Dunno about you, but sometimes we have difficulty remembering even the names of our neighbors.
Can you imagine what it would be like to work in a client-oriented business? To have to remember the names of all those people?!
This is where membership management software comes to the rescue!
But there are so many to choose from!
Worry not. We embarked on a quest to find the best membership management software. After thorough research, we conducted in-depth reviews of our top 10 favorites. We evaluated them based on the following key factors:
In our top 10, you will find a good mix of high-quality corporate solutions, community-based nonprofit and alumni software for membership management.
Let’s begin!
Best Membership Management Software
1. ClubExpress
ClubExpress is widely used by a lot of professional organizations from the real estate, legal, health, and sports industries.
•Easy to use interface
•Updates are instant
•Automated renewal notices
ClubExpress is a decent starter platform for small companies that want to get into using membership management software. The interface is a bit clunky and it doesn’t have a free version but you can get the full-featured software at a low price. For as little as 40¢ a month per member, you get good website tools, database management, and email functionality.
1. Interface & Ease of use
The ClubExpress interface can be a little complex for non-technical staff and the design isn’t the prettiest in the business. The block design is a bit clunky and users find it difficult to navigate at times.
However, it’s very functional and has a lot of good features that get the job done.
2. Communication with members
There is a decent number of communication options in ClubExpress, including:
- Real-time chat
- Discussion forum
- Customizable emails and distribution lists
- “Meets” function for members to chat (optional)
3. Memberships Database
The ClubExpress membership database software is hosted online, backed up, and secure. It includes all user info including usernames, password, photo, bio, preferences, and interests.
The following features are also available:
- Admins can edit fees, durations, membership type, availability
- Manage all signups, renewals, and expirations
- Non-member database included (potentials signups, donors, press)
4. Membership Plans
ClubExpress has several membership types, including single, family, senior, youth, multi-year, complementary, and other options. Each membership type has an associated price, duration, and availability.
Other features:
- Admins can upgrade or downgrade membership
- Admins can set expiration dates with delays (grace period) or auto-renewal
- Automatic Renewal and Payment is available
5. Membership Portal
Members can log in to their membership online or via the app and click their photo to view and update their bio. Options include:
- Change photos, social networking links, or visibility.
- View or modify achievements
- Chapter affiliations, secondary and/or tertiary memberships
6. Reporting & Dashboards
ClubExpress can create several sales reports such as:
- Card payments
- Transactions, and pending invoices
- Fees, charges, and other financial reports
Membership reports can be filtered by Member Status and Member Type.
7. Payment processing
Customers benefit from full integration with the ClubExpress transaction and payment systems. This includes:
- Integrated credit card processing (Visa, Mastercard, Discover, Amex)
- PayPal support
- Direct bank account funding, 3 times a month
- Complete transaction and payment history (members only)
8. Website Management
ClubExpress customers get their own domain name and access to Google Analytics to monitor website traffic. You can also access a suite of useful website development tools that are fully compatible with smartphones and tablets:
- Built-in template and customizable layouts, the appearance of text elements, color schemes, design schemes, and menu appearance.
- Event calendar with online registration, payment, attendance tracking
- Document library
9. Email Marketing
ClubExpress provides some useful email marketing tools to contact prospective members:
- support for marketing to members and non-members.
- fully formatted emails: personalization, links, images, and attachments
- tracking email and comprehensive bad email handling
- create distribution lists
10. Apps and Integrations
ClubExpress has fully customizable iOS and Android mobile apps for both staff and members. Member apps include communication tools like :
- meets, chat, directory, events, polls
- integrations with Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter
Quite useful, when one is on the go.
11. Security
- Always Secure SSL and TLS 1.2 Support
- SSAE16 Type 2 and SOC2 Type 2 audits.
- Servers and hard disks use RAID
- Credit card data is encrypted wih Triple DES.
- ClubExpress is fully PCI Level 2 and GDPR Compliant.
12. Plans & Pricing
One-off software and setup costs:
- Basic Setup – $150: self build and configure website and databases.
- Starter Pack – $960: some help configuring websites and databases.
- Starter Pack Plus – $1340: first 10 web pages + 2 hours training.
- Builder Pack – $1920: first 20 web pages, customization, photos, e-commerce
- Builder Pack Plus – $2680: first 30 web pages + 3 hours training
- Pro Pack – $4550: first 40 web pages, 4 hours training, maintenance, designer
Monthly hosting fee: 40¢ per member (min $24 / 60 members)
- SSL Certificate: $45 / year
- QuickBooks integration: $100
- Mobile app: one-time setup fee of $100
- Merchant Processing Fees Per Transaction:
- Visa, MasterCard, and Discover: 2.99% + 20¢
- American Express: 3.30% + 20¢
No charge for expired members/non-member or family members who don’t need to log in.
Customer Support
- Phone support (for every club member) from 7:30am – 6:00pm, Monday- Friday.
- Online support
Verdict
ClubExpress is one of the only platforms that provides full customer service not just to staff but to all members too. This is a huge plus and the number one reason we put it among the best membership management software. It also has an attractive interface, strong web design tools, and good payment processing.
The only issues are that some of the admin features are too complex. There are also reports of slow response times on fixing software bugs.
Pricing is good for small groups but could get quite expensive as it grows.
2. TeamUp
TeamUp is the perfect software for membership management for your workout studio, gym, or related business. It can streamline your day-to-day manual admin work so that you can focus on other parts of your business. It’s globally available, hence a fantastic choice for fitness companies that cross international borders.
• Online classes and bookings
• Self-service sign ups
• Website widget
Matt Pegler, Rupert Baker, and Tom Larsen launced TeamUp in 2012. Since then, it has become a trusted membership software for independent fitness businesses looking to automate their bookings, payments, and related work.
More than three thousand customers trust TeamUp to handle their bookings. The list includes big names like:
- Lakshmi Yoga
- Performance360
- Pink Kitten
- Lean and Mean Fitness
- Reach.
That’s not all:
It has facilitated over 50 million bookings and managed membership worth more than $200 million.
Pretty impressive!
1. Interface and Ease of Use
This gym membership management software offers so many features. Therefore, it can take time (a day or two) to grasp everything.
