How to Build a Course Membership Site (Recurring Revenue Instead of One-Off Sales)

Pricing a course at $99 is exciting, but that excitement fades quickly when the month turns and your earnings reset to zero.

This is the struggle of single sales: a course membership platform is the perfect solution. With members paying monthly or annually for unlimited access to your extensive course offerings, you gain reliable, recurring income. However, this model requires commitment: you’ll need to continually provide fresh content.

This guide will explore how to establish a course membership site using WordPress. We’ll examine three legitimate approaches, their actual costs, how to organise pricing tiers and schedule content, as well as discussing churn—the reality that often gets glossed over in marketing pitches. We’ll also highlight scenarios where creating a membership may not be ideal.

Let’s dive right in!

What distinguishes a course membership site

A membership site facilitates ongoing access to exclusive content in exchange for payment. For details about standard practices (membership tiers, paywalls, safeguarding posts and pages), check out our guide on starting a membership platform and our overview of WordPress membership plugins. We won’t repeat that here.

A course membership site is a distinct version of this model: the gated material consists of organised learning opportunities such as courses, lessons, quizzes, and certification. This emphasis alters what’s essential:

• Progress, not just access. Members look for the ability to engage with content, track their advancements, and complete their courses.
• Content scheduling. Releasing courses gradually not only enhances teaching effectiveness but also serves as a retention strategy.
• A resource library, not merely a product. One course may be a mere transaction; whereas several related courses provide a compelling reason to maintain membership.

Keep these three principles in mind as they will influence all forthcoming decisions.

Is a membership model suitable for you?

Prior to delving into tools, consider the business model. A membership is effective when:

• You possess (or will soon develop) a range of related courses. A single course doesn’t form a membership; it’s just a product.
• You can release content on a regular basis. This means new lessons, live events, or updated material on at least a monthly basis.
• Your subject encourages continued education. Topics like software, marketing, languages, or fitness see individuals wanting ongoing practice.

Nailed all three? Great! Feeling uncertain about the second? Skip ahead to explore when single sales might outshine memberships—there’s no shame in choosing that path.

Three paths to consider

There are three viable approaches to create this using WordPress:

A note on pricing strategies: both Masteriyo and MemberPress promote introductory prices that double upon renewal; thus, the table includes renewal prices to reflect actual long-term expenses. Let’s delve into each method.

Path 1: Masteriyo Pro for recurring subscriptions

This is the most straightforward option. Full disclosure: Masteriyo is a plugin created by our team at Themeisle. It’s often the optimal choice for this task, and this guide will highlight situations where it might not be.

How it operates: Instead of a site-wide membership, you can sell recurring subscriptions for individual courses or course bundles, each with its unique price. Members retain access as long as they continue to pay; if they cancel, access is terminated at the end of the billing period.

The setup process takes roughly two minutes. Access your course, navigate to Settings → Pricing, select Paid → Recurring, and then establish the pricing and billing frequency, as shown:

Three Masteriyo features effectively support this membership structure, all of which reside in the Pro plan ($149/year intro, renewing at $299/year):

• Subscriptions / recurring pricing. This allows pricing to be applied per course per month or year, facilitated by an integrated checkout without the need for WooCommerce.
• Course bundles. Grouping several courses under one price positions these bundles to function as membership levels. For instance, a starter bundle containing three basic courses and an all-access bundle with everything included.
• Content Drip. Release lessons X days after enrollment or on specific dates; we’ll delve into how this impacts retention shortly.

The checkout process is seamlessly integrated: offline payment options and PayPal are available from the outset, and there’s a complimentary Stripe addon. Masteriyo imposes no transaction fees across all plans, meaning you solely incur your payment gateway’s fees. Here’s what your members will see at checkout:

Now for some nuances that the feature list doesn’t mention:

• It does not include a native membership system. Subscriptions are managed on a course or bundle basis, not with site-wide member levels, directories, or forums. For that, read on.
• The renewal price doubles. Although the intro rate is $149/year, the second year will cost $299, so adjust your budget accordingly.
• If the license expires, courses remain functional; you just lose access to updates and support. This is reasonable, but do keep updates current on something that handles payments.

