How to Create a Paid Discord Community - How to Make Money with Discord

How to Create a Paid Discord Community - How to Make Money with Discord

Discord has evolved far beyond its gaming roots—People now see it as a powerful platform for creators, entrepreneurs, and community builders to monetize their audience.

For coaches, artists, investors, or content creators, a paid Discord server can be a reliable source of income while they build deeper connections with their most engaged followers.

In this guide, you’ll learn:

  • How to set up a paid server in 15 minutes (no tech skills needed).

  • The exact bots to automate payments and access.

  • Proven tactics to attract 100+ paying members (even with a small following).

  • Real-case studies of servers making $5K–$50K/month.

Content

Why Start a Paid Discord Community?

Before diving in, let’s find out why Discord is a goldmine for monetization:

  • Recurring Revenue – Subscription-based income beats one-time sales.

  • Stronger Engagement – Paid members are more invested in your content.

  • Exclusive Perks – Offer value that free followers can’t access.

  • Full Control – No algorithm restrictions (unlike YouTube or Instagram).

Here are Real-World Examples:

  • Investors pay for stock alerts and private trading discussions.

  • Gamers join for early beta access and exclusive tournaments.

  • Artists & Creators monetize tutorials, feedback, and networking.

How to Make Money Online With Discord

Step 1: Define Your Niche & What You Offer

Your community must solve a problem or provide unique value. Ask this yourself:

  • Who is my ideal paying member? Who needs what I'm offering?

  • What can they get here that they can’t get for free elsewhere?

discord community niches comparison table - how to make money with discord

Here are some Profitable Discord Community Ideas:

  • Finance & Crypto – Premium trading signals, AMAs with experts.

  • Gaming – Coaching, private eSports teams, game development insights.

  • Creators & Artists – Feedback groups, industry networking, workshops.

  • Fitness & Self-Improvement – Accountability groups, custom workout plans.

Hidden Tips:

-Start with a free tier to attract users, then upsell premium access.

-Use Google Trends to validate the demand.

Step 2: Set Up Your Paid Discord Server

1. Create a Well-Structured and Easy-to-use Server

Here is an example how you can organize it:

  • Private Channels (For paid members only)

  • Roles & Permissions (Assign tiers like Bronze/Silver/Gold)

  • Engagement Zones (Q&A, networking, resources)

Here is a step-by-step guide to create a paid discord server:

1. Go to discord.com and click on Create an account: confirm your email, set your profile picture, and add a description.
2. Now you can create your discord server using these small steps:

>>Click the green plus sign (+) on the left side of the app to launch the process - at some point, you may need to scroll down if you are already a member of several servers.

>>After that, You’ll be asked what you plan to use the server for, using a short list of options. Select whichever option is most relevant to your server.

Don't worry about all the options, you can still change them later.

picture describing how to create a server on discord
3. Create a Whop

Go to Whop.com and create a whop using the step in the pictures below:

How to create a whop - step1 name your whop - how to create a paid discord community
How to create a whop - step2 pick your niche - how to create a paid discord community
How to create a whop - step3 You're done - how to create a paid discord community
4. Add a discord app to your newly created whop and connect your server

Click on your newly created whop and click on Add App.

Add an app on a Whop

5. Now just connect your new whop to your Discord account like shown in the picture below:

step4 - Connect your whop with your discord account - How to create a paid discord community

Prefer a an explaining video instead? Check this one:

Stuck? Common fixes:

  • If Payment role isn't assigning? Check bot permissions.

  • IF Whop is not syncing? Reconnect via OAuth.

2. Choose a Payment Method

You’ll need a way to collect payments before granting access. Options:

Easiest option: Whop Payments (best for both subscriptions and one-time payments)

  • Click on Whop payments on your dashboard

  • Verify yourself and Setup your Stripe payment to receive money

Other options (more steps):

3. Automate Access with Bots

Use bots like Mee6, Dyno, or Paywall Bot to:

  • Grant roles when users pay

  • Lock premium channels

  • Welcome new members automatically

Step 3: Attract & Retain Paying Members

Grow Your Community

  • Promote on Twitter, YouTube, TikTok (Tease exclusive content).

    Go with something like: "Hey [Person Name], loved your [content topic]! I run a paid Discord for [niche] where members get [benefit]. Would you be open to a free trial or cross-promo?"

  • Partner with other creators for cross-promotion.

  • Offer a free trial (7-day access to hook users).

