Most organizations leave MemberPlanet over fee stacking: a 1% to 2% platform fee on top of 3% + $0.30 processing, so every payment costs 4% to 5%. Stay on MemberPlanet if the free Basic plan covers your group and you rely on its group texting.
Ordered by how well each one fits the organizations that usually outgrow MemberPlanet.
Memberships, programs and facility booking with volunteers included
One member record carries tiers, automated renewals, family memberships, wallet cards, donations with tax receipts and volunteer shifts, with programs, events and facility booking as modules.
Check first: No free plan, no group texting, no website builder and no native member app; the portal is responsive web plus wallet passes.
Website, database and events from one vendor with a 60-day trial
Wild Apricot includes a website builder, contacts database, events, email, store and member and admin apps at every tier, billed month to month.
Check first: Priced by total contacts, and using a gateway other than Personify Payments adds a 20% subscription surcharge.
Dues through Stripe and wallet cards for a small club
Join It gives you a member database, recurring dues through Stripe and a clean member portal, and its Total tier adds wallet cards and QR check-in.
Check first: A 3% to 1.5% service fee by tier plus Stripe fees, events via Eventbrite sync, and a 250-member cap on self-serve tiers.
Genuinely free forms, ticketing and basic memberships for US and Canadian nonprofits
Zeffy charges the nonprofit nothing: no subscription, no platform fee and no processing fee, funded by an optional tip donors see at checkout.
Check first: Donors see a tip prompt every time, volunteer signups are a workaround through event forms, there is no facility booking, and the API is read-only.
Membership and events embedded in your current site, with no vendor payment fees
MembershipWorks embeds membership, events, a directory, donations and forms into WordPress, Squarespace, Wix or Weebly, with no contract.
Check first: No public API, no member app, no wallet cards and no facility booking.
Committees, meetings and wallet cards for volunteer-run clubs
TidyHQ handles unlimited contacts, membership levels and dues, and its Pro plan adds Apple and Google Wallet cards, committee roles, meetings and per-app permissions.
Check first: A 3% + $0.20 service fee on Starter (1% + $0.20 on Pro) on top of Stripe fees, no facility booking, and an Australian-hosted vendor.
Pay per active member with an included website and phone support
ClubExpress bills only active members, and expired members and non-member contacts are free.
Check first: Setup packages start at $150, virtual cards and resource scheduling are paid add-ons, processing is 2.99% + $0.30 or higher, and the templates look dated.
| Feature | Communal | MemberPlanet | Wild Apricot | Join It | Zeffy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | PartialIn-app / PDF | Partial | Add-onTotal tier and up | Included |
| Family & household memberships | Included | Not listed | PartialBundles | Not listed | Not listed |
| Event registration & ticketing | Add-onPrograms & events, +$50/mo | Included | Included | PartialEventbrite sync | Included |
| Program & class registration | Add-onWaitlists, capacity, attendance, rosters | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| Facility booking & rentals | Add-onFrom +$50/mo; approvals, invoices, agreements, iCal | Not offered | Not offered | Not offered | Not offered |
| Volunteer shifts & hour tracking | IncludedShifts, hours, auto volunteer discounts | Not offered | Not offered | Not offered | Partial |
| Donations & fundraising | IncludedIncluded; donor covers fees option | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Automatic tax receipts | IncludedAutomatic | Not listed | PartialDonation receipts | Not listed | Included |
| Member self-service portal | Included | IncludedMember app | IncludedMember app | Included | Partial |
| Email campaigns | IncludedCampaigns and segments | IncludedMetered credits | Included | Not offeredMailchimp / Constant Contact | Partial |
| Website builder | Not offeredWorks beside your site | Included | Included | Partial | Not offered |
| Chapters & federations | IncludedFederated leagues and chapters | Add-onEnterprise | Not offered | Add-onEnterprise | Not listed |