Path 2: Masteriyo Pro with a dedicated membership plugin

Path 1 may feel restrictive if your membership encompasses more than merely courses. You might want to include an exclusive blog, downloadable resources, or a community space, with courses being just one aspect. In this case, a dedicated membership plugin becomes essential, while the LMS continues delivering courses.

Masteriyo Pro includes integration options for two popular plugins: Paid Memberships Pro and Restrict Content Pro. Both integrations require the Pro plan at $149/year with a renewal at $299.

Here’s the framework:

1. The membership plugin manages the access control. It regulates member levels, sign-ups, recurring billing, and restricts access across all site content.
2. Masteriyo handles the educational content. This includes courses, lessons, quizzes, certificates, and progress monitoring.
3. The integration links both. When a member joins a level in the membership plugin, it unlocks access to the specific courses tied to that level.

For Paid Memberships Pro, the core plugin is free and open-source, and you can download it directly from their website, as it is no longer listed in the WordPress.org repository. The paid Standard plan ($499/year) offers premium add-ons and support. Alternatively, check the latest packaging and pricing for Restrict Content Pro before making a decision.

This guide won’t walk through the setup process step-by-step for an honest reason: most setup screens belong to the membership plugin, not Masteriyo, and these are subject to change with each significant update. The general process is stable: activate the integration in Masteriyo → Addons, establish your membership tiers, then connect each tier to the corresponding courses. Documentation for both plugins outlines the current user interface effectively.

There are notable downsides: you’ll be managing two commercial plugins (potentially with two renewal cycles), configuration settings will be distributed between two locations, and troubleshooting might involve determining which of the two plugins is the source of a problem. However, you gain robust membership management features (e.g., levels, upgrades and downgrades, proration, member notifications) that a course plugin alone cannot offer.

Path 3: Membership-first solution like MemberPress

The third approach flips the structure: begin with a membership plugin that supports courses as well. MemberPress stands out as the leading choice: it prioritises membership levels and access rules, with built-in LMS features (course creation, quizzes, certificates, content dripping).

What’s the course creation process like? The integrated Courses add-on provides a visual, drag-and-drop curriculum builder for content structuring, with progress automatically monitored as members engage with the courses. Note, however, that quizzes and completion certificates are exclusive to the Growth plan or higher, while the gradebook feature starts at the Scale tier. At Launch, you can build courses but lack the ability to assess participants—suitable for a content library, but limited for those relying on assessments.

Here’s a summary of their pricing structure:

• Launch: $199.50/year during a promotional period (normally $399), but this tier incurs transaction fees in addition to your payment gateway’s fees (4.9%, check current terms).
• Growth: $349.50/year (normally $699), also incurs a transaction fee.
• Scale: $499.50/year (normally $999), again with transaction fees.
• A free tier exists. It is crucial to remember that promotional prices tend to renew at the full “normal” rate.

Opt for this route if the membership itself is your primary product, and courses are merely one component—gated articles, downloadable content, community features, and intricate access rules (e.g., “level B members can access posts in category X”). MemberPress excels in these areas. Trade-offs include competent but not extensive course features, the lowest tier carries transaction fees over and above your payment gateway’s charges (4.9%, confirm current terms), and there’s no free version available for testing. Explore alternatives within our roundup of membership plugins if MemberPress doesn’t align with your needs.

