Membership Management Apps: 10 Options Compared, and Whether Members Need to Download One
The short answer. "Membership management app" usually means one of three different things: a native app your members install, a mobile web portal they open in a browser, or a wallet pass sitting in Apple or Google Wallet. Of the 10 tools we compared, five ship a real member app. The rest deliver the same jobs — renew, pay, show a card — with nothing to download. For most community organizations, that is the better answer anyway.
- Wallet cards, no app needed. Communal, Join It and TidyHQ put the membership card straight into Apple Wallet or Google Wallet. Members never install anything.
- Real member apps. Wild Apricot, Raklet, Glue Up, ClubExpress and Hivebrite ship native apps on iOS and Android.
- Branded apps cost extra. Raklet's custom-branded app is $299/mo billed annually. Hivebrite's branded app add-on is $2,300/yr. A standard app often comes with the platform, but your name on the app store listing usually does not.
Every price below was checked against the vendor's public pricing page on 1 Nov 2026, and the source URL is cited in each section.
Do members actually need to download an app?
Before comparing tools, it helps to separate the three things a "membership management app" can mean. Vendors blur them on purpose, and the difference changes what your members experience.
A native app
The classic model: a listing in the App Store or Google Play that members search for, install, and sign in to. Wild Apricot, Raklet, Glue Up, ClubExpress and Hivebrite all work this way.
A native app can do things a browser cannot, like push notifications and offline access. The costs land on your members, though. Every member has to find the right listing, install the app, create a login and keep it updated. The older or less technical your membership, the more of them will simply not do it. When their card lives inside the app, a member who never installed it has no card at the door.
A mobile web portal
A portal is a website members open in the browser already on their phone. No install, no app store, no updates. Communal works this way: members open the member self-service portal to renew, pay and manage their own details.
The trade-off is no push notifications and no offline mode — the portal needs a connection. For most clubs and community centres, renewal reminders by email plus a portal link does the same job.
A wallet pass
The third model skips the "app" question entirely. The membership card is a pass in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, which is already installed on the phone. Members tap a link once and the card is stored next to their bank cards.
Join It, TidyHQ and Communal all issue wallet cards with no app required on the member's side. Raklet supports wallet cards as well, alongside its own app. It is the lowest-friction option of the three, which is why more vendors are shipping it.
The 10 membership management apps compared
| Tool | Native member app | Mobile web portal | Apple/Google Wallet cards | Admin on mobile | Free plan | Starting price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Communal | No | Yes | Yes | Not documented | Free trial | $75 USD/mo |
| Wild Apricot | Yes (iOS + Android) | Not documented | Not documented | Yes (admin app) | No | $66/mo |
| Raklet | Yes (iOS + Android) | Not documented | Yes | Not documented | Yes | $0 |
| Join It | No app found (Nov 2026) | Not documented | Yes (Total and up) | Not documented | Free trial | $29/mo |
| Glue Up | Yes (My Glue) | Not documented | Card in app | Yes (Glue Up Manager) | No | $3,000/yr |
| ClubExpress | Yes (iOS + Android) | Not documented | Card in app (JPG/PDF) | Not documented | No | $24/mo min. |
| MembershipWorks | No app found (Nov 2026) | Not documented | Printable card only | Not documented | Yes (50 accounts) | $0 |
| Zeffy | No member app | Not documented | Not supported | Yes (tap-to-pay app) | Yes | $0 |
| Hivebrite | Yes (iOS + Android) | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented | No | $8,000/yr |
| TidyHQ | No app found (Nov 2026) | Not documented | Yes (Pro) | Not documented | Yes | $0 |
"Not documented" means we could not confirm it on the vendor's public pages in November 2026 — not that the feature does not exist.
The 10 options, honestly
Communal
Who it's for: Community centres, clubs and member-based nonprofits in Canada and the US.
The mobile story: Communal has no native app, and that is deliberate. Members open a mobile web portal in a browser to renew, pay and update their details, and their membership card lives in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet via digital membership cards. Nothing to download, nothing to keep updated.
Pricing (getcommunal.com/pricing): $75 USD/mo up to 250 members. Price scales with member count. Free trial, no credit card, no contracts.
The catch: If you specifically want a native app listing, Communal is not it. Everything member-facing runs in the browser and the wallet.
Wild Apricot
Who it's for: Small to mid-sized associations that want a website builder in the same product.
The mobile story: Two apps — "Wild Apricot for members" and "Wild Apricot for admins" on iOS and Android. The member card shows inside the member app; native Apple or Google Wallet support is not documented. The admin app covers the database, event check-in and payments, which makes it the most complete mobile admin option on this list.
Pricing (wildapricot.com/pricing): $66/mo monthly for 100 contacts, or $59.40/mo with one-year prepay. 60-day trial, no free plan.
