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You can start with no upfront platform charge on Patreon, or pay an annual WordPress license or a substantial monthly fee for an all-in-one platform. Those prices are only the entry point: payment processing, hosting, domains, content, support, maintenance, taxes and your own time determine the real budget.
Current platform prices at a glance
The figures below are published prices, not complete operating costs. Promotional terms, billing frequency, creator start date and payment method affect what you actually pay.
| Option | Fixed platform price | Transaction or payment fees | Who handles hosting and access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patreon | No upfront platform charge for starting memberships. | For pages published after August 4, 2025, Patreon’s standard platform fee is 10%. Its standard US example for card or Apple Pay payments over $3 is 2.9% + $0.30. Payout, currency-conversion, tax and Apple in-app-purchase deductions may also apply. Patreon Help Center information updated August 26 and September 11, 2026. | Patreon hosts the membership experience and handles member access within its service. |
| MemberPress Launch | $199.50 for the first year on the listed promotion; normal renewal is $399 per year. MemberPress pricing and checkout pages accessed September 30, 2026. | 4.9% per successful payment for Launch, plus Stripe, PayPal or another processor’s charges. | You provide WordPress hosting, domain, site setup, updates, backups and access-control implementation. |
| MemberPress Growth | $349.50 for the first promotional year; normal price $699 per year. | No MemberPress transaction fee; processor charges still apply. | Self-hosted WordPress responsibilities remain yours. |
| MemberPress Scale | $499.50 for the first promotional year; normal price $999 per year. | No MemberPress transaction fee; processor charges still apply. | Self-hosted WordPress responsibilities remain yours. |
| Kajabi Basic | $179 per month when billed monthly, or a displayed $143 monthly equivalent with annual billing. | US card rate shown is 2.9% + $0.30. Using a third-party payment provider adds 2% under the displayed plan rules. | Kajabi hosts the site, products and member area. |
| Kajabi Growth | $249 per month monthly, or a displayed $199 monthly equivalent with annual billing. | US card rate shown is 2.8% + $0.30. A third-party provider adds 1% under the displayed rules. | Kajabi hosts the service. |
| Kajabi Pro | $499 per month monthly, or a displayed $399 monthly equivalent with annual billing. | US card rate shown is 2.7% + $0.30. A third-party provider adds 0.5% under the displayed rules. | Kajabi hosts the service. |
| Stripe Payment Links | Stripe documents subscriptions and one-time sales through Payment Links; processing is charged per successful transaction. A custom domain for Stripe-hosted payment pages or customer portals is listed at $10 per month. | Stripe’s applicable processing rate applies to each successful transaction. | Stripe supplies payment and checkout tools, not a complete course, community and entitlement system. You must provide or connect the member experience. |
What the headline price leaves out
Hosting, domain and technical setup
Patreon and Kajabi include a hosted environment. A MemberPress installation does not: budget separately for WordPress hosting, a domain, backups, security, updates and configuration. You may also need a theme, email delivery service, analytics, integrations or a developer to connect signup, payment and protected content.
Payment processing and payout deductions
Every paid membership has a payment-cost line, whether it appears as a separate invoice or is deducted before you receive a payout. Card and wallet percentages, fixed per-transaction charges, third-party-provider surcharges, currency conversion, payout fees and taxes can vary by country and payment method. Model the rates for the countries where your members and business are located rather than assuming the US examples apply globally.
#1 Best Overall
Content production
The largest expense may be the work behind the membership: writing lessons, recording video, editing, illustrations, downloads, live sessions and moderation. Decide which work you will do yourself and which requires contractors. A self-produced launch can have little cash cost but still consume substantial unpaid time.
Support, moderation and maintenance
Member questions, refunds, failed payments, access problems, community moderation, accessibility fixes and software updates continue after launch. A self-hosted stack gives you control but makes you responsible for these operations; a hosted service reduces infrastructure work but ties more of the experience to its rules and pricing.
Business, tax and compliance work
Registration, bookkeeping, sales-tax or VAT treatment, privacy notices, terms, refunds and contractor agreements depend on your jurisdiction and audience. Obtain local professional advice where the obligations are material. No universal industry price is reliable for these items because geography and business structure change the answer.
Which cost structure fits your stage?
| Stage | What to optimize | Cost pattern to expect | Questions to answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early validation | Fast launch, low fixed commitment and a simple offer. | A platform with no upfront charge or a lightweight payment flow can preserve cash, but percentage fees may be comparatively expensive as sales grow. | Can members understand the offer and receive access without custom development? What will you do when a payment fails? |
| Growing creator business | Reliable onboarding, automation, email, content organization and support workflows. | A recurring subscription or annual license becomes easier to justify, while processor and platform percentages should be compared against expected revenue. | Which features are included, and which require add-ons or separate services? How much technical time is the owner spending each month? |
| Established program | Ownership, portability, performance, reporting, permissions and predictable operations. | Lower percentage fees may matter more than the entry price, but staffing, integrations, migration and compliance can dominate the budget. | Can you export members and content? What happens if the provider changes fees, limits or policies? |
How to calculate your own break-even point
Use a monthly model that separates fixed costs, variable charges and labor. Start with expected collected revenue, then subtract platform subscriptions or annual-license costs converted to a monthly figure, payment-processing charges, platform transaction fees, refunds and other deductions. Add hosting, software, contractors, support and a realistic value for your own operating time.
Rank #3
- Estimate paid members and price. Use conservative, expected and optimistic cases instead of one optimistic forecast.
- Apply every percentage and fixed transaction fee. Include the relevant country, card type, wallet and third-party-provider rules.
- List fixed services. Include platform, hosting, domain, email, video, automation, accounting and any annual renewals.
- Price the work. Record launch production, monthly content, moderation, support, maintenance and technical troubleshooting.
- Test the exit cost. Consider export tools, migration effort and any cancellation or annual-commitment risk before choosing a hosted platform.
The useful comparison is not simply Patreon versus Kajabi or WordPress versus hosted software. It is the total cost of serving one member reliably at your expected volume, while preserving the ownership and features your business needs.
Quick Recap
Rank #4
Ways to keep the first launch affordable
- Launch one clearly defined membership tier before producing a large library.
- Use existing equipment and workflows until member revenue proves that higher production quality will pay back.
- Choose annual billing only when the discount is worth the commitment and your retention outlook supports it.
- Automate payment receipts, onboarding and failed-payment notices before adding more content.
- Document how members receive access, request refunds and cancel; this reduces support labor and disputes.
- Review renewal prices and transaction rules before a promotional first term expires.
Decision checklist
- Cash available now: Can you cover setup and the first renewal, not just the introductory price?
- Technical ownership: Do you want to maintain WordPress and integrations, or pay for a hosted environment?
- Revenue model: Will percentage fees or fixed subscriptions be more significant at your expected member count?
- Features: Do you need courses, email automation, livestreams, forums, multiple products or advanced permissions?
- Portability: Can you export member records and move if pricing or policies change?
- Geography: Are payment methods, taxes, currencies and data obligations suitable for your audience?
- Time: What is your monthly support and maintenance capacity, and what would outsourcing it cost?
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