Luckily, its customer service staff is always willing to help with setup and usage.
Besides, it allows you to invite a developer to work on it on your behalf.
Once you get used to how the system works, everything will fall into place, and you’ll be able to do everything with ease.
We performed various tasks like inviting clients for bookings, adding coaches, and mining for reports without any trouble.
2. Communication with Members
TeamUp offers a couple of communication avenues. These are:
- community
- SMS
- Zoom
3. Memberships Database
This membership database management software stores customer details online like:
- name
- age
- gender
- emergency contacts.
Also, the admin can give different rights and privileges to instructors, allowing them to perform tasks like:
- creating and managing discount codes
- accessing revenue reports
- creating and managing products
4. Membership Plans
This top membership management software lets you add different membership categories. Options available include:
- packs for one-off billing
- recurring that auto-renew
- prepaid
Additionally, the admin can add, edit, delete categories or reorder their sequence by dragging and dropping.
5. Membership Portal
TeamUp is a self-service platform. It allows users to log in online and on the apps to perform actions like:
- book classes
- read notifications
- edit personal details
- refer friends and family
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg!
6. Reporting and Dashboards
This fitness center membership management solution offers a variety of reports to help you track performance and set smart goals. Here are some of them:
- attendances
- invoices
- referrals
- discounts
- classes
Its dashboard is a little crowded due to its many features. But not in a way that will prevent you from finding what you’re looking for because everything is within easy reach.
7. Payment Processing
Are you tired of having those awkward discussions regarding money with your clients?
Worry no more:
TeamUp lets you create a payment contract, so your customers familiarize themselves with your terms early on. Whenever they’re late in paying, TeamUp will send them gentle reminders on the same.
There’s more:
It offers lots of different options through which your customers can pay for their classes, such as:
- Stripe
- GoCardless
- Braintree
- PayPal
- Payfast
- Paysimple
Even cash and checks!
8. Apps and Integrations
TeamUp is a cloud-based membership management software. Therefore, you can deploy it on any operating system. It also has native Android and iOS apps.
That’s not all:
It integrates with Zapier, allowing you to link it to different applications for maximum productivity. Examples are:
- Clickfunnels
- Mailchimp
- BoxMate
- Slack
9. Security
TeamUp uses payment tokenization to protect user data. In simple words, it generates a random string of numbers and letters (ID) to transmit, pass and access credit card details.
Should hackers get hold of the tokens while in transit, it will be useless since they don’t contain any sensitive information.
10. Plans and Pricing
TeamUp has a 30-day trial.
One of the best things about member management software is that it only requires you to pay for the number of active customers. Not for the features you need.
That means you won’t miss out on any functionality!
The fitness industry is seasonal, so there are times your members will decrease. Luckily, you don’t have to worry about the rates staying constant. TeamUp will revise them downwards.
Even better, it comes with a fun price slider that you can use to give you a rough idea of how much you’ll need to pay.
Pricing starts at $35 per month for 0-50 clients.
We have some good news:
TeamUp is currently giving a 50% offer for new businesses for six months! But note that this is only applicable to companies with less than 50 consumers.
Customer Support
This membership software’s client support team is knowledgeable, friendly, and willing to help. In addition, it also has a community that allows its customers to offer each other guidance and advice.
It operates remotely from the US, UK, and Spain during business hours. You can reach it through:
- Chat
- Phone
Note that responses aren’t always timely due to time differences. Expect around 0 to around 12-hour turnarounds.
One thing, though:
Although there might be delays, the staff does a damn good job by handling queries like pros whenever they show up.
Verdict
TeamUp doesn’t allow you to bulk edit. So, you have to do it one at a time. It also doesn’t have a free version, but its one-month trial lets you experiments with its features before committing.
It’s also pricier than some options on our list, but guess what?
It has many useful functionalities to ease the headache of bookings, collecting payments, and membership tracking for fitness business environments. On top of that, it has a world-class customer service team to sort out any issues you might come across while using the software.
3. MemberPlanet
A decent interface for midsize organizations looking for reliable and affordable membership software.
• Free website access
• Value for money
• Many communication features
MemberPlanet is a well-designed membership management system for a midsize organization. Its greatest benefit is its strong communication features – with email campaigns, templates, surveys, social media messaging, and text broadcasts.
Some of the configuration and admin tasks can be overly complex. It also lacks advanced accounting features.
1. Interface & Ease of use
MemberPlanet has very good automated management features for membership. It also offers integrated communication features to help streamline registrations and renewals.
However, the interface is a bit too detailed, and adding new members can often take quite long. For members, the interface is neater and they can easily edit and update their info via the web and mobile apps.
2. Communication with members
With MemberPlanet you can push branded email newsletters directly to members. Or you can use social media for information and photo sharing.
For members, there are several communication channels, including:
- Discussion boards
- Surveys
- Group texts
3. Memberships Database
Ensure all your customer data is kept safe with the MemberPlanet secure online membership database. Features include:
- Unlimited custom fields
- Data is encrypted and accessible online at any time through a secure login
- Filter by event attendance
- Search any field to target your communication effectively
4. Membership Plans
MemberPlanet has customizable membership options. Users can create individual and organizational memberships with different tiers. You can also:
- Create positions based on roles, eg: Executive, Board, or Committee member
- Free, one-time, lifetime, and discounted memberships
- Use email templates to send reminders for membership payments
- Create customized confirmation emails
5. Membership Portal
Using the MemberPlanet dashboard, members can control their own data, privacy settings, membership information, and make payments.
The “Member Circles” function accommodates any type of group membership, such as shared and company accounts.
MemberPlanet offers both physical membership cards or validation via the mobile app.
6. Reporting & Dashboards
MemberPlanet has a mix of fairly good reporting options for both membership and financial tasks. Using customizable reporting, the head office can view overall data while individual locations can view more granular membership reports.
Some of the report features include
- Detailed financial tracking
- Segment and target database contacts
- Export & customize data
- Events, fundraising, & communication reports
7. Payment processing
MemberPlanet customers can process payments anytime, anywhere, with online payment processing. You can also provide members with branded, professional-looking invoices and collect payments for anything with forms.
For the environmentally-aware, go paperless and easily convert offline payments to forms online.