The catch: Members have to install the app to get the card on their phone — there is no wallet path documented.
Raklet
Who it's for: Organizations that want a native app and a free starting tier.
The mobile story: The "Raklet" app is on iOS and Android, and Apple and Google Wallet cards are supported too — one of the few tools here offering both. A custom-branded app in the stores under your own name costs $299/mo billed annually.
Pricing (raklet.com/pricing/): Free $0 (100 contacts, 4% + $0.60 transaction fee), Essentials $49/mo annual or $59 monthly (500 contacts), Professional $99/$119 (1,000), Premium $399/$499 (10,000).
The catch: The free tier's 4% + $0.60 transaction fee takes a cut of every payment, and which plans include the branded app is not stated clearly — Raklet's own page contradicts itself, so ask before assuming.
Join It
Who it's for: Clubs and small associations that want simple dues collection.
The mobile story: No Join It app found in the App Store or Google Play (Nov 2026). Instead, members get Apple and Google Wallet cards on the Total plan and up — no app required.
Pricing (joinit.com/pricing): Starter $29/mo (3% fee), Total $99/mo (2%), Extra $199/mo (1.5%), Custom above that. Annual billing drops those to $26.10/$89.10/$179.10 per month, and nonprofits get a further 10% off. Free trial, no card.
The catch: The wallet card is locked behind the $99/mo Total plan — the $29/mo starter tier does not include it, and transaction fees apply on every plan.
Glue Up
Who it's for: Chambers of commerce and professional associations running events-heavy membership programs.
The mobile story: A real two-app setup — "My Glue" for members and "Glue Up Manager" for admins. The member's virtual card lives inside the app; wallet support is not documented.
Pricing (glueup.com/pricing): Billed annually. Essential and Professional run $3,000–$6,500/yr, Advanced $8,000–$18,500/yr, Enterprise custom.
The catch: Annual contracts and a starting price that prices out most small clubs. The apps are a genuine strength — if you can afford the platform.
ClubExpress
Who it's for: Clubs and associations that want per-member pricing and a long feature list.
The mobile story: The "ClubExpress App" is on iOS and Android, and members can pull a virtual card from it as a JPG or PDF download. No wallet pass is documented.
Pricing (clubexpress.com/pricing): Per active primary member per month — 42¢ up to 200 members, 38¢ at 201–300, 34¢ at 301–500, 30¢ at 501–1,000 — with a $24 monthly minimum.
The catch: The card is a downloaded image inside the app, not a wallet pass, and per-member pricing climbs steadily as you grow.
MembershipWorks
Who it's for: WordPress-based organizations that want a plugin-style membership system.
The mobile story: No app found in the App Store or Google Play (Nov 2026). The membership card is printable only — there is no wallet pass and no in-app card.
Pricing (membershipworks.com/pricing/): Free up to 50 accounts, then $35/mo at 300 accounts, $59 at 600, $95 at 1,200, $145 at 2,500, $205 at 5,000, $259 at 10,000. No transaction fee. 30-day money-back guarantee.
The catch: Members get a paper or printable card, full stop. If a phone-based card matters to your members, look elsewhere on this list.
Zeffy
Who it's for: Small nonprofits in the US and Canada with no software budget.
The mobile story: Zeffy does have an app, but it is a tap-to-pay app for organizations taking payments — not a member app. Zeffy states that "Apple Wallet and Google Wallet passes are not currently supported"; members get a QR card by email instead.
Pricing (zeffy.com/pricing): $0. Zeffy is 100% free, funded by optional tips donors can add at checkout.
The catch: No wallet support and no member app — the emailed QR card is the whole mobile card story. We compare the trade-offs in detail in Communal vs Zeffy and Wild Apricot vs Zeffy.
Hivebrite
Who it's for: Alumni networks, large associations and communities that need a full engagement platform.
The mobile story: A community app on iOS and Android comes with the platform, and a branded app in your own name is a $2,300/yr add-on.
Pricing (hivebrite.io/pricing): Focus plan from $8,000/yr billed annually; Custom by quote.
The catch: The most expensive starting point here, and your own branding on the app costs more on top — roughly what several tools on this list charge for the whole platform.
TidyHQ
Who it's for: Small clubs, groups and associations, especially outside the US.
The mobile story: No app found in the App Store or Google Play (Nov 2026). On the Pro plan, members get Apple and Google Wallet cards — no app needed.
Pricing (tidyhq.com/pricing): Free $0 (3% + $0.20 + Stripe fees), Pro $690 USD/yr (1% + $0.20), Enterprise by quote.
The catch: Wallet cards require the paid Pro plan, and the free tier's 3% + $0.20 transaction fee comes off every payment you collect.
Free membership apps and their limits
Four tools here have a real free tier: Raklet (100 contacts), MembershipWorks (50 accounts), TidyHQ and Zeffy. Only Raklet pairs the free plan with a native app, and only TidyHQ's paid tier adds wallet cards — free plans with an app are rare, and free plans with wallet cards rarer still.
The catches are consistent. Contact caps count every person in the database, transaction fees take 3–4% off the top of each payment, and the features your members notice first — wallet cards, self-service renewal — sit behind paid tiers. A free member management app is a fair place to start; it is rarely where organizations stay.
Our free membership management software post covers the full free landscape, including open-source options and spreadsheets.
Card apps vs wallet passes
Two tools can both advertise "digital membership cards" and deliver very different things.
A card inside an app means the member installs the vendor's app, signs in, and finds the card there. Wild Apricot, Glue Up and ClubExpress work this way. It works — as long as the member actually installed the app.
A wallet pass drops the card into Apple Wallet or Google Wallet with one tap. No vendor app, no login at the door. Communal, Join It and TidyHQ issue wallet cards directly; Raklet supports both.
The wallet pass is the better answer for most member groups — fewer steps, nothing to install, and it sits next to the bank card they already use. Our digital membership cards page explains how it works for members, and the digital card creator shows what a pass looks like before you commit to anything.
What admins need on mobile
The member app is only half the question. The other half is what staff can do from a phone — the jobs that actually happen away from a desk:
- Check-in at the door. Scanning a card or marking attendance at an event. Wild Apricot's admin app handles event check-in; Communal's member check-in software covers the same job.
- Payments at the desk. Zeffy's app exists precisely for this — tap-to-pay for the organization, not the member.
- Looking up a member. "Is she current?" is the question a volunteer asks mid-conversation, not at a computer.
Wild Apricot and Glue Up are the two tools here with a dedicated admin app. Everyone else assumes admin work happens in a browser — which for most volunteer-run groups is honest enough, since renewal season happens at a kitchen table with a laptop, not on a phone at the door.
The bottom line
A native app is a feature, not a requirement. Five of these ten tools ship one; several of the most practical options — Communal, Join It, TidyHQ — deliberately skip it and put the card in the phone's wallet instead.
Pick based on who your members are. A young professional association's members will install an app. A community association's members will not, and a wallet card plus a self-service portal covers everything they need. And if you are still weighing whether any of this should be complicated at all, our guide to simple membership software is the right next read.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to common questions about this topic.
Usually not. Of the 10 tools we compared, half deliver the member experience through a mobile web portal or a wallet pass instead of an installed app. A membership card in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet covers the door-scan moment without any download at all.
If an app means a native download, Raklet's free tier (100 contacts) is the only free plan we found that comes with an app on iOS and Android. If an app is optional, Zeffy is 100% free, TidyHQ has a free plan, and MembershipWorks is free up to 50 accounts. None of those three has a member app.
No. Communal has no native app. Members use a self-service portal in their phone's browser and keep their membership card in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, so there is nothing to download and no app store listing to maintain.
A card app keeps the membership card inside the vendor's app, so members have to install the app to show the card at the door. A wallet pass puts the card in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, which is already on the phone. Wallet passes work even when the vendor has no app at all.
Sometimes. Wild Apricot ships an admin app covering the database, event check-in and payments, and Glue Up has Glue Up Manager. Most other platforms expect admins to work in a browser on a laptop, so check that before you buy if mobile admin matters.
Anywhere from $0 to over $8,000 a year. Zeffy is free, TidyHQ and MembershipWorks have free tiers, Wild Apricot starts at $66/mo, and Communal at $75 USD/mo. Enterprise community platforms like Glue Up and Hivebrite start in the thousands per year, and a custom-branded app often costs extra on top.
Communal, Raklet, Join It (Total plan and up) and TidyHQ (Pro) issue Apple or Google Wallet cards, per their pricing pages in November 2026. Zeffy states wallet passes are not currently supported. Wild Apricot, Glue Up and ClubExpress show the card inside their own app instead.
Written by
Matt Elliott
We help community organizations, recreation centers, and nonprofits streamline their operations with software built for how they actually work.
Related Guides
How Membership Software Is Priced: Per User vs Flat Rate
How membership software is priced (per user, per member, flat rate, per transaction), the hidden costs of each, and how to compare quotes at your size.
Membership Renewal Email Templates
Ready-to-use membership renewal email templates for nonprofits. Copy, customize, and send reminder emails that help members renew on time.
Membership Renewal Strategies That Actually Work
Practical strategies to increase membership renewals: why members don't renew, when to start outreach, and how to build a process that works.
How to Keep Members in Your Organization: 10 Retention Strategies
Learn how to keep members in your organization: why they leave, how to calculate your retention rate, and 10 proven membership retention strategies.