Organizations rarely leave MembershipWorks over price; they leave because it has no public API, no facility booking, no wallet membership cards and only basic volunteer tracking. Stay on MembershipWorks if dues, events and a directory on your own site are all you need.
Ordered by how well each one fits the organizations that usually outgrow MembershipWorks.
Facilities, programs, volunteers and wallet cards on one member record
Memberships, volunteer shifts, donation receipting and POS on one member record, with a public REST API, wallet cards and resident and non-resident pricing in every plan.
Check first: It costs more than MembershipWorks at small sizes and does not embed in your CMS; the portal runs on its own subdomain beside your site.
Everything included at every tier, with a website builder and member app
Wild Apricot includes the site builder, events, email, store, donations and mobile apps on every published plan, plus an API, WordPress widgets and Zapier.
Check first: Pricing counts every contact in the database, and using your own payment gateway adds a 20% surcharge on the subscription.
Memberships plus built-in nonprofit accounting
Springly pairs a member CRM, events, email and a website builder with a fund-accounting module and an API on its Professional tier, and has a free tier for payment forms.
Check first: Per-contact tiers, a single Adyen processor at 3.1% + $0.30, and accounting only on Professional.
Simple dues collection with native wallet cards and QR check-in
Join It handles recurring dues and a member database, and its Total plan adds Apple and Google Wallet cards, check-in scanning and API access, all on Stripe.
Check first: A 3% to 1.5% service fee on every online transaction on top of Stripe, a 250-member cap on self-serve tiers, and events via Eventbrite sync.
Free to start, with wallet cards, committees and an API on Pro
TidyHQ Starter is free with unlimited contacts, and Pro adds wallet cards, 30,000 emails a month, committee roles and unlimited integrations, with a public REST API and Zapier.
Check first: A 3% + $0.20 service fee on Starter (1% + $0.20 on Pro) stacks on Stripe fees; no facility booking; data is hosted in Australia.
Nonprofit CRM with unlimited records when fundraising leads
Neon CRM gives every plan unlimited records and users, and its Impact tier adds memberships, events, volunteers and an open API.
Check first: Entry tier is fundraising-only, processing is 2.99% + $0.30, and there is no website builder or free trial.
Club and association platform with committees, forums, chapters and phone support
ClubExpress bills per active member and includes a website, hosting, email and phone support.
Check first: Virtual cards, resource scheduling, ad-hoc reports and the API are paid add-ons, and templates look dated.
| Feature | Communal | MembershipWorks | Wild Apricot | Join It | TidyHQ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Not offered | Partial | Add-onTotal tier and up | Included |
| Event registration & ticketing | Add-onPrograms & events, +$50/mo | IncludedCapacity and check-in | 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 | Partial | Not offered | Not offered | Partial |
| Donations & fundraising | IncludedIncluded; donor covers fees option | Included | Included | Included | Partial |
| Automatic tax receipts | IncludedAutomatic | Not listed | PartialDonation receipts | Not listed | Not listed |
| Member self-service portal | Included | Included | IncludedMember app | Included | Included |
| Email campaigns | IncludedCampaigns and segments | PartialMailchimp add-on | Included | Not offeredMailchimp / Constant Contact | IncludedMetered |
| Website builder | Not offeredWorks beside your site | Partial | Included | Partial | Partial |
| Public API | IncludedREST API, Zapier webhooks, MCP server | Not offered | Included | Partial | Included |
| Detail | Communal | MembershipWorks | Wild Apricot | Join It | TidyHQ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $75/mo | Free to 50; $35/mo to 300 | From $66/mo | From $29/mo | Free; Pro $69/mo |
| Pricing model | Flat, by member band (to 250 members at the floor) | Per member account, tiered | Per contact, tiered | Flat tiers to 250 members + 1.5% to 3% service fee | Flat plan + 1% to 3% service fee |
| Contract | No contracts, prorated billing, cancel any module any time | No contract, month-to-month, cancel anytime; 30-day money-back guarantee | 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 | Monthly or annual (~17% saving);Detailsmonthly has no refund on downgrade, annual has 7-day refund grace |
| Payment fees | Card-processing application fee set in your agreement, often 2%; no monthly minimums | No MembershipWorks transaction fee or revenue share;Detailsyou pay only Stripe / PayPal / Authorize.net gateway fees. No surcharge for using your own gateway. | 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. | TidyHQ service fee 3% + $0.20 (USD/AUD/NZD/EUR) or 3% + 0.10 GBP on Starter;Details1% + $0.20 (or 1% + 0.10 GBP) on Pro; Stripe processing fees apply on top and are set by Stripe per country. Stripe is the payment gateway. |
| Free trial | Free trial, no credit card | No time-limited trial;Detailsfree plan up to 50 accounts plus 30-day money-back guarantee | 60-day free trial, no credit card required; no permanently free plan | Free trial, no credit card required; no permanently free plan | Free Starter plan, no credit card required (no separate timed trial of Pro published) |
MembershipWorks integrates with Stripe, PayPal, Authorize.net, QuickBooks and Xero exports, and Mailchimp. There is no public API and no Zapier connector, so anything else you run cannot read or write member data.
