Best Shopify Membership Apps: Create Exclusive Member Areas

The e-commerce landscape is shifting toward recurring revenue models. Rather than relying solely on one-time purchases, forward-thinking Shopify merchants are building membership communities that generate predictable, recurring revenue while creating deeper customer relationships.

A membership program transforms occasional buyers into committed community members. Instead of customers purchasing once and leaving, they become part of an exclusive group with ongoing benefits, access, and engagement opportunities.

The question isn't whether to build a membership program—it's which membership app will best serve your business model. This comprehensive guide walks you through the top Shopify membership apps, implementation strategies, and proven approaches to building thriving member communities.

Why Membership Models Are Transforming E-Commerce

Membership programs solve a fundamental challenge in retail: customer lifetime value. Here's why they've become essential:

Predictable Recurring Revenue

Unlike one-time transactions, memberships create predictable monthly or annual revenue streams. This stability allows you to:

• Plan inventory more accurately
• Hire and scale your team confidently
• Invest in content and community features
• Reduce customer acquisition pressure

A business generating $50,000/month from 500 members ($100 average membership) knows exactly what revenue to expect, making financial planning infinitely easier than relying on sporadic one-time purchases.

Dramatically Increased Customer Lifetime Value

Members spend 3-5x more over their lifetime than one-time customers. They:

• Make repeat purchases within the membership
• Stay longer due to sunk cost and community attachment
• Generate word-of-mouth referrals
• Provide product feedback and ideas
• Become brand advocates

Data-Driven Community Building

Members are invested—literally. This investment creates engagement opportunities:

• You can survey members about product preferences
• Community forums provide direct feedback channels
• Member behavior reveals which products and content resonate
• You understand exactly who your best customers are

Margin Improvement

Exclusive member access to discounted or premium products often carries higher margins than regular product sales. Additionally:

• Recurring subscriptions reduce marketing costs per transaction
• Lower customer acquisition costs through member referrals
• More efficient use of customer service resources per member dollar

Top Shopify Membership Apps Reviewed

1. Bold Memberships

Best For: High-volume merchants wanting advanced membership architecture

Bold Memberships is the most feature-rich option available on the Shopify App Store. It's built by Bold, a trusted Shopify partner known for powerful apps like Bold Recurring Orders and Bold Subscriptions.

Key Features:

• Create unlimited membership tiers with different benefits
• Gate products, collections, and content
• Flexible pricing: monthly, annual, quarterly, or custom intervals
• Dunning management for failed payments
• Community features including member directories
• Advanced reporting and analytics
• Referral program integration
• Proration and prorated upgrades/downgrades

Pricing: $249/month (varies by plan)

Best For: Merchants who need enterprise-grade features and don't mind higher investment upfront.

2. Subbly

Best For: Subscription-first businesses and membership communities

Subbly is purpose-built for subscription and membership models from the ground up. Unlike apps retrofitted onto Shopify, Subbly was designed with recurring revenue in mind.

Key Features:

• Intuitive membership tier creation
• Member-only product collections
• Exclusive content gating
• Community forum functionality
• Member dashboard with purchase history
• Flexible billing schedules
• Churn reduction tools and retention analytics
• Integration with email marketing platforms

Pricing: $99-$299/month depending on membership volume

Best For: Creators and sellers prioritizing community engagement alongside commerce.

3. Memberful (Patreon-owned)

Best For: Content creators and creators integrating Shopify with broader creator platforms

Memberful was acquired by Patreon and excels at combining content subscription with e-commerce. It's particularly strong if you already use Patreon or maintain a creator platform.

Key Features:

• Gated content integration
• Video and audio content support
• Community chat and forums
• Flexible subscription management
• Patron-style membership tiers
• Email integration
• Customizable member pages

Pricing: Percentage-based (typically 5% + payment processing fees)

Best For: Content creators and niche communities where content is as important as products.

4. Locksmith

Best For: Simple, no-code content and product gating

Locksmith is the minimalist's choice—elegant, simple, and focused on doing one thing well: protecting content and products behind membership walls.

Key Features:

• Simple content and product gating
• Multiple access levels
• Password protection options
• Integration with email platforms
• Basic analytics
• No recurring payment handling (you manage billing externally)
• Quick setup, minimal configuration

Pricing: Free-$99/month

Best For: Merchants starting simple or those who want to own their subscription infrastructure.

5. Trendsi Membership

Best For: Fashion and lifestyle brands

Trendsi offers membership specifically optimized for fashion, beauty, and lifestyle brands.

