Memberstack

Authentication, gated content, subscriptions, and member data for websites

KINDA · partial replacement
price $29/mosubscription / year $348estimated build time multi-dayreplaced by 0 people

The visible website memberships loop is buildable, but a credible replacement needs more than the first screen. Memberstack earns its keep through payments, network, compliance, so expect a weekend or multi-day build and a narrower personal scope.

Build verification: not recorded. How we judge buildability

What you give up

  • native apps and community moderation
  • fulfilment, email, and affiliate ecosystems
  • marketplace discovery and buyer trust
  • tax, disputes, payouts, and fraud operations

Why people still pay

Memberstack: Creators pay to outsource payments, tax complexity, disputes, deliverability, moderation, and the trust needed to convert strangers.

Your build guide

The stack, security requirements, and agent rules for a focused replacement.

Before you start

  • Runtime and tools: TypeScript, React, Node and PostgreSQL with workspace membership enforced on the server.
  • Before starting: A PostgreSQL database, session authentication, two isolated example workspaces and private attachment storage.
01
TypeScript, React, Node and PostgreSQL with workspace membership enforced on the server
02
Data design: Store Member, Session, Plan, Entitlement and PaymentEvent; entitlement changes follow verified events and access checks protect the actual content endpoint, not merely CSS visibility.
03
Setup: A PostgreSQL database, session authentication, two isolated example workspaces and private attachment storage
engineering roadmap

Implementation plan

1

Phase 1

Pin the working slice and create its example input: Add authenticated members and paid entitlements to one site's private pages using hosted checkout and server-checked access. Confirm setup: A PostgreSQL database, session authentication, two isolated example workspaces and private attachment storage.

2

Phase 2

Implement persistence and write-time invariants before decorating the UI: Store Member, Session, Plan, Entitlement and PaymentEvent; entitlement changes follow verified events and access checks protect the actual content endpoint, not merely CSS visibility.

3

Phase 3

Connect the working view to real saved state. Check membership on reads, mutations, attachments and exports. Keep activity history separate from editable current state; do not make private records public through search.

4

Phase 4

Expose the app-specific limits and recovery path in context: Choose one authentication library and one billing provider. A drop-in script cannot protect files already public; expose refund/cancellation states and keep payment card handling hosted.

5

Phase 5

Walk through this concrete acceptance case and preserve its exported evidence: Remove a paying member's entitlement while their browser tab remains open; the next protected request is denied and replayed payment events do not restore revoked access incorrectly. Finish the README and backup/restore instructions; report unfinished capabilities explicitly.

the pro prompt
download AGENTS.md
Build the following focused alternative to Memberstack. This is a deliberately limited personal or small-team substitute, not parity with the paid service.

WORKING SLICE
Add authenticated members and paid entitlements to one site's private pages using hosted checkout and server-checked access.

SETUP AND ARCHITECTURE
Use TypeScript, React, Node and PostgreSQL with workspace membership enforced on the server. Prerequisites: A PostgreSQL database, session authentication, two isolated example workspaces and private attachment storage. Before integrating anything, record actual versions and permissions, plus model files or provider limits only where used, in the README; make unavailable dependencies visible rather than simulating success.

DOMAIN MODEL AND INVARIANTS
Store Member, Session, Plan, Entitlement and PaymentEvent; entitlement changes follow verified events and access checks protect the actual content endpoint, not merely CSS visibility.

IMPLEMENTATION CONTRACT
Check membership on reads, mutations, attachments and exports. Keep activity history separate from editable current state; do not make private records public through search. Provide an input/setup view, the main work view, and a review/export view appropriate to this workflow. Preserve the last saved state if a job or save fails. Include empty, loading, permission-denied, partial and retryable-error states. Log identifiers and error categories without secret values or unnecessary private content.

APP-SPECIFIC BOUNDARY AND RECOVERY
Choose one authentication library and one billing provider. A drop-in script cannot protect files already public; expose refund/cancellation states and keep payment card handling hosted.

ACCEPTANCE SCENARIO
Remove a paying member's entitlement while their browser tab remains open; the next protected request is denied and replayed payment events do not restore revoked access incorrectly. Also reopen the app after an interrupted operation, confirm the saved record/export remains inspectable, and document the recovery action. These are implementation acceptance requirements, not a claim that this guide has been tested.

