The three ways, at a glance
Every membership website needs the same pieces: pages that sell, a checkout, a members area that only paying members can open, somewhere to put your content, and email. The difference is who puts them together, who keeps them running, and who owns the result.
| Build it yourself | Rent a platform | Own one built for you | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up front | Theme and plugin licences | Little or nothing | One payment (Deedmade™: $2,499) |
| Every month | Hosting, plugins renewing yearly, email tool | ~$39 to ~$499, for as long as you use it | Small running costs: hosting free or about $5, your domain |
| Your time | A lot: setup, updates, fixing what breaks | A little | A little: answer a guided setup, add your content |
| Share of sales | None | Some plans take one | None |
| Who owns it | You | The platform | You |
| Who fixes it | You | The platform | Your own accounts, plus an optional care plan |
| Best for | People who enjoy tinkering | Testing an idea quickly | Businesses that plan to run for years |
Building it yourself
The usual do-it-yourself route is WordPress (or a website builder) plus plugins. It can be the cheapest in money, and it gives you complete control. It's also the route that takes the most of your time, every month, for as long as the site runs.
You'll typically need:
- Hosting that copes with logged-in members and video, which costs more than hosting a simple site.
- A theme that looks good and works on phones.
- A membership plugin to lock pages and handle subscriptions.
- A course plugin if you teach, for lessons, progress and quizzes.
- A community plugin or separate app if members talk to each other.
- An email tool for newsletters and automations, usually priced by list size.
- Video hosting, so lessons don't sit on unlisted YouTube links (see why that matters).
- Backups and security, because a members site holds people's accounts and payments.
Each piece has its own licence, renewal date, updates and support desk. Together they're often a few hundred dollars a year in licences plus hosting, which is far less than renting. The real cost is the hours: setting it up, keeping plugins compatible, and being the person members email when sign-in breaks.
Hiring a developer or agency to build it for you removes the setup hours, not the upkeep. Custom builds are quoted case by case and often run to several thousand dollars, and you still have the plugins to maintain afterwards.
Renting a platform
Course and community platforms (Kajabi, Teachable, Thinkific, Skool, Circle and others) give you a finished system for a monthly fee. You sign up, pick a template and start adding content the same day. That speed is the real benefit, and it's why most people start here.
| Plan | Price | How you're charged | Cut of your sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teachable Starter | ~$39 a month | Monthly | 7.5% |
| Teachable Builder | ~$89 a month | Monthly | None |
| Kajabi Basic | ~$179 a month | Monthly | None |
| Kajabi Growth | ~$249 a month | Monthly | None |
| Skool Pro | ~$99 a month | Monthly | None |
| Circle Professional | ~$89 a month | ~$1,068 a year, up front | 2% |
The trade-offs: the fee never stops, cheaper plans often take a share of your sales, many monthly prices are really billed a year up front, and your site, members and content live in the platform's system on the platform's terms. Most people also end up renting two or three of these together, a course platform plus a community plus live calls and booking.
Owning one built for you
The third option sits between the two: a finished platform, built for you, on accounts in your own name. With Deedmade™, that's your own website and your own members app with courses, community, live sessions, booking, email marketing, a shop, events, e-signatures and invoices, plus an Owner's Portal to run it all. You pay $2,499 once (the early-bird price until December 31, 2026; the regular price is $3,900) and keep 0% fees on your sales.
Owning isn't free after that, and it's worth being clear about what's left: the card fee on each sale (as anywhere), your domain, and Cloudflare hosting, which is free or about $5 a month with live features. The $49 a month care plan is optional, and so is listing your app in the App Store and Google Play ($99 a month). You also keep a handful of accounts (your domain, Stripe, Cloudflare and an email sender), most of which have free plans and bill you directly.
Side by side over the years
| Teachable Builder | Kajabi Growth | Deedmade™ Everything | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | ~$1,070 | ~$2,990 | $2,499 |
| Year 3 | ~$3,200 | ~$8,960 | $2,499 |
| Year 5 | ~$5,340 | ~$14,940 | $2,499 |
| Who owns the platform | They do | They do | You do |
| If prices go up | You pay more | You pay more | Nothing changes |
| Your member list | In their system | In their system | In your own accounts |
| Your name on members' phones | Varies by plan | Varies by plan | Yours, with your icon |
Owning has cost less from month 29. After that, renting keeps going and owning doesn't.
Owning still has small running costs: the card fee on each sale (as anywhere), your domain, and hosting that's free or about $5 a month. And you can try it before paying anything: build yours free in early access and see it working first.
Costs that catch people out
- Card processing. Around 3% of each sale wherever you sell. It's the same rented or owned, so leave it out when you compare.
- Yearly billing. A low monthly price that's charged a year at a time.
- Your list growing. Email tools and some platforms charge more as your contacts grow.
- A share of sales. One percent to several percent on cheaper plans adds up fast once you're selling.
- Video. Storage and streaming for a big course library cost money somewhere, whoever runs it.
- Your time. Ten hours a month fixing a do-it-yourself site is a real cost, even if no invoice arrives.
Which should you choose?
- Build it yourself if you enjoy the technical side, have the time, and want total control.
- Rent if you're still finding out whether people will pay, and want to be selling this week.
- Own one built for you if you already sell, plan to keep going for years, and would rather pay once than every month.
Not sure? Build yours free in early access: answer a guided setup, see a working preview usually within the hour, and pay only if you approve it. No credit card until then. For the full numbers with your own tools, try the cost calculator, or read how to build a membership website, step by step.
Prices of other companies are approximate, from their own pricing pages on October 11, 2026, and they change. Where a page shows a monthly price that is billed a year at a time, we say so. Check their websites for today's prices.
Questions people ask
How much does a membership website cost?
Built yourself, often a few hundred dollars a year in licences and hosting, plus a lot of your time. Rented, about $39 to $499 a month for as long as you use it. Owned and built for you, one payment (Deedmade™ is $2,499 once (the early-bird price until December 31, 2026; the regular price is $3,900)) and then small running costs.
Can I build a membership website for free?
Not really. You can keep costs very low with free plans and a do-it-yourself setup, but hosting, a domain and card processing always cost something, and the free tiers of most platforms take a larger share of each sale.
Is WordPress cheaper than Kajabi?
In money, usually yes: plugin licences and hosting cost less than a Kajabi subscription. In time, usually no: you set it up, keep the plugins updated and fix what breaks. Count your hours as well as the invoices.
How long does it take to build a membership website?
Doing it yourself, weeks. Renting, a few days to set up and add content. With Deedmade™, you answer a guided setup and see a working preview, usually within the hour, then add your content.
What are the ongoing costs of owning a membership website?
Card fees on each sale, your domain, and hosting, which on Cloudflare is free or about $5 a month with live features. Updates and support are optional through the $49 a month care plan.
Stop renting. Own it.
Build your platform free in early access and see it working, usually within the hour. You pay only if you approve it, once, and keep today's price.
- No card
- Pay once, no monthly fee
- 0% of your sales
- On your own accounts