How we make this list: we compare pricing pages, product documentation and public user reviews. Ratings come from G2, Capterra or Trustpilot, with the date we checked them.
Key takeaways
- MemberClicks, Glue Up and GrowthZone are the step up options for mid size and large associations, all sold by quote rather than a public price list.
- Raklet is the closest priced like for like swap, with a free plan and paid tiers from 49 dollars a month that do not charge per member.
- Join It and MembershipWorks suit small clubs and societies that need dues, a directory and events without an enterprise platform.
- Tendenci is the open source route: free to self host, with real technical responsibility attached.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan |
|---|
 MemberClicks | Mid size professional associations | See website | No |
 Glue Up | Chambers and associations with events | See website | No |
 GrowthZone | Trade associations and chambers | See website | No |
 Raklet | Growing associations on flat pricing | $49 per month | Yes |
 Join It | Small clubs and community groups | See website | No |
 MembershipWorks | Societies with a WordPress site | $35 per month | Yes |
 Tendenci | Open source, self hosted control | Free | Yes |
 StarChapter | Local chapters run by volunteers | See website | No |
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The best Wild Apricot alternatives
#1MemberClicks
Best for: Mid size professional associations3.8/5 on
G2 (51 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit memberclicks.com
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
MemberClicks is the natural step up when an association has outgrown Wild Apricot's shape: more staff, more committees, more complex dues, and a board that wants reporting the lighter tools strain at.
It is not the step for a 200 member social club. The implementation effort alone argues for staying in the priced tier below.
What we like- MemberClicks is a long established association management system aimed at professional and trade associations: member database, dues and renewals, event registration, email, a website builder and member directories in one account. Its trade association edition adds committee and chapter structures. Onboarding and support are part of the pitch, with training aimed at small association staffs who do everything themselves. The company sits inside the Personify family, which gives it a larger support organisation than most rivals here.
Watch out for- Pricing is by quote, so there is no public figure to budget against
- Third party estimates put it in the low hundreds per month, but treat those as unofficial. The platform can feel heavier than a small club needs. Website design flexibility trails a dedicated site builder. Renewal pricing and module costs should be pinned down in writing before signing, as with any quote led platform.
#2Glue Up
Best for: Chambers and associations with events4.5/5 on
G2 (139 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit glueup.com
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
Glue Up is the pick when events are the business: conferences, training calendars, sponsorships and chapter activity under one roof. Its event tooling is deeper than Wild Apricot's, and the member app gives attendees a reason to stay in the system between events.
For a dues and directory organisation, it is overpowered. Match it to an events led strategy.
What we like- Glue Up, formerly EventBank, combines membership management with strong event management, CRM, email campaigns and a member app, which suits chambers of commerce and associations whose calendar drives their value. It supports multi chapter and multi country organisations, with multi currency and multi language handling that most rivals here lack. The interface is modern, and the mobile apps for members and managers are a genuine strength for events with on site check in. Training and customer success are part of the package.
Watch out for- Pricing is quote only and sits at the premium end of this list
- Small associations will find it hard to justify. The breadth means a learning period, and a group that only needs dues and a directory is buying far more platform than it will use. Some advanced features live in higher editions, so the demo must cover the exact modules you need. Contract terms deserve the same care as the price.
#3GrowthZone
Best for: Trade associations and chambers4.6/5 on
G2 (99 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit growthzone.com
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
GrowthZone earns its place where member recruitment is a growth target, not an admin task. Its tools assume staff whose job includes selling memberships and sponsorships, which is the chamber reality.
A volunteer run society should read this entry as a signpost to the cheaper half of the list.
What we like- GrowthZone is built for chambers of commerce and trade associations, with member management, billing, events, committees, a member directory that doubles as a public business directory, and marketing automation aimed at member recruitment and retention. Its chamber edition understands the chamber model, including tiered dues and sponsorship sales. The platform also offers a companion member app. US based support and onboarding are central to its pitch, and it reports a large chamber customer base.