| Public API | IncludedREST API, Zapier webhooks, MCP server | Partial | Included | Partial | Partial |
| Detail | Communal | MemberPlanet | Wild Apricot | Join It | Zeffy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $75/mo | Free; paid from $50/mo | From $66/mo | From $29/mo | $0 (donor tips) |
| Pricing model | Flat, by member band (to 250 members at the floor) | Flat tiers + 1% to 2% platform fee | Per contact, tiered | Flat tiers to 250 members + 1.5% to 3% service fee | Free; funded by optional donor tips |
| Contract | No contracts, prorated billing, cancel any module any time | Monthly; annual option offered (discount not published) | Month-to-month available;Detailsoptional 1-year and 2-year prepay discounts; no cancellation fees | Monthly or annual (10% off);Detailscancel any time; no multi-year commitment | none |
| Payment fees | Card-processing application fee set in your agreement, often 2%; no monthly minimums | Processing fee 3% + $0.30 per payment (or use your existing PayPal account) PLUS MemberPlanet platform fee of 2% (Essentials) or 1% (Pro/Premium);Detailsvendor example: Pro total cost 4% + $0.30 per transaction | No per-transaction fee from WildApricot itself when using the integrated Personify Payments processor (processor rates not published on the pricing page).DetailsUsing a third-party gateway (Stripe, PayPal, Authorize.Net) triggers a Payment System Servicing Fee described in the help center as 20% of the subscription plan price, applied to US/Canada accounts; vendor pricing page calls this 'an additional fee'. | Join It service fee of 3.0% / 2.0% / 1.5% by tier on online transactions, plus Stripe processing fees charged separately;Detailsdonations carry a fixed 5% fee per the support center. Stripe is the only supported processor. | 0% platform fee and 0% processing fee to the nonprofit;DetailsZeffy covers Stripe costs from optional donor tips |
| Free trial | Free trial, no credit card | Free Basic plan (no monthly cost); 'Try It Free' signup | 60-day free trial, no credit card required; no permanently free plan | Free trial, no credit card required; no permanently free plan | Free plan (entire product is free) |
MemberPlanet charges 3% + $0.30 to process a payment, then adds its own platform fee of 2% on Essentials or 1% on Pro and Premium, which the vendor's own example puts at 4% + $0.30 per transaction. On $40,000 of dues and registrations a year that is over $1,600 in fees before the subscription.
Essentials includes 1,000 campaign emails a month, Pro 5,000 and Premium 10,000. A PTA that emails 600 families twice a week hits the Essentials cap, so communication volume, not membership, decides which plan you pay for.
Digital membership cards are delivered through the MemberPlanet member app or as PDFs. Apple Wallet and Google Wallet passes, which members can show at the door without installing anything, are not offered.
Booster clubs, community associations and chapters that rent a hall, schedule concession-stand volunteers or track hours have to run a second tool. MemberPlanet has no room booking and no dedicated volunteer scheduling.
Integrations are positioned as Enterprise customizations, and the multi-chapter structure is quote-priced with a startup fee plus monthly subscription. Groups that outgrow the Pro or Premium plan face a sales conversation rather than a published price.
Communal does not take a percentage of your payments on top of card processing, there are no monthly minimums, and deposits arrive weekly in your own Stripe Connect account. MemberPlanet adds 1% to 2% on top of 3% + $0.30 on every payment.
Communal issues wallet passes that update when a membership renews or lapses, with a card designer, PDF cards and scan in and out check-in. MemberPlanet cards are in-app or PDF only.
Volunteer opportunities with shifts, clock in and out hours and automatic volunteer discounts are included, and the program and facility modules add registration with waitlists and attendance, room and court booking, approvals and rental invoicing. MemberPlanet has none of these.
Communal sends email campaigns to saved audiences with delivery, open and click stats, plus event-triggered automations and a custom sending domain, with no monthly email credit tiers. MemberPlanet meters 1,000, 5,000 or 10,000 emails a month by plan.
