Can I send emails from Membership.io?

Membership.io is not a dedicated email service provider, meaning that our platform does not support marketing email features for mailing your email list on a regular basis.

That said, Membership.io does send out transactional emails in a few very specific circumstances: Hub welcome emails when someone joins or is added to a Hub, password reset emails, achievement emails when someone gets a new badge, and community notifications for new posts or mentions.

What are the differences between transactional and marketing emails?

Transactional emails happen when you do something. You buy something online and get a receipt email. You reset your password and get a confirmation email. These emails give you information you need right away.

Marketing emails are companies trying to sell you things or communicate ideas. They send newsletters, special offers and product promotions. These arrive when an organization wants to promote something, not when you do something.

The main difference is simple: transactional emails respond to your actions and contain important information. Marketing emails try to get you to buy things. You cannot unsubscribe from transactional emails because you need that information. You can always unsubscribe from marketing emails.

What email service provider can I use with Membership.io?

In short - whatever platform you want! We strongly recommend continuing to use any existing email platform you're already comfortable with. 

If you'd like to make sure your email platform "talks" with Membership.io, you can integrate the two using Zapier, but most people don't actually need this integration. It's primarily your shopping cart platform that you need to make sure Membership.io talks with.

If you don't currently have an email service provider, Kit is a great option that Membership.io talks directly with.