Watch out for- Quote only pricing, at the level third parties describe as low four figures per month for larger organisations, puts it out of small club reach. The system is broad enough that setup takes real staff time. Organisations outside the chamber and trade association world may find some modules shaped for someone else's work. As with all quote led sales, the final number depends on negotiation, so compare total contract cost, not a verbal estimate.
#4Raklet
Best for: Growing associations on flat pricing4.8/5 on
G2 (10 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit raklet.com
Starting price$49 per month
Free planYes
Raklet is the straightest swap on this list for a Wild Apricot customer whose complaint is price shape. Flat tiers mean a membership drive does not trigger a billing jump, and the free plan lets a board test with real data first.
Its community feed is also a quiet differentiator: members can talk to each other inside the platform, which gives the membership a daily reason to log in that a directory alone does not.
What we like- Raklet covers the Wild Apricot core job set, member database, automated dues and renewals, events with ticketing, email and text campaigns, a member directory and a private community feed, at flat prices that do not rise per member. A free plan covers up to 50 contacts on Raklet's current listing, and paid plans start at 49 dollars a month billed annually. Digital membership cards that sit in phone wallets and a member app are included rather than sold as extras. An API and integrations arrive on higher tiers.
Watch out for- Fundraising depth is thinner than donor focused CRMs, so a charity whose main work is donations should compare Neon style tools as well. Some transaction and message costs vary by plan and region, so read the plan table for your country. Reporting is solid rather than deep. The brand is younger than the incumbents above, which matters to cautious boards.
#5Join It
Best for: Small clubs and community groups4.7/5 on
G2 (22 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit joinit.org
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
Join It suits the club that found Wild Apricot more than it needed and the spreadsheet less than it needed. It automates the two jobs that eat volunteer time, renewals and directories, and leaves the rest alone.
If your organisation runs conferences or complex tiered dues, look up the list. If it runs a membership list and a calendar, Join It is sized right.
What we like- Join It does the small organisation job set with the least ceremony here: membership database, online joining and renewal with automated reminders, member directories, event ticketing through its integrations, and connections to tools small groups already use, such as Mailchimp, Stripe and Eventbrite. Setup is measured in days, and the interface assumes a volunteer or a single part time administrator rather than an IT department. Pricing is published and modest by association software standards, tiered by member count.
Watch out for- Published tier prices have changed over time and differ between monthly and annual billing, so confirm the current figure on the site before budgeting. There is no built in website builder and no member app
- Groups bolt those on or go without. Depth in accounting, committees and chapters is limited. A fast growing association can outgrow it and face a second migration.
Starting price$35 per month
Free planYes
MembershipWorks is the pick when the website is not the problem. Professional societies and local groups with a decent WordPress site keep it, and buy exactly the membership machinery they were missing.
Groups starting from no website get less from it, because the platform assumes the site exists. For them, Raklet or Join It is the cleaner start.
What we like- MembershipWorks takes a different route from everything else here: instead of replacing your website, it plugs into it, with membership forms, directories, event calendars and member only content embedded in an existing WordPress, Squarespace or similar site. A free tier covers up to 50 member accounts, and paid plans start at 35 dollars a month for up to 300 members on current listings. It charges no transaction fees of its own on top of your payment gateway. Labels, levels and custom fields handle varied dues structures.
Watch out for- Newsletters need a Mailchimp connection rather than a built in tool, which adds a second system for larger mailings. There is no member app and no public API. Because it lives inside your site, your site's speed and maintenance are part of the product experience. Design polish depends on your theme. Support is email and knowledge base led.
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
Tendenci serves a specific and legitimate reader: the association with technical capacity and a hard requirement to hold its own data. For that reader, nothing else on this list answers the requirement at all.
Everyone else should count the developer hours honestly. A hosted plan or a mainstream SaaS will usually cost less than the staff time self hosting quietly consumes.
What we like- Tendenci is an open source association management system built on Django, free to download and self host, with memberships, events, directories, donations, newsletters and a CMS in one codebase. Organisations that must control their own data, host in their own country or avoid per member SaaS pricing get a real option here. The vendor also sells hosted plans and support for groups that want the software without running servers. The code being open means an in house developer can change behaviour other platforms would never allow.
