[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":358},["ShallowReactive",2],{"compare-communal-vs-join-it":3},{"_path":4,"_dir":5,"_draft":6,"_partial":6,"_locale":7,"title":8,"description":9,"h1":10,"a":11,"b":12,"verdict":13,"published":14,"modified":14,"faqs":15,"body":34,"_type":351,"_id":352,"_source":353,"_file":354,"_stem":355,"_extension":356,"sitemap":357},"/compare/communal-vs-join-it","compare",false,"","Communal vs Join It (2026): Pricing, Fees and Who Each Fits","Communal and Join It compared on monthly price, per-transaction service fees, member caps, digital cards, events, email, volunteers and facility booking, with a plain answer on which membership management software fits which club or association.","Communal vs Join It: cheap dues collection or flat-priced membership operations","communal","join-it","Join It (from $29/mo plus a 3% service fee, up to 250 members) wins for small clubs and alumni groups that need dues collection, a member list and wallet cards at the lowest monthly price. Communal ($75/mo flat to 250 members, no service fee, volunteers, donations and POS included) wins once you process real volume, pass 250 members, or need programs, facility booking, built-in events or email in the same system. Communal is the author's product.","2026-08-19",[16,19,22,25,28,31],{"question":17,"answer":18},"Is Join It cheaper than Communal?","At the subscription line, yes: Join It Starter is $29/mo against Communal's $75/mo. Join It then adds a service fee on every online transaction, 3.0% on Starter, 2.0% on Total ($99/mo) and 1.5% on Extra ($199/mo), plus Stripe fees, and 5% on donations. Communal has no service fee, only a card-processing application fee often about 2% with no monthly minimums. A club collecting $30,000 a year in dues pays Join It Starter about $348 plus $900 in fees; Communal about $900 plus roughly $600.",{"question":20,"answer":21},"Does Join It have a member cap?","Yes. All self-serve tiers (Starter, Total, Extra) cap at 250 members; above that you need an Enterprise plan with custom pricing. Communal's $75/mo band also covers up to 250 members, then published bands continue at 500, 1,000, 2,000, 5,000 and 10,000, quoted above 20,000.",{"question":23,"answer":24},"Which has better digital membership cards?","Both do them well. Join It's Apple and Google Wallet cards with QR check-in are a core strength, available from the $99/mo Total tier. Communal includes a card designer, PDF cards, Apple and Google Wallet passes that push-update on renewal, and scan in/out check-in on every plan, including the $75/mo base.",{"question":26,"answer":27},"Does Join It do events and email?","Not natively. Events rely on an Eventbrite sync and email marketing on Mailchimp or Constant Contact integrations. Communal includes email campaigns to saved audiences with delivery, open and click stats and event-triggered automations, and its programs and events add-on (+$50/mo) handles registration with waitlists, capacity and member pricing. Communal has no Mailchimp connector, so if your newsletter lives there, that is a point for Join It's approach.",{"question":29,"answer":30},"Can Communal handle a multi-chapter association?","Yes, on standard plans: each chapter is its own tenant with its own Stripe account under a parent organization, with federation fees and cross-chapter address routing. The EFCL federation of 163 community leagues runs on it. Join It offers multi-chapter on its Enterprise plan at custom pricing.",{"question":32,"answer":33},"Join It vs Wild Apricot vs Communal, which one for membership management?","Join It is the cheapest start for dues and cards. Wild Apricot (from $66/mo for 100 contacts) adds a website builder, built-in events and email, priced by total contacts. Communal (from $75/mo to 250 members) adds programs, facility booking, volunteers, donations and POS, priced by members with no service fee. Pick by what you run, not by the entry price alone.",{"type":35,"children":36,"toc":342},"root",[37,46,52,58,114,120,163,169,174,180,297,303,308],{"type":38,"tag":39,"props":40,"children":42},"element","h2",{"id":41},"the-short-version",[43],{"type":44,"value":45},"text","The short version",{"type":38,"tag":47,"props":48,"children":49},"p",{},[50],{"type":44,"value":51},"Join It does one thing cleanly: collect dues through Stripe, keep the member list, hand out wallet cards. For a 120-member alumni chapter or a hobby club, $29/mo plus a percentage is a fair trade for something you can set up in an afternoon. Communal starts at $75/mo and charges no service fee, and the extra $46 buys programs, facility booking, volunteers, donations, email and POS in the same member record. The more money and activity flows through the system, the faster Communal's flat price catches up and passes