Membership websites: the sales page Anticode can build, and the members area it can't
A membership site has two halves: a public page that sells the membership, and a private area that only paying members can open. Anticode builds the first half well. It doesn't build the second: published Anticode sites have no member logins. This page explains what that means in practice, the combinations that do work, and when the Next.js export with email sign-in is the route to take.
The short answer
If you need people to sign in to your website and see pages others can't, Anticode on its own is not the right membership website builder. Its published sites are public: there are no visitor accounts, no passwords and no members-only pages. The "account sign-up" option in the builder makes an invite-request form, not real accounts.
That still leaves a lot of membership businesses well served, because many of them don't need a members area on the website at all. The content lives somewhere else, and the website's job is to explain the membership and take the sign-up.
Where the members area actually lives
Look at what members get, then decide where it's delivered. Often it's not a website page at all.
| Membership | Members' side | Website's job |
|---|---|---|
| Paid community | A Discord server or a community platform | Explain the community, take payment, send the invite |
| Paid newsletter | Your email tool's paid tier | Sell the subscription, show sample issues |
| Online course or video library | A course platform | A sales page with the syllabus and a buy button |
| Gym, studio or club | In person, with a membership card | Prices, timetable, joining form, payment |
| Software or digital downloads by subscription | The product itself, or a store like Gumroad or Lemon Squeezy that delivers files | Sales page and checkout link |
What Anticode builds for the public half
For the sales side, describe the membership, who it's for and what members get. The Architect plans a landing page, usually with a Pricing page or section and an FAQ, and asks where the answer changes the build, such as whether there are tiers.
- Payment
- Join buttons point at a checkout link from your own provider. Stripe Payment Links can be set up for recurring payments; Whop, Gumroad and Lemon Squeezy can sell subscriptions too, and Whop is built around selling access to a community or content. PayPal and Shopify links also work. Your provider handles renewals, failed cards and cancellations.
- Invite requests
- For a membership you approve by hand, such as a private club or a professional network, the account sign-up option gives you a request form. Requests are saved, sealed at rest and can be emailed to you or sent to Slack, Airtable or a webhook.
- Newsletter
- A free tier or a waiting list can feed Mailchimp (with double opt-in) or Kit.
- Member updates in public
- Fixtures, event dates or public news can be kept in a CMS collection, edited in the dashboard.
The sell a subscription on your website guide covers setting up the recurring checkout link, and Whop is worth a look if you want the payment and the members' area in one place.
When the Next.js export is the route
If members really must sign in on your own website, Anticode can still be the starting point. The Next.js export turns the project into a standard App Router codebase with TypeScript, Postgres through Prisma, email sign-in, customer and staff roles, an admin area with two-factor sign-in and an audit log, and row-level security in Postgres. It sends email through Resend, and its README covers hosting with Neon, Supabase, Docker or Vercel.
What the export doesn't do is the membership logic itself. Deciding which pages need a paid membership, checking payment status with your provider, and handling renewals and cancellations is development work, done by you or a developer, and you host and maintain the app. It's a good foundation; it's not a finished membership product. See exporting to Next.js.
Choosing a route
- Content lives elsewhere (Discord, email, course platform, in person): build the sales site on Anticode with a payment link. This is the simplest and most common case.
- You approve members by hand: an Anticode site with the invite-request form, plus a payment link you send after approval.
- Members need private pages on your own domain, and you have development help: build on Anticode, export to Next.js, add the gating.
- Members need private pages and you have no development help: use a dedicated membership platform, and link to it from an Anticode site if you want the marketing pages to look your own.
Limits, plainly
- No member logins, passwords or private pages on published Anticode sites.
- No billing on the site. Recurring payments run through your provider's checkout link; Anticode's own site payments are not switched on.
- No content drip, member directories or forums.
- The Next.js export needs a developer to turn its sign-in and roles into membership access.
Questions people ask
Can I password-protect a page on Anticode?
No. Published pages are public. Don't put anything on them you'd only want members to see.
Can I charge a monthly membership fee?
Yes, through your payment provider. Create a recurring checkout link in Stripe, Whop, Lemon Squeezy or Gumroad and point the join button at it.
Will the invite-request form create accounts for people?
No. It collects requests for you to review. What you do next, such as sending a payment link or a community invite, is up to you.
Sources
- Stripe Docs: Payment Links, checked