Softwr

Nonprofits · head to head

Glue Up vs SmartSimple Cloud

Glue Up logo

Glue Up

Nonprofits

Membership, events and engagement software with strong Asia-Pacific presence

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
SmartSimple Cloud logo

SmartSimple Cloud

Nonprofits

Configurable grants, research and case management platform for large funders

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Glue Up pricing is not published, and quotes vary substantially by region, which makes budgeting harder than with the published North American tools; SmartSimple Cloud almost everything useful is configured rather than switched on, so first-year cost is dominated by professional services and a live system is typically months rather than weeks away.
  • They diverge on capability: Glue Up covers Event management, SmartSimple Cloud covers Configurable object model.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Glue Up and SmartSimple Cloud actually diverge.

Attributes where Glue Up and SmartSimple Cloud differ
AttributeGlue UpSmartSimple Cloud
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), free tier (No), 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 Glue Up

  • Event management
  • Membership management
  • Member mobile app
  • Email campaigns
  • Integrated CRM
  • Regional payments

Only in SmartSimple Cloud

  • Configurable object model
  • Workflow and approval engine
  • Peer review
  • Budget and payments
  • Grantee portal
  • Report writer
  • Research administration

What people use each for

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

Glue Up

  • Chambers of commerce and professional bodies operating across Asia-Pacificnot SmartSimple Cloud
  • Associations whose events are the core of member value rather than an add-onnot SmartSimple Cloud
  • Organisations wanting a branded member app rather than a web portalnot SmartSimple Cloud
  • Bodies needing local payment methods and regional data residencynot SmartSimple Cloud

SmartSimple Cloud

  • A national research council running peer-reviewed funding calls with panel conflict rules and multi-year milestone paymentsnot Glue Up
  • A private foundation whose grant process differs enough between programmes that packaged software would need four separate instancesnot Glue Up
  • A government department that must show a full audit trail of every decision and payment against public fundsnot Glue Up
  • A health charity running grants and beneficiary case management in one system with shared contact recordsnot Glue Up

Where each one falls short

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

Glue Up

  • Pricing is not published, and quotes vary substantially by region, which makes budgeting harder than with the published North American tools
  • Membership management is less deep than the dedicated association management systems, reflecting its event-management origins
  • Smaller North American and European ecosystem, so integrations and local references are thinner outside Asia
  • Fundraising and donor management are weak, so charities whose main activity is giving should look elsewhere
  • The breadth means individual modules are good rather than excellent when compared against specialist tools

SmartSimple Cloud

  • Almost everything useful is configured rather than switched on, so first-year cost is dominated by professional services and a live system is typically months rather than weeks away.
  • Because each deployment is bespoke, upgrades and new platform features often need configuration work before they apply to your instance, which slows the benefit of paying an annual subscription.
  • Organisations that lose their internal configurator become dependent on the vendor or a partner for even routine form changes, which turns small requests into billable work.
  • The user interface is dense and utilitarian; occasional users such as grant reviewers and applicants need instructions, which increases support load during a funding round.
  • It is priced and scoped for large funders, so a small foundation running one annual round will pay for flexibility it never uses and would be served faster by a packaged tool.

Pricing, plan by plan

Glue Up

On request
  • Essentials$undefined/year
    • Event management
    • Membership
    • Email campaigns
  • Professional$undefined/year
    • All Essentials features
    • Member mobile app
    • CRM
  • Enterprise$undefined/year
    • Multi-chapter
    • API access
    • Custom integrations

SmartSimple Cloud

On request
  • SmartSimple Cloud$undefined/year
    • Configurable grants, review and case management
    • Grantee and reviewer portals
    • Annual subscription plus separate implementation engagement

Which should you pick?

Choose Glue Up if

  • You need event management.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want membership management.
Glue Up review

Choose SmartSimple Cloud if

  • You need configurable object model.
  • You also want workflow and approval engine.
SmartSimple Cloud review

Questions people ask

Is Glue Up or SmartSimple Cloud better?
Neither clearly leads. Glue Up starts at On request and SmartSimple Cloud at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Glue Up or SmartSimple Cloud?
Glue Up starts at On request and SmartSimple Cloud at On request.
Does Glue Up or SmartSimple Cloud run on more platforms?
Glue Up runs on Web, iOS, Android. SmartSimple Cloud runs on Web.
What is Glue Up best used for?
Glue Up is most often used for chambers of commerce and professional bodies operating across asia-pacific, associations whose events are the core of member value rather than an add-on, organisations wanting a branded member app rather than a web portal, bodies needing local payment methods and regional data residency. Of those, chambers of commerce and professional bodies operating across asia-pacific and associations whose events are the core of member value rather than an add-on are not what SmartSimple Cloud is typically brought in for.
What can Glue Up do that SmartSimple Cloud cannot?
Glue Up covers Event management, Membership management, Member mobile app, Email campaigns. SmartSimple Cloud covers Configurable object model, Workflow and approval engine, Peer review, Budget and payments.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Glue Up: Where is Glue Up strongest?

Asia-Pacific. Local payment methods, WeChat integration, regional data residency and in-region support are things the North American platforms cannot match there.

SmartSimple Cloud: How long does implementation take?

Plan in months, not weeks. Complex multi-programme funders routinely run six to twelve month implementations, and that work is billed separately from the subscription.

Glue Up: Was it called something else?

Yes, EventBank. The rename to Glue Up reflected the shift from pure event management to membership and engagement.

SmartSimple Cloud: Is pricing published?

No. It is quoted by modules, user counts and configuration scope. Ask specifically what future configuration changes cost, because that is the recurring surprise.

Glue Up: What does it cost?

Not published, and it varies by region. Expect an annual contract quoted on member count and modules.

SmartSimple Cloud: Can it handle multi-currency, multi-year grants?

Yes. Tranche payments conditional on milestone reports and multi-currency awards are among the reasons large international funders choose it.

Glue Up: Is the member app real?

Yes, a branded native app rather than a mobile web view. For associations whose members network at events, it is one of the strongest reasons to choose it.

SmartSimple Cloud: Do we need our own administrator?

Practically, yes. Organisations without an internal configurator end up paying the vendor for routine form and workflow changes.

Glue Up: Should a US-only association consider it?

It can, but Wild Apricot and MemberClicks have published pricing, larger local ecosystems and more local references. The Asia-Pacific advantage is the reason to pick Glue Up.

Share

Related pages

More on Glue Up

More on SmartSimple Cloud

Keep looking

Other head to heads