MemberSpace AMS Software Review for Association Executives
- Marketing Specialist, Association
- Oct 18
- 8 min read
MemberSpace AMS Software Review: The Ultimate Tool for Content Monetization?
Embarking on a quest for new Association Management Software (AMS) can feel like diving into a sea of confusion, especially with over 130 so-called systems bobbing around like rubber ducks. But for Executive Directors, Membership Directors, and Operations Directors, this decision is no rubber duck race—it's more like choosing the right life raft! Picking the perfect software can make waves in your mission, revenue, and staff efficiency. This analysis of MemberSpace is your trusty treasure map, guiding executives to an AMS solution that puts content protection and monetization front and center like a pirate guarding its loot!
Summary of the MemberSpace Software
MemberSpace is a membership management platform designed to help organizations, including associations and online communities, create, manage, and grow their membership programs by easily restricting access to specific content on an existing website. The product, founded in 2015, provides an intuitive interface for managing memberships, subscriptions, and member engagement without requiring extensive technical knowledge or coding.
A key selling point of the platform is its broad compatibility, working seamlessly with popular website builders like Squarespace, WordPress, Wix, and Webflow. This unique strength is captured in its core philosophy: "Use your website, sell your brand. MemberSpace works with all popular website builders... Let MemberSpace be your technical partner to help grow your business".
The Purpose Statement of the MemberSpace Software
The vendor's core mission centers on turning any website into a fully functional, revenue-generating membership site. The product’s design focuses on enabling content creators, educators, and businesses—including associations—to monetize their digital assets and build loyal, paying communities by gating content and managing payments easily. In essence, MemberSpace exists to provide a simple, plug-and-play solution for organizations that want to use their existing website as the primary hub for a membership-based business, protecting exclusive pages, videos, files, and blog posts.
What Makes MemberSpace a Fit for the Association Market and Unique?
MemberSpace is not a traditional, all-in-one AMS; rather, it is a highly specialized membership utility that uniquely solves a common association problem: content monetization on an existing platform.
Its key distinguishing features are:
Website-Builder Agnostic Integration: Unlike most full AMS solutions that require you to host the member portal or website on their system, MemberSpace integrates with virtually any popular website platform (WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, etc.) by simply adding a snippet of code. This grants the association complete control and ownership over its primary website content and design.
Content Protection and Tiered Access: The platform’s core strength is its ability to easily "lock" any page or content with a paywall, defining access rules for unlimited membership tiers. This is crucial for associations looking to offer different levels of benefits, such as premium resources, private directories, or exclusive event access, without rebuilding their entire digital presence.
Revenue Growth Features: The platform includes built-in tools like Abandoned Signup Reminders (email reminders to encourage signup completion), Cancellation Alternatives (offering discounts or extended trials to prevent churn), and plan upsells, all designed to maximize revenue and retention.
What are the Functional Goals of the MemberSpace
MemberSpace focuses primarily on the membership management and e-commerce pillars of an AMS, with a defined, limited feature set. The functional depth aligns best with associations whose primary needs revolve around online payment processing and content delivery.
The general functional areas include:
Membership Management: Unlimited membership plans, one-time/recurring payments, flexible payment options (Stripe/PayPal), manual member approval, member import/export, and member-specific custom welcome emails.
Member Portal & Content Management Capabilities: The ability to "gate" any page on the website, restrict access to content (videos, files, posts), a built-in "Member Menu" for navigation, and support for "drip" content (releasing content over time).
Financial Management: Supports one-time and subscription payments, recurring billing with revenue recovery (for failed payments), the collection of taxes, and custom billing dates. Financial management is limited to basic Accounts Receivable (AR) and payment processing; it does not offer the cash or accrual-based general ledger support typically found in Tier II and Tier I systems.
Marketing Automation and/or Email Marketing Automation: Includes "Member Messages" for email blasts and newsletters, as well as automated welcome, reminder, and failed payment recovery emails. It relies heavily on third-party integrations (like Mailchimp or ConvertKit) for advanced marketing needs.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM): The system provides basic member tracking, including subscription status, payment history, and activity. It is not a deep-dive CRM with capabilities for tracking complex relationship histories, government relations, or advanced lead nurturing typical of a full-scope AMS/CRM solution.
Events Registration and/or Event Management: While some sources mention "robust event management capabilities", this is generally limited to event registration tied to content gating (e.g., granting access to an "events" page) and the automated communication tools. It lacks the depth for complex conference management, abstracts, or exhibit management found in higher-tier solutions.
Where Does MemberSpace Fit in the Market?
Using the SmartThoughts Tier Classification Framework, MemberSpace is firmly positioned in Tier IV: Micro-Membership Software.
Tier IV Profile: MemberSpace aligns perfectly with the profile of micro-associations and individual creators with operating budgets ranging from startup to less than one million dollars. The platform is essentially a membership-enabling tool that lives within an existing Content Management System (CMS), similar to WordPress plugins. And, frankly is not in the traditional sense an "AMS" but certainly can be a very solid choice for the right association.
Key Characteristics: Its strength is its focused, basic feature set—high-quality content gating and payment processing—with limited depth in areas like financial management and advanced events. Customization is also limited compared to higher tiers.
Ideal Client Profile: The ideal client for MemberSpace is a small association, local chapter, or alumni group that runs lean, is focused on monetizing a digital content library, and wants to leverage their current website platform (e.g., Squarespace) without migrating to a complex, all-in-one AMS.
