What is the cheapest membership management software?

The free plans cost least. Springly's Liberty plan is free and takes no fee from payments, funded by optional tips your members are invited to add. Zeffy is free for nonprofits on the same model. Among paid plans that take nothing from your payments, MembershipWorks is cheapest, at $35 a month up to 300 accounts. Which one is cheapest for you depends on your size and how much you collect online.

Is there free membership software with no transaction fees?

Yes. Springly's Liberty plan and Zeffy charge no subscription and take no fee from payments. Both are funded by optional tips your payers are invited to add at checkout, and Zeffy is built for nonprofits. MembershipWorks is free up to 50 accounts and takes nothing from payments at any size. TidyHQ's and Raklet's free plans take a share of each payment instead.

Why does cheap membership software cost more than it looks?

Some platforms take a percentage of every payment on top of the card fee. Join It Starter takes 3%, so at 250 members paying $150 the fee is $1,125 a year, more than the subscription. Wild Apricot adds 20% to its subscription if you collect through Stripe in the US or Canada. ClubExpress charges a one-time setup fee from $150. Add a full year before you compare.

What is the cheapest membership software for 500 members?

On a year with $150 dues per member collected online, counting what each platform takes from payments, the platforms that charge something come out in this order: MembershipWorks $708, TidyHQ $1,678, Veldun $1,788, Wild Apricot $1,908, ClubExpress $2,040, Join It $2,718, Raklet $3,258. MembershipWorks assumes you already run a website, and ClubExpress adds its setup fee. The free plans from Springly and Zeffy cost nothing on subscription at any size.

Is Veldun the cheapest option?

No. At 250 members Veldun ranks 7 of 9 on this page, at $1,188 a year. It costs more because Veldun rebuilds your website and makes the changes you ask for, so nobody on the board has to run it. It takes nothing from payments, and dues go to your own Stripe account at Stripe's standard rate of 2.9% plus 30 cents.

Updated November 8, 2026

What Is the Cheapest Membership Software? (2026)

Short answer: Springly's free Liberty plan and Zeffy, for nonprofits, cost nothing and take nothing from your payments. Both ask your members for an optional tip instead. The cheapest paid platform that takes nothing from payments is MembershipWorks, at $420 a year for 250 members, if you already run a website. Platforms with a low price and a share of every payment, such as Join It and Raklet, cost more once you collect dues online. Prices read November 8, 2026.

The cheapest price on a pricing page is often not the cheapest year. Some platforms charge a subscription. Others charge little and take a share of every dues payment, so their cost grows with your membership. The table puts both on one footing: a full year on the cheapest plan that fits, with each member paying $150 in dues online.

A year of platform cost on the cheapest plan that fits, read from each vendor's own pricing page and dated in our records (latest November 8, 2026). Each member pays $150 in dues online once a year, and any share a platform takes of those payments is included. Card-processing fees are left out of every row, because every association pays a processor. Wild Apricot's row includes the $60 a year account fee for its own processor; collecting through Stripe instead adds 20% to the subscription. ClubExpress adds a one-time setup fee from $150. Springly and Zeffy ask your members for an optional tip at checkout.

100 members: $0 (Liberty, free)
250 members: $0 (Liberty, free)
500 members: $0 (Liberty, free)
100 members: $0 (Free, nonprofits only)
250 members: $0 (Free, nonprofits only)
500 members: $0 (Free, nonprofits only)
100 members: $420 (Up to 300 accounts)
250 members: $420 (Up to 300 accounts)
500 members: $708 (Up to 600 accounts)
100 members: $852 (Up to 100 contacts, its own processor)
250 members: $1,044 (Up to 250 contacts, its own processor)
500 members: $1,908 (Up to 500 contacts, its own processor)
100 members: $504 (Per active member, before setup)
250 members: $1,140 (Per active member, before setup)
500 members: $2,040 (Per active member, before setup)
100 members: $470 (Free)
250 members: $1,175 (Free)
500 members: $1,678 (Pro)
100 members: $1,188 (Starter)
250 members: $1,188 (Starter)
500 members: $1,788 (Growth)
100 members: $798 (Starter)
250 members: $1,473 (Starter)
500 members: $2,718 (Starter)
100 members: $660 (Free)
250 members: $1,983 (Essentials)
500 members: $3,258 (Essentials)

