Reign vs Disciple Media.

Questions people ask before moving.

Do members lose notifications if I move from Disciple to Reign?

Not entirely. Reign is a website, so there is no app-store icon, but BuddyNext sends on-site notifications and BuddyNext Pro adds push and broadcast email, while Jetonomy Pro sends email digests of new discussion. If your engagement depends on the app itself, check your own numbers before you move, and keep the app running while you test the site with a group of regulars.

Can I get a mobile app with Reign?

Not included. Reign is a responsive website, and a well-built one, but an app is a separate project with its own budget and store submissions. This is the clearest gap on this page and the main thing Disciple's fee covers.

What happens to my courses?

Course content moves into Learnomy, free to install, which handles lessons, quizzes, progress and certificates. The awkward part is not content but records: enrolments and completion data rarely map cleanly between platforms, so decide up front whether you are carrying history or starting clean.

Will members have to re-register?

Yes. Password hashes do not transfer between platforms, so members set a new password on their first visit. Announce it more than once, keep the message short, and expect to lose a few of the least engaged. That attrition is the real cost of any migration.

How does the pricing compare over three years?

Disciple is an annual contract that scales with membership and includes branded apps. Reign is a flat theme licence with the four community plugins free, so your cost does not grow with members. If you need native apps in the stores, weigh what a separate app build would cost against Disciple's contract.

Can I keep the community private?

Yes. WordPress gives you role-based access, and membership plugins gate content by tier, so a members-only site behaves exactly as you would expect. Private and self-hosted are not in tension; you decide what is public and what requires a login.

Can I gate content by membership tier?

Yes. A membership plugin handles tiers and payments, and WordPress roles gate access, so bronze, silver and gold behave as you would expect across the community, the courses and the media library. That plugin is the one paid piece you add beyond the theme.

What happens to student progress?

Content moves cleanly; progress records rarely do, because platforms model completion differently. Decide early whether you are carrying history or drawing a line. Starting fresh is often the pragmatic answer, particularly if you time the move with a new cohort.

Do I need a developer for this?

For the setup, not necessarily: installing a theme and four plugins is ordinary WordPress work. For a media migration at volume and a clean CSV import, an hour or two of someone technical saves a week of frustration and is worth budgeting for.

What does hosting actually cost?

Hosting is the running cost people forget to budget. A small community runs comfortably on shared or entry-level managed WordPress hosting on an entry-level plan. Past a few thousand active members you want managed hosting with object caching. The bill follows your traffic, not your member count, and unlike a subscription it buys you infrastructure you control rather than access you rent.

When is the best time to move?

Between cohorts, or alongside a new course launch. Moving mid-programme means asking people to change platform while they are partway through something they paid for, which generates support load and bad feeling in equal measure. A natural break gives you a reason to announce, a deadline that makes sense to members, and room to fix problems quietly.