In 2025, building a successful membership site is no longer reserved for big brands or tech experts. Whether you’re a creator launching a premium content hub, a coach building a private community, or an educator selling online courses — having the right website builder is crucial.
But here’s the challenge: the internet is full of platforms claiming to be “the best” — yet many fall short when it comes to actual flexibility, monetization, or user experience.
Some lock you into their ecosystem with high monthly fees. Others lack key features like custom membership tiers, email marketing, or LMS integration. And very few offer true ownership and control over your brand and content.
That’s why we tested and reviewed the top 10 website builders for membership sites in 2025 — so you don’t have to.
In this guide, you’ll discover:
- The best drag-and-drop builders for non-techies
- WordPress-based tools with deep control and monetization options
- Platforms ideal for online courses, coaching, gated content, and communities
- Transparent pricing and who each platform is best for
🎯 Start Building Your Branded Online Community with BuddyBoss Today
If you’re serious about launching a powerful online course, membership site, or private social community on WordPress, BuddyBoss is hands down the best solution in 2025. With built-in support for gamification, member profiles, forums, mobile app integration, and LearnDash, it gives you everything you need to engage and grow your audience—all under one roof.
👉 Read our in-depth BuddyBoss Review
👉 Explore the best WordPress community plugins here
👉 Compare top website builders for membership sites
💡 Don’t wait—BuddyBoss is the platform of choice for serious creators and educators.
Get Started with BuddyBoss →
🆕 What’s New in BuddyBoss 2025
BuddyBoss has stayed very active in 2025, rolling out features and improvements that push the platform forward. Here are some of the most exciting updates:
- Activity Topics for Better Organization: In version 2.8.80, BuddyBoss introduced Activity Topics—a major feature that lets you categorize and filter posts in the activity streams and group forums. This makes community feeds less chaotic and helps users follow content relevant to their interests.
- Multilingual Support in BuddyBoss App: The mobile app now supports multiple languages, meaning your community members can use the app in their preferred language. This is a big win for global communities.
- Simplified Build Process & Language Management : With version 2.4.10 of the BuddyBoss App plugin, the build request screen was revamped to reduce complexity, with better language settings and interface clarity.
- Core & Platform Enhancements & Bug Fixes: Beyond new features, BuddyBoss has also cleaned up many small but impactful bugs—fixing things like duplicate job posts in multilingual sites, privacy display inconsistencies, media loading in comments, group tagging errors, and more.
- Admin Controls for Directory Display: A newer enhancement lets admins toggle whether member and group counts show in directory listings. This gives your community more control over how public or private certain metrics appear.
- Pricing & Black Friday Teaser: BuddyBoss offers affordable pricing starting from $299/year (
normally $399/year), and BuddyBoss Black Friday 2025 Sale is just around the corner — expect up to 30–40% OFF on the BuddyBoss Platform and App bundles. This is the best time to grab your license or upgrade your plan before prices return to normal.
🚀 Ready to experience the all-new BuddyBoss?
Build a thriving, interactive community with powerful new features, modern design, and unmatched control — all in one platform.
👉 Get BuddyBoss Today and Transform Your Community
💼 BuddyBoss Bundle – Your Complete Web & App Platform
The BuddyBoss Bundle gives you everything you need to launch, scale, and automate your online community or eLearning business — all at one unbeatable price. It’s a complete all-in-one solution that includes the BuddyBoss Theme & Platform Pro, BuddyBoss App, and both Done-For-You services for web and app setup.
💡 What’s Inside the Bundle
- BuddyBoss Theme & Platform Pro (1 Year) – $299
- BuddyBoss App Full Edition (1 Year) – $2,148
- Done-For-You Web Setup – $1,999
- Done-For-You App Setup – $1,999
💰 Total Value: $6,445
🎉 Bundle Price: $4,999
✅ You Save: $1,446
Trusted by 50,000+ creators and brands worldwide, BuddyBoss delivers a premium experience for communities, memberships, and learning platforms across web and mobile.
🚀 Get the BuddyBoss Bundle Today & Be Ready for the Black Friday Upgrade!
Launch your complete web + app community platform and save thousands in setup costs.