DELIVERY
Deliver a runnable repository with migrations or project-format versioning, a non-sensitive example, environment/permission setup, the exact manual acceptance steps, and a backup/export-and-restore walkthrough. Implement the working slice before optional integrations; list any deferred paid-product capabilities honestly. Do not add capabilities outside the working slice just to resemble the original product.

PROJECT RULES FOR AGENTS.md
Keep the domain invariants above executable at the write boundary. Propose scope changes before adding providers or permissions. Never fabricate source evidence, publish results, identity matches or successful delivery. Preserve user originals and require an explicit confirmation for destructive changes or external publication.

$ open in your agent (prompt prefilled, you press enter), copy the prompt or copy or download AGENTS.md

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Alternatives to building your own

GhostAll four nouns are present, but the website becomes a Ghost publication rather than keeping its current stack.55kaug 2026open source↗Paid Memberships ProAuthentication, member records, recurring billing and gated content inside WordPress; arbitrary-site embedding is gone.528jul 2026open source↗systeme.ioHosted users, subscriptions and gated content for a small membership site; you move the site into its ecosystem.$0free↗

all 3 free alternatives to Memberstack →· no votes, no pay-to-list · just what's real

Memberstack pricing

planmonthlyannual (per mo)what you get
build mode$0/workspace$0/workspaceFree until launch; no card required; 0 production/live-site allowance published.Not a production free tier.
basic$29/workspace$25/workspaceUp to 1,000 members; 4% Memberstack transaction fee.Annual price is $300.
professional$49/workspace$39/workspaceUp to 5,000 members; 2% Memberstack transaction fee.Annual price is $468.
business$99/workspace$79/workspace10,000+ members; 0.9% Memberstack transaction fee.Annual price is $948.
established$499/workspace$399/workspace10,000+ members; 0% Memberstack transaction fee.Annual price is $4,788.
200 member plan$99/workspace—Up to 200 members and 0% Memberstack transaction fee.Specialty plan for productized-service businesses; monthly price only.

free tierBuild Mode is free until launch but is not a production plan; no numeric live-member allowance is published

billingmonthly + annual for core plans; 200 Member Plan is monthly; 30-day money-back guarantee

hidden costsBasic/Professional/Business add 4%/2%/0.9% platform fees on top of Stripe processing; crossing member limits requires a higher plan.

pricing sources checked 2026-08-14 · pricing source ↗

Questions about Memberstack

Can you build your own Memberstack with AI?

Partly. The visible website memberships loop is buildable, but a credible replacement needs more than the first screen. Memberstack earns its keep through payments, network, compliance, so expect a weekend or multi-day build and a narrower personal scope.

What does the Memberstack build prompt cover?

The prompt starts with this scope: Add authenticated members and paid entitlements to one site's private pages using hosted checkout and server-checked access. Full-product capabilities excluded from the comparison include: native apps and community moderation; fulfilment, email, and affiliate ecosystems; marketplace discovery and buyer trust. Follow the implementation plan and its prerequisites before expanding the build.

How do I use the prompt, AGENTS.md and agent skills?

Start with the Memberstack prerequisites and stack, then copy the prompt into your coding agent. Save the project rules as AGENTS.md in the project root. Linked skills are optional packages or source instructions for specific tasks; review their current contents and install only those matching the chosen stack. A skill does not supply API credentials or verify the finished app.

How long will this Memberstack project take?

The catalogue estimate is multi-day for the limited scope. Setup, integration approvals, debugging, deployment and ongoing maintenance can add time. This is an estimate, not a delivery guarantee.

What would I give up by replacing Memberstack?

native apps and community moderation; fulfilment, email, and affiliate ecosystems; marketplace discovery and buyer trust; tax, disputes, payouts, and fraud operations. Memberstack: Creators pay to outsource payments, tax complexity, disputes, deliverability, moderation, and the trust needed to convert strangers.

What price is this guide comparing against?

The recorded Basic plan is $29/mo (monthly membership plan), checked 2026-07-31. Check the linked pricing source before buying. Building your own also has hosting, API and maintenance costs; the recorded amount is not a guaranteed saving.

What can I use instead of building Memberstack?

Ghost: All four nouns are present, but the website becomes a Ghost publication rather than keeping its current stack. Paid Memberships Pro: Authentication, member records, recurring billing and gated content inside WordPress; arbitrary-site embedding is gone. systeme.io: Hosted users, subscriptions and gated content for a small membership site; you move the site into its ecosystem. Compare all listed options at https://howtovibecodeit.dev/memberstack/alternatives. Check each option's license, hosting needs and feature limits.

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