8. Apps and Integrations
MemberPlanet offers apps for both iOS and Android. Staff can use them to share updates, collect payments, and access membership card management software on mobile apps. For members, they can integrate their membership apps with Facebook and Twitter.
9. Security
MemberPlanet security features include:
- Encryption of sensitive data at rest
- HTTPS for all pages
- alerts and reports for security breaches
10. Plans & Pricing
| Plan | Month | Emails/texts | Fee | Features |
| Basic | Free | 100/100 | 4% | Basic website, support, search |
| Essentials | $50 | 1000/300 | 2% | Basic website, support, search |
| Pro | $100 | 5000/750 | 1% | Advanced search, priority support |
| Premium | $175 | 10,000/2,500 | 1% | VIP Support, board training |
All plans:
- Processing fee: 3% + 0.30c / tx
- Branded, mobile-optimized website complete with widgets and API integrations.
- Membership management
- Email tracking, newsletters, discussions boards, photo sharing
- Event management, invites, RSVP, tickets
- Reports, fundraising campaigns, 24/7 support, guides
Customer Support
Several customer support options are available for MemberPlanet customers:
- 24/7 online chat & phone support
- Best practice guidance & video tutorials
- Onboarding & engagement
- Step-by-step how-to documentation
- On-call support, custom materials, and training sessions for staff.
Verdict
MemberPlanet is a great tool for engaging members and providing means for them to communicate amongst themselves. Its member portal, discussion boards, and social media plugins all make it one of the best membership management software.
However, in many aspects, it’s a lot more simplified than other platforms and could benefit from more financial features. It lacks recurring billing, receipt management, and transaction history.
The free version is a nice bonus and reviews say the customer service is very good. For small to midsize clubs, NPOs, and socio-political organizations that don’t want to spend too much, it would be a good fit.
4. Wild Apricot
Personify Wild Apricot has been rated the number one Membership Management app on review sites for seven years in a row.
• Very simple, intuitive interface
• Great website management
• Fits any size association
Wild Apricot has proven itself as a well-trusted and popular open-source membership management software system. With 20 years of experience under its belt, it has built up one of the best-rated apps in the industry.
However, it is not without its faults. Recent price increases have turned some customers away. Others note the lack of payment options, search issues, and limited website design. Despite this, the app delivers a very decent product.
1. Interface & Ease of use
The Wild Apricot business interface is one of its key winning-points. It is very easy to navigate and has a more modern feel than many of its competitors, with features where one would expect. The integrated chat box is another bonus.
2. Communication with members
Wild Apricot doesn’t have a lot of communication channels but it provides some email templates which can be used to make scheduled email blasts. You can also track your email success with metrics and membership tracking software.
3. Memberships Database
Wild Apricot is a fully cloud-based membership management software, automatically backed-up for safety. You can import your own existing database and make it available on any website.
- Database updates in real-time when a new member joins online
- Members can regulate info via the member login area
4. Membership Plans
Wild Apricot offers customizable membership levels and group memberships for families, teams, or companies. Options include:
- Automated renewals and reminders.
- Different pricing policies for different user levels.
5. Membership Portal
Through the membership portal, users can submit online applications and view member-only pages such as special research or private forums.
Other options include:
- update contact information
- register for events
- renew membership
- pay membership dues
6. Reporting & Dashboards
Wild Apricot can produce the following sales reports which all have various options and date ranges and can be exported to PDF or Excel:
- Income
- Payments
- Aging receivables
- Taxes
- Donations
7. Payment processing
With Wild Apricot, organizations can generate invoices with sales tax and tracking. Financial reports are also available and all data can be exported to Quickbooks or a CSV file. Other features include:
- Recurring billing
- Receipt management
- Transaction history
- Credit card and bank account integration
8. Website Management
With Wild Apricot you can easily build a new mobile-friendly website or add membership features to your existing website. Features include:
- Free website hosting on AWS
- Custom domain name
- Themes and customization with CSS/HTML
9. Apps and Integrations
Wild Apricot has iOS and Android mobile apps for both members and admins. With the apps, users can:
- View and register upcoming events
- Pay event fees
- Access their member directory and personal profile
Wild Apricot integrations include:
- WordPress integration for websites
- PayPal, Stripe, Authorize.net for payments
Security
Wild Apricot uses the globally-recognized testing methodologies OWASP Top 10 and OWASP Testing v3.
- The company is both GDPR and PCI DSS compliant.
- Data is stored in AWS data centers.
- 24/7 server monitoring with disaster recovery procedures
| Plan | Price | Contacts |
| Free | Free | 50 |
| Personal | $40/mo | 100 |
| Group | $50/mo | 250 |
| Community | $90/mo | 500 |
| Professional | $160/mo | 2,000 |
| Network | $290/mo | 5,000 |
| Enterprise | $350/mo | 15,000 |
| Global | $600/mo | 50,000 |
All plans include:
- 30-day free trial
- Free SSL certificate
- Free unlimited support
- Unlimited admins
- Free hosting on Amazon
No setup, training, transaction, or cancellation fees
Customer Support
Telephone support is available from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm Monday – Friday.
In the Wild Apricot Help Center you will also find options for:
- Help articles
- Setup checklists
- System Status
- Support Request
- Product Feedback
The quality of Wild Apricot’s customer service is rated highly by independent reviewers.
Verdict
Wild Apricot is a very popular and widely-used membership platform due to its versatility. It can be customized to fit almost any type of club, from gyms to alumni. This is useful but can also be a downside for some organizations that need a specifically tailored solution. Plus, there’s a promo running now, so you can get even more for your money.
Customer support is another strong feature and most customers say they are impressed with the response time and quality of service. Wild Apricot seems to work very well and it has lots of features but it also has quite a dated interface. Unless they plan on updating this soon, I would be surprised if it remains popular.
5. Hivebrite
For alumni, non-profit and university organizations, Hivebrite offers an excellent membership management platform.
• Industry-specific
• Good value for money
• No unnecessary features
Hivebrite is a unique and very professional membership management system designed specifically for alumni, academic, and similar organizations. It offers a wide range of advanced features for association management, community engagement, nonprofits, employee management, and social networking.