The vendor's own guidance says it does not do resource booking or a member app. Clubs that rent courts, halls or equipment, and associations that run a conference app, have to add a second system.
Volunteer features are signup and tracking rather than shifts with capacity and hour logs, and email campaigns rely on a Mailchimp integration that costs $9/mo as a premium add-on.
There are no Apple or Google Wallet passes. Organizations that check members in at the door or want a card that updates when a membership lapses look elsewhere.
Communal has a versioned REST API with OpenAPI docs, scoped API keys, Zapier webhooks and a remote MCP server per organization. MembershipWorks has no public API and no Zapier, so integrations stop at payment gateways and accounting exports.
Instant booking or request-and-approve workflows, membership-gated access, member-type pricing, recurring seasonal blocks for leagues and a public facility calendar. MembershipWorks states it does not do resource booking.
Opportunities with shifts, capacity, role restrictions, clock in and out, reminders and automatic volunteer discounts on program fees are part of the base plan at $75/mo for up to 250 members. MembershipWorks offers signup and tracking only.
Apple and Google Wallet passes with push updates, household memberships with dependents, and resident vs non-resident pricing by map boundary are core. MembershipWorks has no wallet cards and does not list address-based pricing.
Stay on MembershipWorks if you are a chamber, networking group or small association with an existing website, no facilities to rent, no volunteer shifts to fill, and a member list under a few hundred. At $35/mo with no contract and no vendor transaction fee it is hard to beat on cost, and the 30-day money-back guarantee means you were never locked in. Move when you need an API, room booking, wallet cards or a real volunteer program.
Communal. Facility rentals, resident vs non-resident pricing, kids programs and volunteer shifts are the core of the product, and the Hawkwood Community Association runs its pickleball courts and community garden on it.
Join It on its Total plan for a dues-and-cards setup, or TidyHQ Pro if you also want committee tooling. Communal if the club books facilities or runs programs and wants wallet cards in the base plan rather than on a higher tier.
Wild Apricot if you want to replace your website at the same time and accept contact-based pricing. ClubExpress for committees, chapters and phone support at a per-member price, or Neon CRM if sponsorship and fundraising revenue matter more than dues.
Neon CRM for unlimited records and a donor pipeline. Communal if memberships, programs or volunteers are also part of the work and you want numbered tax receipts, recurring giving and campaign pages included.
MembershipWorks exports members, labels, event registrations and transactions as CSV; most moves finish in two to four weeks.
Export member accounts, membership levels, renewal dates, labels and transaction history from MembershipWorks; we map levels to membership types, labels to tags, and run a validation pass before importing.
Set up membership types, renewal rules, facilities, programs and volunteer opportunities in Communal, then import members with their existing expiry dates so nobody renews early or late.
Replace the MembershipWorks embeds on your site with links to the Communal portal, send members their wallet cards, and run both systems briefly while the first renewals come through.
The Hawkwood Community Association moved pickleball court bookings and its community garden off spreadsheets onto one member record. 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
It depends on what is missing. Communal is the best fit if you need facility booking, volunteer shifts, a public API or wallet cards at a flat $75/mo. Wild Apricot is the closest swap if you also want a website builder and accept contact-based pricing. Join It or TidyHQ suit small clubs that mainly want dues and a wallet card.
MembershipWorks is free up to 50 member accounts, $35/mo up to 300, $59/mo up to 600, $95/mo up to 1,200, $145/mo up to 2,500, $205/mo up to 5,000 and $259/mo up to 10,000. Only member accounts count. There is no contract, no setup fee and no vendor transaction fee; you pay only Stripe, PayPal or Authorize.net rates.
No. MembershipWorks has no public API and no Zapier connector. Its integrations are Stripe, PayPal, Authorize.net, QuickBooks and Xero export, and a Mailchimp add-on at $9/mo. Communal, Wild Apricot, TidyHQ and Neon CRM (Impact tier) all have public APIs.
Yes, and the scoped migration is free. We import member accounts, membership levels, renewal dates, labels and transaction history from the MembershipWorks CSV export, validate the mapping with you using a dry run, and keep existing expiry dates intact. Most moves finish in two to four weeks.
Not as a plugin. Communal runs as a branded member portal on its own subdomain and you link to it from your WordPress, Squarespace or Wix site for signup, renewals, registration and bookings. You can match your logo, colors and custom CSS, but there is no website builder or CMS embed.
Yes. Communal adds facility booking from +$50/mo for up to 2 bookable spaces ($100/mo for 5, $200/mo for 10), with instant or approval workflows, member-type pricing and recurring seasonal bookings. ClubExpress offers a Resource Scheduling add-on at $20/mo. See our pricing page for the full facility bands.