Key Features:

• Member-exclusive product access
• VIP discount tiers
• Early access to drops and collections
• Inventory management for exclusive items
• Fashion-focused analytics
• Social proof integrations
• Integration with inventory systems

Pricing: Contact for custom pricing

Best For: Fashion, beauty, and lifestyle merchants building exclusivity-driven communities.

Types of Membership Models to Consider

Understanding different membership models helps you choose the right fit for your business.

1. Access-Based Membership

How it works: Members pay to access a curated collection of products at regular or member-exclusive prices.

Examples:

• Wine club: Members receive monthly curated selections at discounts
• Beauty box: Monthly delivery of exclusive or limited-edition products
• Specialty food: Access to premium, hard-to-find items

Best for: Merchants with consistent inventory and regular content updates

Revenue impact: High recurring revenue with strong retention if curation is excellent

2. Discount-Based Membership

How it works: Members pay a flat fee for access to store-wide discounts (typically 10-50% off).

Examples:

• Wholesale clubs: Pay $49/year for access to discounted goods
• Fast fashion brands: Pay $99/year for 20% off all purchases
• Sporting goods retailers: Annual membership for member-exclusive pricing

Best for: High-volume merchants with strong margins

Revenue impact: Works if average member lifetime purchases exceed membership fee by 3-5x

3. Content + Commerce Membership

How it works: Primary value is exclusive content (guides, courses, community) with secondary product access benefits.

Examples:

• Fitness brand: Monthly fee for workout videos, meal plans, and exclusive apparel
• Parenting brand: Monthly fee for expert guides, community forums, and exclusive products
• Tech education: Monthly fee for tutorials and access to tools/resources

Best for: Thought leaders and subject matter experts

Revenue impact: Highest customer loyalty and longest retention when content quality justifies cost

4. Tiered Membership

How it works: Multiple membership levels at different price points with increasing benefits.

Examples:

• Bronze ($9.99/month): 10% discount, exclusive products
• Silver ($19.99/month): 15% discount, exclusive products, private community
• Gold ($49.99/month): 20% discount, exclusive products, priority support, VIP events

Best for: Merchants with diverse customer segments and different value expectations

Revenue impact: Captures customers at multiple price points; many upgrade over time

5. Community-First Membership

How it works: Primary value is community access, connection, and belonging with commerce as secondary.

Examples:

• Creator collectives: Access to community of fellow creators, collaboration opportunities
• Hobby communities: Access to expert forums, resources, events, and exclusive products
• Professional networks: Industry connections, resources, and member-exclusive services

Best for: Merchants building passionate communities around shared interests

Revenue impact: Lowest churn when community is strong; can support premium pricing

Setting Up Member-Only Products and Content

Creating Member-Only Product Collections

Most membership apps allow you to tag products as "members-only." Here's the setup process:

1. Identify member-exclusive products in your catalog—either newly created or existing products you're converting
2. Tag them appropriately in Shopify with a "members-only" tag
3. Configure app settings to hide these from non-members
4. Test the experience by shopping as both member and non-member
5. Announce the exclusivity to drive membership conversions

Pro tip: Create a "new member exclusive" collection of products members can access immediately. This early win increases perceived value and satisfaction.

Gating Content Behind Membership

Content is often the highest-value benefit for membership programs.

Content you can gate:

• Blog posts and guides: Publish premium guides behind membership wall
• Video tutorials: Host exclusive how-to content members can access
• Downloadable resources: Templates, worksheets, checklists, etc.
• Community forums: Discussion areas where members share expertise
• Case studies: Show member success stories
• Webinars and events: Live or recorded member-only training

Content strategy for membership:

• Publish 2-3 pieces of public content weekly to drive discovery and conversions
• Publish 2-3 pieces of member-only content weekly to justify membership cost
• Make member content directly actionable and high-utility
• Refresh content regularly so members always have "new" materials to explore

Managing Member Access and Permissions

Different membership levels may have different access permissions.

Permission structure example:

Implement clear permission structures so members understand what each tier includes.

Implementing Recurring Billing

Recurring billing is the engine of membership programs. Here's how to set it up properly.

