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Getting Started
From purchase to a live community - what you get, what you need, and the shape of setup.
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You bought Seedly Communities and downloaded the code. This page is the plain-English overview of getting from a ZIP file to a live, branded community.
What You Get#
Buying at /purchase sends you an email with your license key and a download link to the complete source code - every module, the admin tools, the mobile app shells, and the test suites. The download includes setup documentation that walks the deployment step by step.
The Shape of Setup#
- Run it locally first. Stand the platform up on your own machine and click around the feed, classroom, and admin before touching any hosting.
- Deploy. The backend runs on Convex Cloud and the web app deploys to Vercel - source you own, deployed on infrastructure you control. Both have free tiers that comfortably cover a starting community.
- Connect your services.
- Stripe for member billing, if you sell paid tiers, courses, challenges, or coaching. Payments go straight to your Stripe account; the platform adds 0% in transaction fees.
- An email provider for notifications, digests, and auth emails. The email system is provider-configurable.
- A real-time video provider if you use live events. Live video and recording storage run on third-party services you connect with your own accounts, priced by usage on their side.
- Brand it. Point your custom domain at the community, upload your logo and favicon, and tune the design tokens (colors, typography, spacing) so every screen and email matches your brand.
- Invite members. Use the invite system (links or bulk email), set up your membership tiers, and open the doors.
What It Costs to Run#
Beyond the one-time license, your only costs are your own usage: backend and hosting usage (free tiers go a long way), email volume, and video minutes if you run live events. There are no per-member, per-seat, or per-admin fees, and no revenue share.
If You Get Stuck#
- Re-read the setup documentation included in your download - it is written to be followed in order.
- Check the Features page to confirm how a module is meant to behave.
- Ask in the Seedly community group on Facebook - operators and the Seedly team are both there.
Next: the module-by-module feature breakdown.
Frequently asked questions
- What do I need to run Seedly Communities?
- A backend account on Convex Cloud, a hosting account for the web app (Vercel), and your own Stripe account if you sell paid memberships. Live video events additionally use a third-party real-time video provider you connect with your own account.
- Is it really one payment?
- Yes. The license is $399 one time (or $150 as the add-on when bought together with Seedly CRM in the same checkout). You pay only your own infrastructure and service usage after that.
- Do I need to be a developer to set it up?
- It helps to be comfortable in a terminal, but the download ships with setup documentation that walks the deployment end to end, and an AI coding assistant can drive it for you.
- Can I resell the platform itself?
- No. Your license covers running communities, selling memberships and access, and building or selling add-on modules. Reselling or redistributing the core source code is not permitted.