Build a membership website with AI
Members-only content, subscriber management, and recurring billing — Claude CMS builds everything your membership site needs, without Kajabi at $149/month or MemberPress taking a cut of every feature.
Membership sites need Stripe Subscriptions, session-based access control, gated content middleware, and a member dashboard. Claude generates the full PHP stack — subscriber table, webhook handler, content gating, and admin panel — all through conversation.
The full membership stack — no plugins needed
Most website builders need expensive plugins to run a membership site — MemberPress costs $179+/year on top of WordPress hosting, and Kajabi starts at $149/month. Claude CMS builds the entire membership infrastructure for £6.99/month flat.
Membership platforms are Stripe Subscriptions + session auth + content gating middleware. Claude generates every component as raw PHP: subscription handlers, session-based auth, per-page access control checks, and a self-service member portal.
Recurring billing
Monthly and annual subscription plans with free trials, upgrade/downgrade options, and automatic card retry. Powered by Stripe — members can cancel anytime from their dashboard.
Stripe Subscriptions API with multiple Price objects (monthly/annual). Webhook handlers for invoice.payment_succeeded, customer.subscription.deleted, and subscription.updated. Prorated upgrades via subscription_proration_behavior.
Gated content
Protect any page, post, or download behind a paywall. Members see the full content — visitors see a teaser and a subscribe prompt. No plugin required.
PHP middleware checks session subscription_status against a per-page access_level column. Non-members get a teaser view (first N paragraphs) with subscribe CTA. Access levels support multiple membership tiers.
Member dashboard
A self-service area where members manage their subscription, update payment details, access exclusive content, and download invoices — without contacting you.
Member portal at /account: Stripe Customer Portal link (one-click billing management), subscription status display, billing history via API, password change, and member-only content index. All session-authenticated.
Every membership model — one platform
Newsletter & content membership
Premium articles, analysis, and newsletters behind a paywall. Free teaser content for visitors, full archive for paying members.
page_type='post' with access_level='members'. Public index shows excerpt only. Auth middleware on full post view. RSS feed filtered by subscriber status.
Online courses & learning
Course content, lesson videos, and progress tracking — all gated behind a subscription. Students work through structured learning at their own pace.
Course/module/lesson hierarchy in MySQL, progress tracking table (user_id, lesson_id, completed_at), video embeds via YouTube/Vimeo iframe, completion percentage shown in member dashboard.
Community & coaching
Members-only community spaces, group coaching resources, and downloadable assets. Build a real community without paying Kajabi or Circle's platform fees.
Members-only pages with forum-style comment tables, downloadable resource library with access-controlled endpoints, group session calendar, and progress journals in MySQL.
Product subscription boxes
Monthly boxes, digital product drops, or exclusive member discounts. Stripe Subscriptions handles recurring billing, Claude handles the fulfilment flow.
Stripe Subscription + physical fulfilment: webhook triggers Royal Mail Click & Drop order creation, generates shipping labels, emails tracking numbers to members automatically.
Podcast & audio membership
Free public episodes plus members-only bonus content, early access, and ad-free feeds. A private RSS feed only paying members can subscribe to.
Public RSS feed endpoint (feed.php) + authenticated private feed with token validation against subscribers table. Episode pages with access_level gating for bonus content.
Professional associations
Annual membership fees, member directories, exclusive resources, and event access — the complete solution for professional bodies and trade associations.
Annual billing (Stripe Subscriptions interval:'year'), member directory with per-field visibility control, document library with per-file access control, and event ticketing integration.
Membership platforms charge a fortune. Claude CMS doesn't.
| Claude CMS | Kajabi | MemberPress (WP) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | £6.99/mo | $149–$399/mo | $179+/yr + WP hosting |
| Transaction fees | None (Stripe only) | None (on paid plans) | None |
| Custom design | ✓ (built from scratch) | Templates only | WordPress theme dependent |
| Self-hosted | ✓ | ✗ (Kajabi cloud) | ✓ (WP hosting req.) |
| Custom membership logic | ✓ (raw PHP) | Platform limits apply | Plugin API only |
| AI builds & updates features | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
Launch your membership site in days
Get hosting
Install Claude CMS on any PHP/MySQL host. Connect it to Claude Desktop or claude.ai. See the setup guide.
Describe your membership
Tell Claude what content you're gating, your pricing plans (monthly/annual), and what members should be able to access.
Claude builds the stack
Claude creates your membership pages, sets up Stripe Subscriptions, builds the login system and member dashboard, and wires up content gating.
Claude executes file_write (Stripe webhook handler, auth middleware, member portal PHP), db_query (subscribers table schema + seed), and site_create_page (gated content, checkout page) via MCP.
Launch & grow
Go live and start accepting members. Add new content, tiers, or features at any time — just tell Claude.
Build your membership site for £6.99/month
No platform fees, no per-member charges, no plugin costs. Just a flat £6.99/month — and your first month is free.
Self-hosted Stripe Subscriptions + PHP auth + gated content middleware. Full stack built through conversation. From £6.99/mo — no transaction fees beyond Stripe's standard rate.