LaunchPass vs Whop (2026)
By Noahlast updated
LaunchPass
Paid membership software for Discord, Telegram and Slack communities
- Pricing
- Free tier · paid from $29/mo
- License
- Freemium
Best for Creators charging a recurring fee for access to a private Discord server, Telegram group, or Slack workspace (e.g., stock-trading alert groups, podcaster communities, crypto/NFT groups)
Whop
A storefront, checkout, and community platform for creators and businesses selling memberships, courses, and digital products.
- Pricing
- Pricing not verified
- License
- Freemium
Best for Creators and small teams selling gated communities, courses, coaching, or trading/education memberships who want a hosted storefront plus checkout and chat without building their own site.
Which should you choose?
Choose LaunchPass if…
wins 3/6 use cases
- You already run a Discord server, Telegram group, or Slack workspace and want to charge for access to it
- You want members kicked or their Discord role removed automatically when they cancel or a payment fails
- You want a published price to budget against: $29/month plus a 3.5% transaction fee on Premium, with a 14-day free trial
- You want a low learning curve and a branded invite and checkout page live in minutes
- You want 24/7 live chat support, included on LaunchPass Premium
Choose Whop if…
wins 3/6 use cases
- You sell more than community access: courses, coaching, physical products, software, events, or services
- You want buyers to find you through the Whop network marketplace, not only through your own marketing
- You want to embed checkout, wallet, and chat components in your own site or app with TypeScript, Python, or Ruby SDKs
- You want to start selling without a monthly subscription, since Whop earns through transaction fees while LaunchPass billing sits on the $29/month Premium plan
- You want an iOS app alongside the web dashboard
LaunchPass vs Whop: feature comparison
| Feature | LaunchPass | Whop |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Yesfree Basic plan (unlimited free members, no transaction fee) | Yesfree to start, no flat monthly fee |
| No monthly fee to sell | Norecurring and one-time billing are listed on Premium ($29/mo) | Yesearns through fees on transactions |
| Transaction fee | Yes3.5% on Premium plus Stripe's 2.9% + 30 cents; none on Basic | Unknownpercentage not verified |
| Platforms | Partialweb only | Partialweb and iOS |
| Community chat | Yesgates your existing Discord, Telegram, or Slack | Yesbuilt-in real-time chat |
| Automatic removal on cancel or failed payment | Yesauto-kick or Discord role removal, from $29/mo (Premium) | Unknown |
| What you can sell | Partialaccess to chat communities, recurring or one-time | Yescourses, coaching, physical products, software, events, services, communities |
| Hosted storefront | Partialbranded invite and checkout page | Yesstorefront with checkout, wallet, and payouts |
| Buyer marketplace | Unknown | YesWhop network surfaces listings to buyers browsing Whop |
| Embeddable checkout and developer tools | Partialembeddable signup widget (Premium) and Zapier integration | Yesembeddable checkout, wallet, and chat; TypeScript, Python, Ruby SDKs |
| Tiers, free trials, and coupons | Yesfrom $29/mo (Premium) | Unknown |
| Affiliate program | Yesbuilt in, from $29/mo (Premium) | Unknown |
| Payment processing | PartialStripe only | YesWhop's own checkout and payouts |
| Support | Yes24/7 live chat from $29/mo (Premium) | Unknown |
| Learning curve | Yeslow | Partialmoderate |
| Published pricing | PartialBasic and Premium listed, no plan above Premium | Nono flat-rate pricing page |
LaunchPass vs Whop: pricing
Every tier both tools publish, as we last checked them — not just the entry price.
LaunchPass vs Whop pricing: which costs less?
Our data cannot say whether LaunchPass or Whop costs less, because LaunchPass publishes its cost ($29/month plus 3.5% per transaction on Premium, on top of Stripe's 2.9% + 30 cents) while Whop charges no flat monthly fee but takes transaction fees at a percentage our data could not verify.
LaunchPass Basic is free with unlimited free members and no transaction fee. LaunchPass Premium adds recurring and one-time billing, auto-kick, tiers, coupons, affiliates, analytics, and 24/7 live chat, with a 14-day free trial. At $1,000/month in sales, LaunchPass Premium's own charges come to $64 ($29 plus $35) before Stripe processing. Whop is free to sign up and list a product, so Whop's cost scales with sales volume. LaunchPass shows no plan above Premium, so pricing for larger creators is unclear.
Which is easier to use, LaunchPass or Whop?
LaunchPass is easier to use, with a low learning curve against Whop's moderate one, because LaunchPass does one job: charging for access to an existing Discord, Telegram, or Slack community.
A LaunchPass creator picks a subscription price, connects a chat platform account, and gets a branded invite and checkout page in minutes. Whop covers more ground, with a storefront, checkout, wallet, chat, payouts, and developer SDKs in one dashboard, which makes Whop a heavier platform than a single-purpose tool. That breadth helps sellers with several product types and adds setup work for someone who only wants to gate one community.