Pricing is on a quote basis and some sites suggest it is quite high but the glowing reviews online indicate value for money.
1. Interface & Ease of use
The Hivebrite interface has a modern design that flows well and feels enjoyable to navigate. As a non-corporate facing entity, it allows a more casual and inviting platform that will appeal to its target market.
2. Communication with members
Hivebrite provides mostly one-way communication for staff to notify members by email or text. Features include:
- Targeted campaigns for event promotion by group, industry, location, or custom.
- Send in-app alerts and notifications.
- Schedule delivery of a customized weekly digest.
3. Memberships Database
With Hivebrite, you can import all your members along with all their profile data from your existing database. You can also export your member data to a CSV file and run mass updates to your member database without the risk of losing any data.
4. Membership Plans
Hivebrite doesn’t have preordained membership types as it works on a quote basis. However, it offers membership type customization and options for expiration and automatic renewals.
5. Membership Portal
Hivebrite has a membership portal through which members can participate in an active online community. It’s the perfect place for members to display their profile, list achievements, discuss their interests, and plan activities.
6. Reporting & Dashboards
Hivebrite email analytics can help you to find out which of your campaigns perform best and keep track of email open, click-through, and bounce rates. You can also create reports on community progress, with geographic and demographic information.
7. Payment processing
Being largely aimed at non-profits, Hivebrite lacks details regarding payment processing. However, it is possible to collect membership fees through the software.
It is also possible to let users pay for events online through secure, major payment gateways.
8. Apps and Integrations
Hivebrite mobile apps are available for iOS and Android, with integrations with Linkedin, Facebook, Google, Twitter, etc. It also supports SAML 2.0 and CAS 3.0 protocols for sign ons.
The “Who’s around me” feature lets members see who is located near them.
9. Website Management
Hivebrite has a range of website management tools that help you create public pages, add menus, and customize your members’ area.
- You will get notifications when members post content, so you can edit or delete as needed.
- Control what content is open to visitors and what content is private and visible to members only.
- Add RSS feeds
10. Security
Hivebrite doesn’t list their specific security information online but does mention that all payments go through a secure payment gateway.
11. Plans & Pricing
Hivebrite is aimed at community organizations, non-profits, universities, and alumni. As a result, there is no retail sector pricing available online, only by quote. However, reviews suggest it provides value for money.
Customer Support
Detailed customer support information is limited. They do offer business hours phone and online chat support. Reviews favor the quality of support kindly.
Verdict
Hivebrite appears to be a tool purely focused on the alumni and non-profit sector, so it has limited corporate and financial functions. However, for its specific sector, it seems to be well-respected and popular. Customers of Hivebrite will find themselves in good company – organizations using it include Oxford University, Imperial College London, CERN, P&G Alumni, and ARUP.
Unfortunately, its website lacks any detailed security information which would be helpful. It also doesn’t offer further details regarding pricing so it’s difficult to judge whether it offers good value for money. However, considering the high quality of its existing customers it presumably delivers a product worthy of its cost.
6. GrowthZone
GrowthZone is a full Association Management Software (AMS) package aimed at helping organizations to secure new customers and make sales.
• Great customer service
• Good for building customer lists
• Lots of sales tools
GrowthZone is a good app for sales and marketing firms looking to secure new customers and make sales. Rather than simply signing up customers, it has tools for the continued growth and marketing of the company and its products.
However, with a strong focus on sales and marketing, it might not be a good fit for member clubs looking to build a community.
1. Interface & Ease of use
The interface for staff operates fairly smoothly but on the customer side it is quite buggy, and some customers have trouble updating their info.
2. Communication with members
GrowthZone has powerful email customization and tools for mass marketing emails. Features include:
- Compose, schedule, send, and track emails.
- Proactively create events and manage event registrants.
- Conveniently group your contacts into lists or committees for mass emails.
3. Memberships Database
With GrowthZone, you can easily view and manage all of the members, individuals, and organizations in your database – including billing information, communications, and more.
4. Membership Plans
With GrowthZone, membership types allow you to provide different levels of benefits to members. You can then include these on your membership application to easily accept and manage submissions.
These are some of the features and customizations:
- Pricing
- Categories
- Membership Levels
- Application questions
- Online acceptance
5. Membership Portal
The Info Hub is GrowthZone’s member portal. It’s an online community for members to keep in touch, share event info, certifications, and interest groups.
6. Reporting & Dashboards
Reporting, analytics, and metrics are available directly from the GrowthZone dashboards. Some of these include:
- Performance reports
- Membership type metrics
- Security breaches
- Billing, banking, and accounting
- Event, sales and fundraising reports
7. Payment processing
GrowthZone supports one-time and recurring payments. It has integrated payments and free credit card processing with its GrowthZone Pay feature, so no third-party payment gateway is required.
Members can store payment information securely and view invoices in the InfoHub.
8. Apps and Integrations
On the GrowthZone apps, you can scan business cards to load contact data, view notes, register, check-in event attendees, and process event payments.
There’s also an app for members on both iOS and Android.
Security
GrowthZone’s parent company Micronet Inc. complies with the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield Framework and Swiss-U.S. Privacy Shield Framework
Plans & Pricing
| Plan | Price | Best For |
| Essential | $149/Mo | 1-2 Staff Users |
| Premier | $299/Mo | 2-3 Staff Users |
| Pro | $449/Mo | 4-10 Staff Users |
| Enterprise | Quote | 11-100 Staff Users |
Customer Support
Customer Service via phone, online chat, webinars, videos, and email.
Monday – Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. CT
Reviews do not rate the customer service highly but I was able to get through to a rep quickly.
Verdict
If you’re looking to grow your sales and marketing client base or promote and sell an event, GrowthZone is ideal. It has really strong marketing and emailing tools built-in, along with powerful payment processing features. The driving force behind it is its website offerings, through which client bases can build and events can be promoted and sold. This is all backed up by good customer support, training, and onboarding.
On the downside, GrowthZone isn’t very cheap. As such, it is not ideal for the nonprofit, casual or alumni sector of membership clubs. However, for high-end retail organizations or event management teams, it’s an impressive bit of software.
7. VeryConnect
VeryConnect provides a dedicated solution to membership management and communication for universities and alumni.
