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Your Website vs. A Platform: Where Do I Build My Paid Community?

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The Membership Blast — 036

Your Website vs. A Platform: Where Do I Build My Paid Community?

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Hi everyone,

I’m heading out on vacation next week, and recently my wife and I had a decision to make:

The Carolinas or Rosemary Beach, Florida?

We compared what we wanted, looked at the pros and cons, and Rosemary Beach won. 🌴

And it got me thinking about a comparison community leaders make all the time:

Should I build a paid community on my own website or use a platform like Patreon, Circle, Mighty Networks, Substack, etc.

Both can work. But what’s right for you?

🏠 My website

Best if: You already have an audience or you’re trying to build a real business around your membership.

Pros:

  • You own the audience and relationship instead of building on rented land
  • Much lower costs as you grow, depending on the membership software you choose
  • Your website, content, products, community, and membership can live together
  • More control over your brand and customer experience
  • More freedom and flexibility when adding community forums, courses, downloads, coaching, events, or whatever comes next
  • Access to real human support when using membership software like MemberSpace

Cons:

  • Usually a little more setup upfront

If you already have a website getting traffic or an existing audience, I’d lean pretty strongly in this direction.

Some website builders may have basic membership features, but be careful. Many community leaders quickly outgrow those limited features and end up migrating to more advanced, dedicated membership software like MemberSpace.

Either way, you keep your website, brand, and audience while software like ours handles the membership technology. And when you need help, you can talk to an actual human.

📱 A platform

Best if: You don’t have a website and want the fastest, simplest way to launch.

Pros:

  • Fast setup
  • Less technology to manage
  • Community features are often built in
  • No website required
  • Most of the experience is already designed for you

Cons:

  • You’re essentially renting your audience inside someone else’s ecosystem
  • Less control over your brand and customer experience
  • You’re limited by the features the platform decides to offer
  • Support can be less personal depending on the platform
  • Platform fees can take a meaningful percentage of your revenue, sometimes on top of payment processing, transaction fees, and taxes

For example, Patreon currently charges new creators a 10% platform fee, plus payment processing and applicable taxes.

At $1,000/month, 10% is $100.

At $10,000/month, it’s $1,000.

At $50,000/month, it’s $5,000 every month, before processing and other applicable costs.

A platform can make it easier to start.

But your website gives you more freedom to build, own, and grow.

So before comparing a hundred different features, ask yourself:

Am I trying to launch something quickly, or am I building a business I want to own for years?

Once you know that, the decision gets a whole lot easier.

Now I just need to make it to Rosemary Beach. 🌴

Until next time,
 

Marvin
Chief Growth Officer
MemberSpace