Join It.",{"type":38,"tag":39,"props":53,"children":55},{"id":54},"where-communal-wins",[56],{"type":44,"value":57},"Where Communal wins",{"type":38,"tag":59,"props":60,"children":61},"ul",{},[62,74,84,94,104],{"type":38,"tag":63,"props":64,"children":65},"li",{},[66,72],{"type":38,"tag":67,"props":68,"children":69},"strong",{},[70],{"type":44,"value":71},"No service fee on transactions.",{"type":44,"value":73}," Communal charges a card-processing application fee often about 2% with no monthly minimums, settled weekly to your own Stripe Connect account. Join It adds 3.0%, 2.0% or 1.5% by tier on every online transaction, plus Stripe's fees, and 5% on donations.",{"type":38,"tag":63,"props":75,"children":76},{},[77,82],{"type":38,"tag":67,"props":78,"children":79},{},[80],{"type":44,"value":81},"More included at the base price.",{"type":44,"value":83}," Member CRM, volunteer shifts and hours, donations with CRA and US tax receipts, email campaigns with open and click stats, POS software, wallet cards and check-in, and unlimited admin accounts with roles, all at $75/mo. Join It caps admins at 3, 5 or 10 by tier and adds cards, check-in and API only at $99/mo.",{"type":38,"tag":63,"props":85,"children":86},{},[87,92],{"type":38,"tag":67,"props":88,"children":89},{},[90],{"type":44,"value":91},"Programs and facilities.",{"type":44,"value":93}," Program registration with waitlists, age gates, attendance and member pricing (+$50/mo); facility booking with approvals, recurring seasonal blocks and invoices (from +$50/mo). Join It has neither.",{"type":38,"tag":63,"props":95,"children":96},{},[97,102],{"type":38,"tag":67,"props":98,"children":99},{},[100],{"type":44,"value":101},"Room to grow.",{"type":44,"value":103}," Published bands past 250 members to 20,000. Join It's self-serve tiers stop at 250 members.",{"type":38,"tag":63,"props":105,"children":106},{},[107,112],{"type":38,"tag":67,"props":108,"children":109},{},[110],{"type":44,"value":111},"Membership depth.",{"type":44,"value":113}," Household memberships with dependents, resident vs non-resident pricing by map boundary, fixed-date or anniversary renewals, pay-what-you-want and lifetime plans, base plus add-on memberships, and a portal in 11 locales.",{"type":38,"tag":39,"props":115,"children":117},{"id":116},"where-join-it-wins",[118],{"type":44,"value":119},"Where Join It wins",{"type":38,"tag":59,"props":121,"children":122},{},[123,133,143,153],{"type":38,"tag":63,"props":124,"children":125},{},[126,131],{"type":38,"tag":67,"props":127,"children":128},{},[129],{"type":44,"value":130},"Entry price.",{"type":44,"value":132}," $29/mo on Starter, 10% off annual ($313.20/yr) and a stacking 10% nonprofit discount. Communal's floor is $75/mo.",{"type":38,"tag":63,"props":134,"children":135},{},[136,141],{"type":38,"tag":67,"props":137,"children":138},{},[139],{"type":44,"value":140},"Fast, simple setup.",{"type":44,"value":142}," Clear public pricing, a clean member portal and recurring dues through Stripe, with little to configure. Communal has more surface area to learn.",{"type":38,"tag":63,"props":144,"children":145},{},[146,151],{"type":38,"tag":67,"props":147,"children":148},{},[149],{"type":44,"value":150},"Mailchimp and Constant Contact.",{"type":44,"value":152}," If your newsletter already lives there, Join It connects; Communal sends campaigns itself and has no Mailchimp sync.",{"type":38,"tag":63,"props":154,"children":155},{},[156,161],{"type":38,"tag":67,"props":157,"children":158},{},[159],{"type":44,"value":160},"Push notifications and an account manager.",{"type":44,"value":162}," The Extra tier ($199/mo) adds push notifications, custom domain, branding removal and a dedicated account manager. Communal has no native mobile app.",{"type":38,"tag":39,"props":164,"children":166},{"id":165},"pricing-in-practice",[167],{"type":44,"value":168},"Pricing in practice",{"type":38,"tag":47,"props":170,"children":171},{},[172],{"type":44,"value":173},"Add the subscription and the fees together on your real numbers. A 200-member club collecting $150 in annual dues processes $30,000. On Join It Starter that is $348/yr plus 3% ($900) plus Stripe, about $1,250 before Stripe. On Total it is $1,188 plus 2% ($600), about $1,790. On Communal it is $900/yr plus a card fee often about 2% ($600), about $1,500, with volunteers, donations, email, POS and wallet cards included and no higher tier needed for cards. At $10,000 in annual dues the order flips: Join It Starter is about $650 and Communal about $1,100. Small collections favor Join It; larger ones and any need for programs or bookings favor Communal. Both are month-to-month with no setup fees; Communal also bills prorated and lets you cancel a module any time.",{"type":38,"tag":39,"props":175,"children":177},{"id":176},"who-should-pick-which",[178],{"type":44,"value":179},"Who