Memberstack

YES

Replaceable in one session with an AI coding agent.

Adds accounts and paid memberships to a site that has no backend, by dropping in a script that gates content and talks to Stripe.

Promptfree, for everyone, and the only version there is

Add a small backend rather than a script.

THE HONEST POINT
- Client-side gating is not security. Anyone can read the hidden content in the network tab
- If the content matters, it must be served by a server that checked entitlement

STACK
- Astro with a Node adapter, SQLite, Stripe

ACCOUNTS
- Magic link by email: a signed single-use token, then a session cookie
- No passwords means no resets and no hashes to leak

ENTITLEMENT
- Read from the Stripe subscription status by webhook, idempotent by event id
- Never from a flag the browser can influence

GATING
- The server decides. A gated page returns the content or a paywall, never both

THE PORTAL
- Stripe's own customer portal handles card updates and cancellation; do not rebuild it

Include the magic-link flow, the webhook and the server-side gate.

What you lose

Accounts and gating on a purely static site, with no backend to run
Stripe subscription handling, plans and the customer portal already wired
Login, password reset and email verification already built

If you would rather not build

Astro with a Node adapter plus Stripe
Outseta, for the hosted version

The escape hatch

open source · no votes, no paid placement

Ghost

Memberships and Stripe already built, with server-side gating.

TryGhost/Ghostfree · open source

SuperTokens

Self-hosted authentication if you would rather not write the session layer.

supertokens/supertokens-corefree · open source

Why this verdict

our own opinion · changed only by a person

78/100

Verdict yes at 78, with a correction worth reading: client-side gating never protected anything. A small server does, and it is a weekend.

History

tracked since 10 Aug 2026 · nothing is ever overwritten

Interest · last 30 dayspeak 1/day

0113 Jul18 Jul23 Jul28 Jul2 Aug7 Aug11 Aug

— views— prompt copies none yet— votes none yet

Questions about Memberstack

answered from the record above

Is Memberstack free?

No — the plan we track is $29 a month. Starter at around $29/month billed monthly, cheaper annually.

Can you replace Memberstack by building your own?

YES. Replaceable in one session with an AI coding agent. Replacement score 78 out of 100, build time one session. Read what you lose before you decide.

How much does Memberstack cost?

$29 a month on Starter — $348 a year. Recorded 10 Aug 2026.

What do you lose by replacing Memberstack?

Accounts and gating on a purely static site, with no backend to run; Stripe subscription handling, plans and the customer portal already wired; Login, password reset and email verification already built. If any of those carry weight for you, keep paying.

Is there an open-source alternative to Memberstack?

Yes: Ghost, SuperTokens. The prompt on this page is for when you want it your way instead.

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