Buyer’s guide · Startup
Best Membership Management Software in 2026: Pricing & Comparison
We compared four membership platforms on public pricing, contact or member limits, transaction fees and core features so associations and creators can shortlist quickly.
- WordPress site owners: MemberPress — annual plans from ~$199.50 first year with unlimited members.
- Associations that price by contacts: Wild Apricot — from $66/mo for 100 contacts, same features on every tier.
- Community-first creators: Mighty Networks — Launch from ~$79/mo annual with unlimited members.
- Paid communities with courses and events: Circle — Professional from $89/mo annual.
Membership management software helps organizations and creators handle member records, renewals, payments, content gating, events and community features in one place.
We evaluated the same fields for every vendor: published pricing and billing basis, free plan or trial, core focus, and the main limitation. Order is not a quality ranking. We sorted lowest published starting price first.
Compared at a glance
| Platform | Published pricing | Best for | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. MemberPress | Launch ~$199.50 first year (renews ~$399); Growth ~$349.50 first year | WordPress sites that need membership + courses | Site → |
| 2. Wild Apricot | From $66/mo for 100 contacts (10% off annual prepay) | Associations and nonprofits that scale by contact count | Site → |
| 3. Mighty Networks | Launch ~$79/mo billed annually; Scale ~$179/mo | Creators building community-first membership businesses | Site → |
| 4. Circle | Professional $89/mo annual; Business $199/mo annual | Paid communities that also need courses and events | Site → |
Prices are public list or starting prices in USD, checked 16 Oct 2026; they change often — confirm on the vendor’s pricing page. How we evaluated: see methodology below.
The 4 companies in detail
MemberPress
Best for WordPress
Best for: creators and businesses already on WordPress who want memberships, courses and content protection.
| Attribute | MemberPress |
|---|---|
| Published pricing | Launch ~$199.50 first year (renews higher); Growth and Scale higher annual rates |
| Free plan or trial | 14-day money-back guarantee |
| Core focus | WordPress membership plugin with LMS and payment rules |
| Main limitation | Introductory first-year pricing; some plans add transaction fees |
- Unlimited members on published plans; integrates with Stripe and PayPal.
- Includes course and content-protection features.
- First-year promotional pricing; renewals are higher and some plans charge transaction fees.
Wild Apricot
Best for associations
Best for: associations, nonprofits and clubs that need member database, events and website in one system.
| Attribute | Wild Apricot |
|---|---|
| Published pricing | From $66/mo for 100 contacts; scales with contact count; 10–15% prepay discounts |
| Free plan or trial | 60-day free trial |
| Core focus | Membership database, events, website and payments priced by contacts |
| Main limitation | Price rises with total contacts (not just active members) |
- Same feature set on every contact tier; clear published pricing table.
- Includes website, events and member portal.
- Contact-based pricing counts all records; payment processor fees are separate.
Mighty Networks
Best for community businesses
Best for: creators and brands building paid community memberships with courses and events.
| Attribute | Mighty Networks |
|---|---|
| Published pricing | Launch ~$79/mo billed annually; Scale ~$179/mo; Growth higher |
| Free plan or trial | 14-day free trial |
| Core focus | Community platform with courses, events and memberships |
| Main limitation | Transaction fees on sales; branded apps are custom/higher tier |
- Unlimited members on published plans; strong community and course features.
- Public starting prices for Launch and Scale.
- Platform takes a percentage of sales; full branded apps require higher or custom plan.
Circle
Best for paid communities
Best for: community hosts who want courses, events, member directory and payments in one platform.
| Attribute | Circle |
|---|---|
| Published pricing | Professional $89/mo annual; Business $199/mo annual; Scale higher |
| Free plan or trial | 14-day free trial |
| Core focus | Community platform with spaces, courses, events and paywalls |
| Main limitation | Transaction fees on paywalls; monthly billing higher than annual |
- Unlimited members; public annual prices for Professional and Business.
- Includes courses, live events and member directory.
- Paywall transaction fees (2% on Professional) plus Stripe fees; Circle Plus is custom.
I run a WordPress siteNeed memberships and courses
I manage an associationPrice by contact count
Wild Apricot publishes clear contact-tier pricing starting at $66/mo for 100 contacts.
I want a community-first businessCourses and events too
Mighty Networks or Circle both offer unlimited members and strong community tools with public starting prices.
Buying tip
Add the platform’s transaction fee to Stripe’s processing fee when modeling cost. A 2% platform fee plus 2.9% + $0.30 can change the net on every membership payment.
Which membership platform is cheapest to start?
Do any offer a free plan?
None of the four offer a permanent free plan for full membership features. All provide trials (14 or 60 days).
How do transaction fees work?
Several platforms (Mighty Networks, Circle, some MemberPress plans) take a percentage of each sale on top of the payment processor’s fee. Higher plans usually reduce or eliminate the platform fee.
Can I move members later?
Most platforms offer migration help or CSV import. Moving active subscriptions and content usually requires planning and some manual work.
Related comparisons
Last updated 16 October 2026 · Pricing checked 16 October 2026.
Disclosure: Kurums is reader-supported. We may earn a commission if you click a sponsored link and buy. This does not affect the order or conclusions on the page.
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