• Excellent communication channels
• Tailored to users needs
• Very good reviews
VeryConnect is alumni-focused member management and engagement app based in Scotland. It is mainly a communication service, designed to help you reach out to lots of contacts at once. Pricing is tailored to specific organizations on an individual basis.
1. Interface & Ease of use
Users find the interface very intuitive and easy to get used to. Members, scholars, and alumni are also generally pleased with online services.
2. Communication with members
VeryConnect has its foundation in its strong communication features. Members can access a range of different online options for keeping in touch, including:
- Chat and Forums
- Automated Member Communications
- Blogs and News Feeds
3. Memberships Database
VeryConnect has a powerful database structure that offers a comprehensive member directory system. Users can easily search and edit online profiles and configure secure auto-updating.
4. Membership Plans
VeryConnect offers several types of membership levels, eg: Silver, Gold, etc. Members can choose their membership level and payment frequency.
There is a payment and subscription management tool where membership details, expirations, and renewals are managed.
5. Membership Portal
VeryConnect has an interactive membership portal where members can update their contact details, view upcoming events, and make payments.
6. Reporting & Dashboards
Some customizable reporting and statistics are available for membership tracking, customer activity, and emails.
7. Payment processing
VeryConnect supports online subscription payments for members with integration for Stripe. Staff have access to a subscription and payment management platform and can set payment options for events.
8. Apps and Integrations
VeryConnect is cloud-based with mobile apps for iOS and Android. Users can log in with a Linkedin integration and use Stripe integration for payments. For mass emailing there is also a MailChimp integration.
9. Security
I couldn’t confirm if it has SSL, Secure Login, or Single Sign-On. The company promises reliable, in tune with the highest standards of engineering. Independent reviewers indicate that it is secure.
10. Plans & Pricing
Independent information suggests that subscriptions start from $160 a month but no pricing info is available from the supplier.
No free trial available.
Customer Support
Customer service seems to be the main area where VeryConnect scores the most points. According to VeryConnect, 92% of support issues are solved on the same day. Online reviews all praise the customer service and communication highly, with many noting a personal touch.
Verdict
For the price, VeryConnect is clearly aimed at a niche market who need tailored, personal support. While it doesn’t seem to be overly packed full of features, it does what it needs to do very well. All users praise the wonderful performance and variety of communication tools that make it easy to reach scholars and alumni.
One criticism is that VeryConnect lacks detailed information on its website. There’s only provides vague descriptions of its services provided. Without access to a free trial, it would be difficult for new users to get an idea of the app’s performance before use.
8. StarChapter
StarChapter is a powerful member and event management tool that provides simple website creation and strong communication tools.
• Everything is well connected
• Good email management interface
• Fast customer service response
StarChapter is a chapter management tool for collating a lot of member information into one place and distributing emails for events and conferences. It has some great website creation and communication tools, although customization is a bit limited. It is supported by some decent reporting tools and payment integration tools which keep everything running smoothly.
1. Interface & Ease of use
StarChapter offers a project manager that will gather your requirements, review expectations, help set up the StarChapter software, and assist in converting your content and data onto the StarChapter platform.
2. Communication with members
StarChapter can send emails to groups of recipients, such as newsletters, a board of directors’ announcements, meeting invites, welcome messages, and other communication.
Email delivery and meeting reminders can be automated to save time.
Use surveys to follow up on events, gain feedback, understand concerns, and poll for opinions.
3. Memberships Database
The database management tools allow the import of data from current spreadsheets and databases with custom field creation.
StarChapter also offers automatic integration with several national associations.
Alterations to existing records automatically update with StarChapter’s Membership Data Sync.
4. Membership Plans
Admins can organize members by membership types, business types, committee levels, as well as group non-members.
Members need to be verified before receiving emails and may need to be notified about this.
5. Membership Portal
With the membership management tool, your members can self-manage their records, update profile and contact information, and set privacy settings.
6. Reporting & Dashboards
StarChapter helps you to track membership with relatively detailed reporting that promises to help save on time and expenses.
7. Payment processing
Accept credit cards on your StarChapter website with these providers:
- Payment Services: PayPal, Stripe
- Payment Gateways: Authorize.net, First Data Payeezy/e4, PSI Gate (Canada)
8. Website Management
Create a website using your own domain name to fit with everything your members need, including different types of content management tools:
- Blogs
- Forums
- Forms
- Videos/photos
- Calendar
- Access restrictions for member
9. Apps and Integrations
Cloud-based software. No mobile apps included.
10. Security
StarChapter is PCI compliant and audited regularly. Credit card numbers are encrypted during transfer.
StarChapter has industry-standard security provisioning, redundant network architectures, and is housed in SSAE-16 compliant facilities based in the U.S.
The StarChapter service is encrypted using SSL-256 certificates
11. Plans & Pricing
| Plan | Members | Contacts | Subscription Fee | Setup Fee |
| Starter | 50 | $44/Mo | $399 | |
| Essential | 150 | 1,000 | $83/Mo | $779 |
| Growth | 300 | 2,000 | $105/Mo | $1,079 |
| Advanced | 600 | 4,000 | $133/Mo | $1,319 |
| Pro | 1,200 | 8,000 | $165/Mo | $1,559 |
Customer Support
Support is available during regular office hours:
- 24/7 ticketing system built into the StarChapter software.
- Live onboarding sessions.
Verdict
For chapters that are looking to manage lots of events or conferences, Star Chapter looks like the best option. It’s not the cheapest of membership apps and there is no free version but it certainly delivers when it comes to online promotions and communication. The website creation tools are great and the email and communication channels are impressive.
Unfortunately, there are no mobile apps, which is the core reason why it’s not in the top three of our best membership management software list.
It also lacks a lot of integrations but makes up for these with its suite of website-building features. Users find the interface very easy to navigate report mostly good experiences with customer support.
9. MemberClicks
MemberClicks is a comprehensive database and event management system with stunning website creation tools to give your membership club a very professional feel.
• Strong onboarding and training features
• Excellent website design tools
• Good integrations
MemberClicks is an Association Management System with 20 years of industry experience and 3,000 customers throughout North America. It is aimed at providing technology management solutions for member-based organizations using databases and websites.
