Membership & Course Sites — WordPress Baba
LEARN
№ 06 · MEMBERSHIP & COURSE SITES · SPRING 2026 FROM $1,999 · 6 – 8 WEEKS · LEARNDASH · MEMBERPRESS 2 OF 3 SLOTS · BRIEFS OPEN

Membership & course sites.

Sell what you know — on a platform you own. Custom WordPress course platforms and gated membership sites. LMS, member tiers, recurring billing, drip content, community — all engineered around the way you teach. No 3% platform tax. No locked-in subscription.

View Pricing → Start a Project ↗
0+ Course sites shipped
0% Avg member retention
0× Avg course completion
0% Platform fees

Built For

Who this is for.

Four kinds of education businesses. Each runs differently — different content rhythm, different student experience, different monetization. The build adapts to how you actually teach.

01

Solo creators

One person, one course (or a few). Selling expertise through evergreen video courses with quizzes, completion certificates, drip content.

  • 1 – 5 courses to start
  • Video-driven curriculum
  • Self-paced learners
02

Cohort-based programs

Live cohorts with start dates, fixed pricing, instructor-led. Maven-style intensive programs running 4 – 12 weeks per cohort.

  • Fixed start / end dates
  • Live calls + community
  • Cohort-specific gating
03

Membership communities

Subscription-based access to content library + community. Patreon-style but on your own domain, with your own data, no platform cut.

  • Recurring monthly billing
  • Community / forum gated access
  • Members-only content drops
04

Multi-instructor academies

Faculty model. Multiple instructors, multiple courses, revenue share. Online schools, professional training organizations, certification programs.

  • Multiple instructor accounts
  • Revenue sharing logic
  • Certification & tracking

What You Get

Everything built in.

Eight engineered layers of a course platform. Skip any and the experience falls apart somewhere — drop-off rate climbs, refunds rise, members churn. We don't skip any.

01 · LMS

LMS Setup & Configuration

LearnDash, Tutor, or MemberPress configured to match your teaching model. Course / lesson / topic hierarchy mapped.

02 · Access

Member Access Tiers

Tier logic for free, paid, premium, lifetime. Content gating by membership level. Per-course or all-access models.

03 · Player

Custom Course Player

Branded video player, progress tracking, lesson navigation, transcripts, downloads. Where the learning actually happens.

04 · Video

Video Hosting Integration

Vimeo, Wistia, or Bunny.net integration. Optimized streaming, ad-free, no view count limits, full control.

05 · Billing

Recurring Billing Setup

Stripe Subscriptions, payment plans, one-time purchases. Dunning for failed cards, refund handling, tax compliance.

06 · Drip

Drip Content Scheduling

Time-released lessons (day 1, day 7, day 14). Course-pacing logic, prerequisite lessons, completion-based unlocking.

07 · Track

Progress & Certificates

Per-lesson progress, quiz scoring, completion certificates auto-generated. Student dashboard with course history.

08 · Email

Email Automation Hooks

Webhooks to ConvertKit / ActiveCampaign / Mailchimp. Welcome series, completion congrats, abandoned-course re-engagement.

By the Numbers

80 platforms. 88% avg retention.

0+ Sites shipped Solo course creators, cohort programs, paid communities, multi-instructor academies — across every model.
0% Avg member retention 12-month retention across membership sites. Industry benchmark sits at 35 – 50%. The platform experience is the difference.
0× Avg course completion Industry course completion runs 5 – 15%. Our builds typically hit 40 – 60% — better pacing, better UX, drip done right.
0% Platform fees forever You own the site. No Teachable 8%, no Kajabi $149/mo, no Thinkific transaction fees. Hosting + Stripe fees only.
" Founder note · 08

Teachable, Kajabi, Thinkific — they're tax structures, not platforms. Convenient on day one, expensive forever after. The math flips around year two. Own the platform, own the audience, own the data.

Mohammad Yusuf · Founder 80+ course platforms shipped

How It Works

Four phases. Seven weeks.

Course sites are content-heavy — the engineering is half the work. The other half is mapping your teaching style into the platform. Sign-off between every phase.

01

Discovery & Content Audit

Brief, content review, teaching model mapping. Decide LMS, membership tiers, drip schedule, video host.