Choosing Your Billing Interval

Monthly billing:

• Pros: Lower barrier to entry, easier commitment for price-sensitive customers
• Cons: Higher churn rate, more payment processing
• Best for: Affordable tiers ($9.99-$29.99/month)

Annual billing:

• Pros: Higher revenue per customer, lower churn, better cash flow
• Cons: Higher upfront commitment barrier
• Best for: Premium tiers ($99-$299/year), established brands with trust
• Conversion tip: Offer 15-20% discount for annual vs. monthly ($99/year vs. $119/year)

Quarterly billing:

• Pros: Balance between commitment and ongoing decision points
• Cons: Mid-ground with neither advantage of other intervals
• Best for: Specialized B2B memberships

Payment Processing and Security

Use Shopify Payments for membership billing—it's integrated, secure, and reduces payment friction.

Security setup:

• Enable PCI compliance through Shopify's managed system
• Use tokenized payment processing to store secure payment methods
• Implement fraud detection (Shopify's Fraud Metrix)
• Ensure SSL certificates and HTTPS across your store

Dunning Management

Payment failures will happen—credit cards expire, insufficient funds, fraud blocks. Implement dunning management:

1. First attempt: Charge the card on the regular billing date
2. Automatic retry: Most apps automatically retry after 3-5 days
3. Customer notification: Send email notifying member of failed payment
4. Grace period: Maintain access for 7-14 days while customer fixes payment
5. Final attempt: One more retry before access suspension
6. Member communication: Send final notice with clear instructions to update payment

Most membership apps like Bold Memberships handle dunning automatically. This process can recover 40-50% of failed payments that would otherwise result in cancellation.

Proration and Changes

Handle membership changes fairly:

Upgrade scenario: Customer upgrades from $9.99/month to $19.99/month with 15 days left in cycle

• Charge the difference ($10) immediately for the remaining days
• Restart the full billing cycle with the new price

Downgrade scenario: Customer downgrades from $19.99 to $9.99/month

• Issue a credit for the overage toward their next cycle
• Or charge a portion and extend the cycle

Clear proration policies prevent support headaches and build trust.

Building Your Member Community

The most successful membership programs aren't just about access—they're about community, belonging, and shared values.

Creating a Member-Only Community Space

Build a dedicated space where members interact with each other and your brand.

Community platform options:

Built-in forum in membership app:

• Pros: Integrated with membership system, simpler setup
• Cons: Less full-featured than dedicated platforms
• Best for: Small to mid-sized communities (under 5,000 members)

Dedicated platform (Circle, Mighty Networks, Slack):

• Pros: Rich features, social networking, file sharing
• Cons: Additional monthly cost, separate login
• Best for: Communities that are the primary value proposition

Facebook Group (if your audience is there):

• Pros: Where many customers already spend time
• Cons: Privacy concerns, limited control
• Best for: Brands with established Facebook audience

Engagement Strategies That Drive Retention

Weekly rituals:

• Monday motivation post or resource
• Wednesday expert Q&A or office hours
• Friday wins/celebrations of member successes
• Ask members to share their experiences with products

Monthly touchpoints:

• Member-only webinar or training
• New exclusive product or content drop
• Community spotlight featuring member stories
• Survey to gather feedback

Quarterly initiatives:

• In-depth community challenge (30-day fitness challenge, writing challenge, etc.)
• Special member appreciation event or exclusive sale
• Launch new membership tier or benefit
• Member meetup (virtual or in-person)

User-Generated Content and Member Stories

Your best marketing comes from member success stories.

Implement:

• Ask members to share before/after photos or results
• Feature member interviews on your blog
• Highlight user testimonials in marketing
• Create a "member spotlight" monthly feature
• Encourage members to post in community forum with tips and advice

This serves dual purposes: it creates content you can repurpose and makes members feel valued and recognized.

Exclusive Member Events

Create reasons for members to stay engaged beyond products.

Event ideas:

• Live Q&A with you or your team
• Product launch previews exclusive to members
• Workshops or training sessions
• Virtual (or in-person) member meetups
• Social hours or casual hangouts
• Exclusive member sales or flash sales
• VIP early access to new collections

Events break the routine of digital interaction and create genuine connection and loyalty.

Membership Growth and Promotion Strategy

Building memberships takes focused effort. Here's how to grow effectively.

Promoting Your Membership Program

On-site promotion:

• Homepage banner with value proposition and CTA
• Post-purchase email promoting membership to recent buyers
• Discount offer (first month free or 50% off) with deadline urgency
• Exit-intent offer when visitors leave
• Footer membership callout
• Product page integration showing member-exclusive options

Content marketing:

• Create content targeting "how to find [product type]" queries
• Write guides on "how to [common problem]" that members solve
• Build topical authority in your niche
• Publish to Shopify blog and external publications

Email marketing:

• Email your existing customer base about membership
• Create a welcome sequence for new members
• Send weekly content updates to prospects showing member value
• Monthly newsletter with member-exclusive content previews

Social media:

• Highlight member-exclusive products on social
• Share member success stories and testimonials
• Show behind-the-scenes access (exclusive to members)
• Create FOMO with exclusive drops and early access announcements

Pricing Your Membership

Pricing is not about cost—it's about value perception.

