Luxe Themes
Tribune
$89
How to Build a Membership Website with Ghost
Updated June 2026
A membership website lets your readers subscribe — free or paid — for access to your content. Ghost has everything you need built in: free and paid tiers, Stripe payments, content gating, and member management, with 0% revenue share (you only pay Stripe's ~2.9% + $0.30 fee). No plugins, no middlemen, and a theme designed for memberships ties it all together.
Why build your membership site on Ghost
Most membership platforms take a cut of every subscription and lock your audience inside their walls. Ghost is built for publishers who want to own their business outright.
0% revenue share
Ghost takes nothing. On $5,000/mo in subscriptions, you keep ~$500/mo that Substack or Patreon (10%) would take.
Your own Stripe account
Payments go straight to you. You own the customer relationship and the payout — not the platform.
Memberships built in
Tiers, paid subscriptions, newsletters, and content gating are native — no membership plugins to install or maintain.
You own your audience
Export your member list any time. Your subscribers are yours, not the platform's — no lock-in.
Comparing your options? See how Ghost stacks up against Patreon, Substack, MemberPress, and the rest in our best membership platforms comparison.
How to set up memberships on Ghost
Four steps get you from a blank Ghost site to a working membership business. For the full walkthrough — Stripe configuration, tier strategy, and content gating — see our complete Ghost membership guide.
- 1
Connect Stripe
Link your own Stripe account in Ghost Admin. Payments go directly to you — Ghost never touches your money or takes a cut.
- 2
Create membership tiers
Set up free and paid tiers (monthly and yearly) with your own pricing. Add benefits and descriptions for each tier.
- 3
Gate your content
Choose per post whether it's public, for free members, or for paid members only. Mix free and premium content freely.
- 4
Add sign-up & account pages
A membership-ready theme gives you polished sign-in, sign-up, pricing, and account pages — no custom code needed.
Already running members elsewhere? See how Ghost compares in our Ghost vs Substack breakdown, or explore membership support across our themes.
Best Ghost themes for membership websites
Every Luxe theme supports Ghost memberships. These include dedicated, polished sign-in, sign-up, pricing, and account pages so your membership flow looks as professional as your content.
Best for memberships
Luno
$89
A beautifully crafted Ghost theme designed for modern publishers. Clean typography, flexible layouts, and powerful customization options make Luno perfect for blogs, magazines, and professional publications.
Membership Website FAQ
Can I build a membership website with Ghost?
Yes. Ghost has a complete membership system built into the platform — free and paid tiers, Stripe payments, content gating, and member management — with no plugins required. You connect your own Stripe account, set your pricing, and choose which content is public, members-only, or paid. A membership-ready theme adds polished sign-in, sign-up, pricing, and account pages.
How much does Ghost take from membership revenue?
Ghost takes 0% of your subscription revenue. The only fee is Stripe's standard processing charge (~2.9% + $0.30 per transaction), which goes to Stripe, not Ghost. By comparison, Substack and Patreon both take 10% on top of payment processing. On $5,000/month in subscriptions, that's roughly $500/month you keep on Ghost that those platforms would take.
Which Ghost themes are best for membership websites?
Look for themes with dedicated membership pages — custom sign-in, sign-up, pricing, and account templates. Luno, Shiro, and Flow all include these, plus content-gating-friendly layouts. Every Luxe theme supports Ghost memberships out of the box; the difference is how polished the membership pages and pricing tables look.
Do I need any plugins to run memberships on Ghost?
No. Memberships, paid subscriptions, email newsletters, and member management are all native to Ghost — there are no third-party membership plugins to install or maintain, unlike WordPress. You only connect Stripe for payments. This keeps your stack simple and your site fast.