How to Set Up ThriveCart with Membership.io for Seamless Sales and Access (2025 Guide)

If you’re using Membership.io (formerly Searchie) to host your course, membership, or coaching program, you already know it delivers a stellar client experience. From smart search to gamification to community to seamless content delivery, it’s a powerful tool for digital creators.

But when it comes to selling your offer—setting up your pricing, sales pages, upsells, and affiliate programs—you might hit a wall.

That’s where ThriveCart comes in.

In this post, I’ll break down how ThriveCart and Membership.io work together, what each platform does best, and how to set them up (without a tech meltdown). I’ll also show you what’s changed in 2025 with the launch of ThriveCart Pro+, and how you can take advantage of it now—especially if you're running a coaching or membership business and want to reach a broader audience with less friction.

Why Use ThriveCart with Membership.io?

Membership.io offers three checkout options:

  1. Built-in Stripe integration (great for simple, native payments)

  2. Kit integrations to grant access using tags

  3. External carts via ZapierThriveCart, SamCart and more

If you’re looking to scale with upsells, custom pricing, and affiliate tools, ThriveCart gives you the advanced sales functionality Membership.io doesn’t offer on its own.

What Each Platform Handles

Here’s a side-by-side breakdown of what ThriveCart and Membership.io each do best:

Core Capabilities Comparison

Image Description: Core Capabilities Comparison Chart

Payment Gateway Compatibility

Image Description: Payment Gateway Compatibility Chart

Subscription Support Comparison

Image Description: Subscription Support Comparison Chart

Coupon Capabilities Comparison

Image Description: Coupon Capabilities Comparison Chart

What’s New with ThriveCart Pro+ (2025)

With the launch of ThriveCart Pro+, creators get access to new tools designed to increase sales and simplify the checkout experience:

  • Multiple Order Bumps – Add up to 6 per product with conditional logic

  • Tax-Inclusive Pricing – Great for global buyers, boosts trust + conversions

  • QR Code Checkout – Sell at live events or from print/web

  • Crypto Payments (USDC) – Accept international payments with ease

  • BI Reporting Dashboards – Track what’s working and scale it

  • New Template Gallery – 20+ sales page templates and 100+ building blocks

  • Drag-and-Drop Editor – No coding, just clean design

All included in their lifetime pricing with no monthly fees or transaction costs. (And pricing is going up later this year.)

👉 Use my affiliate link to grab it here

How to Connect the Two (Without Losing Your Mind)

If you’re using ThriveCart + Membership.io together, here’s how to make them talk:

  1. Create your checkout page and product inside ThriveCart

  2. Use Zapier to pass the purchase info (name, email, product bought) into Membership.io

  3. Turn off Registration inside your Membership.io Hub

  4. Customers are added to the correct Audience and granted access automatically

Don’t love tech? My son Noah now helps Shell Creative clients with backend setup and automation—so you never have to worry about “Zapier anxiety.”

Final Thoughts

If you're just getting started, Membership.io’s native Stripe integration may be all you need. It’s streamlined, simple, and great for launching your first course or membership.

But if you're ready to grow, scale, and sell more strategically—with upsells, flexible pricing, affiliate tracking, and deeper insight into what’s working—then pairing ThriveCart with Membership.io is the move.

Together, this setup:

  • Supports serious revenue strategies like bump offers, free trials, payment plans, and more

  • Puts you in control of how your offers are priced, positioned, and sold

  • Delivers a polished client experience from checkout to onboarding

  • Gives you visibility into performance, so you can make smarter decisions

  • Automates access and delivery without duct-taping tools together

And if you’d rather not handle Zapier or backend setup yourself? My son, Noah now supports Shell Creative clients with automations just like this.

This is the kind of system that meets you where you are—and helps you grow with confidence.

👉 Click here to explore ThriveCart Pro+, and reach out if you’d like help making it all work together.

Uplevel your marketing with ease and grow a profitable business.

If you feel tangled in a web of overwhelm, with marketing, platforms, tools that don’t work and systems that fail, it’s time to get you unstuck.

Let’s get you to “shell, yes!” momentum!

Work with Me

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*Some of these links are affiliate links, which means I may get a commission if you purchase. However, none of the fees of these resources have been increased to compensate me. When possible, if special discounts are provided to me, I extend them to you!

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