Most clubs leave ClubExpress because wallet cards, resource scheduling, the API and reports each arrive as a separate add-on. Stay if you want committees, forums and a storefront with phone support.
Ordered by how well each one fits the organizations that usually outgrow ClubExpress.
Memberships, facilities, volunteers and wallet cards on one record
Communal keeps memberships, programs, facility booking, volunteer shifts and donations on one member record, with Apple and Google Wallet cards and POS in the base plan.
Check first: No website builder, forums or storefront; Communal runs beside your existing site.
Website builder, events and store with no module add-ons
Wild Apricot includes the site builder, events, email, online store, donations, member apps and a public API on every tier, with no setup or training fees.
Check first: Pricing counts every contact in the database, and keeping your own payment gateway costs extra.
Membership and events inside the website you already have
MembershipWorks embeds membership, a directory, events with check-in, donations, forms and a shopping cart into WordPress, Squarespace, Wix or Weebly.
Check first: No public API, no resource booking, no wallet cards, and volunteer tracking is basic.
A traditional AMS for small-staff associations
YourMembership bundles a member database, dues automation, events, website CMS, online community and donations, with a job board, LMS and chapter management as add-ons.
Check first: Quote-only with annual contracts and sales-led purchasing.
Wallet cards and committee tooling for volunteer-run clubs
TidyHQ handles unlimited contacts, membership levels, dues and events, and its Pro plan adds Apple and Google Wallet cards, committee roles, tasks and meetings.
Check first: Adds its own service fee on top of Stripe, has no facility booking, and hosts data in Australia.
Dues, texting and fundraising for PTAs and chapters
MemberPlanet covers dues, events, donation pages, surveys, group texting, a member app and a site builder, with no cap on members or admins.
Check first: A platform fee stacks on card processing, and cards are in-app or PDF rather than wallet passes.
Pick this if fundraising outweighs club administration
Neon CRM starts as a donor database with unlimited records and users, and its Impact tier adds memberships, events, volunteers and an open API.
Check first: Entry tier is fundraising-only, and there is no website builder or free trial.
| Feature | Communal | ClubExpress | Wild Apricot | MembershipWorks | YourMembership |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Membership management | IncludedTiers, custom fields, segments | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Automated renewals | IncludedReminders and auto-renew | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Digital membership cards (Apple / Google Wallet) | IncludedIncluded in every plan | Add-onPaid add-on, in-app | Partial | Not offered | Not listed |
| Family & household memberships | Included | IncludedSecondary members | PartialBundles | Not listed | Not listed |
| Event registration & ticketing | Add-onPrograms & events add-on | Included | Included | IncludedCapacity and check-in | Included |
| Program & class registration | Add-onWaitlists, capacity, attendance, rosters | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| Facility booking & rentals | Add-onApprovals, invoices, agreements, iCal | Add-onResource Scheduling add-on | Not offered | Not offered | Not offered |
| Volunteer shifts & hour tracking | IncludedShifts, hours, auto volunteer discounts | Included | Not offered | Partial | Partial |
| Donations & fundraising | IncludedIncluded; donor covers fees option | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Member self-service portal | Included | Included | IncludedMember app | Included | Included |
| Email campaigns | IncludedCampaigns and segments | Included | Included | PartialMailchimp add-on | Included |
| Website builder | Not offeredWorks beside your site | Included | Included | Partial | Included |
| Chapters & federations | IncludedFederated leagues and chapters | Add-onChapters module | Not offered | Not offered | Included |
| Public API | IncludedREST API, Zapier webhooks, MCP server | Add-onWeb Services add-on | Included | Not offered | Included |
Virtual membership cards, resource scheduling, the API, ad-hoc reports, the contact-log CRM, QuickBooks sync and SSO are each sold separately. The base subscription rarely stays the whole bill.
Onboarding is a paid setup package and training is billed by the hour. Clubs expecting a self-serve start find a services invoice instead.
Processing runs through ClubExpress's own payment options, and bringing your own merchant account is allowed only by exception.
Reviewers describe the website templates and admin screens as dated. Clubs that want a modern member-facing site end up hiring a designer on top.
