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Set up paid memberships

In this tutorial you'll go from a free community to one that sells access — connecting Stripe, creating a paid tier, gating a space behind it, and confirming a real checkout. Member payments run on Stripe Connect: Bonfire takes a 0% platform fee on top of your pricing — only Stripe's standard processing fees apply.

By the end you'll have a working paid tier and know exactly how a member subscribes.

Before you start

  • You're the owner (or an admin with monetization permission).
  • You have a community on a subdomain or custom domain.
  • You have a Stripe account (or can create one — it's free).

1. Connect Stripe

Go to Admin → Payment Setup. Connect your own Stripe account by entering your Publishable Key, Secret Key, and (optionally) Webhook Secret from the Stripe Dashboard. Members can't pay for premium tiers until Stripe is connected, and payouts go directly to your Stripe account. This is a one-time step.

2. Create your first tier

  1. Open Admin → Membership Tiers.
  2. Click Add Tier.
  3. Name it (e.g. Insiders), set a monthly and/or yearly price, and add a short description of what members get.
  4. Save.

3. Gate content behind the tier

Choose what paying members unlock:

  1. Go to Admin → Spaces (or a specific space's settings).
  2. Set its access to Paid tier → Insiders.
  3. Save. The space is now visible only to members on that tier.

Tip: Keep one or two free spaces so non-paying members can preview the value before upgrading.

4. Test the checkout

  1. Open your community in a private browser window as a member.
  2. Visit the gated space — you'll see an Upgrade prompt.
  3. Click it and complete Stripe Checkout with a test card.
  4. Confirm the member now has access and appears as subscribed.

5. Review revenue

Open Admin → Analytics to watch MRR, new subscriptions, and churn as members join.

Related

  • Manage membership tiers
  • Payment Setup
  • Understanding billing

FAQ

Do I pay Bonfire a cut of each sale? No. Bonfire takes a 0% platform fee. Stripe's standard processing fees still apply to each transaction.

Can a tier be both monthly and yearly? Yes — set both prices on the same tier and members choose at checkout.

Can I offer a free tier alongside paid ones? Yes. Members start free and upgrade when they hit gated content.

What currency is used? The currency configured for your tiers applies at checkout, processed through your connected Stripe account.