Join It vs Wild Apricot: an honest comparison for associations
Join It and Wild Apricot both serve small membership organizations. This page breaks down features, pricing, and the key trade-offs. We've also included Orgo as a third option for organizations that find neither is the right fit.
TL;DR: quick verdict
The main difference between Join It and Wild Apricot is that Join It is a simpler membership database with lower upfront costs but ongoing transaction fees, while Wild Apricot is a more feature-complete platform with event management, email campaigns, and a website builder at higher monthly prices.
Choose Join It if you need:
Simple sign-ups and renewals with minimal setup for organizations under 250 members Digital membership cards stored in Apple Wallet and Google Wallet A low monthly starting price ($29/mo) when payment volumes are modest The fastest possible setup: Join It can be live in under an hour Dues, renewals, and payment collection with no broader platform overhead
Choose Wild Apricot if you need:
Event management, email campaigns, and a website builder in one subscription 0% transaction fees via Personify Payments (US organizations only) A 60-day free trial before committing Zapier integrations with your existing tool stack A proven platform with 20+ years of track record
Why organizations compare Join It and Wild Apricot
Join It and Wild Apricot both appear on the shortlist when a small membership organization is setting up its first paid platform. Both collect dues, track member records, automate renewal reminders, and integrate with Stripe. The difference is in scope: Join It is a focused membership database, and Wild Apricot is a broader membership management suite.
Organizations searching "Wild Apricot vs Join It" or "Join It vs Wild Apricot" are typically at the same decision point: they need a first real membership platform and are weighing scope against simplicity.
Join It is popular with small clubs and associations that need fast setup and clean dues collection. Its starting price of $29 per month makes it accessible. Organizations typically discover its limitations when they start needing events, email campaigns, or anything beyond basic membership tracking.
Wild Apricot has been on the market for over 20 years and has been used by more than 30,000 organizations. It includes event management, email campaigns, fundraising, and a website builder alongside membership tools. For small organizations that want a broader feature set without managing multiple subscriptions, Wild Apricot covers more ground.
Wild Apricot has changed ownership three times since 2017 and is now under Momentive Software, a private equity-backed company. Prices have increased by up to 65% since the Personify acquisition. Product development has slowed, and support response times have worsened, according to reviews written in 2025 and 2026.
Both platforms scale pricing by contact count (Wild Apricot) or membership tier (Join It), and both are designed primarily for single-chapter organizations. For multi-chapter federations or associations with governance requirements, neither was built for that structure.
Join It vs Wild Apricot: full feature comparison
Every cell has been verified against all three platforms' current websites. Where any platform lacks a feature, that is noted honestly.
Orgo is included as a third option for organizations that find gaps in both Join It and Wild Apricot.
| Feature | | |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core membership | |||
| Member database and profiles | |||
| Membership dues and renewals | |||
| Automated renewal reminders | |||
| Member self-service portal | Limited | ||
| Custom membership fields | |||
| Multi-tier memberships | PartialOne level per member | ||
| Family membership plans | PartialVia bundles | ||
| Membership numbers | |||
| Digital wallet membership cards (Apple/Google) | |||
| Member approval workflows | Limited | Limited | |
| Multi-chapter management | |||
| Multi-chapter hierarchy (HQ, regions, chapters) | PartialEnterprise only, custom pricing | PartialSeparate sites per chapter, no shared database | |
| Per-chapter autonomy with local leadership roles | |||
| Cross-chapter reporting | |||
| Member transfers between chapters | |||
| Granular role-based permissions | PartialAll-or-nothing admin access | ||
| Governance | |||
| eVoting (anonymous, encrypted) | |||
