ClickFunnels Membership Sites « An Honest Guide (2022)

ClickFunnels offers membership sites where users can offer exclusive content to clients and customers.

There’s no hiding that the membership site option on ClickFunnels isn’t the most feature-packed example of this tool.

However, there is much to be said for its simplicity and ease of use in creating lesson content.

What can you expect in terms of performance, content, and tracking?

Read more about ClickFunnels’ membership site option in our extensive and honest review.

Key Takeaways:

ClickFunnels is a great platform for your membership site if your content is simple, you already use ClickFunnels, and you want to take advantage of the platform’s marketing features to market your membership site.
There are drawbacks to running a ClickFunnels membership site.
From the students ‘ point of view, the UX and UI can be clunky, and there are limited options for student engagement, such as discussions and quizzes.

Should I Use ClickFunnels for a Membership Site?

Whether using ClickFunnels for a membership site is a good idea depends on your goals and expectations.

Objectively, ClickFunnels is not the most feature-packed membership site platform, as this isn’t its primary purpose.

We would advocate for ClickFunnels for membership sites only when:

Your membership plan works very simply
The lesson content offered for your membership is not complex
You are already using ClickFunnels for other projects, and your membership site project is not your main service/product
You want to use ClickFunnels to market your membership site (an option we highly encourage)

	Pros	Cons
	Ready-made membership site templates	Minimal student engagement features
	You can create a sense of exclusivity in your business and add another income stream.	Subscription management is not ideal
	Your content and membership needs are straightforward	UX and UI for students are not the best
	The membership funnel setup is easy	You will need to have (and maintain) an active ClickFunnels account to support a membership site
	You can integrate various payment gateways	Every funnel can only have one membership access step and a membership area step
		Students also need to end their memberships manually to avoid continuous charges

ClickFunnels is an excellent platform for sales funnels, but its membership site feature is not its main attraction.

However, while it lacks certain features, a ClickFunnels membership site is still an asset.

It is most suitable if you intend to use it as an additional income stream for your main business or have little need for complex features.

You Might Also Like:

How to Create a Membership Site On ClickFunnels

You can create a membership site on ClickFunnels in a few short steps that will help you share exclusive content with paying customers.

Once you have signed into your ClickFunnels account, click Build a Funnel on your dashboard or menu page.
Hit the Choose button under Sell Your Products
Then click Choose again under Membership
Pick a name and enter it into the Name bar and press Build Funnel

Choose from a selection of templates by clicking Membership Access within the funnel, then Membership Category, and then pick a membership access page template
Go through the same steps again but choose a membership area page template to customize that area

ClickFunnels Membership Site Features

ClickFunnels has the basic features a user requires to run a successful membership site – nothing more and nothing less.

In this section, we’ll take an in-depth look at what is included when you host membership sites on ClickFunnels.

Variety of Payment Gateways

One of the most convenient features of using ClickFunnels for your membership site is the payment gateways.

The platform gives you a variety of options including PayPal or Easy Pay Direct as API integrations and ClickBank as a third-party access integration. You can set up the payment gateways easily via your profile settings page.

Having various payment gateways will improve compatibility for your customers and enhance their customer experience.

Your users want to come in and pay for your services without having to sign up for another online payment service.

The ClickFunnels payment integration is done very well, and we appreciate the diverse methods it consolidates.

Restricted Membership Access

One of the key parts to activating your membership site is understanding how to restrict content for members only.

The steps are very easy to follow and everything can be done on your settings page. In doing so, it will keep out unpaid customers from seeing membership content.

We like this feature overall, but the process can be repetitive if you want to restrict access to more than one lesson.

Also, once you remove products from your funnels, it also limits existing customers from accessing restricted sections.

Progress Tracking

ClickFunnels also has a feature that allows you to monitor the progress of your members as they make their way through the course.

It entails setting a time threshold users must meet for the lesson to be considered complete.

You cannot track the progress in as much depth as some other sites may allow, but you can see the rate of completion.

Keep in mind that your customers can move on to the next lesson even if the prior one isn’t complete.

This is a very handy feature and is very easy to set up, but we do hope ClickFunnels integrates more advanced options such as congratulatory certificates.

ClickFunnels Membership Site In Action

What does a completed ClickFunnels membership site look like in action?

To help you gain a better insight into the finished product, we have included a quick video that will clearly exhibit how a ClickFunnels membership site operates.