should pick which",{"type":38,"tag":181,"props":182,"children":183},"table",{},[184,203],{"type":38,"tag":185,"props":186,"children":187},"thead",{},[188],{"type":38,"tag":189,"props":190,"children":191},"tr",{},[192,198],{"type":38,"tag":193,"props":194,"children":195},"th",{},[196],{"type":44,"value":197},"If you are...",{"type":38,"tag":193,"props":199,"children":200},{},[201],{"type":44,"value":202},"Lean towards",{"type":38,"tag":204,"props":205,"children":206},"tbody",{},[207,221,234,246,259,272,285],{"type":38,"tag":189,"props":208,"children":209},{},[210,216],{"type":38,"tag":211,"props":212,"children":213},"td",{},[214],{"type":44,"value":215},"A small club, alumni group or hobby society under 250 members with modest dues",{"type":38,"tag":211,"props":217,"children":218},{},[219],{"type":44,"value":220},"Join It ($29/mo)",{"type":38,"tag":189,"props":222,"children":223},{},[224,229],{"type":38,"tag":211,"props":225,"children":226},{},[227],{"type":44,"value":228},"A group that wants the lowest monthly line and accepts a percentage",{"type":38,"tag":211,"props":230,"children":231},{},[232],{"type":44,"value":233},"Join It",{"type":38,"tag":189,"props":235,"children":236},{},[237,242],{"type":38,"tag":211,"props":238,"children":239},{},[240],{"type":44,"value":241},"A club whose newsletter is in Mailchimp or Constant Contact",{"type":38,"tag":211,"props":243,"children":244},{},[245],{"type":44,"value":233},{"type":38,"tag":189,"props":247,"children":248},{},[249,254],{"type":38,"tag":211,"props":250,"children":251},{},[252],{"type":44,"value":253},"A club or association collecting $20,000 a year or more in dues and fees",{"type":38,"tag":211,"props":255,"children":256},{},[257],{"type":44,"value":258},"Communal (no service fee)",{"type":38,"tag":189,"props":260,"children":261},{},[262,267],{"type":38,"tag":211,"props":263,"children":264},{},[265],{"type":44,"value":266},"A community league, center or club running programs or renting space",{"type":38,"tag":211,"props":268,"children":269},{},[270],{"type":44,"value":271},"Communal",{"type":38,"tag":189,"props":273,"children":274},{},[275,280],{"type":38,"tag":211,"props":276,"children":277},{},[278],{"type":44,"value":279},"An organization with volunteers, donations and a front desk",{"type":38,"tag":211,"props":281,"children":282},{},[283],{"type":44,"value":284},"Communal (included at $75/mo)",{"type":38,"tag":189,"props":286,"children":287},{},[288,293],{"type":38,"tag":211,"props":289,"children":290},{},[291],{"type":44,"value":292},"A chapter-based association on a standard plan",{"type":38,"tag":211,"props":294,"children":295},{},[296],{"type":44,"value":271},{"type":38,"tag":39,"props":298,"children":300},{"id":299},"switching-from-join-it",[301],{"type":44,"value":302},"Switching from Join It",{"type":38,"tag":47,"props":304,"children":305},{},[306],{"type":44,"value":307},"Migration is free and scoped with you, there is no contract, and the 30-day trial needs no credit card, so you can import your Join It export and compare fee totals before moving money.",{"type":38,"tag":309,"props":310,"children":311},"ol",{},[312,322,332],{"type":38,"tag":63,"props":313,"children":314},{},[315,320],{"type":38,"tag":67,"props":316,"children":317},{},[318],{"type":44,"value":319},"Export from Join It.",{"type":44,"value":321}," Pull your member list with membership types, status and renewal dates to CSV, plus any custom fields. Note who is on auto-renew so you can invite them to re-save a card.",{"type":38,"tag":63,"props":323,"children":324},{},[325,330],{"type":38,"tag":67,"props":326,"children":327},{},[328],{"type":44,"value":329},"Map and dry-run the import.",{"type":44,"value":331}," Communal's CSV importer maps Join It columns to membership types and plans, custom profile fields and tags, validates every row and runs a dry run. Past terms load as historical memberships.",{"type":38,"tag":63,"props":333,"children":334},{},[335,340],{"type":38,"tag":67,"props":336,"children":337},{},[338],{"type":44,"value":339},"Go live.",{"type":44,"value":341}," Connect your Stripe account, set renewal reminders before and after expiry, publish the portal and Apple and Google Wallet cards, and send a campaign asking members to enable auto-renew. Cancel Join It month-to-month after the first renewal cycle clears.",{"title":7,"searchDepth":343,"depth":343,"links":344},2,[345,346,347,348,349,350],{"id":41,"depth":343,"text":45},{"id":54,"depth":343,"text":57},{"id":116,"depth":343,"text":119},{"id":165,"depth":343,"text":168},{"id":176,"depth":343,"text":179},{"id":299,"depth":343,"text":302},"markdown","content:compare:communal-vs-join-it.md","content","compare/communal-vs-join-it.md","compare/communal-vs-join-it","md",{"loc":4},1787618718953]