Most organizations leave MemberPlanet because it takes a platform fee on every payment and meters its plans by email credits. Stay if the free 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, facilities and volunteers on one record
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
Wild Apricot includes a website builder, contacts database, events, email, store and member and admin apps at every tier, with a 60-day trial.
Check first: It counts every contact, not just members, and steers you toward its own payment processor.
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 service fee applies on every payment, and events run via Eventbrite sync.
Free forms, ticketing and basic memberships for nonprofits
Zeffy charges the nonprofit nothing, funded by an optional tip donors see at checkout.
Check first: US and Canada only, donors see a tip prompt every time, there is no facility booking, and the API is read-only.
Membership and events embedded in your current site
MembershipWorks embeds membership, events, a directory, donations and forms into WordPress, Squarespace, Wix or Weebly, with no contract and no vendor fee on payments.
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 wallet cards, committee roles, meetings and per-app permissions.
Check first: A service fee stacks on Stripe, there is no facility booking, and the vendor is Australian-hosted.
Pay per active member with an included website and phone support
ClubExpress bills only active members; expired members and non-member contacts do not count.
Check first: Virtual cards and resource scheduling are paid add-ons, 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 add-on | 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-onApprovals, 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 |
MemberPlanet adds its own platform fee on top of card processing, so every dues payment and registration carries two fees.
Each plan caps how many campaign emails you can send a month, so communication volume, not membership, decides which plan you need.
Digital membership cards are delivered through the MemberPlanet member app or as PDFs. Apple Wallet and Google Wallet passes are not offered.
Booster clubs, associations and chapters that rent a hall, schedule concession-stand volunteers or track hours have to run a second tool.
Integrations are positioned as Enterprise customizations, and the multi-chapter structure is quote-only. Groups that outgrow the standard plans face a sales conversation.
Communal takes no percentage of your payments on top of card processing, and deposits arrive weekly in your own Stripe Connect account. MemberPlanet adds its own platform fee to 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, hour tracking and automatic volunteer discounts are included, and the program and facility modules add registration with waitlists, room and court booking 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 credit tiers. MemberPlanet meters emails by plan.
Stay on MemberPlanet if you are a small PTA, booster club or chapter collecting modest dues, the free plan covers you, and texting is central to how you communicate. Move when you start renting facilities, scheduling volunteers, or processing enough payments that the platform fee becomes a line item.
Zeffy if the group mainly raises money through donation forms, raffles and event tickets; it is free, funded by optional donor tips. Communal if the booster club also schedules concession-stand volunteers, runs program registration or wants wallet cards.
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.
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 no vendor fee 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, 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, 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 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, funded by optional donor tips.
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; MemberPlanet is lighter to start but adds a platform fee on payments and meters email by plan. Read the full Wild Apricot vs MemberPlanet comparison.