I've seen a lot of posts around the forum lately about people looking to start up membership sites, how to get started, etc. So I figured I would post about my experience using InstaMember to set up a membership site. Hopefully it will help others looking to get started. Feel free to reply if you have any questions.

So, I purchased the multisite package from InstaMember when it first launched a couple weeks ago. I believe it was $39 at the time that I bought. No issues downloading and installing the plugin on a wordpress site. Pretty straight forward.

What I like about InstaMember
Built in Dashboard - I like the built in dashboard with analytics. It shows how many members you have brought in over the last 7 days as well as revenue. It also shows who your most recent sign ups are, as well as when members were last active on your site.

Drip Feed Content - You can drip feed content or pages to members of different membership levels.

1 Click Upsells - You can create sales funnels full of upsets and downsells to your members. Easy to set up.

Built in Support Desk - I like the support desk feature, but it could use some work. It is very basic and was difficult for me to set up at first.

Autoresponder Integration - You can integrate your site with Aweber, Get Response, MailChimp, iContact, Constant Contact, ImnicaMail and InfusionSoft.

Broadcast Emails - You can blast emails to your members, affiliates, or both from within the InstaMember dashboard, instead of your auto responder if you choose to do so.

Built in Affiliate System - You can have people sign up as affiliates on their site, and they are automatically given an affiliate link to promote. They can come back to your site and check their stats, sales, hops, etc.

Integration with 3rd Party Payment Systems - You can integrate with PayPal, 2Checkout, Payza, WSOPro, JVZoo and other payment systems. Integrating with WSOPro or JVZoo will also enable you to handle affiliate sales through those payment systems, rather than InstaMember.

What I don't like about InstaMember
Not trying to bash here, just trying to give people an honest review.

The first issue I had was the set up instructions. Each aspect of setting up your site has an attached pdf file that gives you a better idea of what each option inside the admin area does. However, these pdf files are very vague. Most of these pdf instructions don't explain what each option does, they just tell you what the option is. So I kind of had to figure things out for myself as I went along.

Along the lines of the vague pdf files, they also have videos that go along with setting up your site. However, in my opinion, the videos are not much more detailed than the pdfs. Also, the person who is doing the voice over for the videos speaks very broken English, so it is hard to understand. I would expect better voice overs for a massive product launch like this. You can watch some instruction videos on their YouTube channel to see what I mean.

Another issue I had with InstaMember was the theme they include in their download package, InstaTheme. I installed it on my site, but ran into a range of glitches, so I uninstalled it. I ended up installing Optimize Press for the layout of my site, which worked great.

The last issue I have had with InstaMember is the support. I ran into some road blocks along the way; most I were able to figure out on my own, one I had to contact support about. However, it took 4 days for anyone to get back to me. As you can see on this thread, other people have reported this problem as well. Offering quick customer support is a must when launching a product. They did help resolve the problem though, which was much appreciated.

Overall
Aside from the lack of support, which was my biggest issue, I am satisfied with my purchase of InstaMember. The plugin is easy to use once you get the hang of it, and is powerful enough to handle whatever tools you need to run your site. I like the built in analytics so I can see new members, as well as who is coming back onto my site and when they are active.

Although I did purchase the multisite license, I am tempted to give MemberMouse a try. It looks like a good alternative. My biggest concern with InstaMember is the lack of support, so I may shop around first if I decide to do another membership site.

Other Membership Plugins/Software
Here is a list of alternate membership site plugins and softwares, both paid and free. Shop around and find something that works best for what you want your site to do. No affiliate links here.
Feel free to add any other membership software/plugins/scripts you recommend, and I will add them to the list.

Digital Access Pass (DAP) - WordPress Membership Plugin | Membership Software For WordPress Blogs And HTML/PHP Sites
Wishlist Member - WishList Member | Membership Site Software
S2 Member (Paid and Free Plugins) - s2Member® | A powerful (free) membership plugin for WordPress®
Member Mouse - MemberMouse - WordPress Membership Plugin
Easy Member Pro - Membership Site Software | Easy Member Pro
WP Your Members - http://www.yourmembers.co.uk
Amember Pro - http://www.amember.com/p/