Memberships for Indie Makers: Tiers, Perks and Pricing

A membership is the most dependable money a small maker can have that is not a product: a few people paying a few dollars every month because they want your work to keep existing. It does not need a content treadmill. Most makers who burn out on memberships promised weekly perks they could not keep up.

This is how to set one up so it is still running in a year.

Decide what members are paying for

There are two kinds of membership, and mixing them up is the usual mistake:

• Patronage. People pay so the thing keeps going: your free app, open source library, game mod or newsletter. Perks are a thank-you, not the product.
• Access. People pay to get something others do not: posts, episodes, files, a community.

Patronage is light: no schedule, no content calendar. Access is a second job. Most indie makers should start with patronage. If you want access, a platform built for it, like Patreon or Ko-fi, is worth its fee.

Three tiers, at most

One tier is fine. Three is plenty. A common, simple shape:

• A small tier around the price of a coffee: "keeps the lights on"
• A middle tier, marked most popular: the one you expect most people to pick
• A bigger tier for companies or super fans: their name or logo somewhere visible

Price them so the middle tier is the obvious choice. Round numbers are fine. Prices you can raise later for new members, while existing members keep theirs, are better than a price you have to defend.

Perks that cost no time

Good perks are things you would do anyway, or that happen once:

• your name in the credits, README or about page
• a role in your Discord
• early builds, betas or the changelog a week early
• a vote on what you build next
• a sticker, once a year

Avoid perks with a schedule ("a monthly video") unless you already make it. A perk you miss turns a supporter into a creditor.

Put the ask where people already are

Your members come from your work, not from a membership page. Put the button on your link in bio next to the projects it funds, in the README of the free tool, in the footer of the newsletter. Say once what it pays for.

Where to host it

makerhandle's support button is the last row. Built in, it offers up to three monthly tiers, each with a price, a short description and up to three perks, one marked most popular, plus a "make this monthly" box on one-time support. Members pay through Stripe Checkout into your own Stripe account; you see them on a supporters wall and export them as CSV. A monthly goal with a progress bar is optional. 0% platform fee on Pro, 5% on Free, plus Stripe's fees. Editing a tier's price applies to new members; existing members keep the price they joined at.

Built-in support is opening to makers in stages. Until it reaches you, the same button can open your Patreon, Ko-fi or Buy Me a Coffee page, on every plan. Membership income counts as verified revenue, with MRR from live memberships, if you want to show it.

Keep it honest

• Say what the money does, in one line.
• Thank people by name when they join, if they let you.
• If you stop working on the thing, say so and tell members to cancel. It is the right thing to do, and the people who backed you are the first to back your next project.

Comparing platforms on cost? Buy Me a Coffee vs Ko-fi vs Patreon fees works through the numbers.