1. Interface & Ease of use
MemberClicks provides an integrated website and CMS solution to make database management easy for both staff and members.
With a focus on event management, the platform is supported by its robust website creation tools. The websites run smoothly but sometimes lack a unique feel due to a lack of customization options.
2. Communication with members
MemberClicks includes several online communities for members to communicate amongst themselves.
Staff can contact members via email marketing, surveys, jobs board, and online communities.
3. Memberships Database
Integrated membership databases.
MemberClicks provides secure online database software with all member info, including receipts and user profiles.
4. Membership Plans
Manage your membership, events, website, and email from one place:
- view dues and renewal progress
- save time by automating processes
- optimize events
- collect registrations
- accept submissions
5. Membership Portal
MemberClicks offers an online portal for users to login, update their info and perform other tasks. New members can apply for membership and existing ones can register for events via secure online forms that automatically update database profiles.
6. Payment processing
MemberClicks is not specifically designed for processing payments but with the upgraded Atlas package you can perform some financial functions through accounting integrations, eg: QuickBooks, Intact.
Features include:
- Online transaction processing
- Payment processing
- Accounting import
7. Apps and Integrations
- Cloud-based online platform only for staff.
- There are iOS and Android mobile and conference apps available.
8. Security
MemberClicks maintains strict security and compliance:
- PCI Compliance
- Amazon Web Services security
- 24×7 security monitoring of firewalls
- 128-bit Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) data encryption
- ISO 9001-certified data center monitored onsite 24x7x365
9. Plans & Pricing
MemberClicks offers two plans:
- Atlas: Designed for mid-sized organizations and chambers of commerce
- Oasis: built with small-staff associations and AMCs
Pricing is quote-based, starting at $275/month.
There is a free demo by webinar but no free trial.
Customer Support
MemberClicks customer support is available via the following channels and receives positive reviews online:
- Telephone 9AM – 7PM (ET)
- Live chat
- Guides, videos, and eBooks available online.
Verdict
With its long-trusted history and loyal customers, it’s plain to see that MemberClicks is a serious tool for membership management.
Unfortunately, it does come with the high price tag that you would expect from a very high-quality piece of software. This makes it less accessible for a large part of the market but in no way detracts from the strength of the platform.
Despite its popularity, it does lack reporting features and isn’t well designed for taking payments. However, it’s very good at what it does – which is building strong membership communities and providing excellent online platforms for them to connect. It benefits from excellent online security and most customers report good experiences with customer support.
10. ZenPlanner
ZenPlanner is a modern fitness and sports club membership management software. It has an attractive user interface that will appeal to customers and staff alike.
• Good customer service
• Detailed reporting
• Extra gym features
ZenPlanner is a gym membership management software aimed at the health, wellness, and fitness industry. It provides an all-in-one solution to yoga studios, gyms, and other fitness centers that need to streamline their member onboarding, payments, and communication. It has several special features specific to the health and fitness sector like workout, nutrition, and activity tracking.
1. Interface & Ease of use
ZenPlanner has a more modern and tech-orientated interface than most traditional planner apps. You can see it’s designed for a more casual, less corporate environment while still offering a high-quality product. The apps that come with it are great for members to keep track of their schedules, workouts, and payments.
2. Communication with members
ZenPlanner users can connect with fellow members via the mobile app, share classes, and get training from instructors.
Staff is able to contact members via the ZenPlanner interface, share schedules, market products, or send reminders for payments or classes.
3. Memberships Database
Users can import their existing information into the ZenPlanner database and autofill most fields. Additional fields can be added and customized afterward.
Limitations mean only 2000 profiles can appear in the ZenPlanner database in a single view but rest assured, all the profiles are there.
4. Membership Plans
You can easily create your own membership plans in the app under Membership Options. Membership info includes label, category, length, class limits, and other info.
You can sign up members to various classes, set membership status, start and end dates, and configure installment plans for billing.
5. Membership Portal
Through the website or mobile app, members can access their profile, edit their details, and view their billing information.
You can reserve classes, view requirements, add workouts, and check the leaderboard.
6. Reporting & Dashboards
Create customized for single or multiple locations or select from the many predefined reports. Add automated alerts to warn of issues and share common reports, templates, and statistics between multiple locations.
7. Payment processing
With ZenPlanner’s integrated billing, you can process credit card and electronic check transactions online.
Submit payments directly to your business bank account using one of several payment processing partners.
Payment types include automated, online, offline, and self-pay.
Allocate and split payments, process refunds, and voids, set up payment alerts.
8. Website Management
Your websites are fully integrated with Zen Planner, putting marketing and business management tools together.
You can also add embedded schedules and forms to websites so users can find class times and book slots.
9. Apps and Integrations
Android and iOS staff and member apps are included.
Zen Planner integrates with SugarWOD, Infusionsoft, and MailChimp
10. Advanced Features and Business-specific solutions
Has many specific features aimed at the health, wellness, and fitness industries.
- Advanced workout tracking
- Skills and belt tracking
- Attendance tracking
11. Security
Zen Planner is compliant with TLS 1.2 and SHA -2 which are industry-wide security standards. It is also PCI-DSS compliant.
12. Plans & Pricing
ZenPlanner offers several packages with various website options and membership directory software features.
| Plan | Monthly | Features |
| Software Only | $117 billing | Member/staff app, marketing, reports |
| New Business | $414 | 7 web pages, 7 directory listings, 1 ad campaign |
| Business Suite | $614 | 13 web pages, 15 listings, 4 ad campaigns, SEO |
| Professional Suite | $964 | 13 web pages, 45 listings, unlimited ads, SEO, ++ |
Prices up to 50 members (add $40 up to 100, $80 up to 250 and $110 over 250).
All packages include ZenPlanner Software with billing, mobile apps, marketing tools, reporting, automation, and customer support.
Customer Support
There is 24/7 online chat support and telephone support available during business hours (MST). Reviews indicate the support is fairly good.
Verdict
ZenPlanner appears to be an impressive answer to any fitness club membership needs. It has a very particular focus on health, fitness, and gym clubs so I can’t imagine that any member club outside of this industry would use it. However, this gives the advantage of providing a tailored product for the sector it’s aimed at – which is usually a good thing.