Watch out for- Free software is not free operations. Self hosting means your organisation owns security updates, backups and uptime, and needs a developer on call. The community is smaller than WordPress class ecosystems, so help comes mainly from the vendor and its forums. Hosted plan pricing sits well above the budget SaaS tools here. Boards without technical staff should not choose the self hosted route for the licence saving alone.
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
StarChapter answers the most common Wild Apricot use case in the wild: a chapter board that needs registrations, dues and emails handled without a learning cliff each time officers change.
If your chapter is large, events heavy or commercially run, the platforms higher up this list will fit better.
What we like- StarChapter is built for the local chapter of a national organisation: membership tracking, meeting and event registration, email, a chapter website and board tools shaped around volunteers who rotate every year or two. Pricing is per member with a modest monthly minimum on published schedules, which keeps a small chapter's bill small. The system assumes no professional staff, so workflows are guided and support is geared to officers doing this for the first time. National organisations can standardise chapters on it.
Watch out for- Published per member rates and setup fees vary, so get the current schedule in writing. It is a chapter tool, not a national association platform
- Headquarters level reporting and complex dues sit elsewhere. Design flexibility is limited to its templates. Organisations that are not chapters of something larger may find the assumptions odd. Feature depth in marketing and fundraising is light.
How we chose
We picked membership systems a club, society, chamber or association can move to in October 2026, covering the real alternatives buyers compare: larger quote led association platforms, flat priced mid market tools, a website plugin model, an open source option and a chapter specialist. Every tool is actively sold or maintained. Quote led vendors are labelled see website rather than given unofficial estimates, and where third party listings conflict on a price, we have said so in the entry. No system was hands on tested; judgements rest on vendor documentation, pricing pages and current comparison reporting.
How to pick a Wild Apricot alternative
Start with your member count and your growth. Per member and per contact pricing punishes successful recruitment, so a growing organisation should model the bill at twice today's membership before comparing headline prices. Flat tiers, such as Raklet's, trade a higher start for a predictable bill.
Then be honest about staff. Quote led platforms such as MemberClicks and GrowthZone assume staff who will use their depth. A volunteer board needs the opposite: fewer features, guided workflows, and support that expects beginners. Join It, MembershipWorks and StarChapter are shaped for that reality.
Finally, plan the data move. Your member list, dues history and event records are the asset. Ask each vendor, in writing, what migration help is included and what your data export looks like if you ever leave again.
Frequently asked questions
What is the closest alternative to Wild Apricot?
Raklet, on shape and price: the same core jobs, members, dues, events, email and a directory, at flat published prices with a free plan to start. MembershipWorks is the other close match for groups that want to keep an existing website. The quote led platforms above are a step up in scale rather than a like for like swap.
Is there a free membership management system?
Yes, at small scale. Raklet's free plan covers up to 50 contacts, MembershipWorks has a free tier for up to 50 member accounts, and Tendenci is free to self host if your organisation can run it. Free plans ration contacts, automation or support, so treat them as a starting tier and check the first paid step before you build on one.
How much should a small association expect to pay?
On published pricing, small groups land between about 29 and 99 dollars a month for the mid market tools, plus payment processing fees on dues. Quote led platforms for larger associations commonly run into the hundreds per month. Always add processing fees and any setup or migration charges; they are part of the real price.
Can I move my members out of Wild Apricot?
Yes. Member data exports as spreadsheets, and every vendor here offers some import route, with paid onboarding on the larger platforms. Dues history and recurring payment details need care: members may need to re enter card details on the new system for security reasons, so warn them before the switch, not after a failed renewal.
Which option is best for a chamber of commerce?
GrowthZone and Glue Up are built for chambers: tiered dues, sponsorships, a public business directory and member recruitment tools. GrowthZone is the chamber specialist with a US base; Glue Up adds stronger events and multi country handling. Both are quote priced, so chamber boards should compare full contract totals.
Sources we checked (0)
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 5+ years in B2B and SaaS SEO. He writes Rankite's software buying guides from pricing pages, documentation and public user reviews. More about Shihab.