A year of platform cost on the cheapest plan that fits, read from each vendor's own pricing page and dated in our records (latest November 8, 2026). Each member pays $150 in dues online once a year, and any share a platform takes of those payments is included. Card-processing fees are left out of every row, because every association pays a processor. Wild Apricot's row includes the $60 a year account fee for its own processor; collecting through Stripe instead adds 20% to the subscription. ClubExpress adds a one-time setup fee from $150. Springly and Zeffy ask your members for an optional tip at checkout.
	100 members	250 members	500 members
Springly	$0 (Liberty, free)	$0 (Liberty, free)	$0 (Liberty, free)
Zeffy	$0 (Free, nonprofits only)	$0 (Free, nonprofits only)	$0 (Free, nonprofits only)
MembershipWorks	$420 (Up to 300 accounts)	$420 (Up to 300 accounts)	$708 (Up to 600 accounts)
Wild Apricot	$852 (Up to 100 contacts, its own processor)	$1,044 (Up to 250 contacts, its own processor)	$1,908 (Up to 500 contacts, its own processor)
ClubExpress	$504 (Per active member, before setup)	$1,140 (Per active member, before setup)	$2,040 (Per active member, before setup)
TidyHQ	$470 (Free)	$1,175 (Free)	$1,678 (Pro)
Veldun	$1,188 (Starter)	$1,188 (Starter)	$1,788 (Growth)
Join It	$798 (Starter)	$1,473 (Starter)	$2,718 (Starter)
Raklet	$660 (Free)	$1,983 (Essentials)	$3,258 (Essentials)

$1,125

what Join It Starter's 3% service fee takes in a year from $37,500 of dues at 250 members, on top of its $29 monthly price

Source: Join It pricing page, read November 8, 2026

Ranked by a year's cost at 250 members

Cheapest first. Each entry says what the price leaves out, because the cheapest plan is often cheap for a reason.

1
Springly
Associations with no budget that are comfortable asking members for a tip
Liberty free; Serenity from $45 a month to 250 contacts
Springly's Liberty plan costs nothing and takes no fee from payments. Springly funds it by inviting your members, donors and registrants to add an optional tip when they pay. Liberty covers collecting membership, donation and event payments. Springly lists the website builder and email from its Serenity plan, at $45 a month.
Strengths
- Free, with no fee taken from payments
- Collects dues, donations and event payments
Trade-offs
- Your members are asked for a tip at checkout
- Website builder and email start on a paid plan
2
Zeffy
Registered nonprofits that mostly need to collect dues and donations
Free; funded by optional donor tips
Zeffy is free at any size and covers card fees too. It is funded by optional tips your payers are invited to add. It is built for nonprofits, so check your association qualifies before you plan around it. It is a fundraising platform first: memberships, ticketing and newsletters are included, and it describes no website builder beyond its own pages.
Strengths
- Free, and covers card-processing fees
- Memberships, ticketing and newsletters included
Trade-offs
- Built for nonprofits; check you qualify
- Your payers are asked for a tip at checkout
3
MembershipWorks
Associations that already run a website someone looks after
Free to 50 accounts; $35 a month to 300; $59 to 600
MembershipWorks is the cheapest paid platform here that takes nothing from your payments: $420 a year at 250 accounts and $708 at 500. Your payment gateway charges its own rate. It adds membership tools to a site you already run on WordPress, Squarespace, Wix or similar, so the website's design and upkeep stay with you.
Strengths
- Takes no fee or portion of your payments
- Free up to 50 accounts
Trade-offs
- Website design and upkeep stay with you
- $59 a month from 301 accounts
4
Wild Apricot
Associations under about 250 contacts with a small mailing list
$66 a month to 100 contacts; $82 to 250; $154 to 500
Wild Apricot charges by contact band and includes a website builder, email and events on every plan. Every contact counts, newsletter readers and event registrants included. Its own processor in the US charges 2.99% plus 30 cents a card payment and a $4.99 monthly account fee (US only). Collecting through Stripe instead adds 20% to the subscription in the US or Canada.
Strengths
- Website builder, email and events on every plan
- Free onboarding coaching
Trade-offs
- Newsletter readers count toward your band
- 20% added to the plan if you collect through Stripe
5
ClubExpress
Associations with a large mailing list and a smaller paying membership
$95 a month at 250 active members; $35 minimum; setup from $150
ClubExpress bills active members only, and a mailing list up to five times that is free. It adds no fee per transaction; its card rate is 2.99% plus 30 cents on Basic, paid into your own Stripe account. The website is a template you configure, and there is a one-time setup fee from $150.
Strengths
- Bills active members only
- No fee per transaction on top of the card rate
Trade-offs
- One-time setup fee from $150
- Someone on your side configures the website template
6
TidyHQ
Clubs and small associations that collect modest dues and want unlimited contacts
Free, plus 3% plus 20 cents a payment; Pro $69 a month, plus 1% plus 20 cents
TidyHQ counts no contacts at all: members, contacts and admins are unlimited on every plan. Its free plan takes 3% plus 20 cents of each payment on top of Stripe's fee, so at 250 members paying $150 it comes to $1,175 for the year. It includes website pages. The free plan sends 100 emails a month, which a newsletter outgrows quickly.
Strengths
- Unlimited contacts, members and admins
- Website pages included
Trade-offs
- 3% plus 20 cents of each payment on the free plan
- 100 emails a month on the free plan
7
Veldun
Associations that want the website built and run for them
$99 a month to 250 billable contacts; $149 to 500
Veldun is not the cheapest. At 250 members it ranks 7 of 9 here, at $1,188 a year. The price includes a website Veldun rebuilds and changes when you ask, with dues, events and newsletters in one account. Nothing is taken from payments, and newsletter-only readers are free up to three times your member count. A person answers support within one business day, usually the same day.
Strengths
- Website built and changed for you
- Nothing taken from dues or tickets
Trade-offs
- Costs more than most platforms here
- No free plan once your site is live
8
Join It
Associations that collect little online and want a low monthly price
Starter $29 a month, plus a 3% service fee on online payments
Join It Starter is $29 a month. It also takes 3% of online membership and event payments on top of Stripe's fee. At 250 members paying $150, that fee is $1,125 of a $37,500 year, so the plan comes to $1,473. It includes a website builder, email and renewal reminders.
Strengths
- $29 a month on Starter
- Website builder, email and renewal reminders
Trade-offs
- 3% of online payments on Starter
- Your own domain needs Extra, at $199 a month
9
Raklet
Very small groups that want a free plan to start
Free to 100 contacts; Essentials $59 a month to 500
Raklet is free up to 100 contacts and $59 a month to 500. It takes a share of every payment on top of the processor's fee: 4% plus 60 cents on the free plan and 3% plus 60 cents on Essentials. That share is why it ranks low here once an association collects dues online.
Strengths
- Free up to 100 contacts
- Low entry price on Essentials
Trade-offs
- 4% plus 60 cents of each payment on the free plan
- The share of payments grows with your dues