👉 Get the BuddyBoss Bundle Now
10 Best Website Builders for Membership Sites in 2025 (Free & Paid)
Looking to create a membership site in 2025—one that earns recurring revenue, builds community, and gives your audience exclusive access? You’re in the right place.
From no-code builders to WordPress-powered platforms, there are now more tools than ever to launch a membership site—whether you’re a coach, course creator, blogger, or community leader.
This guide compares the 10 best website builders for memberships (both free and paid), helping you choose the right one based on your goals, technical comfort, and need for customization.
| Platform | 💡 Best For | 💰 Pricing |
|---|---|---|
| BuddyBoss + WordPress | Full ownership & flexibility | From $228/year (self-hosted) |
| FluentCommunity + WordPress | Lightweight community builder | Free (Pro coming soon) |
| Kajabi | All-in-one membership & product suite | From $149/month |
| Skool | Community-first memberships | $99/month flat |
| Squarespace + Member Areas | Designers & visual brands | From $23/month + $9/month/member areas |
| Wix | Beginners & quick setup | Free plan available, Premium from $17/month |
| Webflow + Memberstack | Advanced design & front-end control | Memberstack from $29/month, Webflow separate |
| Teachable | Course-first memberships | Free plan available, Pro from $59/month |
| MemberSpace | Add-on for multiple builders | Starts at $29/month |
| Ghost CMS | Writers & newsletter creators | Free (self-hosted), Ghost(Pro) from $11/month |
🏆 1. BuddyBoss + WordPress — Best Overall for Full Ownership & Customization
If you’re looking for maximum control, deep customization, and serious scalability, BuddyBoss + WordPress is by far the best option for building a professional membership site in 2025.
Rather than being a limited SaaS platform, BuddyBoss runs on WordPress — giving you complete freedom over your branding, pricing models, learning tools, SEO setup, and data. It’s trusted by top educators, coaches, and entrepreneurs for good reason.
✅ Key Features:
- Drag-and-drop builder support (Elementor, Gutenberg)
- Create free and paid membership tiers using MemberPress, Restrict Content Pro, or WooCommerce
- Deep LMS integration: works natively with LearnDash and LifterLMS
- Built-in community features: forums, private groups, member profiles, and messaging
- White-label mobile app (iOS & Android) for branded user experience
- Full SEO control + integration with Rank Math or Yoast
- Scalable with 50,000+ WordPress plugins
💰 Pricing:
- BuddyBoss Theme: $228/year
- BuddyBoss Platform: Free plugin
- Optional Mobile App: $219/month
- Hosting required (suggested: Cloudways, Kinsta)
👍 Best For:
Coaches, course creators, online academies, membership sites, and businesses looking to own their entire platform (without paying SaaS transaction fees).
✅ Verdict: BuddyBoss is the most powerful website builder for membership sites in 2025. It’s the go-to choice if you value branding, control, LMS integration, and want to scale your business on your terms.
BuddyBoss Vs Competitors
🥈 2. FluentCommunity + WordPress — Best Lightweight Community Builder for Simple Memberships
If you want to build a lean, focused membership site with community features, and you’re already using tools like FluentCRM or FluentSupport, then FluentCommunity is a smart pick.
This new plugin is developed by WPManageNinja — the same team behind Fluent Forms and FluentSMTP — and offers a clean, modern interface for members to interact via channels, posts, and comments.
It’s ideal for lightweight peer groups, internal team communities, or early-stage membership ideas without the bulk of full LMS or app support.
✅ Key Features:
- Simple WordPress-native community system (like Slack channels)
- Threaded conversations, replies, and @mentions
- Deep integration with FluentCRM, FluentSupport, and FluentBooking
- Block-editor friendly UI (no heavy builders needed)
- Fast, clean, lightweight performance
- Role-based access control and private space creation
💰 Pricing:
- FluentCommunity Pro: $99/year
- Lifetime deals may be available
- Requires WordPress hosting
👍 Best For:
FluentCRM users, bootstrapped communities, support groups, internal member hubs, and anyone who wants a light, no-frills membership community.
✅ Verdict: FluentCommunity is the best low-overhead website builder for WordPress users who want to create a simple, focused membership experience with strong community interaction.