You can get a clearer idea of what each feature will look like and the end-user experience.

Membership Site Inspiration for ClickFunnels

This is how a ClickFunnels membership site can potentially look to customers. As you can see, it’s not overly complicated with very clear block text that illustrates exactly what the customer is getting.

From the video sales page letter and the order form to the offer wall and membership access areas, everything is streamlined.

The buttons are large and clearly labeled and with one click it takes you to the checkout page where the information is also clearly laid out and what the customers are getting for their purchase is also clearly displayed.

The template also gives you the option to advertise additional products.

For more info on ClickFunnels’ membership site examples, you can head over to our related article here.

Reasons to Avoid ClickFunnels for Building a Membership Site

Although ClickFunnels does include useful features for membership sites, there are also drawbacks. If you’re thinking about purchasing ClickFunnels solely for membership site purposes, then we would advise you to reconsider.

For those not intending to use the membership features as the main focus, then the drawbacks we will list below may not be deal-breakers.

Let’s take a closer look at where there is room for improvement for ClickFunnels concerning membership sites.

ClickFunnels Lacks Student Engagement Features

As we have mentioned, the layout is standard and the features are basic.

You can clearly see this from the template. There is a lack of engagement features such as quizzes, discussions, certificates and communities.

Another hindrance is the media size.

You won’t be able to upload anything above 3MB, which is tough since some lessons require larger videos and PDFs.

You can solve this problem by using third-party sources, but if you were planning on opting for ClickFunnels solely for the membership site features, then it wouldn’t make the most sense.

Poor UX and UI on the Student End

One of the most important characteristics of a successful membership site is a pleasant user experience, which is lacking on ClickFunnels.

ClickFunnels could have done more with its platform, and we hope there are new improvements in the future.

The registration for the course is odd because users must purchase a membership and then register an account separately. Errors can result if users decide to register and pay with different e-mail addresses.

The user experience also decreases on mobile devices. The course layout takes up the entire screen and you can only access the lessons by scrolling, which can take a lot of time.

Subscription Management Is Poor

Another inconvenience of the platform is that the memberships don’t expire automatically once they end. Customers will need to take the extra step and reach out to customer service for assistance with account deletion.

You may also need to track when memberships expire manually and that can add a ton of admin work to your already full plate.

Tracking the memberships can also become tedious over time, especially if you have thousands of subscribers to comb through.

ClickFunnels Alternatives for Building Membership Sites

Even if ClickFunnels isn’t the answer, that doesn’t mean your membership site options stop there.

There are several alternatives that we have listed below that are much more feature-packed than ClickFunnels for this purpose and can provide a better user experience.

Kajabi is an excellent alternative platform for membership sites.

It allows you to add various forms of content and it also supports the features ClickFunnels lacks, such as surveys. You can choose from three different memberships and pay either annually or monthly.

If paid monthly, the prices start at $149 for the Basic plan, $199 for the Growth plan, and $399 for the Pro plan.

We would suggest the growth plan for membership sites as there are unlimited landing pages and e-mails provided along with advanced automation and the ability to remove the branding.

Those who use ClickFunnels for funnel building would benefit from Thinkific.

It is an online platform centered around offering features for courses.

Keep in mind that there won’t be much support for marketing.

Thinkific offers four plans with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

There is a free plan for you to test out Thinkific’s features, then there is a basic plan for $39 per month, a pro plan for $79 per month, and a $399 premier plan. We would suggest any of the paid plans to build a successful membership site.

You will get features such as drip content and advanced course pricing options.

Podia is marketed as a true all-in-one platform that can remove restrictions other sites might impose on members and strategies.

You can get access to features such as unlimited members and membership levels, connecting your other products to your courses, and audience engagement functions such as comments and likes.

Podia offers a free trial to test-drive its platform, and there are three pricing plans to choose from.

There is the $39 per month Mover plan, the $79 Shaker plan, and the $179 Earthquaker.

You need at least the Shaker plan to sell memberships and make full use of the platform’s marketing and selling features.

Bottom Line

ClickFunnels is an excellent marketing platform that creates effective sales funnels.

Its sales conversion rate is second to none, but its membership site builder has room for improvement.

If your sole intent is to create a comprehensive membership site, then one of our suggested alternatives would be a better investment.

If a membership site is secondary to your business, then the basic functions of the ClickFunnels membership platform could meet your needs.

Frequently Asked Questions:

ClickFunnels Membership Site: Yes or No?