Pricing psychology:

• $9.99/month feels "under $10" and affordable
• $19.99/month feels premium without being expensive
• $99/year ($8.25/month) often converts better than $99/month
• Tiered options increase perceived flexibility and value

Price testing approach:

1. Research competitor programs and similar communities
2. Calculate value delivered (cost of products given + content value + community value)
3. Set price at 30-40% of perceived value delivered
4. Start with single tier, add premium tier after reaching 200+ members
5. Test pricing changes with new customer cohorts before changing existing members

Conversion Optimization

Track and improve your membership sign-up conversion rate.

Key conversion metrics:

• Membership page view to sign-up rate (aim for 3-5%)
• Traffic source performance (which channels drive best customers?)
• Discount code impact (does 50% off first month drive quality members or just price-sensitive churners?)
• Seasonal conversion patterns (holidays, New Year, summer typically convert higher)

Optimization tests:

• Test different value propositions (benefits-focused vs. price-focused)
• Try different CTA button colors and text
• Test length of free trial (7 days vs. 14 days vs. no trial)
• Compare one-tier to multi-tier pricing display
• Test social proof elements (testimonials, member count, success stories)

Common Membership Mistakes to Avoid

1. Insufficient Value

Members will churn quickly if the membership value doesn't justify the price. They should see clear benefits from day one.

Solution: Over-deliver on value in the first 30 days. New members are most likely to cancel within the first month—make it impossible for them to leave.

2. Neglecting Community

Membership is more than a gated store. Community and connection are often the primary retention drivers.

Solution: Invest in community moderation, engagement, and creation. This effort pays exponential returns through retention.

3. Inconsistent Content Updates

Members get frustrated when they've read all the content and see no new material.

Solution: Publish new member content weekly minimum. Create a content calendar and stick to it religiously.

4. Poor Onboarding

Many members churn because they don't understand how to use all the membership features.

Solution: Create member onboarding emails (7-email sequence) and an onboarding guide explaining all member benefits, how to access them, and your content calendar.

5. Ignoring Churn and Feedback

You'll learn most from the members who leave.

Solution: Send exit surveys asking why members cancel. Use this feedback to address pain points.

6. Sporadic Billing Updates

Changes to payment methods, billing dates, or charges that surprise members cause churn and support headaches.

Solution: Communicate billing clearly and proactively. Send reminder emails before billing date.

Implementation Timeline

Getting a membership program running doesn't have to take months.

Weeks 1-2: Planning

• Choose your membership model and pricing
• Select your membership app and install
• Create member-exclusive products and content
• Design membership page

Weeks 3-4: Building

• Set up payment processing and billing cycles
• Create member onboarding sequence
• Set up community space (forum or external platform)
• Create member welcome guide and resources

Week 5: Launch

• Announce membership to existing customer base
• Create landing page and funnel
• Set up promotional offers and tracking
• Train team on member management

Weeks 6+: Growth and Optimization

• Monitor conversion rates and member churn
• Engage with community and create content
• Test pricing and promotional strategies
• Scale based on what's working

Final Thoughts on Building Membership Revenue

Membership programs are one of the most transformative changes you can make to your e-commerce business. They shift you from a transactional mindset to a relationship mindset, from one-time revenue to predictable recurring revenue.

The best time to launch a membership program was last year. The second-best time is today.

Start simple: Choose a membership app, create 5-10 pieces of exclusive content, pick a reasonable price point, and launch to your existing audience. You'll learn what members value, refine your offering, and grow from there.

The businesses that will thrive in e-commerce over the next five years are those building communities, not just selling products.

Ready to Launch Your Membership Program?

Building an exclusive member community requires the right tools and strategy. Get a free audit of your Shopify store to identify opportunities to implement membership revenue and build deeper customer relationships.

Not sure where to start? Contact the AdsX team for personalized guidance on building a membership program tailored to your business model and audience.

Shopify provides excellent infrastructure for membership programs through integrated payment processing and flexibility. Explore Shopify's merchant solutions to see how to build your full e-commerce stack.