Thrive Apprentice vs MemberPress: Make Your Choice

Torn between Thrive Apprentice vs MemberPress for your online course? I’ve spent a lot of time exploring WordPress course platforms, and I know how overwhelming this choice can be. Both tools are powerful—but they take very different approaches.

The right platform will make selling and managing your courses effortless, while the wrong one can leave you frustrated with missing features or unexpected costs. That’s why I’m here to help!

I’ve tested both Thrive Apprentice and MemberPress extensively, and I know exactly where each one shines and where they fall short. Let’s break it all down so you can choose the best fit for your business.

Here’s Why Your Choice of Course Builder Matters

If you’re looking to create and sell online courses, the course builder you choose isn’t just a technical decision—it directly impacts your success. The right tool makes it easier to design engaging lessons, manage students, and even scale your business. The wrong tool? It can slow you down, limit your customization options, or even lock you into a rigid system that doesn’t grow with your needs.

Online learning is booming, but success depends on more than just good content. According to an online report, course completion rates average just 5-15%, with poor user experience and engagement being key reasons students drop off. That’s why your course builder matters—it should help you create an intuitive, engaging learning experience that keeps students involved from start to finish.

Beyond just creating content, your course builder determines:

• User experience: How easy is it for students to navigate your course?
• Monetization options: Can you price your courses flexibly and set up memberships?
• Customization & branding: Do you have full control over how your course looks and functions?
• Integrations: Does it work with your preferred email marketing tools, payment gateways, and community features?
• Ease of use: Can you set up a course quickly without a steep learning curve?

With all that in mind, let’s compare Thrive Apprentice vs MemberPress, two popular options for WordPress users. Which one gives you the best experience, flexibility, and value for your online course business? Let’s dive in.

Thrive Apprentice vs MemberPress: Let's Break It Down

To help you make an informed decision, I'll break down Thrive Apprentice and MemberPress across these key areas:

I'll share my real-world experience using both builders and tell you which one I think comes out on top. More importantly, I'll help you figure out which tool makes the most sense for your specific needs.

Sound good? Let's get into the details of these powerful WordPress course builders.

Ease of Setup/Use: Can You Get Started In 30 Minutes?

From my experience working with online course platforms, ease of setup can make or break your workflow. If a tool takes hours just to get a basic course live, it’s already working against you. The best course builders should feel effortless, guiding you through the setup process so you can focus on creating content — not troubleshooting tech issues.

For course creators, time is money. Whether you're launching your first program or migrating from another platform, you need a system that lets you structure lessons, upload content, and start selling quickly—without endless configurations.

Let’s see how Thrive Apprentice and MemberPress compare when it comes to getting started.

Thrive Apprentice Ease of Setup/Use

Setting up Thrive Apprentice is incredibly straightforward. One thing I really appreciate about Thrive Themes is how they focus on guiding you from point A to a finished course with as little friction as possible.

Once you install the plugin, you’re immediately taken through a brief setup wizard where you:

• Name your course platform
• Choose your initial templates for key pages like the course overview and lesson layouts
• Enter the Thrive Apprentice dashboard, where everything is laid out clearly

The Thrive Apprentice dashboard is one of my favorite parts of the experience. It’s clean, simple, and intuitive, making it easy to find exactly what you need. From there, setting up your courses is even smoother.

 
You get a drag-and-drop editor that allows you to:

• Plan your entire course structure visually
• Add, remove, and reorder lessons effortlessly
• Make all changes in one place—without bouncing between multiple tabs or the WordPress block editor

Everything happens within the same platform, which is a huge time-saver. I’ve tested plenty of course builders that require navigating multiple windows just to get the basics set up, but with Thrive Apprentice, you can go from idea to a fully structured course in under 30 minutes—or even less.

For this, I've given Thrive Apprentice a 10 out of 10.

MemberPress Ease of Setup/Use

MemberPress also offers a fairly smooth setup process. One of the things I liked was their setup wizard, which ensures you cover all the key details upfront. As soon as you install the plugin, the wizard pops up automatically—no need to search for it. 

It walks you through:

• What type of products you want to sell
• Your business goals
• How you want your membership site to be structured

This makes the initial setup simple, even if you’re new to membership or course platforms.

Once you’re in, the MemberPress dashboard is easy to find—it's located in the left sidebar of the WordPress admin panel. From there, you can click through the different options to familiarize yourself with the platform.

However, when it comes to creating online courses, MemberPress takes a slightly different approach. Courses are built using the MemberPress Courses add-on, which comes included in all MemberPress subscriptions. While this is convenient, course creation happens inside the WordPress Block Editor, which was a bit of a downside for me.

That being said, MemberPress does a good job of keeping everything organized. The curriculum builder uses a drag-and-drop interface, making it easy to:

• Name and structure your courses
• Rearrange lessons
• Keep track of your course pages and content

Overall, the platform is easy to navigate and keeps things structured, but the reliance on the WordPress Block Editor for course building holds it back slightly.

MemberPress scores an 8.5 out of 10.

Templates & Design Options: Can I Tailor My Course Platform to Match My Brand?

A course platform isn’t just about functionality — it also needs to look and feel like an extension of your brand. Whether you're running a coaching business, a membership site, or an online academy, your course pages should match your website’s design, maintain consistency, and create a professional learning experience.

From my experience, design flexibility can be a huge differentiator. Some platforms lock you into rigid templates with minimal customization, while others give you the freedom to fully control layouts, fonts, colors, and branding elements. The ideal platform should strike a balance between ease of use and creative control, allowing you to craft a visually appealing learning environment without needing advanced coding skills.

So, how do Thrive Apprentice and MemberPress compare when it comes to customization and branding? Let’s take a look.

Thrive Apprentice: Templates & Design Options

When it comes to templates and design flexibility, Thrive Apprentice strikes a great balance. It gives you enough customization options to ensure your courses don’t look generic, but without overwhelming you with hundreds of choices that can slow down the setup process.

You start with a selection of pre-designed templates, each with its own unique style. Unlike some platforms that lock you into a single course layout, Thrive Apprentice lets you choose from multiple designs—giving you control while keeping the process efficient. I appreciate this because, in my experience, too much choice can lead to decision fatigue, especially for business owners who just want to get set up quickly.

Beyond just picking a template, you can customize it further using the Thrive Visual Editor. This allows you to:

• Add your logo, images, and text
• Adjust layouts and columns
• Refine the look and feel of your course pages

You also get templates for course completion pages and certificates, but further customization for these requires Thrive Architect, Thrive Themes’ landing page builder. While I would have liked to see full editing access within Thrive Apprentice itself, it’s not a dealbreaker —just something to keep in mind.

Thrive Apprentice delivers a solid mix of creative freedom and ease of use, and for this it gets a score of 8.5 out of 10.

MemberPress Templates & Design Options

When it comes to templates and design customization, MemberPress is surprisingly limited, especially for such a robust plugin. Unlike Thrive Apprentice, which offers pre-designed course templates, MemberPress relies almost entirely on the WordPress block editor to handle course design.

If you're someone who sees online courses as a secondary revenue stream, this might not be a dealbreaker. But if you’re serious about branding your course platform and customizing your student experience, the lack of design flexibility could be frustrating.

There are no built-in course templates, so you have to manually create layouts using the block editor.
While the block editor does offer basic customization (text, images, videos, buttons), it doesn’t provide a structured design system like other course builders.

If you’re experienced with WordPress, you might be able to get creative with blocks, but for beginners or business owners wanting fast and polished course designs, the process isn’t ideal.

For a tool as powerful as MemberPress, the lack of course design templates is a major downside. But, if you’re already comfortable with the WordPress Block Editor or don’t mind manually structuring your course layout, it might work for you.

For this, I've had to give MemberPress a 4 out of 10.

Basic Course Building: What Features Are Available for Creating My Course Lessons?

A great course builder isn’t just about looking good — it also needs to provide the right tools to structure and deliver engaging lessons. At the core of any online course platform are features like lesson organization, multimedia support, progress tracking, and student engagement tools.

From my experience, a solid course builder should make it easy to:

• Break content into structured modules and lessons
• Add different types of media (videos, PDFs, quizzes, audio, etc.)
• Allow students to track their progress
• Customize lesson layouts without limitations

Some platforms give you complete control over how lessons are built, while others limit you to a basic structure with minimal customization. The real question is: Do Thrive Apprentice and MemberPress provide enough tools to make your course engaging and well-structured? Let’s compare.

Thrive Apprentice: Basic Course Building Features

When it comes to course creation features, Thrive Apprentice gives you everything you need right out of the box—no upgrades or add-ons required. That’s something I really appreciate, especially compared to platforms that lock key features behind higher-tier plans.

Here’s what you get with your subscription:

• Drag-and-drop course editor – Easily structure your course with modules, chapters, and lessons in a clear, intuitive interface.
• Customizable lesson pages – Modify lesson layouts and add media directly using a drag-and-drop editor.
• Drip content settings – Set up scheduled lesson releases (we’ll cover this in more detail later).
• Interactive assessments – Engage students with quizzes and various assessment types.
• Certificates and rewards – Motivate students with achievement-based recognition.
• Detailed reporting – Track student progress and course performance with built-in analytics.
• Custom access restrictions – Create hidden courses, cohort-based courses, and free trials for premium content.

What stands out is that everything is included in a single plan and there’s no need to pay extra to unlock advanced course-building features. That makes Thrive Apprentice one of the most feature-complete course builders available on WordPress.

Thrive Apprentice scores another 10 out of 10, here.

MemberPress: Basic Course Building Features

MemberPress provides all the essential tools needed to build a structured online course, but if you want more interactive or advanced features, you’ll need to upgrade to a higher-tier plan.

Here’s what you get on the standard plan:

• A curriculum builder to structure your course content
• The ability to create and organize lessons (within the WordPress block editor)
• Basic design elements to format your course pages

However, if you want to:

• Add quizzes
• Include student assignments
• Offer certificates for course completion

…you’ll need to pay for an upgraded plan, which may not be ideal if you’re trying to keep costs down. While this model makes sense for MemberPress’ membership-focused approach, it feels restrictive compared to Thrive Apprentice, which offers these features without an extra cost.

MemberPress gets a 6 out of 10 here.

Drip Function: Can I Create a Custom Course Release Schedule?

One of the key features of a strong online course platform is drip content functionality — the ability to schedule when lessons become available to students. This is especially useful for:

• Keeping students engaged by releasing content over time instead of overwhelming them all at once.
• Running cohort-based courses, where everyone progresses at the same pace.
• Creating subscription-based models, where new content unlocks at scheduled intervals.

From my experience, a good drip function should allow for custom scheduling, flexibility in release timing, and automation to reduce manual work. Some platforms offer simple time-based dripping, while others allow more advanced conditions like unlocking content based on student progress.

Let’s see how Thrive Apprentice and MemberPress compare when it comes to custom course release scheduling.

Thrive Apprentice: Drip Function

When it comes to drip functionality, Thrive Apprentice truly excels. Many platforms claim to offer custom drip scheduling, but in practice, they often have rigid or limited options. That’s not the case here—you get complete control over how and when your course content is released.

Thrive Apprentice gives you six different types of drip schedules, allowing you to customize exactly how your content is released:

1. Scheduled Repeating – Lessons unlock at consistent intervals after the course starts.
2. Evergreen Repeating – Content unlocks at set intervals per student, meaning each learner progresses at their own pace.
3. Drip by Date – Set specific calendar dates for course content to become available.
4. Sequential Unlock – Requires students to complete lessons in order before accessing the next module.
5. Event-Triggered Unlocking – Use tools like Uncanny Automator to sync drip content with external triggers.
6. Custom Drip Schedules – Build a completely custom schedule based on your unique needs.

What makes Thrive Apprentice stand out is that these options don’t feel overwhelming or complicated. The interface is intuitive, making it easy to set up the right structure for your course without getting lost in technical details.

Thrive Apprentice gets another 10 here.

MemberPress: Drip Function

MemberPress offers decent drip functionality, allowing you to control when different types of content—pages, posts, and courses—become available. While it doesn’t offer as many granular customization options as Thrive Apprentice, it still provides enough flexibility for most course creators.

Drip scheduling in MemberPress is handled through their Rules feature.

Here you can configure:

• What content is dripped (entire courses or specific lessons)
• When it’s released, based on:
  • A fixed date
  • A certain number of days after a user registers
  • After a product purchase
  • When someone subscribes to a membership

While these options cover the basics, custom drip scheduling is more limited. You don’t get the same variety of release strategies as Thrive Apprentice (such as sequential unlocking or automation triggers), which means less control over how students progress through a course.

MemberPress gets a 7 out of 10 here.

Assessments: What Do I Get to Test My Students?

Assessments play a crucial role in online courses, helping instructors measure student progress, reinforce learning, and increase engagement. A strong course platform should offer various testing methods — from simple quizzes to more advanced assessments like graded assignments and certifications.

From my experience, the best platforms provide:

• Multiple question types (multiple-choice, short answer, true/false, etc.)
• Custom grading options (pass/fail, percentage-based scores, or manual grading)
• Certificates or rewards for successful completion
• Conditional progression, where students must pass a test before moving to the next lesson

Some platforms offer built-in quiz and assessment tools, while others require third-party integrations or upgraded plans to unlock these features. Let’s compare Thrive Apprentice and MemberPress to see how they handle student assessments.

Thrive Apprentice: Assessments

Another area where Thrive Apprentice excels is its assessment functionality. It provides multiple ways to test student progress, making it easy to create a more interactive and structured learning experience.

Thrive Apprentice offers you several assessment options:

• Quiz Builder Assessment: Let your students take a WordPress quiz you built in Thrive Quiz Builder, our online quiz plugin.
• Assessment Upload: Requires your students to upload a file (PDF, PowerPoint, etc.)
• YouTube Link: Let your students submit a link to a YouTube video
• External Link to Assessment: Students can provide a link to anything— whether it's a file on their personal Google Drive, their own website, a wireframe for a mobile app, etc.

What I really appreciate about Thrive Apprentice’s assessment system is that it doesn’t force your course into a rigid structure. Instead, it adapts to what your course requires, giving you multiple ways to test student understanding without limitations.

The only catch is that to use the built-in quiz functionality, you need to purchase Thrive Quiz Builder separately (unless you’re using Thrive Suite, which includes all Thrive tools in one package). While this may be a minor downside for some, the value of a fully integrated quiz system makes it a worthwhile investment in my opinion.

Thrive Apprentice gets a 9 out of 10 here.

MemberPress: Assessments

When it comes to testing students, MemberPress offers a good variety of options, but I have to note that most of these features aren’t included in the Basic plan. You’ll need to purchase an add-on or upgrade to a higher-tier plan to unlock features like quizzes, gradebooks, and assignments.

That being said, once you do have access to these tools, they work well. I liked that MemberPress supports different types of assessments beyond just quizzes. You can assign:

• Essays and written assignments
• Digital projects
• Multimedia presentations (with file uploads for documents, spreadsheets, images, and audio)

It’s a solid setup, and I do appreciate how students can easily submit their work without friction. That kind of seamless experience helps a lot in keeping students engaged.

Overall, MemberPress does provide a good set of assessment tools, but I can’t ignore the fact that you have to pay extra for key features. If you’re willing to invest in the upgrades, the tools are useful and integrate well with the course builder. But if you want a full-featured assessment system without paywalls, Thrive Apprentice offers a much better deal.

Monetization: How Easy Is It for Me to Sell My Courses?

Creating a great course is just one part of the equation—how easy is it to actually sell it? A solid course platform should make it seamless to set up pricing, accept payments, and manage student access without needing a bunch of third-party tools or workarounds.

From my experience, the best course platforms offer:

• Multiple payment options (one-time payments, subscriptions, memberships, or payment plans)
• Seamless integration with payment gateways like Stripe, PayPal, or ThriveCart
• Coupons and discount management for promotions
• Flexible access controls (one-time purchases, drip access, or membership-based models)
• Sales tracking and reporting to monitor revenue

Some platforms make you rely heavily on third-party tools to handle transactions, while others offer built-in solutions that make selling courses more streamlined.

So, which platform makes monetizing your courses easier—Thrive Apprentice or MemberPress? Let’s break it down.

Thrive Apprentice: Monetization Options

Thrive Apprentice makes selling courses easy with a built-in Stripe integration, allowing you to sell directly without third-party checkout tools. You can offer courses as standalone products or part of a membership, and automated access control ensures students get immediate course access after purchase.

However, payment options are limited. If you want to use PayPal, WooCommerce, or other gateways, you’ll need an automation tool like Thrive Automator or Uncanny Automator. There are also no native checkout pages, so for upsells or advanced sales funnels, you may need a tool like ThriveCart.

I found the Stripe integration to be smooth, but if you don’t use Stripe, the extra setup could be frustrating. While it’s a solid option, other platforms offer more built-in payment flexibility.

Thrive Apprentice gets a 6.5 out of 10 here.

MemberPress: Monetization Options

When it comes to monetization, MemberPress offers more built-in flexibility than Thrive Apprentice, making it a strong choice if selling courses is a big part of your business.

You can connect Stripe, PayPal, WooCommerce, and Easy Digital Downloads without needing extra automation tools. Since MemberPress is built for memberships, its seamless checkout system ensures students get immediate access after purchase. Plus, you have flexible pricing options, allowing you to sell courses as one-time purchases, subscriptions, or part of a membership plan.

A frictionless checkout is just as important as a great learning experience, and MemberPress makes that possible. The fewer barriers between a student and enrollment, the better your sales potential.

MemberPress gets a 10 out of 10 here.

Additional Features & Functionality: What Else Do I Get?

Beyond the core course-building tools, what extra features does each platform offer to enhance the learning experience, improve course management, or help you grow your business?

From my experience, the best course platforms go beyond just hosting lessons and provide built-in tools that help you:

• Automate processes (e.g., student enrollment, progress tracking, notifications)
• Engage students through forums, certificates, or gamification
• Integrate with marketing tools to drive sales and nurture leads
• Expand your offerings with memberships, coaching, or bundled courses

Some platforms stay focused on course creation, while others offer an ecosystem of extra tools to help you scale and manage your business more effectively.

So, what additional features do Thrive Apprentice and MemberPress bring to the table? Let’s break it down.

Thrive Apprentice: Additional Features & Functionality

Thrive Apprentice provides detailed reporting, marketing tools, and membership flexibility to help you grow and optimize your business. I really like that it doesn’t just let you launch a course but also gives you the tools to refine, sell, and scale without needing extra plugins.

Its built-in reporting and analytics make it easy to track student engagement, completion rates, and drop-off points without third-party tools. The drop-off tracking feature is particularly valuable—it helps you spot where students lose interest so you can adjust lessons and improve retention. I’ve used other platforms that require external analytics just to get this kind of insight, so having it built in is a big plus.

Beyond reporting, Thrive Apprentice includes features that genuinely improve engagement and sales:

• Personalized course completion pages – Congratulate students by name and recommend next-step courses, which I find great for keeping students engaged.
• Customizable certificates – Add logos, images, and student names for a more premium learning experience.
• Digital product sales – Sell courses, eBooks, and memberships without needing another eCommerce tool.
• Conditional Display – Show different CTAs, pricing, or content based on whether a visitor is a student or prospect, making your platform feel more dynamic and personalized.

I appreciate that Thrive Apprentice doesn’t just host courses—it actively helps you optimize and sell them. If you want a course builder that gives you full control over the student experience without relying on extra integrations, this is a great option.

MemberPress: Additional Features and Functionality

MemberPress is built for memberships first, making it a strong option if you want to sell courses alongside other digital products. While it offers flexible monetization options, it lacks built-in course reporting and progress tracking, requiring Google Analytics or paid add-ons for deeper insights. Features like certificates and student tracking are also locked behind higher-tier plans, which can increase costs.

Where it shines is in its business expansion tools:

• Unlimited memberships & product bundling – Sell courses alongside eBooks, exclusive content, or premium memberships.
• CoachKit™ for coaches – Designed for integrating courses with live coaching sessions.
• ReadyLaunch™ Page Maker – A simple built-in page builder for course pages or a full website.