When paying more is the cheaper choice

A free plan funded by tips works when your members are happy to be asked. Some boards would rather their members paid the dues and nothing else, and a small subscription buys that.

A share of every payment works when you collect little online. Once most dues arrive by card, a platform that takes nothing from payments usually costs less over a year, even at a higher monthly price.

The cheapest platforms leave the website to you. That costs someone's hours each month, whether a board member's or your staff's. If nobody wants that job, a platform that builds and runs the site can be cheaper once those hours count. That is where Veldun sits, at $1,188 a year for 250 members.

Frequently asked questions

What is the cheapest membership management software?: The free plans cost least. Springly's Liberty plan is free and takes no fee from payments, funded by optional tips your members are invited to add. Zeffy is free for nonprofits on the same model. Among paid plans that take nothing from your payments, MembershipWorks is cheapest, at $35 a month up to 300 accounts. Which one is cheapest for you depends on your size and how much you collect online.
Is there free membership software with no transaction fees?: Yes. Springly's Liberty plan and Zeffy charge no subscription and take no fee from payments. Both are funded by optional tips your payers are invited to add at checkout, and Zeffy is built for nonprofits. MembershipWorks is free up to 50 accounts and takes nothing from payments at any size. TidyHQ's and Raklet's free plans take a share of each payment instead.
Why does cheap membership software cost more than it looks?: Some platforms take a percentage of every payment on top of the card fee. Join It Starter takes 3%, so at 250 members paying $150 the fee is $1,125 a year, more than the subscription. Wild Apricot adds 20% to its subscription if you collect through Stripe in the US or Canada. ClubExpress charges a one-time setup fee from $150. Add a full year before you compare.
What is the cheapest membership software for 500 members?: On a year with $150 dues per member collected online, counting what each platform takes from payments, the platforms that charge something come out in this order: MembershipWorks $708, TidyHQ $1,678, Veldun $1,788, Wild Apricot $1,908, ClubExpress $2,040, Join It $2,718, Raklet $3,258. MembershipWorks assumes you already run a website, and ClubExpress adds its setup fee. The free plans from Springly and Zeffy cost nothing on subscription at any size.
Is Veldun the cheapest option?: No. At 250 members Veldun ranks 7 of 9 on this page, at $1,188 a year. It costs more because Veldun rebuilds your website and makes the changes you ask for, so nobody on the board has to run it. It takes nothing from payments, and dues go to your own Stripe account at Stripe's standard rate of 2.9% plus 30 cents.

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