Paid membership programs have become a meaningful lever for Shopify merchants building predictable recurring revenue and improving customer lifetime value. Membership programs can help brands turn one-time buyers into long-term customers when the offer, tiers, and perks are structured well.
Key Takeaways
- Rivo Memberships is built for Shopify Plus merchants using modern Shopify checkout architecture, rather than relying on legacy approaches like Shopify Scripts.
- nuuds saw a 3.2x higher repeat purchase rate with Rivo's membership program.
- The strongest membership apps offer Shopify checkout integration, tiered membership levels, and content gating capabilities.
- Pricing ranges from free plans for testing to custom enterprise pricing, so the right choice depends on order volume and feature requirements.
- Rivo integrates with 50+ apps, including Klaviyo and Skio, for brands connecting memberships to their broader tech stack.
Shopify Plus merchants evaluating membership platforms should weigh modern checkout architecture heavily, since Shopify Scripts stopped executing on June 30, 2026. This guide reviews notable options across different price points, feature sets, and business stages.
What to Look for in a Shopify Membership App
Before comparing specific apps, it helps to understand the core features that separate strong membership platforms from basic ones.
Capabilities worth evaluating include:
- Shopify checkout integration and how member pricing is applied.
- Tiered membership levels with customizable perks.
- Content and product gating functionality.
- Automated billing with dunning management.
- A customer portal for self-service subscription management.
- Integration with your existing tech stack.
The distinction between membership and loyalty programs matters here. Memberships involve paid, recurring access to exclusive benefits, while loyalty programs reward purchase behavior with points.
1) Rivo Memberships: Best for Shopify Plus Merchants
Best For: Shopify Plus brands doing $5M+ GMV annually.
Price: Custom pricing (Shopify Plus focused).
Scale: Rivo says it serves 9,000+ brands and has generated over $1.5B in reported revenue for clients.
Rivo Memberships is built for Shopify Plus merchants using modern Shopify checkout architecture. This matters because Shopify Scripts are deprecated, with Shopify directing merchants to migrate customizations to Shopify Functions.
Key Features:
- Shopify Plus checkout extensions for member pricing.
- Advanced member pricing and discount logic at checkout, with capabilities that may vary by Shopify plan and implementation.
- Monthly or annual billing with automated tier progression.
- Member portal for managing subscriptions and updating payment information.
- Developer toolkit with REST API, JavaScript API, and native Liquid metafields.
Proven Results: Fresh Chile Co achieved a 56% lift in member AOV using Rivo Memberships, according to Rivo's case study. The platform's integration with Rivo Loyalty creates unified retention experiences where memberships, points, and referrals work together.
Strengths:
- Positioned around modern Shopify checkout architecture rather than legacy approaches like Shopify Scripts.
- Integrates with 50+ apps, including Klaviyo and Skio.
- Unified architecture connecting memberships with loyalty and referrals.
2) Appstle Memberships: Free Plan for Testing
Best For: Stores testing membership concepts before scaling.
Price: Free (25 members), $19/month (100 members), $39/month (500 members), $79/month (750 members).
Rating: 5.0/5 stars with 770+ reviews as of verification.
Appstle Memberships offers a free starter plan that can be useful for testing membership concepts, covering up to 25 members with no monthly fee. The app carries Shopify's Built for Shopify status.
Key Features:
- Tiered membership plans with custom perks, including discounts, shipping, and access.
- Live support is available across plans, including the free tier.
- No per-member fees on any tier.
- Integrations with Klaviyo, Gorgias, and Zapier.
3) Conjured Memberships: Content Gating
Best For: Stores needing granular content access control.
Price: $9.99/month plus 2.9%, $19/month plus 1.9%, $69/month plus 0.9%, and $299/month plus 0.4% for higher-volume plans.
Rating: 4.7/5 stars (88 reviews).
Conjured Memberships supports gated membership content and membership perks through a Shopify app, with granular access control for products, prices, add-to-cart buttons, and blog categories based on membership status.
Key Features:
- Content gating for products, collections, pages, and blog posts.
- Flexible tier system, from single-level to more complex programs.
- Shopify checkout integration for membership payments.
4) Seal Subscriptions: Budget Option
Best For: Cost-conscious merchants starting subscription programs.
Price: Free (up to 150 subscriptions), with paid plans starting at $4.95/month.
Rating: One of the higher review counts among Shopify subscription apps, with 2,700+ reviews.
Seal Subscriptions combines subscription and membership management in one app, with a comparatively low entry price point and a generous free tier.
Key Features:
- Magic links for passwordless customer access.
- Combined subscription and membership management.
- Built for Shopify status.
- Free tier covering up to 150 subscriptions.
5) Recurpay: 24/7 Support
Best For: Growth-focused brands needing flexibility and customization.
Price: Starts at $0/month with usage-based fees; enterprise pricing is custom, according to Recurpay.
Recurpay combines subscription management with AI-powered widget generation. Recurpay says it is trusted by 7,500+ brands and offers round-the-clock support on every tier, including free.
Key Features:
- Custom subscription widgets generated with AI tools.