🥉 3. Kajabi — Best All-in-One Platform for Digital Products & Memberships
Kajabi has long been the go-to platform for creators and coaches who want to launch, market, and sell online courses or memberships — without touching code or managing WordPress.
It combines website building, course delivery, email marketing, sales funnels, and membership tiers in one streamlined dashboard. The interface is clean, user-friendly, and designed for speed — but it comes at a premium price.
✅ Key Features:
- Website builder with drag-and-drop sections
- Built-in course builder with drip content
- Multiple products and membership levels
- Built-in checkout pages and upsells
- Integrated email marketing and automation
- Analytics, pipeline builder, and CRM
- Custom domain, blogging, and landing pages
💰 Pricing:
- Basic: $149/month (3 products, 1 website)
- Growth: $199/month (15 products, advanced automations)
- Pro: $399/month
- No transaction fees, but high monthly cost
👍 Best For:
Non-tech creators, coaches, and online educators who want a done-for-you membership system with marketing tools included — and don’t mind the price tag or platform lock-in.
✅ Verdict: Kajabi is best if you want to launch quickly without worrying about plugins, hosting, or third-party tools — but you’ll trade some flexibility and ownership for simplicity.
👉 Try Kajabi →
🏫 4. Skool — Best for Community-First Memberships and Cohorts
Skool has exploded in popularity among cohort-based communities, coaching programs, and masterminds. It’s designed to combine community + course delivery in a dead-simple, distraction-free interface.
Skool is not as customizable as WordPress or Kajabi, but its clean UI, built-in gamification, and ease of use make it a favorite for creators who want to run tight-knit, active communities without tech stress.
✅ Key Features:
- Community space with threads, comments, reactions
- Integrated course area with modules and progress tracking
- Leaderboards and points-based gamification
- Calendar for group calls, coaching, and events
- Private or public access control
- Simple user onboarding and email notifications
💰 Pricing:
- $99/month flat
- Includes community + course + events
- No hidden upsells or extra fees
👍 Best For:
Cohort-based communities, group coaching, mastermind groups, and creators who want a low-maintenance, clean community platform.
✅ Verdict: Skool is the best membership site builder in 2025 for people who value simplicity, structure, and fast setup — but don’t need advanced customization or LMS features.
👉 Try Skool →
🎨 5. Squarespace + Member Areas — Best for Beautiful, Branded Membership Sites
Squarespace is a favorite among designers, artists, photographers, and solo creators for one key reason: it offers stunning templates, a visual drag-and-drop builder, and requires no coding skills.
With the Member Areas add-on, you can now gate content, create exclusive posts or videos, and even sell digital products under a subscription model — all within Squarespace’s clean, user-friendly ecosystem.
✅ Key Features:
- Professionally designed templates (no page builder required)
- Drag-and-drop website and blog builder
- Member Areas for gated content access
- Supports recurring or one-time payments via Stripe or PayPal
- Built-in email marketing and analytics
- Custom domains and SSL included
💰 Pricing:
- Website plans: From $16/month
- Member Areas add-on: Starts at $10/month extra
- No transaction fees on higher plans
👍 Best For:
Visual creators, freelancers, bloggers, and coaches who want a simple, elegant membership site with just enough monetization tools — and zero technical maintenance.
✅ Verdict: Squarespace is the best low-tech, high-design solution for creators who prioritize aesthetics and need lightweight membership functionality.
👉 Try Squarespace with Member Areas →
🧩 6. Wix — Best for Beginners Who Want Fast Membership Setup
Wix continues to be a powerful option in 2025 for beginners and non-technical users. With its intuitive drag-and-drop editor, built-in tools for member login areas, subscriptions, and payment integrations, Wix makes it simple to set up a gated site in just hours.
Wix’s Ascend business tools, along with hundreds of customizable templates, let you launch fast without worrying about updates, plugins, or hosting.
✅ Key Features:
- Drag-and-drop website builder with 800+ templates
- Members-only pages and gated content options
- Integrated payments, subscriptions, and bookings
- Blog, store, and email marketing tools included
- Wix Ascend for CRM, automation, and forms
- Mobile-optimized templates and app integration
💰 Pricing:
- Website plans: From $17/month
- Business plans (for accepting payments): From $27/month
- No transaction fees on higher plans
👍 Best For:
Beginners, hobbyists, and small business owners who want a fast, code-free way to launch a membership site, especially for blogging, coaching, or product access.
✅ Verdict: Wix is a great pick for first-time membership site builders who want something easy to set up, visually appealing, and flexible for small-scale monetization.
👉 Build a Membership Site with Wix →
🧠 7. Webflow + Memberstack — Best for Design Freedom & Custom User Control
If you’re a designer, developer, or agency owner who wants total control over UI/UX and custom member workflows, the combination of Webflow + Memberstack is incredibly powerful.
Webflow offers the freedom to visually build anything you can imagine — and Memberstack adds the ability to gate content, create login systems, and support subscriptions, user data, and role-based access — all without writing backend code.
✅ Key Features:
- Pixel-perfect design using Webflow’s visual builder
- Create free and paid member tiers
- Protect specific pages, content sections, or CMS items
- Stripe-powered recurring billing, signup/login forms
- Supports user metadata, front-end dashboards, and more
- Integrates with Zapier, Airtable, Mailchimp, and analytics tools
💰 Pricing:
- Webflow: Starts at $14/month (Basic), $29+/month (CMS)
- Memberstack: Starts at $29/month (for 10,000 members)
👍 Best For:
Designers, agencies, and startups who need custom membership flows, powerful design control, and a front-end that looks premium without building a backend from scratch.
✅ Verdict: Webflow + Memberstack is the best solution in 2025 for those who want design flexibility with advanced membership logic, without going fully into custom dev.
👉 Explore Memberstack + Webflow →
📚 8. Teachable — Best for Course Creators Focused on Subscriptions
Teachable has long been a leader for selling online courses, but its latest updates in 2025 make it even better for building subscription-based membership sites.
You can now bundle courses, coaching sessions, digital downloads, and community access into one platform — with zero design or hosting hassles. It’s a plug-and-play tool for solo creators who want to focus on their content, not tech.
✅ Key Features:
- Course builder with modules, quizzes, and certificates
- Build subscription plans or one-time product offers
- Sales pages, checkout, upsells, and affiliate system
- Includes coaching session scheduling
- Community tab for posts, comments, and groups
- Integrated email marketing and analytics
💰 Pricing:
- Free plan (10% transaction fee)
- Basic: $59/month
- Pro: $119/month
- Business: $249/month
- Includes hosting, support, and no external tools needed
👍 Best For:
Creators, teachers, and experts who want to sell premium content on autopilot using subscriptions or bundles, without managing plugins or servers.
✅ Verdict: Teachable is a top pick for solo entrepreneurs who want an all-in-one course + membership site — and don’t need forums or full community tools.
👉 Start with Teachable for Free →
🛡️ 9. MemberSpace — Best Membership Overlay for Squarespace, Webflow & More
MemberSpace is a flexible plugin that lets you turn almost any website into a membership site — including those built with Squarespace, Webflow, Wix, WordPress, and even Notion.
It overlays a robust login + access system over your existing website, allowing you to gate specific pages, set up recurring payments, and create free or paid plans — all without rebuilding your site or touching code.
✅ Key Features:
- Protect pages, sections, or collections (Webflow, Squarespace, WordPress, etc.)
- Build member dashboards, restricted content areas
- Supports trials, subscriptions, one-time payments
- Stripe-powered billing + dunning features
- Customize login/signup flows and emails
- Integrates with Zapier, ConvertKit, and analytics tools
💰 Pricing:
- Starts at $29/month
- No platform fee — only Stripe transaction fee
👍 Best For:
Designers, freelancers, or creators who already have a site but want to add premium membership access without migrating platforms.
✅ Verdict: MemberSpace is a top choice for turning any website into a secure, monetized membership platform — with minimal setup and full design freedom.
👉 Try MemberSpace →
✍️ 10. Ghost CMS — Best for Writers & Newsletter-Based Memberships
If your membership model is content-driven — like blogs, digital newsletters, or gated articles — then Ghost CMS is a brilliant, open-source alternative to WordPress with built-in member subscriptions and publishing tools.
Ghost is lightweight, SEO-friendly, and designed specifically for creators who want to publish, grow a subscriber base, and monetize content — similar to Substack, but self-hosted and brandable.
✅ Key Features:
- Publish free and paid content with login access
- Subscription management built-in (Stripe)
- Minimal, fast-loading themes optimized for reading
- Newsletter delivery system (no Mailchimp required)
- Membership analytics, content scheduling
- Can be hosted on Ghost(Pro) or self-hosted for full control
💰 Pricing:
- Self-hosted: From $11/month (with DigitalOcean or similar)
- Ghost(Pro): Starts at $9/month for creators
- Stripe fees apply for payments
👍 Best For:
Writers, bloggers, journalists, and content creators who want a clean, fast membership platform to deliver articles and newsletters — without complexity.
✅ Verdict: Ghost is ideal for subscription-driven blogs or paid newsletter businesses that need speed, simplicity, and content-first design.
👉 Explore Ghost CMS →
🧠 Which Website Builder Is Best for Your Membership Site in 2025?
Choosing the right website builder depends entirely on your goals, your technical comfort level, and how you plan to monetize your membership site.
To make it easier, here’s a quick summary based on the most common creator needs:
Use Case Best Platform All-in-one community + course + mobile app ✅ BuddyBoss + WordPress Lightweight community with CRM integration ✅ FluentCommunity Quick setup with built-in marketing tools ✅ Kajabi Cohort coaching or mastermind groups ✅ Skool Design-focused creators needing visual polish ✅ Squarespace + Member Areas Beginners needing fast, drag-and-drop setup ✅ Wix Designers who want custom logic and freedom ✅ Webflow + Memberstack Creators focused solely on course subscriptions ✅ Teachable Existing sites needing a membership overlay ✅ MemberSpace Bloggers and newsletter creators ✅ Ghost CMS
🏁 Final Thoughts
If you’re serious about building a branded, scalable, and profitable membership site in 2025, then BuddyBoss is by far the most complete, flexible, and future-proof solution.
It gives you:
- Full control over your design, content, users, and revenue
- Seamless integration with LearnDash, MemberPress, and WooCommerce
- Built-in social features and gamification to boost engagement
- A white-label mobile app — so your community stays connected anywhere
- The ability to scale without paying platform fees or getting locked in
Whether you’re a course creator, coach, or community leader, BuddyBoss + WordPress gives you the foundation to grow a membership business you truly own.
🚀 Ready to Build Your Membership Platform with Complete Freedom?
👉 Get Started with BuddyBoss Now →
It’s time to stop renting your audience and start building your own community — on your terms.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the best website builder for a membership site in 2025?
The best overall option in 2025 is BuddyBoss + WordPress. It offers complete ownership, powerful customization, and advanced features like forums, courses, groups, and even mobile app support—ideal for creators who want control over design, content, and monetization.
Which is better for memberships: WordPress or all-in-one platforms like Kajabi or Skool?
It depends on your needs:
Use WordPress + BuddyBoss or FluentCommunity if you want ownership, flexibility, and scalability.
Choose Kajabi or Skool for ease-of-use and fast setup, but note the higher monthly fees and less control.
Can I create a free membership site?
Yes. You can use WordPress with FluentCommunity or bbPress to build a community for free. Some platforms like Teachable and Wix also offer free plans with limited membership features.
Which platform is best for course creators with memberships?
For course-first creators, Teachable, Kajabi, and BuddyBoss (with LearnDash) are excellent choices. They support subscriptions, video lessons, gated content, and student progress tracking.
Can I add a membership layer to an existing site on Squarespace or Webflow?
Yes! You can use tools like MemberSpace or Memberstack to overlay login, paywall, and gated content features onto your existing Webflow, Squarespace, or even WordPress site.
What platform is best for writers or newsletter-based memberships?
Ghost CMS is perfect for bloggers, writers, and journalists who want to monetize content via subscriptions or paid newsletters. It has built-in email tools, a clean UI, and fast performance.
Are there any website builders that support mobile app access for members?
Yes. BuddyBoss offers white-labeled mobile app integration as an add-on, while Kajabi includes a branded app with all paid plans.