The building blocks
Price plans come in three types: one-time, subscription with an interval such as every 1 month, and payment plan with a set number of payments. Subscriptions can have a trial measured in days, weeks, months or years; enter 0 for no trial. [1]
To sell a course, you select Digital product on the order form, add the course as a resource, choose full, partial or drip access, optionally set an expiration delay, and attach a price plan. Buyers automatically get an email to set a password; that email cannot be customized. [2]
Communities have posts, comments, topics, scheduled posts and a members area, and can be private (invite-only) or public. Access is granted or revoked with automation rules or workflows, for example when a tag is added. Invitations expire after 7 days. [3]
Plan limits that matter for memberships
These counts come from the plan data loaded by systeme.io’s pricing page. Free lists 500 students; the paid plans list a student limit so large that it is effectively unlimited, and the pricing page says unlimited students. [4] [5]
| Plan | Monthly / yearly | Courses | Communities | Students | Automation rules | Contacts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 1 | 1 | 500 | 1 | 2,000 |
| Startup | $17 / $170 | 5 | 5 | Unlimited | 10 | 5,000 |
| Webinar | $47 / $470 | 20 | 20 | Unlimited | 100 | 10,000 |
| Unlimited | $97 / $970 | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Access timing, cancellation and failed payments
By default, buyers get access right after the order is created, even before payment clears, because methods like PayPal or GoCardless can take up to 7 days. You can switch to Give access only after receiving the first payment under Settings, Payment settings. [6]
When you cancel a customer’s subscription from Sales, Subscriptions, you choose between ending at the period end (access continues until the next scheduled payment date) and cancelling now (access ends the same day). The help article only describes cancellation by you, not by the customer. [7]
On failed payments, Stripe retries follow your Stripe retry settings, PayPal manages its own retries, and payment plans get up to four total attempts before the subscription is cancelled. If a course payment is not completed, access to the course is suspended. [8]
| Event | What systeme.io documents | Your decision |
|---|---|---|
| First payment pending | Access granted immediately by default | Switch to access after first payment if chargebacks worry you |
| Member asks to cancel | You cancel now or at period end | Publish which one you use in your terms |
| Card fails (Stripe) | Retries follow your Stripe retry settings | Set a custom retry policy in Stripe if you want a fixed schedule |
| Payment plan fails | Up to four attempts, then cancelled | Decide whether to re-invite manually |
| Refund | Full refunds from Sales, Transactions; no partial refunds | Revoke course access manually if needed |
Setup checklist
- Create one subscription price plan per tier and decide on a trial length (or 0).
- Attach each tier’s course with the right access type: full for an archive, drip for a release schedule.
- Build an automation that adds buyers of each tier to the matching private community.
- Build the reverse automation or a manual routine to remove access after cancellation; the community article documents revoking via automations, and the course article documents manual revocation under Students. [3] [9]
- Choose immediate access or access after first payment.
- Write a cancellation policy that matches the option you will use (now or at period end).
- Set a custom retry policy in your Stripe dashboard if you want a fixed schedule, and test one renewal and one failed renewal before launch. [8]
- Write your own failed-payment email; the help article describes no default dunning emails except for one gateway.
Worked example: 100 members at $29 a month
Gross is $2,900 a month. With Stripe US domestic cards at 2.9% + 30¢, each charge costs about $1.14, or $114.10 for 100 members. On systeme.io Startup at $17 a month with 0% platform fee, net is about $2,768.90 before tax and refunds. [5] [10]
Refunds hurt twice: systeme.io issues full refunds only, and Stripe does not return the original processing fee, so a refunded $29 charge still costs you about $1.14. Each dispute adds a $15 fee. [10] [12]
When a dedicated platform fits better
- You need several communities with many spaces and live events: Thinkific lists 1 community with 10 spaces on Start ($82 a month billed annually) and 3 communities on Grow. [11]
- You need self-serve cancellation and plan switching that members manage themselves; the systeme.io articles we read describe cancellation only from the seller side.
- You want proration, upgrades between tiers or tax handling that the systeme.io price-plan article does not cover.
- Your membership is mostly a forum with no funnels or email; a community-first tool may be simpler.
Questions before you decide
Can I offer a free trial on a systeme.io subscription?
Yes. Its price plan article says subscription plans accept a trial duration in days, weeks, months or years; enter 0 for none.
What happens to access when I cancel a member?
You choose: cancel at period end keeps access until the next scheduled payment date, while cancel now ends access the same day.
Does systeme.io support partial refunds?
No. Its refund article says partial refunds are not currently supported.
Sources & verification
Product details and prices can change. Check the linked provider before buying.
- systeme.io help: how to create and configure a price plan Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- systeme.io help: how to sell an online course Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- systeme.io help: how to create a community Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- systeme.io plan-limit data loaded by its pricing page Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- systeme.io pricing and plan FAQ Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- systeme.io help: how access to resources works for subscriptions Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- systeme.io help: how to cancel a customer’s subscription Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- systeme.io help: what happens when a subscription payment fails Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- systeme.io help: how to cancel a student’s access to a course Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Stripe pricing (US) Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Thinkific pricing Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- systeme.io help: how to refund a customer Accessed 30 Oct 2026
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