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Whop runs checkout, billing, and subscription management for your software. Before your app lets someone in, it checks with Whop that the customer has access right now. This page shows the two ways to run that check.

Choose your integration

Both paths share the same setup.

Set up

1

Create your whop and a product

Start at whop.com/sell to name your whop and pick its URL. Then go to Products in your dashboard and add a product with the price your customers pay. Copy the product ID (prod_) and its plan ID (plan_). You need both below.
2

Create an API key

In your dashboard, go to Developer → API keys and create an account API key. It acts on behalf of your business, so keep it on your server and never ship it in client code or a downloadable app. Store it as WHOP_API_KEY.
3

Install the SDK

Create one client and reuse it. The examples on this page call it client.

Email login integration

Use this path when customers sign in to your own web app. Store each customer’s Whop user ID on your user record, then check access with it before you serve paid features.
1

Add Whop columns to your user table

2

Send signed-in users to checkout

Create a checkout configuration from your server and put your own user ID in metadata. Whop copies that metadata onto the membership, which is how the next step links the purchase back to your user. Then redirect the user to purchase_url.
To keep buyers on your own page instead, embed the Checkout element and pass the same metadata on its handle. Accept payments compares every checkout option.
3

Save the Whop user ID from the webhook

Open the Developer tab of your dashboard, select Create webhook, subscribe to membership.activated, and store the signing secret as WHOP_WEBHOOK_SECRET. The event’s data is the membership, with the buyer’s user_id and the metadata you set at checkout.
membership.activated also fires on renewals, so make the write safe to repeat. Webhooks covers retries and testing.
4

Check access before serving paid features

Ask Whop whether the user has access to your product. The answer follows renewals, cancellations, and refunds, so you don’t need to track billing state yourself.
access_level on the same response is customer, admin, or no_access.
5

Let customers manage billing

Link customers to their Whop orders to update their payment method or cancel. They sign in with the email they bought with.

License key integration

Use this path for software that runs on the customer’s machine. Each purchase comes with a unique license key. Your software asks for the key, and your server checks it with Whop.
1

Add the Software app to your product

Install the Software app on your whop, open it, and add your software’s name and download link. Buyers then see their license key and the download in their orders. The API returns a membership’s license_key only when its product includes this app.
2

Validate keys from your server

Check keys from your own server, never from the software you ship. Your API key can read and change every membership in your business, so never embed it in a desktop app or script that users download. Your software sends the license key and a machine identifier to your server, and your server checks it with Whop.To limit each key to one machine, store a hardware ID in the membership’s metadata the first time someone uses the key, then compare it on every later check:
  • The key isn’t bound yet (no hwid in its metadata): save the machine’s hwid and grant access.
  • The stored hwid matches: grant access.
  • The stored hwid is different: deny access. The key is in use on another machine until the customer resets it.
3

Reset a license key

Customers can reset their key from their orders. To reset it from your server, update the membership with an empty metadata object (metadata: {}). The next check from any machine binds the key again.

Design your store page

Your store page is where people learn about your software before they buy. Select your whop name in the top left, then select Design store page to open the editor. Select Edit details to customize:
  • Name and headline: say what the software does and who it’s for.
  • Description: focus on the problem it solves and what buyers get, such as updates, support, or a community.
  • Logo: add a clean, simple logo.
  • Gallery images or video: show the software in use. A short demo video helps buyers decide.
  • Category: pick the category that helps people find your software when they browse Whop.

Next steps

Accept payments

Compare checkout links, the Checkout element, and payment elements.

Webhooks

Verify signatures, handle retries, and test events.

Manage memberships

Cancel, pause, extend, and update memberships from your server.

Sign in with Whop

Let customers sign in with their Whop account instead of a password.