How we make this list: we compare pricing pages, product documentation and public user reviews. Rankite is independent; if a vendor ever pays for a featured spot, that listing is clearly labeled Partner.
Key takeaways
- Wild Apricot ($63/month for 100 contacts, 60-day trial) is the default for small nonprofits that want website, dues, events and email in one login.
- ClubExpress ($0.42 per member per month, $24/month minimum, 60-day trial) is the cheapest honest pricing here: you pay per active member, nothing for lapsed ones.
- If fundraising matters as much as membership, Neon CRM puts donations and members in one database instead of syncing two systems.
- Join It is the simplest dues collector on the list; MemberLeap, GrowthZone, MemberClicks and YourMembership add website building, chapters and community features at higher price points.
- Every vendor here prices differently (contacts, members, records, quotes). Model your real member count before comparing, because the cheapest entry price rarely survives contact with your database size.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan |
|---|
 Wild Apricot | Small nonprofits wanting website, dues and events in one | $63/month (100 contacts) | Free trial (60 days) |
 Neon CRM | Nonprofits needing fundraising plus membership in one CRM | See website (quote-based) | No (demo available) |
 MemberClicks | Associations with chapters and complex structures | See website (quote-based) | No (demo available) |
 YourMembership | Mid-size associations wanting community plus learning | See website (quote-based) | No (demo available) |
 Join It | Small clubs wanting the simplest dues collection | See website | Free trial |
 ClubExpress | Clubs and associations that like per-member pricing | $0.42/member/month (up to 200 members; $24/mo minimum) | Free trial (60 days) |
 GrowthZone | Chambers of commerce and trade associations | See website (quote-based) | No (demo available) |
 MemberLeap | Associations wanting a full website plus member database | See website | No (demo available) |
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
The best membership software for nonprofits
Picture the membership chair of a 300-person professional association, three weeks before renewals go out. The spreadsheet has three versions, the PayPal link is from 2021, and nobody knows which members paid last year. Membership software exists to end that week. The tools below all handle the core job (member database, dues billing, renewals, event registration, member portal), and they differ in what surrounds it: website builders, fundraising, chapters, community forums and learning. Pick by the jobs beyond dues that your organization actually does.
Starting price$63/month (100 contacts)
Free planFree trial (60 days)
Wild Apricot is the small-nonprofit default for a reason: one subscription covers the member database, self-service member portal, dues and donations, event registration, email newsletters, a website builder and a mobile app. Pricing is by contact count starting at $63 per month for 100 contacts, and every tier includes the same features, which keeps the buying decision simple: how many contacts do you have?
The billing unit is the catch. Contacts, not members, so newsletter subscribers and lapsed members inflate the count, and the jumps from 500 to 2,000 to 5,000 contacts roughly double the bill each time. The 60-day trial is long enough to import your real database and run a renewal cycle before paying, which is exactly what you should do.
What we like- Every plan includes the full feature set, so pricing scales on contacts, not gated features
- Built-in website builder, event management, email and online store
- Generous 60-day free trial with no credit card
Watch out for- Contact-based pricing punishes growing mailing lists (non-members count too)
- Price jumps between tiers are steep once you pass 500 contacts
#2
Neon CRM
Best for: Nonprofits needing fundraising plus membership in one CRM
Visit neonone.com
Starting priceSee website (quote-based)
Free planNo (demo available)
Neon CRM (part of Neon One) answers a different question from the club-focused tools: what if membership is one part of a fundraising operation? Donors, members, volunteers, event attendees and email subscribers live in one constituent record, so a donor who joins as a member does not exist twice. Donation forms, peer-to-peer fundraising, grants tracking and membership management share the same database and reporting.
That integration is the whole argument, and it comes at enterprise pricing: quotes, demos and an implementation conversation rather than a price list. For a nonprofit where development staff and membership staff currently reconcile two systems every month, the consolidation pays. For a 200-member club with no fundraising program, it is overkill at overkill prices.
What we like- Fundraising, membership, events and email in one constituent database, no syncing
- Strong donation forms and campaign tools for development teams
- Built for nonprofits specifically, not adapted from club software
Watch out for- Quote-based pricing with no public tiers
- More system than a small all-volunteer organization needs
Starting priceSee website (quote-based)
Free planNo (demo available)
MemberClicks serves the association world: organizations with chapters, special interest groups, committees and membership categories that a simple club tool cannot model. Dues rules, chapter rebates, committee management and a member community come standard, and the vendor's support team gets consistently high marks from association staff who need a human on the phone during renewal season.
You buy it through a sales process with custom quotes, which suits the mid-size associations it targets. Smaller nonprofits will find Wild Apricot or ClubExpress faster to adopt and easier to price. Choose MemberClicks when your structure (chapters, tiers, committees) is the hard part, not the dues collection itself.