  • Test Discord ads with this targeting:

    --->Interests: ‘Crypto Trading,’ ‘Game Development’

    --->Lookalike audiences of competitors’ members."

Keep Members Engaged

  • Host live events (AMAs, workshops, game nights).

  • Reward activity (Giveaways for top contributors).

  • Survey members (Ask what they want more of).

How Much Can You Earn?

how to make money online with discord - the hustlenation

Here are some examples:

💰 If you have 100 members for $10/month=>1,000/month


💰 If you have 500 members for $20/month=>10,000/month

This formula explains it :
Earnings = (Avg. Price) x (Conversion Rate) x (Traffic).


Example: 5% of your 10K followers = 500 members x $20 = $10K/month

The creator @NFT_Guru grew from 0 to 800 members ($8K/month) in 3 months by offering weekly AMAs.

Scaling is 100% possible—some top Discord servers make $50k+/month by offering high-value exclusives because they already have the reputation of course.

So if you're a content creator on TikTok, Instagram or another social network; and you have a decent number of followers who are really engaged with what you share, creating a paid discord community can be a great passive income idea.

Some Examples of Successful Paid Discords

With more than 5k members, the community is packed with useful information about the latest freebies, deals and clearances.

Being the first to know when there are 90% off deals will allow the shopper to save thousands of dollars when shopping at local stores like Walmart, Lowe's, Costco etc.

Buying low allows you to resell at greater price and earn profits.

Get inspired

A useful community where people learn how to make money online.

without showing their face, No Advertising. The community have more than 10k members.

They use artificial intelligence to do all the heavy lifting. And it makes it easy for beginners to tap into this vehicle that was once only reserved for content creators.

Get inspired

Bonus Tips for Success

  • Start small, then expand (Test your idea before over-investing).

  • Be consistent (Post daily/weekly to keep engagement high):

  • Use a loop to reward members for bringing in other members.

  • Upsell premium perks (1-on-1 coaching, merch, VIP tiers).

  • Run challenges for more engagement and reward the bests.

Ready to Launch?

A paid Discord community is one of the best ways to monetize a loyal audience. The key? Provide real value, engage daily, and keep improving.

Is a Paid Discord Worth it?

Shortly answer: Yes. Why? Because it provides a reliable income stream on a regular basis.

How is Discord a reliable way to generate passive income?

Passive revenue comes in monthly or weekly depending as long as your audience is still there and benefit from your insights.

Is It Against Discord’s Rules to Charge for Access?

No at all! Discord allows paid communities, but you must use compliant tools like Whop or Patreon to handle payments. Avoid direct PayPal/Venmo transactions—Discord may ban servers for "unauthorized monetization.

What’s the Best Payment Bot for Discord?

Here are the Top 3 bots for paid servers:

  • Whop Bot: Best for subscriptions + one-time payments.

  • Paywall Bot: Grants roles automatically after payment.

  • Stripe + Mee6: For custom integrations.
    Quit free bots because most of the time, they lack security and support.

How Do I Prevent Leaks of Paid Content?

Use these tactics:

  • Role-based channels: Restrict access to paying members only.

  • Watermarking: Add unique IDs to shared files (e.g., "User_thisguy_2025").

  • DMCA takedowns: Issue warnings to leakers via Discord’s Trust & Safety team.

Can I Run a Paid Discord with a Small Following?

Of course! The thing is just to Focus on niche value over audience size:

  • You obviously don't have the choice but Start small with 10–20 superfans (e.g., Patreon supporters, email list).

  • Offer limited-time discounts to early joiners.

  • Reach out & Partner with some micro-influencers (1K–10K followers) for cross-promotion.

How Do I Handle Refunds or Chargebacks?

Try Protect yourself as a creator:

  • Provide Clear terms: State "No refunds after 7 days" in your #rules channel section for example.

  • Stripe Shield: Enable fraud detection for chargeback-prone niches (e.g., crypto).

  • Manual reviews: Use Whop’s dashboard to vet suspicious signups.

What’s the Best Alternative to Paid Discord?

If Discord feels too technical, try Circle.so or Mighty Networks —but the drawback is they lack Discord’s engagement features (voice chats, bots).

The Hustle Nation is your #1 community to find side hustle ideas, online side jobs and passive income ideas for introverts. Join part-time hustlers on the path to financial freedom with proven strategies, tools, and inspiration to benefit from your free time. All our posts are not financial advise. Always do Your Own Research for informed decision.