Members will be impressed with the features in the app, like workouts, attendance, nutrition information, and even a skill and belt tracker. On the backend, it offers all the necessary tools for staff to register new members, create invoices, make payments, and run reports.
The pricing is well structured and the added features for marketing campaigns are a good extra touch.
11. Member365
Simplify your member management processes and save time and money with the advanced automation features of Member365.
• Great non-profit membership software
• Simple, intuitive interface
• Good onboarding features
Member365 is a simple management platform for non-profits and member organizations. It offers all the necessary functionality without all the distracting bells-and-whistles. Users tend to appreciate the simple format that gets the job down with minimum fuss, although the platform likely wouldn’t appeal to retail businesses with high sales and marketing requirements.
1. Interface & Ease of use
Member365 has a functional interface that may lack any modern, shiny touches but works and is easy to navigate. Users should find it simple to operate, with drop-down menus, simple forms, and standard window design.
Members will be equally pleased with the simplicity and clear functionality. The simple format means it runs smoothly and works well in any browser.
2. Communication with members
- Be updated about members, roles, dates
- Share files and start discussions
3. Memberships Database
Member365 supports the importing of existing data to speed up the installation process. It offers a decent online database without any unnecessary fancy features.
4. Membership Plans
With Member365, you can automate member applications, renewals, payments, and workflow approval. You can also manage members, prospects, volunteers, speakers, non-members, and more.
5. Membership Portal
Through the Member365 online portal, members can edit their profile information, make payments, register for events, and join discussion forums.
Staff can create forms in the portal for membership, events, general data collection, and more.
6. Reporting & Dashboards
Use the Member365 built-in member engagement analytics to get a good view of how business is operating and the mood amongst members.
7. Payment processing
Member365 supports the following payment gateways:
- Bambora
- PayPal Pro
- Stripe
- Authorize.net
You can also manage and collect payments, reconcile revenue, and enable automated recurring billing.
Additional features:
- Manage online registrations
- Automate withdrawals and payments
- Access real-time reporting.
8. Apps and Integrations
Member365 has no mobile apps or integrations.
9. Email Marketing
Integrated email marketing options, to help keep members engaged.
10. Security
Member365 doesn’t offer much regarding its security information online. However, it is PCI Compliance and uses SSL encryption.
11. Plans & Pricing
Pricing is on a quote basis, starting at $149 / mo.
30-day free trial.
| Monthly | Contracts | Admins | Emails/mo | Storage |
| $149 | 500 | 1 | 2,500 | 5 GB |
| $249 | 2,000 | Unlimited | 10,000 | 5 GB |
| $349 | 5,000 | Unlimited | 25,000 | 10 GB |
| $449 | 25,000 | Unlimited | 125,000 | 25 GB |
Continuing Education: $99 /mo
Learning Management System: $99 /mo
Customer Support
Customer support is available by phone for an extra $99 / month.
Free support includes live online chat, a knowledge base, webinars, and ticket logging.
Verdict
Member365 is a decent tool but it’s quite limited and lacks some features that would make it a fully-functioning membership management platform. This may be largely due to its focus on nonprofit and education organizations which don’t require a lot of advanced features. However, its simple user interface and good communication tools seem to be a hit with users.
The database and email tools are very useful for promoting events and sending out information regarding registration and attendance. For organizations that want to avoid complex customizations or overly-fancy features, Member365 would be a good choice. It keeps its focus on good membership management, education, and effective communication.
Membership Management Software Comparison
In this membership management software comparison table you will see which features our top 10 membership management software platforms have. We have also included available apps, customer support, and trial period length for reference.
How We Created This Top Membership Management Software List – Our Methodology
To figure out what’s the best membership management software we did extensive research online, reading hundreds of reviews, and testing a wide range of software. There is a lot of software out there! It ranges from simple apps for nonprofit clubs to large enterprise software for retail corporations.
Each piece of software comes with a range of different features, some more advanced than others, but all management software have similar traits. After zoning down all the features on offer we created a list of specific criteria that we feel is the necessary requirements for membership database management software:
- Database management
- Membership dues and renewals
- Event management
- Marketing and communication tools
- Website management
- Payment processing.
What do you get out of it?
The benefits of using membership management include:
- Streamlining admin processes related to membership management
- Communicating effectively between staff and members
- Providing a simple method for new members to register and pay
- Leveraging websites and email to market products and/or advertise events
- Accessing reports & analytics that show how your organization is performing
There is a variety of membership management software platforms. Some are aimed at corporates like gyms, yoga studios, or wine clubs and others at nonprofits, alumni, or art associations. We have compiled a comprehensive list evaluating a mixed selection of the various types.
Wherever possible, we would download and test run the software to get an idea of how the various features work. For additional information, we would contact support to evaluate their response time and knowledge of the software. After thoroughly testing each feature we would compare the software to assess which provided the overall best performance.
Finally, we would check the pricing to do a cost-benefit analysis and determine the value for money. Pricing also gives us a good idea of what kind of industry the software is designed for. By combining this with an overall picture of the software’s use-cases we can determine whether it’s a good fit for purpose. We then finish off our review with our final verdict based on the complete sum of our research and analysis.
Additional Membership Management Software Worth Mentioning
Here are 10 more membership tracking software that did not make it to our top 10 list.
Although not universal, in some specific cases, they still could be the best choice for your business.
1. NationBuilder
NationBuilder is a campaign management tool used by some high-stakes players in political and advocacy movements, including Brexit and the Trump election effort.
Rather than managing membership, in particular, it is more aimed at targeting certain demographics and wider communities as a whole.
It is, however, not ideal for small projects or users needing to complete quick, basic tasks.
+ Powerful set of features
+ Good quality support
– Requires extensive training
– Not suited to basic uses
2. Vaave
Vaave is a database, website, and email management tool aimed at the education, research, and corporate sectors.
It is best for large organizations, universities, alumni associations, and corporations looking to manage large groups, events, and public relations.
Vaave is an out-of-the-box solution so it is not ideal for those looking to customize or use unusual features.
+ Excellent knowledge sharing utilities
+ High-quality interface and design
– Lacks customization
– Moderate learning curve
3. GymMaster
GymMaster is a club management software platform for the health and fitness industry.
