How to Set Up Discord Memberships and Subscriptions
Published · Updated · 3 min read
Short answer
You can set up paid Discord memberships two ways. US owners can turn on Discord's Server Subscriptions in Server Settings and create one to three tiers. Anyone else, or anyone who wants their own checkout, sells through Stripe with a tool that gives each buyer a Discord role and removes it on cancellation.
| Native tiers per server | 1 to 3 paid tiers |
|---|---|
| Native eligibility | Server owner, 18+, US-based, 2FA on, verified email |
| Native fees | 10% platform fee after payment processing (6% on desktop and web) |
| Native mobile purchases | iOS: Apple's fee is added to the price; Android: not available |
| Stripe route | 2.9% + 30¢ per US card charge, plus the membership tool's fee |
Checked against the sources at the end of this article.
A Discord membership is a paid role. Members pay on a schedule, the role opens the channels they paid for, and the role goes away if they stop paying. Everything else, from tiers to perks, is built on top of that one idea. This guide shows both ways to set it up and how to keep members paying. It belongs to our paid Discord memberships and monetization series.
Option 1: Discord Server Subscriptions
Server Subscriptions are Discord’s own paid memberships. Members buy them inside the Discord app, and Discord collects the money and pays you out.
Who can use them
The server owner must be 18 or older, based in the United States with a US bank account, and have two-factor authentication and a verified email. The account must be in good standing. Owners outside the US cannot turn the feature on.
How to set them up
- As the owner, enable monetization for the server and accept Discord’s Monetization Terms.
- Open Server Settings > Server Subscriptions.
- Under Basic Info, choose whether to make some channels exclusive or the whole server.
- Under Tiers, create one to three paid tiers, each with a price, a description and the perks it includes.
- Publish, then announce the tiers in a channel everyone can read.
What it costs
Discord keeps a 10% platform fee. Before that, payment processing fees come off: 6% for purchases made on desktop or the web, and Apple’s fee for purchases started in the iOS app (members cannot buy on Android). Your first payout comes once you have earned at least $100, and after that each time you pass $25.
Option 2: Your own checkout through Stripe
If you are outside the US, want your own branded checkout, or want to know who your members are, sell the membership yourself. A membership tool connects three things: your sales page, Stripe for payment, and a Discord bot that assigns roles.
How the Ternary method works
- Create an account at admin.ternarydev.com/register and connect your Stripe account and Discord server.
- Create a product: choose a recurring membership or a one-time payment, set the price and billing period, and pick the Discord role it grants.
- Share the branded checkout page. Buyers sign in with Discord through the signup gate, pay through Stripe, and get the role automatically.
- When a subscription ends, the role is removed without anyone on your team touching it.
Stripe charges 2.9% + 30¢ per successful US card payment. Ternary’s Basic plan is free with no transaction fee; Premium is $100 a month plus a 3% transaction fee. The full walkthrough is in set up paid Discord subscriptions with Ternary.
Designing tiers
Start with one paid tier. A single clear offer converts better than three similar ones, and you can split it later once you know what members value. When you add tiers, make each step up obvious: more access, more frequent content, or direct time with you. Keep a free area with real value so new people can see what the community is like before they pay.
Keeping members paying
- Deliver on a schedule. Members renew when they can see the value every week.
- Talk to new members early. The first two weeks decide whether someone renews.
- Watch failed payments. Expired cards cause a share of cancellations nobody chose. Stripe’s automatic retries recover some of them.
- Ask people who leave why. One question in a short form gives you the most useful feedback you will get.
For more on picking a model, read our pillar guide on how to monetize your Discord server, and for gating specific channels, see Discord paywalls.
Which option fits you
If you are in the US, want the simplest setup and are happy for Discord to hold the customer relationship, use Server Subscriptions. If you are elsewhere, sell outside the Discord app, want your own pricing page, or need a member list you control, use a Stripe-based tool.
FAQ
Can I offer a free trial on a Discord membership?
Discord's Server Subscriptions support free trials that the owner switches on in the subscription settings, and members are charged when the trial ends. If you sell through Stripe instead, trials depend on how your checkout is set up, so check what your membership tool supports before you promise one in an announcement.
How do members cancel a Discord server subscription?
For Discord's built-in subscriptions, members open User Settings, choose Subscriptions, press Manage Membership and then Cancel Subscription. Access lasts until the end of the paid period. With a Stripe-based tool, members cancel through the tool's customer page, and the tool removes their Discord role when the subscription ends.
Should I charge monthly or yearly?
Offer monthly first: it is the easier yes for a new member. Add a yearly option with a discount once you have members who have stayed several months, because yearly plans lock in your most loyal people and cut the number of renewals that can fail. Price the yearly plan at roughly ten monthly payments.
