Neon CRM is the broader system: unlimited records, with memberships, events, volunteers, an online store and the open API arriving on the Impact tier.
Bloomerang is the donor retention specialist, with engagement scoring, a well-liked interface and separately priced volunteer and event products. Pick Neon CRM if members and volunteers matter as much as donors, or your database keeps growing; pick Bloomerang if retention reporting is the job. Membership-first groups that run programs or rent space need a third option.
Nonprofit CRM with unlimited records; memberships and events on higher tiers.
Donor-retention CRM with optional volunteer and event modules.
Communal is listed as a third column because organizations comparing these two usually need the same things it was built for: memberships, programs and facilities in one database at a flat price.
| Feature | Neon CRM | Bloomerang | Communal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Membership management | Add-onImpact tier and up | Partial | IncludedTiers, custom fields, segments |
| Automated renewals | Included | Partial | IncludedReminders and auto-renew |
| Digital membership cards (Apple / Google Wallet) | Not listed | Not offered | IncludedIncluded in every plan |
| Event registration & ticketing | Add-onImpact tier and up | Included | Add-onPrograms & events, +$50/mo |
| Program & class registration | Not listed | Not listed | Add-onWaitlists, capacity, attendance, rosters |
| Facility booking & rentals | Not offered | Not offered | Add-onFrom +$50/mo; approvals, invoices, agreements, iCal |
| Volunteer shifts & hour tracking | Add-onImpact tier and up | Add-onBloomerang Volunteer, $119/mo | IncludedShifts, hours, auto volunteer discounts |
| Donations & fundraising | Included | Included | IncludedIncluded; donor covers fees option |
| Automatic tax receipts | Included | Included | IncludedAutomatic |
| Member self-service portal | Included | PartialDonor portal | Included |
| Email campaigns | Included | Included | IncludedCampaigns and segments |
| Website builder | Not offered | Not offered | Not offeredWorks beside your site |
| Public API | Included | Included | IncludedREST API, Zapier webhooks, MCP server |
| Detail | Neon CRM | Bloomerang | Communal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price | From $99/mo | From $125/mo (annual) | $75/mo |
| Pricing model | Tiered subscription; unlimited records | Per record, annual billing | Flat, by member band (to 250 members at the floor) |
| Contract | annual (typical); not confirmed on vendor page | annual | No contracts, prorated billing, cancel any module any time |
| Payment fees | Neon Pay: 2.99% + $0.30 per card transaction, 1% + $1 per ACH/e-check, +1% for American Express; donor-covered fees option available | Bloomerang Payments (built on Stripe): widely reported at 2.9% + $0.30 per card transaction (some sources cite 2.2% + $0.30) and about 1% + $0.30 for ACH;Detailsadditional 1% on peer-to-peer; donor-covered fee option. Not published on the pricing page. | Card-processing application fee set in your agreement, often 2%; no monthly minimums |
| Free trial | No free trial or free plan; demo only | No free trial or free plan | Free trial, no credit card |
Pick Neon CRM if you want one system for donors, members, events and volunteers, your database is large or growing, and you are comfortable with the Impact tier at $209/mo as your real starting point. Pick Bloomerang if fundraising is the organization and you want the cleanest donor-retention reporting you can get at a small-nonprofit price, with volunteers and events added as separate products when needed. Pick neither if membership dues are your main revenue and your week includes program registration, room rentals or a sports season: both are donor CRMs at heart.
Neon CRM is flat by feature tier: $99/mo Essentials for donations, forms, 3 workflows and reporting; Impact adds memberships, events, volunteers, API and an online store at $209/mo; Empower adds unlimited workflows and phone support. Records, users, emails and forms are unlimited throughout. Bloomerang is modular and record-based, all billed annually: CRM from $125/mo, Fundraising +$40/mo, Volunteer $119/mo, Giving Platform bundle $242/mo, with the CRM price rising as records grow. A 3,000-record nonprofit that needs volunteers pays about $209/mo on Neon Impact and, per third-party listings, around $199/mo plus $119/mo on Bloomerang. Add payment fees on your real volume (Neon Pay 2.99% + $0.30; Bloomerang reported 2.9% + $0.30) and note that Neon's older Capterra listing showed memberships, events and volunteers as quote-based add-ons, so confirm current packaging in writing.
| If you are... | Lean towards |
|---|---|
| A nonprofit that needs donors, members, events and volunteers in one CRM | Neon CRM Impact |
| A growing charity with a database past a few thousand records | Neon CRM (unlimited records) |
| A small development team focused on donor retention and stewardship | Bloomerang CRM |
| A fundraising-led nonprofit that also runs galas and volunteer programs | Bloomerang with Volunteer |
| A membership-first group that runs programs or rents facilities | Neither; see the third option below |
If you found these two while searching for membership software, the fit may be wrong from the start. Communal was built for groups whose main revenue is memberships and whose week includes programs, facility rentals, donations and volunteers, and it prices by paying members rather than records: $75/mo to 250 members with donor management, numbered tax receipts, volunteer shifts and POS included, programs +$50/mo, facilities from +$50/mo, no contract, a 30-day free trial and free migration. It does not have Bloomerang's retention scoring or Neon's workflow engine, which is the honest trade.
Short answers, with the numbers where they exist.
At the entry level Neon CRM: Essentials is $99/mo against Bloomerang CRM at $125/mo billed annually. For a membership or volunteer organization the comparison is Neon Impact at $209/mo against Bloomerang CRM plus Bloomerang Volunteer at $119/mo, or the Giving Platform bundle at $242/mo. Neon's price is flat with unlimited records; Bloomerang's rises with records (third-party listings cite about $199/mo for 1K to 5K and $349/mo for 5K to 25K), so large databases usually cost less on Neon.
Neon CRM. Its membership module on Impact and above includes levels, automated renewals, a member portal and directories, alongside events and volunteers. Bloomerang tracks membership levels on constituent records with partial renewal automation and a donor portal rather than a member portal. Neither issues digital membership cards or offers a website builder.
Bloomerang. Engagement scoring, generosity indicators and stewardship workflows are its core, and its interface and reporting are widely praised. Neon CRM has donation pages, receipts, workflow automation and solid reporting but does not model retention to the same depth. If your development director lives in lapsed-donor reports, Bloomerang is the tool built for that.
Neon Pay publishes 2.99% + $0.30 per card transaction, 1% + $1 per ACH and an additional 1% on American Express, with a donor-covered fee option. Bloomerang Payments, built on Stripe, is widely reported at 2.9% + $0.30 per card and about 1% + $0.30 for ACH with a further 1% on peer-to-peer, but the rate is not published on Bloomerang's pricing page. Ask for it in writing before you sign.
Neither offers a free trial or free plan; both sell through a demo. Bloomerang bills annually and does not list monthly billing. Neon CRM's contract term is typically annual but is not confirmed on the vendor's pricing page. If you want to try before committing, neither is the answer.
Wild Apricot and MemberClicks are membership systems; Neon CRM and Bloomerang are donor CRMs with membership features. For a club or association that sells memberships and needs a website, Wild Apricot (from $66/mo) or, for staffed associations, MemberClicks (from $3,500/yr) fit better. For a charity where donations lead and membership is a program, Neon CRM or Bloomerang fit. Groups that also run programs or book facilities should look at Communal, which is membership-first with donations and volunteers included from $75/mo.