Create free and paid Shopify membership tiers
Offer monthly, quarterly, annual or one-time memberships with benefits for each tier. Compare billing options, trials and access rules before launching your program.
Memberply Growth: US$49/month, unlimited members and a 14-day app trial.
One membership app, different ways to join
Memberply lets Shopify merchants create free, monthly, quarterly, yearly, combined monthly/yearly and one-time payment membership tiers. Configure each tier’s benefits, then sell the membership through Shopify checkout and let members access their perks in customer accounts.
Use a tier to define a membership offer, such as a free rewards club or paid VIP access. Offering monthly and annual billing on the same tier gives customers a payment-frequency choice. Create separate tiers when you want different benefit packages.
Compare Shopify membership billing options
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| Option | How the member pays | Best suited to |
|---|---|---|
| Free | No recurring membership charge. | An entry-level rewards program or complimentary access. |
| Monthly | A recurring monthly membership fee. | Benefits customers can use regularly. |
| Quarterly | The full membership price at signup, then every three months. A joining fee is optional. | A standalone three-month billing schedule, without monthly/yearly trial or payment-skip settings. |
| Yearly | A recurring annual membership fee. | A year of access and benefits. |
| Monthly and yearly | The customer chooses a billing frequency for the same tier. | One benefit package with two payment options. |
| One-time payment | One purchase, with no automatic recurring charge. | A fixed-duration pass or access without recurring billing. |
Free and one-time tiers can have an access duration in days, months or years, or no expiry. That duration runs from the original join date and can affect existing members when changed. An individual access expiry overrides the tier duration. Recurring tiers use subscription billing and cancellation dates instead.
Member trials, joining fees and the first payment
A member trial is an offer you give your customers. It is separate from the 14-day app trial you receive when evaluating Memberply. Members receive the configured benefits during their trial, and recurring memberships continue at the agreed price unless cancelled.
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| Trial setting | Monthly billing | Annual billing |
|---|---|---|
| None | Regular monthly fee from signup. | Regular annual fee from signup. |
| 1 month | First month’s membership fee is free, then the regular monthly fee. | First annual payment reduced by one-twelfth, then the regular annual fee at renewal. |
| 1 year | Unavailable on monthly-only tiers; monthly billing stays at regular price on a tier offering both frequencies. | First annual fee is free, then the regular annual fee at the first annual renewal. |
| Free until the next billing day | Monthly-only tiers: free signup period until the next selected day, then regular monthly billing. | Not available. |
Any joining fee is charged once at signup, including during a trial. For example, a $120 annual membership with a one-year trial and a $20 joining fee costs $20 at signup and $120 at its first annual renewal. This illustrative example excludes taxes and discounts.
Trial changes apply to new signups. Existing subscriptions retain their agreed pricing and trial. Read the membership trial setup guide before advertising a free offer.
Bill new monthly members on a selected day
On a monthly-only tier, choose Free until the next billing day and select a day from 1 to 28. The free period lasts until the next occurrence of that day, which can be less than a full month. This option cannot be combined with the one-month or one-year trial.
Illustrative example: with day 5 and a $14.99 monthly price, a September 2 signup has its first paid renewal scheduled for September 5, then October 5. A September 5 signup starts paid renewals on October 5. Any joining fee is still due at signup; taxes and discounts are excluded from this example. Payment failures can delay collection.
Existing subscriptions retain their agreed billing day when the tier setting changes. Members can see their next billing date in the Member Hub or legacy member dashboard.
Check your payment gateway before choosing recurring billing
Shopify requires a supported gateway and payment method for subscriptions. Its current third-party subscription gateway list includes Shopify Payments, PayPal Express, Authorize.net, Adyen and Stripe, with regional and account restrictions. Check Shopify’s current subscription requirements and test the payment methods your customers use.
If your gateway cannot process recurring subscriptions through Shopify, consider a one-time membership with a fixed access duration. For example, sell 12 months of access and configure renewal reminders and an optional renewal incentive. The customer returns to checkout to renew; this is not an automatic annual charge.
Follow the one-time membership renewal guide. Confirm your actual checkout and reminder flow before presenting it as a renewable membership.
Attach different benefits to each tier
Memberply lets you connect membership tiers to the perks that make sense for that audience.
Shopify store credit
Signup credit, monthly credit drops, birthday credit and fee-to-credit benefits.
Free shipping
Make shipping savings part of your monthly or annual membership value.
Member discounts
Give each tier different discounts based on customer value or commitment.
Reward points
Let free and paid members earn points and redeem them for future value.
Exclusive access
Reserve collections, products, content or events for selected membership tiers.
Member portal
Let customers see their membership, points, benefits and store credit in one place.
Cancellation, refunds and changing membership tiers
Choose whether benefits end immediately on cancellation or at the end of the billing cycle. Explain that policy alongside your renewal price, and keep your Shopify subscription cancellation policy consistent with the offer.
