-fi and Memberful both charge 5% platform fees plus payment processing costs, making them among the lowest-fee options. Substack's 10% fee is higher but includes built-in audience discovery. The best choice depends on your audience and content type.
Can I migrate members between membership platforms?
Most platforms allow you to export member data (though policies vary), but automated migration tools are limited. Plan migrations carefully as some platforms like Patreon lock in subscriber relationships. Direct communication with your audience helps retain members when switching.