If you’re looking to sell more than just courses, MemberPress provides strong membership management and monetization tools. But if you want a course-first platform with built-in reporting and engagement tools, you may need to factor in extra costs for add-ons.

Integrations & Compatibility: What Tools Does This Platform Connect With?

Your course platform doesn’t exist in a vacuum—it needs to work seamlessly with the other tools you rely on, whether that’s your email marketing service, payment processor, CRM, or automation platform. The more native integrations a platform offers, the smoother your workflow will be.

From my experience, a good course builder should integrate easily with:

• Payment gateways (Stripe, PayPal, WooCommerce, etc.)
• Email marketing tools (ActiveCampaign, Mailchimp, ConvertKit, etc.)
• Automation platforms (Zapier, Thrive Automator, Uncanny Automator)
• Community & engagement tools (forums, gamification, membership sites)

Some platforms offer direct, built-in integrations, while others rely on third-party connectors to expand compatibility. So, how do Thrive Apprentice and MemberPress stack up when it comes to playing nicely with the rest of your tech stack? Let’s find out.

Thrive Apprentice: Integration and Compatibility

Thrive Apprentice keeps integrations fairly simple. It has a built-in Stripe integration, so you can sell courses without extra tools, but for everything else—email marketing, PayPal, WooCommerce, or CRM connections—you’ll need an automation plugin like Thrive Automator or Uncanny Automator.

I don’t mind this setup since it keeps the core platform clean and lightweight, but if you prefer direct, built-in integrations, this could feel like an extra step. The good news is that with the right automator, you can connect Thrive Apprentice to just about anything—it just takes a bit of setup.

Key integrations:

• Native: Stripe
• Via an Automator plugin: PayPal, WooCommerce, email marketing tools, membership plugins, and more

It’s flexible but not plug-and-play —great if you like automation, but not ideal if you want everything built-in.

MemberPress: Integration and Compatibility

When it comes to integrations, MemberPress is a winner.

Right out of the box, you can connect to popular email marketing services, CRM tools, payment gateways, and membership plugins without needing an extra automation layer. This makes setup faster and smoother, especially if you don’t want to deal with third-party connectors.

Key integrations include:

• Email marketing: Mailchimp, ConvertKit, ActiveCampaign, Drip, and more
• Payment gateways: Stripe, PayPal, WooCommerce, Easy Digital Downloads
• CRM & automation tools: Zapier, Keap (Infusionsoft), and various membership add-ons

MemberPress makes it easier to connect with the tools you already use, giving it a major edge in this category. If you want seamless, built-in integrations without extra setup, this is the better choice.

Customer Support and Documentation: What Does “Help” Look Like?

No matter how feature-rich or user-friendly a tool might be, there will always be times when you need a bit of help. This is where customer support and comprehensive documentation come into play. Let's compare the customer support and documentation of Thrive Apprentice and MemberPress.

Thrive Apprentice: Customer Support and Documentation

Thrive Architect also offers strong customer support and comprehensive documentation. Support tickets are generally responded to in less than 24 hours. And Thrive Themes boasts a stellar support team, ready to help you figure out your challenges and get you back on the right track.

Thrive Apprentice’s documentation is exhaustive, covering all features of the tool in depth, and many articles include a helpful video tutorial.

Thrive Themes has a Facebook group where users can discuss issues. Thrive Apprentice earns a 10 out of 10 in this area.

Pricing: Is This Value for Your Money?

At the end of the day, your course platform needs to fit your budget while delivering the features you need. Both Thrive Apprentice and MemberPress offer different pricing plans based on their unique focus—one as a dedicated course builder and the other as a membership platform. Let’s break down what each one includes so you can decide which offers the best value for your money.

Thrive Apprentice Pricing

Let’s break down what you’ll actually pay for Thrive Apprentice and what you get in return. I’ve worked with plenty of course builders, and while pricing matters, it’s really about the value you’re getting for your investment.

Thrive Apprentice comes in at $149 per year for the standalone version (discounted from $299). But if you’re serious about growing your business, Thrive Suite—which includes Thrive Apprentice, Thrive Quiz Builder, Thrive Architect, and more—costs $299 per year (discounted from $599).