Week 1 · 5 – 7 days
02

Architecture & Design

Course / lesson hierarchy, member tier logic, dashboard design, course player design. Two design rounds.

Weeks 2 – 3 · 10 – 14 days
03

LMS Build & Integration

LMS setup, custom theme, video integration, payment setup, drip rules, email webhooks, content migration.

Weeks 3 – 6 · 18 – 21 days
04

QA & Launch

Test purchase flows, test access tiers, test course progression, member migration, training, go-live.

Week 7 · 5 – 7 days

Timeline

Week by week.

Seven weeks end to end. Every week has a clear deliverable. You'll see progress shift from architecture to content to live platform.

  1. Wk 1Discovery

    Brief + content audit.

    Kickoff call, content inventory, teaching-style mapping. LMS choice, membership tier decisions, drip schedule defined.

    DeliveredArchitecture spec + content plan
  2. Wk 2Sitemap

    Course hierarchy + access tiers.

    Course / lesson / topic structure mapped. Member tier logic defined. Wireframes for dashboard, course player, checkout.

    DeliveredApproved sitemap + wireframes
  3. Wk 3Design

    Visual design rounds.

    Marketing page, sales pages, dashboard, course player, lesson view, account area. Two revision rounds. Sign-off before build.

    DeliveredApproved visual designs
  4. Wk 4LMS Build

    LMS install + structure.

    LearnDash/Tutor/MemberPress installed and configured. Course hierarchy built out. Custom theme begins.

    DeliveredLMS structure live on staging
  5. Wk 5Integration

    Video, payments, email.

    Video hosting integrated. Stripe Subscriptions set up. Email automation webhooks. Drip rules configured per course.

    DeliveredAll integrations functional
  6. Wk 6Content

    Content migration + member import.

    Existing course content moved over. Lessons populated. Existing members imported (with their progress preserved where possible).

    DeliveredFull content populated
  7. Wk 7Launch

    QA + launch + training.

    End-to-end purchase tests, access tier verification, course progression, refund flows. Admin training, member migration emails, go-live.

    DeliveredLive platform + 30-day support
Fixed Price · No Platform Fees

Pricing.

Three tiers, sized by content scale and access complexity. Migration from Teachable, Kajabi, Thinkific, etc. is a $499 add-on.

Single Course

$1,999/ one-time

For solo creators with one course. LMS, video, payments, basic email automation. Get your first course platform live.

  • ✓1 course (unlimited lessons)
  • ✓LearnDash or Tutor LMS
  • ✓Stripe one-time + payment plans
  • ✓Vimeo or Wistia integration
  • ✓Completion certificates
  • ✓30 days launch support
Start Project →
Most Popular

Multi-Course Platform

$4,999/ one-time

For education businesses with multiple courses or membership tiers. Recurring billing, drip content, member dashboards.

  • ✓Up to 10 courses
  • ✓3 membership tiers
  • ✓Stripe Subscriptions + plans
  • ✓Drip content scheduling
  • ✓Email automation (Klaviyo / CK)
  • ✓Custom dashboard + course player
  • ✓60 days launch support
Start Project →

Membership Community

$7,999/ one-time

For full membership communities. Forums, members-only content, multi-instructor support, certifications. Patreon-replacement scale.

  • ✓Unlimited courses + content
  • ✓Unlimited member tiers
  • ✓BuddyBoss community forums
  • ✓Multi-instructor + revenue share
  • ✓Advanced certification system
  • ✓Mobile-app-ready architecture
  • ✓90 days priority support
Start Project →

Optional Extras

Add-ons.

Stack any of these onto your course or membership build. Migration and Email Automation are the two most common combos with platform migrations.

Migration from Teachable / Kajabi / Thinkific $499

Full platform migration. Courses, members, progress, payment history — moved with minimal disruption.

Email Automation Setup $799

Welcome series, course completion, abandoned-course re-engagement, renewal reminders. ConvertKit or Klaviyo.

Video Editing & Optimization From $399

Polish your raw course videos. Color, audio, intros, branded outros. Per video pricing.

Community / Forum Setup $799

BuddyBoss or BBPress configured. Categories, moderation, gating by tier, notifications.