What we like- Built for associations with chapters, committees and layered membership types
- Strong staff support reputation among association executives
- Flexible member types and dues rules
Watch out for- Quote-only pricing
- The product shows its age next to newer, cleaner interfaces
Starting priceSee website (quote-based)
Free planNo (demo available)
YourMembership (part of the Momentive Software family) bundles the membership database with the engagement layer associations actually want once dues are handled: branded member community, job board, online learning and event management. For professional and trade associations, the career center and learning revenue can matter as much as dues, and having them in the same member login is a real retention argument.
Like its sibling products, it sells through quotes and demos. The evaluation question is scope: if your association's strategy centers on engagement and non-dues revenue, the bundle earns its price. If you are a local nonprofit collecting annual dues and running two events, half the platform will sit unused.
What we like- Member community, job board, learning management and e-commerce in one platform
- Strong engagement tooling beyond basic dues
- Serves mid-size and larger associations well
Watch out for- Quote-based pricing
- Broader than needed if you only want dues and events
#5
Join It
Best for: Small clubs wanting the simplest dues collection
Visit joinit.com
Starting priceSee website
Free planFree trial
Join It does one thing well: it gets a small organization collecting membership dues online with minimal setup. The member database, online signup, automated renewals, event registration and basic email are all there, wrapped in an interface a volunteer treasurer can learn in an afternoon. Integrations cover the essentials: Stripe and PayPal for payments, Mailchimp and similar for email, QuickBooks for the books.
The trade is depth. There is no real website builder, event tools are basic, and customization is limited. That is a fair trade for a club that needs dues handled this week, not a platform project this quarter. Check the vendor's current plan tiers against your member count; the value proposition is simplicity per dollar, and it holds up best under a few hundred members.
What we like- The fastest path from signup to collecting dues
- Clean member portal and automated renewals without configuration projects
- Sensible integrations (Stripe, PayPal, Mailchimp, QuickBooks)
Watch out for- Pricing details require checking the vendor's current plans
- Thinner feature set than Wild Apricot or ClubExpress for events and websites
Starting price$0.42/member/month (up to 200 members; $24/mo minimum)
Free planFree trial (60 days)
ClubExpress has the most honest pricing model on this list: $0.42 per active member per month for up to 200 members, scaling down per member as you grow, with a $24 monthly minimum and a $150 one-time setup. You are not charged for expired members, family add-ons are discounted, and the non-member contact database is free. Month-to-month billing means no annual contract.
The platform itself is deep: website builder, member portal, event registration, email blasts, forums, document libraries, committees and financial tracking. Reviewers' consistent complaint is the learning curve; the admin interface rewards training. If your treasurer will invest a few weeks learning it, the per-member math beats contact-based pricing for organizations with big mailing lists and modest active membership.
What we like- Per-member pricing means you never pay for lapsed or non-member contacts
- Published price list with a $24/month minimum, no annual lock-in
- Deep feature set (website, events, email, forums, document library) for the price
Watch out for- The interface has a learning curve that reviewers mention often
- Some modules (texting, point-of-sale, e-learning) cost extra
Starting priceSee website (quote-based)
Free planNo (demo available)
GrowthZone is the chamber-of-commerce specialist. Beyond the standard member database, dues billing and event tools, it adds the things chambers sell: member directories, business referrals, sponsorship management and economic-development reporting. The product assumes your members are businesses and your staff runs retention like a sales operation.
Pricing is quote-based, consistent with its mid-market association target. A chamber evaluating GrowthZone against Wild Apricot is really deciding whether chamber-specific workflows justify the sales process. For charities, clubs and professional associations without a chamber model, the specialist features add little and the generalist tools price more transparently.
What we like- Purpose-built for chambers and member-based business associations
- Member directory, referrals and business-growth tooling beyond basic dues
- Staff onboarding support is a stated strength
Watch out for- Quote-based pricing
- Chamber-specific focus means less relevant for charities or clubs
#8
MemberLeap
Best for: Associations wanting a full website plus member database
Visit memberleap.com
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo (demo available)
MemberLeap (by Vieth Consulting) pairs a real website platform (content manager, member directory, online store, event calendar) with the association database behind it: dues billing, CRM, email, reporting and QuickBooks integration. Plans scale on active records (members with logins, dues invoices or donor records) with unlimited admin users and unlimited support, which simplifies the admin side.
Two things to verify in the sales conversation. First, current pricing: third-party sources report different figures, so get the number from the vendor for your record count. Second, website setup: template and custom website builds carry separate one-time costs running into the thousands. For an association that needs both a new website and a new AMS, bundling them with one vendor has real value; price the bundle, not just the subscription.