Comparison to Similar Systems: In Tier IV, MemberSpace competes with solutions like WishList Member or MemberStack. It would not be highly competitive compared to Tier III options like the following:
MemberSpace vs. WildApricot: MemberSpace is much less of an all-in-one "Swiss Army knife" than WildApricot (a Tier III solution). While WildApricot offers a wider range of integrated AMS features, MemberSpace offers superior content-gating flexibility across multiple website builders, making it the better choice if website and content control is paramount.
MemberSpace vs. ClubExpress: ClubExpress offers a more integrated, pre-packaged solution with built-in features like a jobs board and a more comprehensive set of core membership functions. MemberSpace is more of a "wrapper" for your existing site, requiring more assembly but granting more freedom over your underlying web platform.
What is the Price of MemberSpace?
MemberSpace offers a straightforward, simple pricing structure. The Professional Plan starts at $39.00 per month (billed annually), which includes unlimited members, recurring and single payments, unlimited team admins, and unlimited websites. Crucially, this plan also includes a 5% fee on all transactions.
This cost structure is appealing for micro-associations due to its low initial barrier to entry, but executives must factor in the transaction fee. The fee can accumulate quickly as membership revenue grows. For example, an association generating $50,000 in dues revenue annually would pay $2,500 in transaction fees alone, plus the monthly subscription.
Disclaimer: In the end, it is recommended to contact the software vendor directly for the latest pricing information, as costs and plans are subject to change.
MemberSpace Peer Reviews and Unique Feature Insights
Peer reviews for MemberSpace across G2 and other sites paint a consistent picture, with a strong average rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars on G2.
Top Peer Review Themes:
Positive Reviews: Exceptional Customer Service and VIP Support are the most frequently praised features, described as "quick," "friendly," and "responsive". Users value the platform’s ease of use, seamless integration with website builders like Squarespace, and its consistent, reliable performance.
Unique Feature Insight: Testimonials often pinpoint the simplicity and reliability of its core function: "MemberSpace is simple to use, just customizable enough, and works consistently without me needing to worry. The tech is consistent and doesn't fail".
Critical Feedback: The most common criticism revolves around feature limitations and a lack of depth, particularly regarding advanced reporting/analytics and community features. Some users report minor bugs in automated messages or difficulty customizing workflows, suggesting that while the core functionality is excellent, complex or highly customized processes may push the system beyond its intended scope. This is obviously a client or user who was expecting something different and "playing out their weight class".
Employee Happiness (Inferred Correlation)
While specific employee review data (like Glassdoor scores) for a company of this size may be limited or unavailable, the overwhelming praise for the customer service team suggests a strong internal culture of support and client focus. Generally, happy and well-supported employees are more likely to provide high-quality, responsive support to clients. However, this is an inferred correlation, and executives should always consider this as a starting point for their due diligence, not a final fact, as the importance of checking review dates and contexts is paramount. Further insights on navigating software review reliance can be found here.
What Does SmartThoughts Expert Analysis State?
The SmartThoughts expert analysis confirms that MemberSpace is a Tier IV solution that excels at what it sets out to do: simplifying content monetization and membership management on existing web platforms.
Reasoning:
MemberSpace represents a fantastic value proposition for micro-associations and non-profit chapters whose core mission is fulfilled by providing exclusive digital content and services to a paying member base. Its seamless, non-technical integration with mainstream website builders is a major competitive advantage, eliminating the need for expensive, time-consuming web platform migrations often associated with traditional AMS implementations.
However, association executives must be realistic about the trade-offs. The platform is not an enterprise-grade AMS. It does not offer the deep functional layers required by mid-market or large national associations, specifically in areas like complex conference management, advanced accrual-based accounting, or sophisticated multi-channel marketing automation. An organization with an operating budget above $1 million, or one with complex financial, advocacy, or chapter management needs, will quickly outgrow MemberSpace.
The key to success with MemberSpace is treating it as a Membership & Content Utility and being prepared to integrate best-of-breed systems (like a dedicated email marketing platform or event management tool) to handle functions it lacks. Its strength lies in its focused niche, making it a reliable, low-cost choice for those who need to put a turnstile on their current website, but a poor choice for those seeking an all-encompassing system of record. Considering the potential impact of a vendor's roadmap and senior leadership, MemberSpace's focused product direction and strong support reputation indicate it is a good partner within its targeted market segment.
Our Final Thoughts on MemberSpace
For the small association that is content-focused and wants to retain full creative control of its website, MemberSpace is a powerful and budget-friendly solution. It solves a specific pain point—monetizing exclusive web content—with exceptional ease of use and support. But for any association needing a true, central system of record for all business units, a more robust Tier II or Tier I AMS will be required.
Choosing the right AMS is one of the most important decisions your organization will make to serve your members and mission, and failure is not an option in this critical decision. Don't navigate the complex AMS marketplace alone.
If you are a verified association executive not currently collaborating with a consultant, we encourage you to arrange a complimentary, risk-free discussion for a free assessment. This will allow you to discover how we can offer a comprehensive report on alternative market options that may deliver the detailed, objective analysis you require.
Leverage the insights of a professional software advisor to align your needs with the best-fit solution, starting with the core steps outlined in the Smart Guide to AMS Software Selection.
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