| eDocuments | |||
| eSignatures | |||
| Payments and billing | |||
| Bring your own Stripe account | Partial20% PSSF surcharge if using Stripe or PayPal instead of Personify Payments | ||
| Platform transaction fee | 1.5–3% on every paymentStarter: 3% / Total: 2% / Extra: 1.5% | 0% via Personify Payments (US only)20% surcharge on Stripe/PayPal | 2% (Grow) / 1% (Impact) / 0% (Scale)0% promo until Sep 1, 2026 |
| Built-in fund accounting | |||
| Pricing metric | Tiered by plan + contact count | Tiered by total contacts in database | Active paying members |
| Starting price | $29/mo (Starter) | $60/mo (100 contacts) | $119/mo (Grow, 500 members) |
| Free plan or trial | 30-day free trial | 60-day free trial | |
| Communications and events | |||
| Email campaigns | |||
| Event management and ticketing | |||
| Fundraising and donations | |||
| Push notifications | |||
| Member networking and discovery | |||
| Discussion groups and forums | |||
| Platform and tools | |||
| Website builder | |||
| Learning management system (LMS) | |||
| Gamification | |||
| Mobile app | |||
| Integration ecosystem | Zapier (Total plan+), API (Total plan+) | Zapier, native integrations | Open API, Webhooks (Impact/Scale) |
| SSO (Google, Apple, LinkedIn) | |||
| Data hosting and GDPR | US-hostedNo EU data residency | US-hostedGDPR compliance uncertain under PE ownership | AWS Frankfurt (EU)GDPR-compliant by design |
| Storage | Not specified | 2 GB across all plans | 100 GB to 1 TB+ |
| Data migration support | Self-serve CSV export/import | Self-serve CSV import | |
| Dedicated onboarding | Paid tiers only | ||
Want a deeper comparison?
What customers are saying
Themes aggregated from verified reviews on G2, Capterra, GetApp, Trustpilot, and Software Advice. These are the patterns that appear most frequently across hundreds of reviews, paraphrased.
What users like
Simple setup is the most commonly praised aspect. Reviewers describe going live in under an hour and getting members signed up the same day. For small clubs with no dedicated tech staff, this matters significantly. Digital wallet integration for membership cards receives consistent praise. Members with Apple or Android devices appreciate having their membership card in the same place as their boarding passes and transit cards. The clean, uncluttered interface is a recurring compliment. Users switching from older platforms describe a much shorter learning curve.
What users complain about
Transaction fees are the most common frustration. Organizations that process significant dues volume find that 1.5–3% platform fees accumulate faster than the monthly subscription cost suggests. Limited feature scope comes up in nearly every critical review. No event management, no email campaigns, no forums. Users who outgrow basic dues collection have to stitch together multiple tools alongside Join It. Reporting capabilities are described as basic. Admins who need custom reports or historical analytics find the export options insufficient.
What users like
The breadth of what is included is the most praised aspect. Reviewers appreciate having member management, event ticketing, email campaigns, payments, and a website builder under one roof. Event management stands out as a strong point. Organizations running regular events praise the registration workflow, payment collection, and attendee communication tools. Long-term users report significant time savings from automation. Renewal reminders, event follow-ups, and payment confirmations that previously required manual effort are handled by the platform.
What users complain about
Support has declined sharply since the Personify acquisition. Users describe waits of five or more business days, no weekend availability, and the end of phone support. Product development has slowed. Reviewers writing in 2025 and 2026 note fewer than two meaningful updates in over two years, with long-standing feature requests still unaddressed. Pricing increases are a recurring complaint. Multiple reviews mention increases of 30 to 65 percent since the acquisition, compounded by contact-based pricing that scales quickly as the total database grows. The email builder has reliability issues. Users report delivery statuses that do not match actual send results and difficulty tracking sent campaigns.
Sources: G2, Capterra, GetApp, Trustpilot, Software Advice. Individual experiences vary.