What we like- Full website content management plus association management in one vendor
- Unlimited admin users and support included
- Pricing scales on active records with published plan tiers
Watch out for- Third-party price reports vary, so confirm current pricing with the vendor
- Website setup costs are separate and significant
How dues billing models change your real cost
The sticker price means nothing until you multiply by your database. These eight tools use four different billing units. Wild Apricot bills per contact: every newsletter subscriber and lapsed member counts, so a 300-member nonprofit with a 2,000-person mailing list pays for 2,000 contacts. ClubExpress bills per active member only: the same organization pays for 300. MemberLeap bills per active record (members with logins or dues invoices). The quote-based vendors (Neon, MemberClicks, YourMembership, GrowthZone) price on your size and scope after discovery.
Run the math with your real numbers before shortlisting. Export your database, count active members, lapsed members, newsletter-only contacts and donors, then price each tool on the unit it actually bills. Also check what counts as a member: family memberships, corporate bundles and lifetime members are treated differently everywhere. And ask about payment processing separately: dues software passes card fees through (typically around 3 percent), and the processor choice (Stripe, PayPal, Authorize.net) is yours in most of these tools.
Nonprofit-specific features worth checking
Dues and renewals are table stakes; the differentiators are the nonprofit jobs around them. If you fundraise, check donation forms, donor records and campaign reporting: Neon CRM leads here, Wild Apricot and ClubExpress cover the basics, and the pure membership tools expect a separate donor system. If you run events, compare registration, attendee communications and check-in: all eight handle registration, but capacity, waitlists and member pricing rules vary.
Tax and compliance features matter more than buyers expect. Dues are sometimes partially tax-deductible; check whether receipts and year-end statements reflect that. If you have chapters, verify chapter-level logins, rebates and consolidated reporting (MemberClicks and YourMembership handle this natively). And confirm the email situation: some tools include generous sending, others expect you to connect Mailchimp or Constant Contact. Finally, ask about volunteer management and committee tools if your organization runs on volunteers; the association-focused platforms include them, the simpler ones do not.
How we chose
We started with the searches nonprofit leaders run: membership software for nonprofits, nonprofit membership management software, association management software and club membership software. We kept only tools with real nonprofit and association customer bases and genuine membership features (dues billing, member portals, renewals, event registration), excluding generic CRMs and email tools. For each we verified the current vendor site and product name, checked pricing against vendor-published pages where available, and compared the billing unit, since that decides the real cost. Where pricing was not published by the vendor we wrote "See website".
Frequently asked questions
How much does membership software for nonprofits cost?
From $24/month (ClubExpress minimum) to quote-based enterprise pricing. Published starting points: Wild Apricot $63/month for 100 contacts, ClubExpress $0.42 per member per month. The billing unit matters more than the entry price: contact-based pricing can cost multiples of per-member pricing for the same organization.
What is the difference between Wild Apricot and ClubExpress?
Both serve small to mid-size member organizations. Wild Apricot bills per contact (members plus mailing list) with all features on every plan and a modern interface. ClubExpress bills per active member only, with a deeper but harder-to-learn feature set. Organizations with large mailing lists usually pay less with ClubExpress.
Do we need separate software for donations?
Not necessarily. Neon CRM combines donations and membership in one database, and Wild Apricot and ClubExpress handle basic donation collection. If fundraising is a major operation with campaigns, grants and donor stewardship, a dedicated fundraising CRM (or Neon) beats bolting donations onto membership software.
Can members pay dues and register for events online?
Yes, all eight tools support online dues payment and event registration with member/non-member pricing. Payment processing typically runs through Stripe, PayPal or Authorize.net with standard card fees passed through. Confirm the processor options if your organization already has a merchant account.
How long does it take to set up membership software?
Simple tools (Join It, Wild Apricot) can collect dues within days; the work is importing and cleaning your member data, not configuring software. Association platforms (MemberClicks, MemberLeap, YourMembership) run longer implementations, especially with website builds or chapter structures. Budget more time for data cleanup than for the software itself.
Can we migrate from spreadsheets?
Yes. Every tool on this list imports from CSV, and most offer guided onboarding or data services. Clean the spreadsheet first: deduplicate, standardize membership statuses, and separate active members from lapsed ones and newsletter contacts. The billing unit each vendor uses should shape how you structure the import.
Sources we checked (9)
- https://www.wildapricot.com/
- https://neonone.com/
- https://memberclicks.com/
- https://www.yourmembership.com/
- https://joinit.com/
- https://clubexpress.com/
- http://www.clubexpress.com/dldocs/what_is_clubexpress_pricing.pdf
- https://www.growthzone.com/
- https://memberleap.com/
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
Shihab Mia · Founder, Rankite
Shihab has spent more than a decade helping SaaS and e-commerce brands grow through search. He writes Rankite's software buying guides from pricing pages, documentation and public user reviews. More about Shihab.