How to structure tiers, bundles, and content release

Regardless of your chosen path, the structural setup is more critical than the tool. Here’s what works well for course memberships:

• Limit to two or three tiers. Every additional tier complicates your visitor’s decision-making process, leading to potential drop-offs. An effective model could be: Tier 1 = access to the core library, Tier 2 = everything plus new content each month, Tier 3 = all content along with coaching or live sessions.
• Utilise bundles for your tiers. In Masteriyo, a course bundle that has its recurring price acts effectively as a membership level, without needing to label it as such.
• Drip content for engagement, not merely pacing. Dripping content involves releasing lessons gradually, rather than overwhelming members with all the material at once. For a one-time course, this avoids bingeing; within a membership, it motivates ongoing subscriptions by providing members with a tangible reason to remain engaged over time. Masteriyo’s content drip facilitates both “X days after enrollment” and fixed calendar dates, while MemberPress includes its own built-in dripping features.
• Provide quick wins in the first month. A short, easily completable course at the start encourages members to log back in after their initial engagement.

PRO TIP: Present both monthly and yearly subscriptions across all tiers. Annual subscribers are less likely to churn and provide upfront cash flow. Commonly, this is pitched as two months free: pay for ten but receive twelve.

Here’s how your members’ library appears on the frontend: course cards featuring pricing and signup buttons.

Understanding member churn that is often overlooked

Churn refers to the percentage of members who cancel, a topic rarely addressed in marketing. This segment will offer insights, as any claim of a universal churn rate is mere guesswork.

What every membership owner will likely share:

• Members typically join for a course and exit when it’s completed. This is crucial: your library must be ready to answer “what’s next?” before they even contemplate it.
• Lack of engagement is detrimental. If there’s no new content for two months, membership starts resembling a financial obligation rather than a valuable offering.
• People may pause their memberships for personal reasons. Busy seasons, budget restrictions, or waning interest—cancellations aren’t always failures.
• Boring but effective solutions include: a visible content calendar, dripped content with regular releases, consistent communication through member emails, and offering annual plans to help smoothen income.

The simplest retention strategy is to have a public “coming soon” page. Members aware of what’s launching next month are more likely to stay engaged.

One more note: a membership entails a commitment to maintain content, not merely launching a product. If that sounds exhausting, the next section is for you.

When one-off sales are more effective than memberships

Let’s be candid. Consider forgoing the membership model when:

• You have a single flagship course. One course is a standalone product, making it wise to charge a fair one-time fee.
• The goal entails a defined end. For instance, “Pass the certification exam” or “Plan your wedding.” People want to complete their objectives and leave, which is perfectly acceptable.
• Your audience shows a preference for ownership. A significant number of learners dislike subscriptions; they prefer a straightforward “purchase and keep it forever” option.
• You can’t commit to a content release schedule. An inactive membership is worse than non-existence; it sets a precedent for cancellations.

The upside: it’s not an either/or scenario. A hybrid model (selling flagship courses at a one-time price, alongside a membership for an expanding library) is common in successful course businesses. Masteriyo accommodates both on a single site, enabling separate pricing per course. Start with singular sales and develop the recurring part as your library expands to warrant it.

Final reflections

To summarise the three paths:

• Path 1: Masteriyo Pro subscriptions. The straightforward, course-native route, starting at $149/year (renews at $299), with 0% transaction fees; bundles serve as membership levels, and drip feeding maintains member interest.
• Path 2: Masteriyo Pro paired with Paid Memberships Pro. Establish comprehensive member levels and site-wide restrictions, albeit with dual plugin management.
• Path 3: MemberPress. Membership-centered features integrated with courses. Be mindful of transaction fees on the Launch plan on top of gateway fees (4.9%, see current details), and that renewal costs double.

Ultimately, if you are a course creator exploring recurring income for the first time, commence with Path 1 for its minimal complexity. You can always add a complete membership plugin later if you outgrow it. If courses are just one slice of a broader membership offering, then Paths 2 or 3 will be more suitable from the outset.

And if you’re still in the process of developing that first course, our guide on how to create an online course with WordPress outlines the entire method for free.

Are you currently managing a course membership, or are you still contemplating? What’s keeping you from proceeding? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

FREE GUIDE

4 Essential Steps to Speed Up Your WordPress Website

Implement these straightforward measures in our mini-series and achieve a 50-80% reduction in loading times.

Bravo! You’ve reached the conclusion of the article!