Join It vs Wild Apricot: pricing comparison
Join It adds transaction fees on top of its monthly subscription. Wild Apricot charges no transaction fees for US organizations using Personify Payments, but prices by total contact count, including lapsed members, donors, and event attendees. Orgo prices by active paying members only.
| | | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $29/mo (Starter) | $60/mo (100 contacts) | $119/mo (Grow, 500 members) |
| Pricing model | Tiered by plan; member count caps per tier | Tiered by total contacts in database | Tiered by active paying members |
| Platform transaction fee | 1.5–3% on every paymentStarter: 3% / Total: 2% / Extra: 1.5% | 0% via Personify Payments (US only)20% PSSF surcharge if using Stripe or PayPal | 2% (Grow) / 1% (Impact) / 0% (Scale)0% promo until Sep 1, 2026 |
| Annual billing discount | 10% off (stackable with nonprofit discount) | ~10% off monthly | Available |
| Nonprofit discount | 10% (stackable with annual) | Not published | Available on request |
| Free plan or trial | 30-day free trial | 60-day free trial | |
| Mid-tier example | $99/mo (Total: API, digital cards, directory) | $220/mo (2,000 contacts) | $239/mo (Impact, 500 members) |
| Upper-tier / enterprise | $199/mo (Extra: white-label, custom domain)Enterprise: custom | $720/mo (50,000 contacts) | Scale: custom |
Want a deeper comparison?
Where each platform excels
Where Join It excels
Join It's defining advantage is speed and simplicity. A small club or association with straightforward membership needs can be live within an hour, with no technical expertise required. The digital wallet card integration is a genuine differentiator: members carry their membership card in Apple or Google Wallet without any additional setup.
For organizations under 250 members that only need dues collection and renewal reminders, Join It delivers that workflow cleanly without the overhead of a broader platform.
Where Wild Apricot excels
Wild Apricot's primary advantage is scope. Event management, email campaigns, fundraising, a website builder, and a Zapier integration ecosystem are all included without additional subscriptions. For a small organization that wants everything in one place, Wild Apricot reduces the number of tools and vendor relationships needed.
The 60-day free trial is also longer than most platforms, allowing organizations to test the full feature set against real operations before committing.
When to choose each platform
When to choose Join It
Join It is probably the better choice if:
Your organization has under 250 members and only needs dues collection and renewal reminders Digital membership cards in Apple Wallet and Google Wallet are a specific requirement Speed of setup is critical and you need to be live within a day Payment volumes are low enough that 1.5–3% transaction fees remain manageable You are happy to use Mailchimp, Eventbrite, and other tools alongside Join It for everything else
Note: Join It's transaction fees (1.5–3%) accumulate quickly at higher dues volumes. An organization collecting $100,000 per year in dues on the Starter plan pays $3,000 in platform fees on top of Stripe processing costs.
When to choose Wild Apricot
Wild Apricot is probably the better choice if:
You need event management and email campaigns included without a separate subscription You are a US-based organization that can use Personify Payments and avoid transaction fees A 60-day free trial is important before committing Your tech stack relies on Zapier integrations A bundled website builder is useful and you do not want a separate CMS
Note: Wild Apricot's contact-based pricing scales fast for organizations with large databases of past members, donors, or event attendees. Prices have increased up to 65% since the Momentive acquisition. Support response times have increased significantly since 2023.
When neither Join It nor Wild Apricot is the right fit
Join It covers basic dues collection. Wild Apricot adds events and email. But both platforms were built for small, single-chapter organizations. If your requirements include any of the following, they may not scale to where your organization needs to go:
Orgo may be worth a closer look if your organization needs:
- Multi-chapter management without the workarounds. Join It's multi-chapter support is Enterprise-only, with no shared member database and no cross-chapter reporting. Wild Apricot runs each chapter as a separate account. Orgo's chapter structure is native: one database covers HQ, regions, and chapters, with consolidated reporting at every level.
- Governance tools neither platform provides. Neither Join It nor Wild Apricot includes eVoting, eDocuments, or eSignatures. Board elections, bylaw ratification, and officer agreements all require tools outside both platforms. Orgo handles these natively: anonymous encrypted eVoting, governed document distribution, and eSignatures on Impact and Scale plans.
