Podcast memberships, free

Paid memberships for your podcast, with no platform cut

Give the listeners who want more bonus episodes, early access and a say in what you cover. They pay monthly or yearly into your own PayPal or Stripe account.

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How do I charge listeners for my podcast without a platform taking a cut?

Give paying listeners something the public feed does not have, such as bonus episodes, an ad-free version or early access. Set a monthly price, and a yearly one if you like, and use a membership tool that bills each member on schedule. On Payly that page is free, and listeners pay through your own PayPal or Stripe account, so Payly takes no cut. PayPal and Stripe still charge their standard processing fees.

Why Payly

Levels built for a show

The Podcast template comes with three levels: Listener, Supporter and Producer, one of them free. Rename them, set a monthly price and an optional yearly one, and write what each level gets.

Bonus episodes and early access

Write a post with show notes and a link to the episode, then choose who sees it: all members, paid members, or a level and higher, such as Supporter and higher. Schedule it for release day.

Let listeners pick what is next

Add a poll to a post with 2 to 10 choices, such as next month's guest, and an end date if you like. Members vote once, then talk it over in the comments, where your replies are marked Creator.

How a podcast membership works in Payly

You make your episodes as you do now. Payly sells the levels and shows each post to the right listeners.

Start from the Podcast template

In Your sites, click New and choose Creator memberships, then pick Podcast. Change the photo and words to match your show.
Set your levels

In Levels, name each level, set its monthly price and, if you like, a yearly one, and list what listeners get. Close a level to new members whenever you want.
Connect PayPal or Stripe, then post

Connect your payment account and your free Cloudflare account, and publish your page once. Try the sign-up first in test mode, then write your first bonus episode post.

What you get

A free level and paid levels, monthly or yearly
Posts for all members, paid members, or one level and higher
Posts you can schedule for release day
Polls and comments, which you can turn off on any post
Listeners sign in with an emailed link or code, with no password
A welcome message for new members
A member list you can download as CSV

What it costs

Completely free - no paid plan, no transaction fees, no commission

PayPal and Stripe charge their standard processing fees, as they would on any platform.

How can this possibly be free?

Start from a template

Start from one of these and change anything you like, or start from scratch.

Podcast

Bonus episodes and listening without ads, with a free level.

Honest answers

Can I put my episodes inside a members-only post?

No. A post holds formatted text, links and a cover image, and audio, video or files inside a post are not supported. Host the episode where you host your show and link to it from the post. Payly decides who can read the post; the place the link leads to decides who can listen.

Will listeners get an email when I post a bonus episode?

No. Emailing members about a new post is not supported. Members find new posts when they visit your page, so tell listeners on the show when a bonus episode is up.

Can a listener move up from Supporter to Producer?

A free member can move up to a paid level from the account page on your site. Members who pay with Stripe can switch between paid levels there too, if Let customers switch plans is on in Settings, then Features. Members who pay with PayPal cannot change level themselves.

What happens when a listener cancels?

They cancel from their account and keep access until the end of the time they paid for. In Settings, then Features, you can choose to end access right away instead. Nothing is refunded for the unused time.

Is it really free?

Yes. There is no monthly fee, no transaction fee and no paid tier. PayPal and Stripe charge their standard processing fees on each payment, as they would on any platform. How can this possibly be free?