Choosing software · 8 min read
How much does a custom community app cost?
What drives community app cost? Compare DIY, platform, agency, and productized custom options, with a three-year cost example and the hidden costs to plan for.
Read the guidePricing
One plan. $999 a year. Everything included.
Your community's own software, designed, built, hosted, and looked after. One flat price, billed once a year.
One plan, everything included
Custom Software
Your community's own app, designed, built, and looked after for you.
$999/ year
About $83 a month, billed once a year. Prices in USD.
Start your build- No setup fee
- No cut of your revenue
- No per-member pricing
What's included
- Custom design and build of your community app
- Your branding and your own domain
- Applications, onboarding, and member profiles
- Memberships and payments into your Stripe account
- Events, RSVPs, member cards, and check-in
- Member directory and announcements
- Admin dashboard with team roles
- Custom features built for your community
- Hosting, security, and automatic backups
- Updates, improvements, and support all year
- Help moving your existing members over
What you'll never pay for
The $999 a year is the whole bill for your plan. There are no line items hiding behind it.
- A setup or build fee
- A cut of your membership revenue
- Per-member or per-seat pricing
- Hosting, maintenance, or security updates
- Support
Member payments go straight to your Stripe account. Stripe charges its standard processing fees; we don't add anything on top.
Quoted separately, always up front
Small changes and steady improvements are part of the plan. A few bigger projects aren't, and we'll always tell you before any work starts.
Native iOS and Android apps
Your plan includes an app that works in any browser. App Store and Play Store apps are a separate project.
Deep integrations
Connecting your app to another system, like a CRM, a ticketing platform, or an accounting tool.
Big new product areas
Something well beyond your agreed blueprint, like a full course platform or a marketplace.
You get a fixed quote first. Nothing extra is ever billed without your written approval.
What it replaces
One app instead of a stack of workarounds.
Most communities stitch together half a dozen tools to get by. Your app brings them into one place, with one login for your members.
- The group chat for announcements
- The form for applications
- The spreadsheet of who has paid
- Payment links and chasing renewals
- A separate events and RSVP tool
- An email tool for member updates
Compare
Custom software, without the agency price tag.
How a flat yearly plan compares to an off-the-shelf platform or a traditional agency build.
Built around how your community works
- Off-the-shelf platform
- No: You adapt to their template
- Agency custom build
- Yes
- CommunityLauncher
- Yes
Features made only for you
- Off-the-shelf platform
- No
- Agency custom build
- Yes
- CommunityLauncher
- Yes
Your brand on your own domain
- Off-the-shelf platform
- Partly: Often on higher plans
- Agency custom build
- Yes
- CommunityLauncher
- Yes
Upfront cost
- Off-the-shelf platform
- None
- Agency custom build
- A large project fee
- CommunityLauncher
- None
Ongoing cost
- Off-the-shelf platform
- Monthly or per-member plans
- Agency custom build
- Retainer for hosting and changes
- CommunityLauncher
- $999 a year, flat
Hosting, maintenance & support
- Off-the-shelf platform
- Partly: Self-serve help docs
- Agency custom build
- Partly: Usually billed extra
- CommunityLauncher
- Yes: Included
No cut of your membership revenue
- Off-the-shelf platform
- Partly: Some charge transaction fees
- Agency custom build
- Yes
- CommunityLauncher
- Yes
Planning your budget
Guides on costs and membership fees
Running a community · 8 min read
How to price a membership: models, tiers, and numbers
Learn how to price a membership: choose a pricing model, set a number from value and costs, design simple tiers, and raise prices without losing members.
Read the guideRunning a community · 8 min read
How to collect membership fees online (without chasing anyone)
Stop chasing payments. Compare ways to collect membership fees online, choose annual or recurring billing, and automate reminders, receipts, and failed cards.
Read the guideFAQ
Pricing questions
What exactly do I get for $999 a year?
A members app designed and built around your community, with your branding and your own domain. That covers applications, memberships and payments, events, member cards and check-in, a member directory, announcements, and an admin dashboard, plus the custom features your community needs. Hosting, security, backups, updates, and support are included all year.
Is there a setup fee?
No. The $999 a year covers the build too. There is no setup fee, no revenue share, and no per-member pricing.
How can it be custom at that price?
We don't start from zero. We've already built the foundations every community needs: accounts, profiles, applications, payments, events, and admin tools. Your plan goes into shaping all of that around your community: your brand, your member journey, your rules, and the features that are specific to you.
Do you take a cut of my membership fees?
No. Members pay you directly through your own Stripe account. Stripe's standard processing fees apply, but we don't take anything on top.
What if I need changes after launch?
Just ask. Fixes, small changes, and steady improvements are part of the plan. If you want something big, like a whole new product area or an integration with another system, we'll scope it with you and give you a clear quote before any work starts. No surprise bills.
Can I cancel?
Your plan renews once a year. If you decide not to continue, tell us at least 30 days before your renewal date and you won't be charged again. Either way, your data goes with you.
Your community deserves its own software.
Tell us how your community runs and we'll show you what we'd build. $999 a year, everything included.
No setup fee · No revenue share · Your data, always