Membership and Community Platforms

For a creator whose members return for the conversation as much as for the lessons, a community platform puts courses next to a discussion feed, events and a member directory. The first split is where the community lives. Hosted networks such as Circle, Mighty Networks and Skool keep everything on their own service, while WordPress-based options of the BuddyBoss kind run on the creator's site, trading more control for more upkeep. After that, look at how deep the course side goes, since drip schedules, quizzes and completion tracking vary widely, whether paid tiers and recurring billing are built in or need a separate checkout, and how members get pulled back in by notifications and digests. Gamified levels and leaderboards suit some audiences and put others off.

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    Hosted community, course and membership platform with Circle AI, live streams, branded checkout and apps; plans from $89 a month billed annually, with 0.5% to 2% transaction fees.

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    Community platform for creators and brands that runs courses, events, paid memberships and native mobile apps, with an AI Cohost and plans from $79 a month.

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    All-in-one platform where coaches, educators and creators build and sell courses, coaching, communities, memberships and podcasts, with email, checkout and AI tools in one account.

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    A WordPress membership, paywall and LMS plugin with built-in courses, coaching (CoachKit), community forums and directories (ClubSuite), a branded mobile app option and three annual plans.

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    WordPress-based community platform with forums, activity feeds, messaging and member profiles, paired with LearnDash for courses; reviewers list pricing from $228 a year plus hosting.

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    Video membership platform for fitness instructors, educators and media creators, with a Netflix-style catalog, live streaming, community, branded mobile and TV apps and published plan prices.

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    Membership software that adds paid spaces, courses, a content library and a community forum to an existing website, from Squarespace and Wix to WordPress or Webflow.

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    All-in-one creator platform for selling online courses, coaching, memberships and events with email marketing, community, and 30-day free trial.

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    Course platform for creators and businesses selling courses, coaching, digital downloads and memberships from their own branded school, with built-in payments and tax handling.

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    Checkout-first platform for creators that bundles ThriveCart Academy courses and communities into every plan, with 0% fees on sales and a 30-day free trial.

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    AI-native learning platform for cohort programs, self-paced courses and member communities, with a branded academy from $399 a month billed annually and a 14-day trial.

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    Membership platform for creators and coaches that combines a content library, community Hubs, courses, AI search and chat, and a branded app, with no transaction fees.

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    Founder-led all-in-one platform for courses, memberships, communities, coaching, email, CRM and payments, with no Simplero transaction fees, built for coaches and course creators.

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    WordPress membership plugin with the CourseCure course builder, unlimited members and levels, no transaction fees, and annual plans from $149.50 for one site.

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    WordPress plugin for coaches and creators that combines courses, memberships, communities, payments and affiliates for a flat yearly fee, from $2,999 a year.

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    Community platform for coaches and course creators, with courses, events, Stripe payments and workflows on every plan, and a white-label branded app on Scale.

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    Creator platform combining courses, live workshops, community, payments, and native branded apps with AI-powered tools and flexible pricing.

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    All-in-one course platform with memberships, communities, live classes, 1-1 coaching bookings, email, funnels and AI agents, no transaction fees and plans from $47 a month.

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    WordPress membership plugin that runs paywalls, subscriptions, drip content, member communities and a course add-on, with 22+ payment gateways and a free Lite version.

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    Self-hosted WordPress community and LMS plugin from WPManageNinja with spaces, feeds, chat, courses and progress tracking, sold as annual or lifetime licenses from $159.

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    Course and membership platform priced by the number of products you run, with every feature on every plan, no transaction fees and a 30-day trial.

  22. 22

    Course, community and membership platform for coaches and creators, with 0% transaction fees, built-in checkout with order bumps and upsells, and plans priced by members.

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    No-code builder for branded iOS, Android and web apps that combine courses, community, payments and an AI coach, with plans from $119 a month billed yearly.

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    A group learning platform for coaches, trainers and associations that combines cohort courses, live session scheduling, community channels, payments and a branded mobile app, with 0% transaction fees.

  25. 25

    Association LMS and online community platform combining Forj Learn for CE and certification, Forj Connect for member communities and Forj Analyze for engagement data.

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    A self-hosted WordPress plugin that adds community spaces, discussions, a course builder, events and a resource library to your own site, sold as a yearly or lifetime license.