- Dunning management for payment recovery.
- Branded customer portal for subscription management.
- Flexible billing cycles, including daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly options.
6) Recharge: Enterprise Scale
Best For: High-volume brands needing established infrastructure.
Price: Reported 2026 pricing includes $99/month plus transaction fees for the Starter plan and $499/month plus transaction fees for the Plus plan; confirm current pricing directly with Recharge.
Rating: 4.8/5 stars with 2,100+ reviews as of May 2026.
Recharge is one of the more established subscription platforms in the Shopify ecosystem. Recharge says it is trusted by brands including Good Ranchers, Bobbie, and Dr. Squatch.
Key Features:
- Analytics and retention tooling.
- A broad integration ecosystem.
- Developer API for custom implementations.
7) Loop Subscriptions: Mid-Market Brands
Best For: Growing DTC brands, balancing features and affordability.
Price: Free Forever plan for up to 50 active subscriptions; paid plans reported at $99/month plus 1.0% and $399/month plus 0.75%, with custom Enterprise pricing.
Rating: 4.9/5 stars with 650+ reviews as of May 2026.
Loop Subscriptions differentiates through a gamified customer portal experience and includes onboarding support for merchants getting started.
Key Features:
- Gamified portal designed to increase customer engagement.
- Cancellation and save workflows.
- Dunning management.
8) Skio: Premium User Experience
Best For: Brands prioritizing a polished subscriber experience.
Price: Pricing should be verified on Skio's current pricing page, as third-party 2026 reporting suggests figures may differ from older published rates.
Skio positions itself as a premium Shopify subscription platform focused on migration, customer portal, and analytics experiences. The platform's passwordless login is designed to reduce "forgot password" friction for subscribers.
Key Features:
- Passwordless login for subscriber access.
- Shopify checkout integration for subscriptions.
- Cancellation and retention workflows.
- Migration support for brands switching platforms.
9) Stay AI: Retention Automation
Best For: Brands focused on reducing churn through automation.
Price: Custom pricing.
Rating: 5.0/5 stars with 140+ reviews.
Stay AI focuses on retention automation rather than billing alone, using AI-powered tools for churn reduction and subscription optimization. In a published case study, Stay AI reports that Beekman 1802 saw a 40% boost in payment recovery using Smart Dunning.
Key Features:
- AI-powered retention and win-back tooling.
- Smart dunning with optimized retry timing.
- Built-in analytics for churn tracking.
10) Bold Memberships: Multi-Language Stores
Best For: International brands needing localization.
Price: Current pricing tiers should be verified directly on Bold's app listing or help center.
Bold Memberships has one of the longest track records in the Shopify membership space. It uses Stripe separately from Shopify Checkout for membership payments.
Key Features:
- Gated content at the resource level rather than CSS-based hiding.
- Deep access control for products, prices, and content.
11) Simplee Memberships: Free Plan Available
Best For: Stores testing memberships with a lower upfront cost.
Price: Free plan available; current paid plan structure should be verified on Simplee's Shopify App Store listing.
Rating: 5.0/5 stars (75 reviews).
Simplee Memberships is built for Shopify and offers a free plan, which can make it a lower-friction option for merchants testing membership concepts, subject to current plan limits.
Key Features:
- Shopify checkout integration.
- Shopify POS supports in-store recognition.
- Free plan availability for early testing.
Choosing the Right Membership App for Your Store
- For Shopify Plus merchants seeking modern checkout architecture, Rivo Memberships is built specifically around Shopify's current checkout extensions rather than legacy approaches.
- For stores testing membership concepts, free or low-cost entry plans can help validate demand before a larger investment.
- For mid-market growth brands, platforms balancing features and affordability can support scaling programs with stronger support.
- For enterprise scale, more established infrastructure and retention automation tooling can help manage higher volume and reduce churn.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I choose the best paid membership app for my Shopify store?
Start by identifying your primary needs: content gating, recurring billing, or VIP tier management. For Shopify Plus stores, prioritize apps built around modern checkout extensions rather than legacy Shopify Scripts. Consider your member count projections too, since some apps charge per member while others use flat monthly rates.
What's the difference between membership and subscription apps?
Membership programs focus on paid access to exclusive benefits, perks, and content. Subscription apps manage recurring product deliveries. Many platforms now combine both capabilities, so understanding your primary use case helps in selecting the right tool.
Can I migrate my existing membership program to a new platform?
Some platforms advertise migration assistance. Rivo has published migration-related case studies, including brands that completed transitions in less than one month. Ask for specific migration support details during your evaluation.
What ROI can I expect from implementing a paid membership program?
Results vary by implementation and program design. Rivo has reported a 52x weighted median ROI across self-reported case studies, and Fresh Chile Co saw a 56% lift in member AOV using Rivo Memberships, according to Rivo's own case study.
Do membership apps integrate with my existing tech stack?
Leading platforms integrate with major Shopify tools. Rivo offers 50+ integrations, including Klaviyo, Gorgias, Postscript, and Recharge. Verify specific integration requirements during evaluation, since API access can enable custom connections when native integrations aren't available.
.jpg)