At first glance, this pricing is lower than many course platforms, especially considering that Thrive Apprentice doesn’t take a cut of your course sales—so every dollar you earn is yours to keep.

Here’s why that matters:

Let’s say you sell an online course for $200 and get 50 students in a year. That’s $10,000 in revenue.

Now, imagine you were using a platform that takes a 5% transaction fee—that’s $500 gone. But with Thrive Apprentice, you keep the full amount, meaning you’re already saving more than the cost of your subscription.

Of course, these numbers will vary, but the point is: Thrive Apprentice doesn’t charge extra for your success. You’re not just buying a course builder—you’re investing in a tool that lets you scale your business without worrying about additional fees.

Is It Worth It?

For a simple, budget-friendly course builder, Thrive Apprentice offers a strong set of features at a great price. And if you want a full suite of marketing tools, Thrive Suite is the better deal, giving you access to landing pages, quizzes, email opt-ins, and more.

When it comes to pricing, Thrive Apprentice scores a solid 9 out of 10—offering affordability without sacrificing essential features.

MemberPress Pricing

MemberPress offers three pricing tiers, each designed for different business needs. While the first-year discounts make it more affordable upfront, renewal prices are significantly higher—so it’s important to consider long-term value when choosing a plan.

• Basic Plan ($359/year, $179.50 first year) – Ideal for small business owners and content creators, this plan includes unlimited members, email marketing integrations, PayPal and Stripe support, and drip content. However, some advanced integrations are locked behind higher tiers.
• Plus Plan ($599/year, $299.50 first year) – Adds Zapier integration, developer tools, and advanced email marketing integrations (Drip, ConvertKit, etc.), making it better for eCommerce managers and growing businesses.
• Pro Plan ($799/year, $399.50 first year) – Includes priority support, order bumps, Authorize.net, and corporate accounts, catering to high-traffic and B2B sites that need extra flexibility and support.

Is It Worth It?

There are no hidden fees, so your cost won’t increase based on revenue or members. However, there’s no free version, and once the first-year discount expires, the renewal price jumps significantly. On the plus side, there’s a 14-day money-back guarantee, so you can test it risk-free.

If you’re looking for a membership-focused platform with premium features, MemberPress is a solid investment—but be prepared for the higher renewal costs after year one.

Overall Scores for Thrive Apprentice and MemberPress

Having explored the ins and outs of each of these two powerful page builders, it's time to tally up the scores and see how they stack against each other. Let's take a look at the final scores for SeedProd and Thrive Architect.

Thrive Apprentice: 87/100

Thrive Apprentice stands out as a course-first platform that just makes sense. From the drag-and-drop course builder to the flexible design options and built-in reporting, everything works together seamlessly. I really like how it gives you full control over your courses without forcing you into rigid templates or expensive add-ons. While payment options could be more flexible, the overall experience is smooth, intuitive, and designed to help you grow your course business without unnecessary hurdles. And, the pricing feels fair. 

MemberPress: 78/100

MemberPress is a powerful membership-focused platform that gives you flexible monetization options, strong integrations, and solid support. I appreciate how it streamlines payments and access control, making it easy to manage customers. However, its design limitations and reliance on paid add-ons for essential course features hold it back compared to more dedicated course builders. While it’s not the best choice for creators who need a highly customizable, standalone course platform, it’s still a strong contender for those looking to build a scalable membership-based business.

Which Is the Best Course Builder: Thrive Apprentice vs MemberPress?

After putting both platforms to the test, Thrive Apprentice comes out ahead as the better option for course creators, while MemberPress is a strong choice for those focused on memberships and monetization. Thrive Apprentice keeps things simple. You get all the course-building features upfront without needing extra add-ons. MemberPress, on the other hand, offers more flexibility for selling courses but requires upgrades for things like progress tracking and certificates.

The scores (87/100 vs. 78/100) show just how close this comparison was. If your main goal is to create and sell online courses without extra hurdles, Thrive Apprentice is the way to go. But if you’re looking to build a membership business where courses are just one part of the puzzle, MemberPress is worth considering.

Check out Thrive Apprentice today!