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Nonprofits · head to head

CiviCRM vs MemberClicks

CiviCRM logo

CiviCRM

Nonprofits

Open source constituent relationship management for nonprofits, with no per contact or per donation fee

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
MemberClicks logo

MemberClicks

Nonprofits

Association management for professional bodies and trade associations

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only CiviCRM has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: CiviCRM nobody maintains it for you, so security patches and major version upgrades are your operational responsibility and organisations that skip them end up stranded on an old release.; MemberClicks pricing is not published, which is a marked step down in transparency from Wild Apricot at the tier below it
  • They diverge on capability: CiviCRM covers Contribution and pledge tracking, MemberClicks covers Chapters and committees.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which CiviCRM and MemberClicks actually diverge.

Attributes where CiviCRM and MemberClicks differ
AttributeCiviCRMMemberClicks
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feequote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Linux, Self-hostedWeb, iOS, Android

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Nonprofits).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in CiviCRM

  • Contribution and pledge tracking
  • Case management
  • CMS integration
  • Extension framework

Only in MemberClicks

  • Chapters and committees
  • Continuing education
  • Job board
  • Member community

Both cover

  • Membership management
  • Events and registration

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

CiviCRM

  • A membership organisation with a large contact file that refuses to pay a per contact meternot MemberClicks
  • An advocacy group needing to hold constituent data on infrastructure it controlsnot MemberClicks
  • A charity already running Drupal or WordPress that wants CRM inside the same stacknot MemberClicks
  • An organisation with unusual data requirements that no hosted product will build for itnot MemberClicks

MemberClicks

  • Professional associations tracking continuing education credits for membersnot CiviCRM
  • Trade associations with chapters that manage their own membershipnot CiviCRM
  • Chambers of commerce running events, directories and job boardsnot CiviCRM
  • Organisations that have outgrown a small-club membership toolnot CiviCRM

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

CiviCRM

  • Nobody maintains it for you, so security patches and major version upgrades are your operational responsibility and organisations that skip them end up stranded on an old release.
  • The interface and configuration model are dated compared with hosted competitors, and staff turnover is expensive when the next fundraiser has to be trained on it from scratch.
  • Extension quality is inconsistent, so a payment processor or integration that works on one version can break on the next with no vendor obligation to fix it.
  • Total cost of ownership is genuinely low only at scale, and a five person charity often pays more to a partner for setup and support than a hosted product would have charged outright.
  • Implementation partners hold the practical knowledge of your configuration, so switching partners can be as disruptive as switching products despite the software being free.

MemberClicks

  • Pricing is not published, which is a marked step down in transparency from Wild Apricot at the tier below it
  • Annual contracts and implementation fees make it a considerably larger commitment than the per-month membership tools
  • The interface is dated in places, particularly the website content management
  • Migration from Wild Apricot is a real project despite the shared ownership, and buyers sometimes assume otherwise
  • Smaller associations will pay for chapter and continuing education machinery they never use

Pricing, plan by plan

CiviCRM

Free
  • CiviCRMFree
    • No licence fee, no per contact charge and no percentage of donations
    • Costs are hosting, implementation partner time and upgrade work
    • Paid hosting and support available from partners at their own rates

MemberClicks

On request
  • MemberClicks$undefined/year
    • Membership management
    • Events
    • Chapters and committees
  • MC Professional$undefined/year
    • Continuing education
    • Job board
    • Advanced reporting

Which should you pick?

Choose CiviCRM if

  • You need contribution and pledge tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Linux, Self-hosted.
  • You also want case management.
CiviCRM review

Choose MemberClicks if

  • You need chapters and committees.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want continuing education.
MemberClicks review

Questions people ask

Is CiviCRM or MemberClicks better?
Neither clearly leads. CiviCRM starts at Free and MemberClicks at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, CiviCRM or MemberClicks?
CiviCRM has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for CiviCRM and On request for MemberClicks.
Does CiviCRM or MemberClicks run on more platforms?
CiviCRM runs on Web, Linux, Self-hosted. MemberClicks runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use CiviCRM for free?
Yes. CiviCRM has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. MemberClicks starts at On request.
What is CiviCRM best used for?
CiviCRM is most often used for a membership organisation with a large contact file that refuses to pay a per contact meter, an advocacy group needing to hold constituent data on infrastructure it controls, a charity already running drupal or wordpress that wants crm inside the same stack, an organisation with unusual data requirements that no hosted product will build for it. Of those, a membership organisation with a large contact file that refuses to pay a per contact meter and an advocacy group needing to hold constituent data on infrastructure it controls are not what MemberClicks is typically brought in for.
What can CiviCRM do that MemberClicks cannot?
CiviCRM covers Contribution and pledge tracking, Case management, CMS integration, Extension framework. MemberClicks covers Chapters and committees, Continuing education, Job board, Member community. Both handle Membership management, Events and registration.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

CiviCRM: Is CiviCRM really free?

The software is, with no licence, per contact or per donation charge. Hosting, implementation and support are real costs and are where the budget goes.

MemberClicks: How does it differ from Wild Apricot?

Chapters, committees and continuing education credit tracking. Those structures are what make professional associations different from clubs, and they are where simpler tools fail.

CiviCRM: Do we need a developer?

You need technical capacity, either in house or a retained partner. Treating it as a hosted product without support is the common failure mode.

MemberClicks: What does it cost?

Not published. It is an annual contract with implementation, quoted on member count and modules.

CiviCRM: Where does it win against commercial CRMs?

At scale. A large contact file or high donation volume that would cost tens of thousands a year in metered fees costs nothing in licence here.

MemberClicks: Is migration from Wild Apricot easy?

Not automatically. Both are owned by Personify, but they are separate products and a migration is a project with data mapping and re-implementation.

CiviCRM: Can it be hosted for us?

Yes, several partners offer managed CiviCRM hosting, which removes the upgrade burden and reintroduces a monthly fee.

MemberClicks: Does it handle continuing education?

Yes, including credit tracking and certification records, which is one of the main reasons professional bodies choose it.

MemberClicks: Who should not buy it?

Small clubs and associations without chapters or education requirements. The machinery that justifies the price will sit unused.

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