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    Course and membership platform for coaches, creators and small companies, with community, a branded iOS and Android app, AI tools and unlimited use at one fixed monthly price.

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    All-in-one software for selling courses, memberships, communities and coaching, bundled with templates, twice-monthly coaching calls and round-the-clock human support.

  29. 29

    A video-first community platform for coaches and experts, where members reply with video, voice or text and creators sell memberships, courses, events and a branded app.

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    Shopify app that adds online courses, digital products and member communities to a Shopify store, with built-in video hosting, Shopify Flow automation and a 14-day free trial.

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    AI-first creator platform for courses, paid communities, newsletters and downloads, with 0% platform transaction fees, four plans from $39 a month and a 14-day trial.

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    Mobile-first platform for coaches that puts a storefront, courses, a community, async coaching and a native member app under one flat monthly plan.

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    Branded client portal for coaches and program creators that combines onboarding flows, online courses, memberships, a private feed and community spaces, from $40 a month billed annually.

  34. 34

    White-label community platform with courses, paid memberships, live streams and iOS and Android apps, plus a SaaS Partner plan for reselling branded communities as your own software.

  35. 35

    A modular branded community platform with forums, chats, courses, events, memberships and a digital store, with white-labeling, custom domains and branded iOS and Android apps on higher plans.

  36. 36

    Founder-run platform for paid group programs that puts threaded channels, learning trails, events, a leaderboard and Stripe payments in one camp, free to start at a 10% fee.

  37. 37

    Course and membership platform for coaches, consultants and educators, with a free plan on a 20% commission and paid plans that take no sales commission.

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    All-in-one course platform with community rooms, live sessions, AI tools and 0% transaction fees on three flat plans, each with a 30-day free trial.

  39. 39

    White-label course and membership platform with DRM-protected video, a website builder, recurring billing, auto certificates and a branded mobile app, with 0% transaction fees.

  40. 40

    No-code branded app builder for coaches and creators, combining courses, community, workouts and payments, with a free plan and paid plans from $49 a month.

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    White-label membership app service for coaches and creators, pairing a branded App Store and Google Play app with a team that handles onboarding, maintenance and member support.

  42. 42

    Berlin-made sales platform for courses, memberships, communities, digital products and e-tickets, with checkout, invoicing and a merchant-of-record option built in.

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    Members area platform for Brazilian infoproduct creators, with a Netflix-style course showcase, communities, a native CRM, an iOS and Android app and pricing by active member.

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    All-in-one creator business platform for paid online communities, subscription salons, online schools, coaching sales and goods, run through a dedicated member app with engagement analytics.

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    Spanish-language platform for creators to run courses, memberships and communities under their own brand, with a native app and fixed pricing instead of sales commissions.

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    Italian course and membership platform that puts lessons, forum, group chat and gamification in one Academy, with a brandable app for creators and students and support in 4 languages.

  47. 47

    Romanian course platform with a built-in community, live sessions, email marketing and mobile apps, 0% commission on sales and plans at €9 and €29 a month.

  48. 48

    Platform for African creators to sell courses, coaching, paid communities and digital products, with platform fees that fall by plan and instant mobile money payouts.

  49. 49

    A mobile-first church community app combining courses, devotionals, group discussions, giving tools, and gamification to extend congregation engagement beyond Sunday services.

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    Lockers provides a central hub for hosting video lessons and community discussions. Course creators can launch and sell their content without paying a monthly software subscription.

Frequently asked questions

Are there platforms that allow me to avoid paying transaction fees on my sales?

Yes, several options like GroupApp, DoCourse, Kourses, and LearnerFast offer 0% transaction fees. Some of these also provide specific pricing structures based on monthly plans or member counts.

Which platforms provide a dedicated mobile app for my students?

Multiple platforms include branded or native mobile apps, such as GroupApp, Astron Members, DoCourse, Esmerise, and LearnerFast. This allows your members to access your community and lessons on the go.

Can I find a platform that handles both my courses and my email marketing or checkout process?

You can find all-in-one solutions like Kajabi that include email and checkout tools, or ablefy which features built-in invoicing and a merchant-of-record option. Some other platforms like DoCourse also integrate email marketing directly into their service.

I need a platform that supports live sessions and group coaching. Are there options for that?

GroupApp includes live session scheduling, while Course Creator 360 is designed for selling coaching alongside courses. DoCourse also features built-in live sessions for its users.