Stay on MemberPlanet if you are a small PTA, booster club or chapter collecting modest dues, the free plan or $50/mo Essentials covers you, and texting is central to how you communicate. The fee stacking only hurts when payment volume grows. Move when you start renting facilities, scheduling volunteers, or processing enough money that 4% to 5% per transaction becomes a line item.
Zeffy if the group mainly raises money through donation forms, raffles and event tickets and wants zero software cost. Communal if the booster club also schedules concession-stand volunteers, runs program registration or wants wallet cards, with no platform percentage taken from payments.
Communal. Resident vs non-resident pricing by map boundary, family memberships, hall and court rentals, kids programs and volunteer shifts are the core of the product, and the EFCL runs 163 community leagues on it, where MemberPlanet covers dues and events and stops there.
Join It, for recurring dues through Stripe and a member portal, with Apple and Google Wallet cards and QR check-in on its Total tier. MembershipWorks is the pick if you already have a website and want to stop paying a percentage on payments.
Communal for a federation model where each chapter is its own tenant with its own Stripe account and the parent pushes fields and fees down. ClubExpress for chapter-based hobby and social associations that want an included website and phone support, and MemberPlanet Enterprise stays an option if you need its fraternal roll-up reports.
MemberPlanet exports members, dues history and event data as spreadsheets; we map them into Communal and run the import for you at no charge.
Export your member list, membership types, dues expiry dates, custom fields and event registrations from MemberPlanet; we map fields, create matching custom profile fields and tags in Communal, and run a dry-run import to catch issues.
Set up membership types and renewal rules, family groups, donation forms, volunteer opportunities and any programs or facilities in Communal, then import members with their existing expiry dates so nobody renews early or late.
Point your website and email links at the Communal portal, send members their Apple and Google Wallet cards, and keep MemberPlanet read-only while the first renewals and payments clear.
The Big Apple Knitters Guild moved 400 members off PayPal and spreadsheets onto Communal for dues, renewals and events. 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 community associations, clubs and booster organizations that want memberships, programs, facility rentals, volunteers and wallet cards on one flat-priced system with no platform fee on payments, Communal. For a small club that only needs dues and cards, Join It. For a PTA that mostly raises money, Zeffy is free. See Communal pricing for what each module costs.
MemberPlanet has a free Basic plan, then Essentials at $50/mo (2% platform fee, 1,000 emails a month), Pro at $100/mo (1% platform fee, 5,000 emails) and Premium at $175/mo (1% platform fee, 10,000 emails). Payment processing is 3% + $0.30 on top of the platform fee, so Pro works out to 4% + $0.30 per transaction by the vendor's own example. Enterprise multi-chapter pricing is quote-based with a startup fee.
Compare total cost, not just the subscription. Communal is $75/mo with no platform percentage on payments; Join It starts at $29/mo with a 3% service fee; MembershipWorks is free to 50 accounts and $35/mo to 300 with no vendor payment fees; Zeffy is free and funded by optional donor tips. A group processing $30,000 a year on MemberPlanet Essentials pays about $600 in platform fees on top of processing.
Yes, and migration is free. We import members, membership types, dues expiry dates, custom fields and event history from your MemberPlanet export, validate the mapping with you, and keep renewal dates intact. You can test the import during the 30-day trial with no credit card.
No. Communal has email campaigns to saved audiences with open and click stats, event-triggered automations, pre-session reminders and wallet passes that push updates to the phone, but no SMS. If texting is how you reach members, MemberPlanet (US only) keeps that edge.
No. MemberPlanet cards are delivered in its member app or as PDFs. Communal issues Apple and Google Wallet passes in every plan and updates them automatically when a membership renews or lapses; TidyHQ Pro and Join It Total also offer wallet cards.
Wild Apricot is the deeper membership and website tool from $66/mo for 100 contacts; MemberPlanet is cheaper to start with a free plan and $50/mo Essentials but adds a 1% to 2% platform fee on payments. Read the full Wild Apricot vs MemberPlanet comparison.