Refunding a membership payment is separate from cancelling membership. Full or partial refunds do not automatically end access, cancel the subscription or change future billing dates. Use the membership cancellation action separately when access or recurring billing should stop.
To move a member to a paid tier, you can send a payment invitation. Sending it does not charge the member or activate the new benefits: the member must complete checkout. The invitation flow does not automatically refund or credit unused time.
Changing a member to a free tier is different: the supported change flow cancels existing active, paused or failed subscriptions immediately before applying the free membership, without an automatic refund. Review the membership change guide before moving an existing member.
Prevent cancel-and-rejoin membership abuse
Set a rejoin cooldown for each membership tier, such as 30, 60, or 90 days. When a former member tries to buy the same tier too soon, Shopify checkout shows the date they can rejoin.
Starts when access ends
For end-of-period cancellations, the waiting period starts after the member's paid access finishes.
Configured per tier
Use different waiting periods for different offers, or enter 0 when customers can rejoin immediately.
Enforced in Shopify checkout
Memberply checks the email entered at checkout, including guest checkout, even when the membership is added outside the standard product page. Sign-in may be required if the email check is unavailable. A different email address or account can bypass the waiting period.
Same-tier restriction
A cooldown applies to the cancelled tier while leaving other membership tiers available.
Build a tier around a benefit customers will use
Start with a clear offer and a sustainable cost. A free tier might offer points, while a paid tier combines member discounts with exclusive product access. These are illustrative combinations, not promised customer results. Match the benefit to how often customers shop rather than adding perks solely to fill a comparison table.
- Open Membership Tiers and select Add New Membership Tier.
- Set the name, description, billing option, price and any joining fee or trial.
- Choose cancellation rules and any eligible access duration, then save and publish.
- Configure the tier’s benefits and test storefront purchase and customer-account access.
Use the tier creation guide and membership onboarding guide to connect the purchase with a useful first member experience.
Membership app pricing versus your membership price
Memberply Growth costs US$49/month, with unlimited members, a 14-day app trial and no Memberply transaction fee. See the Shopify App Store listing. This is the merchant app subscription, separate from the price customers pay to join your tiers.
Budget Shopify and payment-provider charges, funded discounts, credit, shipping and support time separately. A higher membership fee does not guarantee a profitable program. Use the paid membership launch guide to plan the offer and its costs.
What to verify before launching your membership tiers
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| Check | Confirm before launch |
|---|---|
| Checkout | The intended tier, frequency, joining fee and first payment match your offer. |
| Renewals | Your gateway supports the recurring payment method and the scheduled renewal price is clear. |
| Trials | Monthly and annual choices show the right terms, including any joining fee. |
| Benefits | Each tier receives the expected benefits in your chosen customer account experience. |
| Cancellation and changes | Access end dates, refunds, paid invitations and rejoin cooldowns follow your policy. |
| One-time access | Duration and renewal reminders work without implying automatic recurring payment. |
Shopify membership tier questions
Can I create free and paid Shopify membership tiers?
Yes. Memberply supports free, monthly, quarterly, yearly, combined monthly/yearly and one-time payment tiers, with benefits configured for each tier.
Can one tier offer both monthly and annual billing?
Yes. Customers can choose monthly or yearly billing on the same tier. Quarterly billing is available as a separate tier, charged every three months. Use separate tiers when you want different benefit packages.
Can I offer a one-year membership trial?
Yes, for annual billing. On a tier offering both frequencies, the one-year trial applies to annual billing while monthly billing retains its regular price. Any joining fee is still charged once at signup.
Is the one-month trial the same for annual memberships?
No. For annual billing, the one-month setting reduces the first annual payment by one-twelfth. It does not delay the entire annual payment for a month.
Can I bill monthly memberships on the first of the month?
Yes. On a monthly-only tier, choose Free until the next billing day and select day 1. You can choose any day from 1 to 28. The signup period is free until the next occurrence of that day, apart from any joining fee.
Can I sell memberships without a subscription-compatible gateway?
A one-time payment membership can provide fixed-duration access without automatic recurring charges. Members must complete checkout again to renew. Check your actual payment method and renewal flow before launch.
Does refunding a membership payment cancel the subscription?
No. Full or partial refunds leave membership access and future billing unchanged. Cancel the membership separately when billing or access should end.
Does a payment invitation immediately upgrade a member?
No. The member must complete checkout before the new paid membership activates. Sending the invitation does not charge the member or grant the new benefits.
Can I prevent immediate rejoining after cancellation?
Yes. A tier-specific rejoin cooldown starts when access ends. It restricts the same tier, but another email address or account can bypass the waiting period.
Merchant proof
Built for real Shopify stores
Merchants use Memberply for native Shopify fit, fair pricing and hands-on support.
"The app is great and does exactly what i need it to. It is well priced and Doug is so great."
Olverum Official Store
United Kingdom
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Canada
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Elemental Outfit
Argentina
Build your Shopify membership tiers
Test your billing options and member benefits with a 14-day app trial.