It comes ready to go with a range of custom features specifically designed to work within a fitness club environment.
GymMaster is very industry-specific and would not work in any other environment.
+ Purpose-driven feature set
+ Excellent customer support
+ Affordable gym management software price
– Occasional bugs reported by uses
– Not suitable for other industries
4. Aplos
Aplos is church membership software aimed specifically at religious organizations.
It is designed to help churches build contacts, send emails, track funding, receive donations, and record all payments from members.
While the platform could be used for other means, it would not make sense as there are similarly priced platforms with more variation.
+ Proprietary features for church functions
+ More affordable than most platforms
– Lack of financial integration tools
– Lack of advanced options and features
5. ClubRunner
ClubRunner is an award-winning membership management platform for casual clubs and associations. Despite the name, it is not specifically fitness-related.
The platform features very good mobile apps, making it ideal for informal organizations and independent clubs.
While ClubRunner has a range of decent features, it will probably not appeal to larger businesses and corporations.
+ Backed by Rotary International
+ Feature-packed and simple to use
+ Price
– Lacks out-of-hours support
– Not ideal for larger businesses
6. Vagaro
Vagaro is a versatile member management platform aimed at small retail clubs like gyms, salons, therapists, and class-related activities.
For a low price, you get all the key features like membership listing, marketing, communications, website membership manager, and mobile apps.
For small retail clubs, it’s great but it doesn’t have the support for a professional environment.
+ Fun design that appeals to members
+ Quick and easy setup
+ Cheap
– Not very professional
– Customer service needs improvement
7. ClubRight
ClubRight is another health and fitness member management app although it’s focused mainly at gyms
Designed by ex-gym industry insiders, ClubRight benefits from features that are designed specifically to meet the challenges of a gym environment.
While ClubRight is a good app in its own right, it is too pigeon-holed to appeal to member management needs on a broader scope.
+ Simple to use
+ Cost-effective
– Calendar view could be better
– Purely gym-focused
8. Active member 360
ActiveMember360 is an interesting WordPress plugin that acts as a membership tool with some decent automation features
It has a range of additional ecommerce plugins for Strip, WooCommerce, and others.
It’s a very new platform so it’s difficult to gauge its quality just yet.
+ Could prove to be a good platform, strong design
+ Great for retail and e-commerce sites
– Lacks reviews online
– Works on WordPress only
9. Sumac
Sumac is a member management software platform for nonprofit associations or any size, including humanitarian, arts, culture, education and health organizations.
It has a strong database to manage donor information and record all transactions, ensuring the information you need is at your fingertips.
Being for nonprofits, Sumac is limited in features and lacks the user-friendliness of some similar software.
+ Good for nonprofits
+ Affordable
– Lacking extra features
– Not user-friendly
10. aMember Pro
aMember is a basic cloud-based app for the membership management space. It has a rather old-looking but functional interface that supports over 200 payment processors and lots of integrations.
Despite its dated appearance, aMember scores highly with reviewers due to its simple but feature-rich design.
Modern, tech-orientated companies will not like it.
+ Simplicity means its not resource-heavy
+ Lots of features for a low price
– Outdated UI
– Not mobile-friendly
Buyer’s Guide – How To Choose a Membership Management Software?
Every business is unique. That’s why apart from the user interface, features, and support, there are some other aspects you should take into account when choosing a platform.
1. What to consider when choosing membership management software?
When selecting the best membership management software for your organization, you should take into account the following factors:
2. What’s your business?
- There are lots of solutions out there, but not everyone will be the perfect fit for your business. Products focusing on specific types of businesses are a great option for smaller companies, because they tend to be cheaper than the all-in-one solutions. For example, apps like TeamUp are perfect for gym owners, while others like Spark Membership are great for martial arts schools.
3. Company size
- Most software is either specifically designed to work with certain organization sizes. Irrelevant to other factors, you should always choose software that is the right fit for your organization’s size.
4. Company needs
- To get an even better outcome, you should know what your organization’s requirements are regarding budget, features, and customization. Ensure the software you choose meets each criterion and whether you need added features like alumni management.
5. Marketing tools
- If you need to attract new customers you will definitely want some email marketing tools built-in. Fortunately, most software includes this by default but it’s always good to check.
6. Communication
- Communication is the backbone of membership management and without it, all you have is a database of names and contacts. Your members need to stay in touch if you want a lively member organization. Make sure the platform you choose has several strong communication channels.
Other factors that will be relevant to various organizations include scalability, payment processing, and available integrations.
Some of the most common integrations for membership management systems are email marketing tools, accounting solutions, and CRM platforms. Not all of the software support these integrations, so find the one that fits your organization’s membership management software needs best.
Cost and customer support are the final two factors that can make or break a decision. In the long term, you need a product that is both affordable and will consistently provide quality support. Finding that holy grail of decent features, affordable costs, and quality support is the end goal in your quest for the best membership management software.
What are the Benefits of Using Software for Managing Memberships?
Searching through endless membership management software reviews can be tiresome so you want to be sure your efforts are not in vain. There are several benefits to be gained from using decent membership management software:
- Growing your membership through efficient marketing tools and communication
- Providing added value to members and giving them access to their information
- Automating redundant tasks like billing, invoices, and reminders
- Helping staff to become more efficient with a system that streamlines admin functions
Wrap Up
As you can see from the wide variety of use cases and features on offer, good membership management software could greatly benefit your organization. Even the smallest clubs and associations have found that top membership management software saves them time and money in the long run. In addition, the added value for members combined with the info gleaned from reporting and analytics will help your organization to grow much faster.
However, it’s important to find the right software for your company and not just go with the most affordable option. Expensive software often pays off in the long term but overpriced software could also be detrimental. Always be sure to read lots of reviews and test out several options before making your choice. We hope that our list of the best membership management software has helped you to make a more informed decision.
By Harsha Kiran
Harsha Kiran is the founder and innovator of Techjury.net. He started it as a personal passion project in 2019 to share expertise in internet marketing and experiences with gadgets and it soon turned into a full-scale tech blog with specialization in security, privacy, web dev, and cloud computing.