- Member interaction beyond a directory. Join It is a membership database: dues, renewals, and member records. Wild Apricot adds a member directory, but members cannot connect or message within the platform. Orgo includes connection requests, direct messaging, and discussion groups so members engage with each other between renewals.
- EU data hosting for organizations that require it. Neither Join It nor Wild Apricot offers European data hosting. For organizations operating under GDPR or with members in EU jurisdictions, that gap requires a separate compliance approach. Orgo runs on AWS Frankfurt, covering EU data residency without additional configuration.
On switching platforms
Migrating member data is where most platform switches stall. Orgo's onboarding team handles the move: member records, custom fields, membership levels, and payment setup.
Both Join It and Wild Apricot use Stripe. Your existing Stripe account connects directly to Orgo. Most organizations are live within two weeks.
Frequently asked questions
Does Wild Apricot or Join It support digital membership cards?
Join It offers digital membership cards stored in Apple Wallet and Google Wallet on its Total and Extra plans. Wild Apricot does not offer digital wallet integration for membership cards.
If digital wallet cards are a hard requirement for your organization, Join It has a clear advantage here. For organizations where this is not a priority, Wild Apricot's broader feature set may outweigh this gap.
Which has lower transaction fees: Join It or Wild Apricot?
Wild Apricot offers 0% transaction fees for US-based organizations using Personify Payments. Organizations outside the US, or those using Stripe or PayPal instead, pay a 20% PSSF surcharge on top of normal processing fees.
Join It charges 1.5% to 3% on every payment regardless of location. At $50,000 in annual dues, that is $750 to $1,500 in platform fees on the Extra plan, or up to $1,500 on the Starter plan, before Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction.
For US organizations with high payment volumes using Personify Payments, Wild Apricot is cheaper on fees. For smaller organizations or those outside the US, the fee structure requires careful calculation.
Can I migrate from Join It to Wild Apricot?
Yes. Join It allows CSV exports of your member data. Wild Apricot supports CSV imports with manual field mapping. The process is self-serve on both sides and typically takes one to two weeks including setup and testing.
Both platforms use Stripe, but subscription continuity is not guaranteed without re-enrollment. Members on automatic renewal may need to re-enter their payment details unless you time the migration carefully and work with both platforms' support teams.
Does either platform support multi-chapter organizations?
Both platforms have limited multi-chapter support. Wild Apricot runs each chapter as a separate account. There is no shared member database and no cross-chapter reporting without manual CSV exports. Chapter data does not roll up to a central view automatically.
Join It offers multi-chapter management only on its Enterprise plan (custom pricing). Even on Enterprise, there is no native governance structure, chapter-level permissions, or consolidated reporting.
Organizations with multiple chapters typically need a platform designed specifically for federation structures to manage this without significant manual overhead.
Is Wild Apricot better than Join It for email marketing?
Yes, for organizations that want email campaigns included without a separate subscription. Wild Apricot includes a built-in email campaign tool with templates and basic list segmentation.
Join It does not include email tools at any tier. Organizations running on Join It use Mailchimp, Constant Contact, or similar services and maintain a separate subscription for member communications. That adds cost and means member data lives in two systems.
What is the main difference between Join It and Wild Apricot pricing?
Join It starts at $29 per month but adds 1.5% to 3% on every transaction. Wild Apricot starts at $60 per month (100 contacts) with 0% transaction fees for US organizations on Personify Payments.
The pricing model difference matters at scale. Wild Apricot prices by total contacts: everyone who has ever been in your database, including lapsed members and event attendees. An organization with 500 active members and 2,000 total contacts pays for 2,000 contacts. Orgo prices by active paying members only, which can be significantly lower for organizations with large historical databases.
Not sure which platform fits your organization?
Orgo is built for the organizations that Join It and Wild Apricot were not designed for: federations, associations, and multi-chapter organizations with 500+ members. Book a 15-minute demo and see if it fits your structure.
More detailed comparisons: