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Software · head to head

Memberful vs Shopify

Memberful logo

Memberful

Software

Membership platform for creators to sell subscriptions, courses and gated content

From
$49/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Shopify logo

Shopify

Software

The most trusted ecommerce platform to start, grow, and scale your business

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Memberful charges a 4.9% transaction fee on top of the flat monthly fee on the Standard plan.; Shopify using any payment provider other than Shopify Payments adds a transaction fee on top of the card rate, at 2% on Basic falling to 0.2% on Plus
  • They diverge on capability: Memberful covers Membership checkout, Shopify covers Hosted ecommerce platform.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Memberful and Shopify actually diverge.

Attributes where Memberful and Shopify differ
AttributeMemberfulShopify
Starting price$49/month$29/month
Platformsweb, apiWeb
Founded20132006

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Memberful

  • Membership checkout
  • Flexible subscriptions
  • Member management
  • Landing page builder
  • Dynamic paywalls
  • Third-party integrations

Only in Shopify

  • Hosted ecommerce platform
  • Payment processing
  • Inventory management
  • Order tracking
  • Marketing automation
  • Apps and integrations
  • Multi-channel selling
  • SSL certificate

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Memberful

  • Selling paid membership subscriptions from an existing websitenot Shopify
  • Gating podcast, newsletter or course content behind a paywallnot Shopify
  • Running a WordPress site with paid member-only contentnot Shopify
  • Offering one-time purchases alongside recurring membershipsnot Shopify

Shopify

  • Running a hosted ecommerce store with payments and fulfilmentnot Memberful
  • Selling across online, in person and social channels from one cataloguenot Memberful

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Memberful

  • Charges a 4.9% transaction fee on top of the flat monthly fee on the Standard plan.
  • Requires a separate Stripe account, adding setup complexity compared to all-in-one checkout platforms.
  • Lacks built-in course-hosting depth found in dedicated learning management platforms.
  • No free plan beyond the pre-launch trial period; charges begin once payments go live.

Shopify

  • Using any payment provider other than Shopify Payments adds a transaction fee on top of the card rate, at 2% on Basic falling to 0.2% on Plus
  • That fee makes the cheapest plan the most expensive place to use an outside processor, which is the opposite of how plans usually work
  • Card rates also improve with the plan, from 2.9% on Basic to 2.7% on Advanced
  • Amex is charged at a higher rate than other cards on every plan below Plus
  • Plus starts at $2,300 a month
  • The advertised lower monthly prices require paying a year up front

Pricing, plan by plan

Memberful

$49/month
  • Standard$49/month
    • 4.9% transaction fee
    • Full platform access
    • Free until you go live
  • Enterprise$undefined/mo
    • Custom volume-based rates
    • Premium services and success management
    • Dedicated migration support

Shopify

$29/month
  • Starter$5/month
    • Buy Button & Sales Channel
    • Abandoned checkout recovery
    • Basic reporting
  • Basic$29/month
    • Online store
    • Up to 2 staff accounts
    • Basic reports
  • Standard$79/month
    • Professional reports
    • Gift cards
    • Up to 15 staff accounts

Which should you pick?

Choose Memberful if

  • You need membership checkout.
  • You work on web, api.
  • You also want flexible subscriptions.
Memberful review

Choose Shopify if

  • You need hosted ecommerce platform.
  • You also want payment processing.
Shopify review

Questions people ask

Is Memberful or Shopify better?
Neither clearly leads. Memberful starts at $49/month and Shopify at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Memberful or Shopify?
Memberful starts at $49/month and Shopify at $29/month.
Does Memberful or Shopify run on more platforms?
Memberful runs on web, api. Shopify runs on Web.
What is Memberful best used for?
Memberful is most often used for selling paid membership subscriptions from an existing website, gating podcast, newsletter or course content behind a paywall, running a wordpress site with paid member-only content, offering one-time purchases alongside recurring memberships. Of those, selling paid membership subscriptions from an existing website and gating podcast, newsletter or course content behind a paywall are not what Shopify is typically brought in for.
What can Memberful do that Shopify cannot?
Memberful covers Membership checkout, Flexible subscriptions, Member management, Landing page builder. Shopify covers Hosted ecommerce platform, Payment processing, Inventory management, Order tracking.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Memberful: What does Memberful cost?

Memberful's Standard plan costs $49/month plus a 4.9% transaction fee, while larger organizations can get custom volume-based rates on the Enterprise plan.

Source
Memberful: Is there a free plan, and what are its limits?

Memberful can be used for free while setting up a membership site, with no charges incurred until the creator goes live and starts accepting payments.

Source
Memberful: What does Memberful integrate with?

Memberful integrates with WordPress, Mailchimp, Discord and Kit, among other tools, to connect membership data with existing sites and marketing systems.

Source
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