Weighing MyRec against other recreation management platforms? Here's how Communal, RecDesk, CivicRec, and ActiveNet compare for parks & recreation departments.
MyRec covers registration and facility scheduling well, but Communal adds volunteer management and a full donor CRM alongside memberships, programs, and facilities — all in one platform.
Communal issues digital membership cards for Apple Wallet and Google Wallet, giving members an easy way to carry proof of membership without a physical card.
Built with modern technology, Communal offers a clean, fast interface for both staff and members, without the dated feel of older recreation software.
A quick rundown of where Communal fits against RecDesk, CivicRec, and ActiveNet for parks & recreation departments.
Communal is an all-in-one platform for parks & recreation departments and community organizations, combining membership management, program registration, and facility rentals in a single system. It's built to be self-serve for small teams, without the multi-module contracts common in recreation software.
Best for:Small municipal parks & rec departments and community organizations that want memberships, registration, and facility rentals in one platform.
See a demoRecDesk is dedicated recreation management software for parks & recreation departments, covering registration, facility scheduling, and reporting. It's generally positioned as a more accessible option than larger municipal government software suites.
Best for:Parks & rec departments that want dedicated recreation software without a broader gov-tech suite attached.
Compare Communal vs RecDeskCivicRec is recreation management software offered as part of CivicPlus's broader local-government software suite, covering registration, facility scheduling, and reporting for municipal parks & rec departments.
Best for:Municipalities already invested in the CivicPlus ecosystem that want recreation management alongside other gov-tech modules.
Compare Communal vs CivicRecActiveNet (Active Network) is an enterprise-scale recreation management platform used by larger municipal and county park systems. It's built for large, multi-site operations and departments with enterprise-scale needs.
Best for:Large park systems with dedicated IT staff and complex, multi-facility operations.
Compare Communal vs ActiveNet
MyRec.com is a solid, straightforward option for small parks & rec departments handling registration and facility scheduling. Communal covers that same ground and adds volunteer management and a full donor CRM, so departments that also manage volunteers or fundraising don't need a separate system.
Communal is built with modern technology and includes digital membership cards for Apple Wallet and Google Wallet, giving members a simple way to carry proof of membership and giving staff a clean, fast admin experience.
| Feature | Communal | MyRec |
|---|---|---|
| Membership Features | ||
| Robust and configurable membership types | ? | |
| Online member payments including auto-renewal | ? | |
| Digital membership cards (Apple Wallet, Google Wallet) | ? | |
| Targeted member emails | ? | |
| Membership lists and reports | ? | |
| Automated renewal reminders | ? | |
| Automated resident vs non-resident memberships | ? | |
| Custom questions asked during registration | ? | |
| Family account management | ? | |
| Waiver agreement collection | ? | |
| Event Management | ||
| Program registration with waitlists | ||
| Custom registration forms | ? | |
| Member pricing for programs | ? | |
| Age-based program restrictions | ? | |
| Multi-session programs | ? | |
| Event ticketing | ? | |
| Automatic volunteer discounts | ||
| Facility Management | ||
| Online facility calendars | ||
| Member pricing for facility rentals | ? | |
| Instant or admin approved rental requests | ? | |
| Online payment for instant rentals | ||
| Member only rentals for courts | ? | |
| Online rental agreement forms | ? | |
| Custom invoicing and damage deposit collection | ? | |
| Volunteer Management | ||
| Highlight & collect volunteers during event registration | ||
| Online volunteer management | ||
| Tracking volunteer hours | ||
| Recurring volunteer shifts | ||
| Ability to tag accounts by volunteer interests | ||
| Donor Management | ||
| Online tax receipting | ||
| Donor CRM | ||
| Fundraising campaigns | ||
| Donation tracking and reporting | ||
| Other Features | ||
| Unlimited admin accounts | ? | |
| Admin Roles | ? | |
| Transparent, predictable pricing | ? | |
| No per-user fees | ? | |
| All features included in base price | ? | |
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
We love hearing from our customers and are proud to have helped 500+ organizations drive more impact and grow their communities.
We are finally able to communicate with our members, run booking software and a program payment platform all in one application. The cost to our Community is very reasonable and the team is fantastic to work with.
My experience with the software and the team has been overwhelmingly positive. We switched from another provider and the difference was night-and-day!
Revenue from membership sales and renewals increased, and we save a significant amount of staff time and paperwork. The customer service is outstanding and the team at Communal continues to add helpful features.
The best MyRec alternatives for parks and recreation departments include Communal, an all-in-one platform combining memberships, program registration, and facility rentals with volunteer and donor management built in; RecDesk, dedicated recreation management software for parks & rec departments; CivicRec, recreation software offered within CivicPlus's local-government suite; and ActiveNet, an enterprise-scale system for large park operations.
MyRec.com is a straightforward option built specifically for small parks & recreation departments, covering registration and facility scheduling. Communal targets that same small-department sweet spot but goes further with volunteer management, a full donor CRM, and digital membership cards, all in one platform with a modern interface.
Our team provides migration support to help transfer your member database, program history, and facility configurations from MyRec to Communal, with dedicated onboarding support throughout the process.
Communal includes volunteer management with shift scheduling and hour tracking, plus a full donor CRM with fundraising campaigns and tax receipting, and digital membership cards for Apple Wallet and Google Wallet — capabilities outside MyRec's registration-and-scheduling focus.
Your data is stored in a secure database that is not accessible to anyone. Users' credit card information is not stored on our platform. We utilize Stripe to process payments, learn more about how they store their data here.
You can! Our team is happy to help migrate data from an excel spreadsheet or an existing platform you utilize today. Contact us for more questions.
Communal directly deposits into your bank account. We do not hold any funds on our platform.
Yes, Communal is fully PCI-DSS compliant as we partner with Stripe as our payment processor. Stripe has been audited by an independent PCI Qualified Security Assessor (QSA) and is certified as a PCI Level 1 Service Provider. Communal does not have access to see or store any credit card data as all transactions are sent directly to Stripe.