Mobile App Companion From $4,999

iOS + Android companion app for course access. PWA or native (CapacitorJS / Expo).

Ongoing Platform Care $300 / mo

Hosting, security, plugin updates, payment monitoring, course content updates. Built for educators.

Recent Builds

Examples from this service.

View all case studies →
Membership Community · Featured

Course Creator · 2,400 Active Members · Year 2

2,400Members
88%Retention
$48k/moMRR
View case study→
Multi-Course Platform

Education Business · Kajabi → WordPress · $1,800/mo Saved

−$1.8k/mo
12Courses
View case study→
Single Course

Solo Creator · 62% Course Completion · 4× Industry Avg

62%Completion
6 wksLaunch
View case study→

Client Voices · On Course Platforms

From creators who own their platform.

Featured · 03 of 80+
№ 01 Membership Community · Course Creator "
We were doing $32k/month on Kajabi paying $149/mo plus 0% transaction fees on the cheap plan. Two years later we're doing $48k/month on our own WordPress platform — and the only fees are Stripe's 2.9%. The migration paid for itself in three months. 2,400 active members.
DL
Daniel Lee Founder · Course Studio
★★★★★
№ 02 Multi-Course · Education Business
Twelve courses, three instructors, revenue share built in. Saving $1,800/month on platform fees. Course completion jumped from 12% to 48%.
RB
Rachel Bell CEO · Online Academy
№ 03 Single Course · Solo Creator
First course platform shipped in 6 weeks. 62% completion rate in the first cohort — four times what I saw on Teachable.
SK
Sarah Kim Founder · Solo Creator

FAQs

About this service.

Six questions creators ask before commissioning a course platform. Honest answers.

WordPress LMS vs Teachable / Kajabi / Thinkific — which should I use?
Teachable/Kajabi/Thinkific win on day-one convenience — point, click, you have a course. WordPress wins on long-term ownership and economics. Math typically flips in your favor at around $1,500/month in revenue: that's the point where platform fees ($149/mo + transaction fees) exceed the one-time WordPress build cost over 12 months. Under $1,500/mo revenue: stay on Teachable. Over it: migrate. We've helped 60+ creators make the switch profitably.
Which LMS plugin do you use?
LearnDash for serious course businesses (most powerful, most customizable, $199-299/year). Tutor LMS for solo creators with simpler needs (often included with theme bundles, free + paid versions). MemberPress for membership-first sites where the course is part of a larger gated experience ($179-299/year). We recommend based on your model — there's no universal "best" plugin.
Can you migrate from another platform?
Yes — $499 add-on covers full migration from Teachable, Kajabi, Thinkific, Podia, Mighty Networks, Circle, Patreon. We move courses, members (with progress where available), payment history, and email lists. SEO redirects mapped 1:1 from old URLs. Most migrations run in parallel with the build so you're not paying for both platforms simultaneously for long.
Do you handle community / forum features?
Yes — BuddyBoss is included in Membership Community tier (or $799 add-on on lower tiers). Full community: forums, member profiles, activity feeds, direct messaging, groups, notifications. Gated by membership tier. Modern UI, mobile-ready, scales to thousands of members.
What about a mobile app for my course?
Optional add-on at $4,999+. Two paths: (1) Progressive Web App — installable from browser, works offline, no app store fees ($4,999), or (2) Native iOS + Android via CapacitorJS — published to App Store + Play Store ($9,999+). PWA is enough for 90% of cases. Native is for premium feel or required offline video.
How do payments and refunds work?
Stripe handles all payments — recurring subscriptions, one-time purchases, payment plans, multi-currency, all standard. You see funds in 2-7 days. Refund any payment from the Stripe dashboard or WordPress admin — refund triggers automatic access revocation. Failed-card dunning (retries + email) is set up for every subscription. Tax handling via Stripe Tax or TaxJar add-on if you need automated VAT/sales tax.
START · 2026

Own your platform.

Send a brief with your course content, audience size, and current platform (if any). Fixed quote and timeline back within 24 hours. Migration plans included if applicable.

Start a Project → See course platform examples ↗
$1,999Starting price
6 – 8 wksTypical delivery
0%Platform fees forever
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