The virtual membership card add-on is an in-app card; no true Apple or Google Wallet pass is confirmed. Clubs that scan members in at the door look for it elsewhere.
Wallet cards, volunteer shifts with hour tracking, donation receipting, POS software, a public REST API, custom field reports and full CSV or XLSX exports are in the base plan. On ClubExpress, virtual cards, web services, ad-hoc reports and the contact-log CRM are each billed separately.
Communal facility booking covers parent and child spaces, instant or request-and-approve workflows, member-type pricing, recurring seasonal bookings for leagues, block-offs and a public calendar. ClubExpress offers resource scheduling as a separate add-on module.
Payments settle weekly into your own Stripe Connect account, and members can cover the fees at checkout. Migration of your members, renewals and history is scoped and free, with no setup package to buy first.
Communal issues Apple and Google Wallet passes that update by push when a membership renews or lapses, with scan in and out check-in, a card designer and PDF cards. ClubExpress sells an in-app virtual card add-on with no wallet pass confirmed.
Stay on ClubExpress if its module catalog is doing real work for you, the add-ons you pay for are the ones you use, and your members do not mind the look of the site. Move when wallet cards, room booking, the API and reporting each arrive as a separate invoice.
Communal. Resident vs non-resident pricing by map boundary, hall and court rentals, kids programs and volunteer shifts all sit on one member record, and the Tuscany Community Association runs its soccer registration this way with about 10,000 volunteer hours saved.
Communal if the club books facilities, runs programs, or wants wallet cards and volunteer shifts included. TidyHQ if it is volunteer-run and needs committee and meeting tooling, or Wild Apricot if it wants a vendor-hosted website with no module add-ons.
YourMembership for a traditional AMS with a CMS, online community, job board and chapter management on an annual contract. Wild Apricot for smaller associations that want a website and member database from one vendor.
Communal for federations of community associations: each chapter is its own tenant with its own Stripe account, and the parent routes residents to the right chapter by address. The EFCL runs 163 Edmonton community leagues this way, while MemberPlanet suits fraternal and PTA chapters that want texting.
ClubExpress exports members, secondary members, renewal dates, event registrations and transactions; expired members and non-member contacts come across as history.
Export active and expired members, secondary (household) members, membership types, renewal dates, interest groups and transaction history from ClubExpress; we map types to membership types, secondaries to family dependents, interest groups to tags, and run a dry-run import you can check.
Set up membership types, renewal rules, facilities, programs and volunteer opportunities in Communal, then import members with their existing expiry dates so renewals fall on the same day they would have.
Point your website to the Communal portal for signup, renewals, registration and bookings, send members their wallet cards, and run both systems briefly while the first renewals come through.
The Tuscany Community Association moved soccer registration onto Communal and reports about 10,000 volunteer hours saved. Read the case study.
How the hall gets booked, how program pricing works, how you chase renewals. No canned tour. We walk Communal through your real process so you can see the fit before you decide.
No canned tour · No sales script
For clubs and community associations that want wallet cards, volunteers, an API and facility booking included, Communal. For a club that wants a vendor-hosted website with every feature at every tier, Wild Apricot. For a club that already has a website, MembershipWorks. For staffed associations, YourMembership.
Yes, and the scoped migration is free. We import active and expired members, secondary members as family dependents, membership types, renewal dates and transaction history from your ClubExpress exports, validate the mapping with a dry run, and keep existing expiry dates intact. Most moves finish in two to four weeks.
No. Communal runs as a member portal beside the website you already have, with your logo, colours and custom CSS. Products are sold through POS and invoicing rather than an online store. If a hosted club website with forums and a store is the core of what you need, ClubExpress or Wild Apricot is the better choice.
Not that we can confirm. ClubExpress sells a virtual membership card add-on that works in its app, but no Apple or Google Wallet pass is documented. Communal, TidyHQ Pro and Join It all issue true wallet passes.
ClubExpress is a published-price club platform aimed at hobby, athletic and social clubs and small associations, with modules added a la carte. YourMembership is a quote-only AMS on annual contract for small-staff associations that want a CMS, online community, job board and LMS. Move up when you have staff and non-dues revenue to manage.