Which reaches more buyers, LaunchPass or Whop?
Whop can reach more buyers, because the Whop network surfaces listed products to people already browsing Whop, while our data lists no comparable marketplace for LaunchPass.
The Whop network gives new sellers a chance at organic discovery beyond their own followers. The trade-off is that a Whop listing competes for attention alongside other sellers on Whop's terms, so branding is not fully independent. LaunchPass gives creators a branded invite and checkout page plus, on Premium, an embeddable signup widget and an affiliate program. That setup suits LaunchPass's target creators, such as podcasters, YouTubers, and trading-alert groups, who bring their own audience.
Can Whop replace LaunchPass?
Whop can replace LaunchPass for selling paid community access through Whop's own chat, but our data does not show Whop automating invites and removals inside Discord, Telegram, or Slack the way LaunchPass does.
LaunchPass's core feature is member lifecycle automation: automated invites, plus auto-kick or Discord role removal when a subscription is canceled or a payment fails. Creators whose community already lives in Discord, Telegram, or Slack depend on that. Whop fits creators willing to run their community and storefront inside Whop, or creators who also sell courses, coaching, software, or physical products.
Strengths and weaknesses
LaunchPass
Pros
- Free Basic plan with unlimited free members and no transaction fee
- Launches in minutes by connecting an existing Discord, Telegram or Slack account
- Automated invites and automatic removal on cancellation or failed charge
- Supports one-time, recurring, and tiered pricing with free trials and coupons
- Built-in affiliate program and Stripe/Zapier integrations for automation
Cons
- Premium plan stacks a $29/month fee on top of a 3.5% transaction fee, plus Stripe's separate processing fee
- Limited to three chat platforms (Discord, Telegram, Slack) rather than a general-purpose membership site builder
- Payment processing is tied to Stripe, so creators who can't use Stripe in their country or industry are excluded
- No published plan above Premium visible on the pricing page, so pricing for larger creators is unclear
Whop
Pros
- Combines storefront, checkout, chat, and payouts in one dashboard instead of stitching together separate tools
- Whop network gives listed products a chance at organic buyer discovery beyond the seller's own audience
- Embeddable checkout, wallet, and chat components with TypeScript, Python, and Ruby SDKs for teams that want to keep their own UI
- Free to sign up and list a product, with no flat monthly fee required to start selling
Cons
- No published flat-rate pricing page; cost depends on transaction fees that were not verifiable from the pages checked for this listing
- Being listed in Whop's own marketplace means competing for attention alongside other sellers on Whop's terms, not fully independent branding
- Heavier platform than a single-purpose tool like Gumroad for someone who only wants to sell one digital download
Which fits your use case?
| Use case | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Trading-alert group with an established Discord or Telegram community | LaunchPass | LaunchPass connects to the existing Discord server or Telegram group and removes members automatically on cancellation or failed payment. |
| Creator selling courses, coaching, and a community together | Whop | Whop's storefront handles courses, coaching, communities, and physical products in one dashboard; LaunchPass sells access to chat communities. |
| New seller without an audience yet | Whop | The Whop network can surface listings to buyers already browsing Whop; our data lists no marketplace for LaunchPass. |
| Slack workspace owner charging for membership | LaunchPass | LaunchPass supports Slack workspaces alongside Discord and Telegram; our data does not mention Slack for Whop. |
| Software team embedding checkout in its own app | Whop | Whop offers embeddable checkout, wallet, and chat components with TypeScript, Python, and Ruby SDKs; LaunchPass offers an embeddable signup widget and a Zapier integration. |
| Creator who wants exact costs before launching | LaunchPass | LaunchPass publishes $29/month plus 3.5% on Premium; Whop's transaction-fee percentage could not be verified from its pages. |
Neither a match?
Both lists carry verified pricing and honest weaknesses for every option.
Popular comparisons
LaunchPass vs Whop: migration FAQ
Should I use LaunchPass or Whop?
- Use LaunchPass if you want to charge for access to an existing Discord server, Telegram group, or Slack workspace with automated invites and removals. Use Whop if you want a hosted storefront, checkout, and community chat in one platform with buyer discovery through the Whop network.
Is LaunchPass cheaper than Whop?
- Our data cannot say, because Whop's transaction-fee percentage was not verified, while LaunchPass Premium costs $29/month plus 3.5% per transaction on top of Stripe's 2.9% + 30 cents. LaunchPass Basic is free with no transaction fee, and Whop is free to start with no flat monthly fee.
Can Whop replace LaunchPass?
- Yes, if you are willing to run your community in Whop's own chat and storefront. Our data does not show Whop automating access inside Discord, Telegram, or Slack, which is LaunchPass's core job.
Does LaunchPass work with Slack?
- Yes, LaunchPass charges for access to Slack workspaces as well as Discord servers and Telegram groups. Those three chat platforms are the only ones LaunchPass supports.
Does Whop have a mobile app?
- Yes, Whop runs on the web and iOS, while LaunchPass is web-only.