Softwr

Nonprofits · head to head

Kindful vs Tendenci

Kindful logo

Kindful

Nonprofits

Simple donor management and fundraising

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Tendenci logo

Tendenci

Nonprofits

Open-source association management system for nonprofits

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Tendenci has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Kindful kindful's own site now states that Kindful is a Bloomerang product and directs visitors to demo Bloomerang instead; Tendenci self-hosting is a real operational commitment, and organisations without technical capacity should not treat the free licence as a free system
  • They diverge on capability: Kindful covers Online donation forms, Tendenci covers Open-source licence.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Kindful and Tendenci actually diverge.

Attributes where Kindful and Tendenci differ
AttributeKindfulTendenci
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionOpen source, with paid hosting available
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Mobile-responsiveWeb, Linux, Self-hosted, Cloud
Founded2014Unknown

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 Kindful

  • Online donation forms
  • Donor segmentation
  • Recurring donation management
  • Volunteer portal
  • Stripe
  • PayPal
  • Mailchimp
  • Google Analytics

Only in Tendenci

  • Open-source licence
  • Membership management
  • Events and registration
  • Donations
  • Content-managed website
  • Email

What people use each for

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

Kindful

  • Donation and fundraising managementnot Tendenci
  • Nonprofit donor relationship managementnot Tendenci
  • Grant and donation trackingnot Tendenci

Tendenci

  • Nonprofits whose boards require member and donor data to stay under their own controlnot Kindful
  • Organisations with data residency obligations a hosted platform cannot satisfynot Kindful
  • Groups with technical capacity wanting to avoid per-member subscription costs at scalenot Kindful
  • Associations needing to customise workflows beyond what a proprietary platform allowsnot Kindful

Where each one falls short

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

Kindful

  • Kindful's own site now states that Kindful is a Bloomerang product and directs visitors to demo Bloomerang instead
  • The Bloomerang Giving Platform starts at $242 per month billed annually
  • Bloomerang Fundraising starts at $40 per month billed annually but must be purchased as part of a bundle with Bloomerang CRM
  • All plans are annual; there is no month to month option
  • Pricing is constituent based, so the bill rises with the size of the donor database
  • Only a starting price is published and the actual figure comes from contacting sales

Tendenci

  • Self-hosting is a real operational commitment, and organisations without technical capacity should not treat the free licence as a free system
  • The community is small compared with mainstream open-source projects, so answers are harder to find and contributors are few
  • The interface is dated against the commercial association platforms and this is the most common user complaint
  • Fewer integrations than commercial competitors, and building them is a development task rather than a configuration one
  • Feature depth in events and continuing education is behind the specialist commercial systems

Pricing, plan by plan

Kindful

On request
  • Starter$50/month
    • Online donation forms
    • Donor segmentation
  • Growth$120/month
    • Volunteer portal
    • Multi-channel fundraising

Tendenci

Free
  • Self-hostedFree
    • Full source code
    • No per-member licence
    • Community support
  • Managed hosting$undefined/month
    • Hosted and maintained
    • Updates applied
    • Support included

Which should you pick?

Choose Kindful if

  • You need online donation forms.
  • You work on Web, Mobile-responsive.
  • You also want donor segmentation.
Kindful review

Choose Tendenci if

  • You need open-source licence.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Linux, Self-hosted, Cloud.
  • You also want membership management.
Tendenci review

Questions people ask

Is Kindful or Tendenci better?
Neither clearly leads. Kindful starts at On request and Tendenci at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Kindful or Tendenci?
Tendenci has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Kindful and Free for Tendenci.
Does Kindful or Tendenci run on more platforms?
Kindful runs on Web, Mobile-responsive. Tendenci runs on Web, Linux, Self-hosted, Cloud.
Can I use Tendenci for free?
Yes. Tendenci has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Kindful starts at On request.
What is Kindful best used for?
Kindful is most often used for donation and fundraising management, nonprofit donor relationship management, grant and donation tracking. Of those, donation and fundraising management and nonprofit donor relationship management are not what Tendenci is typically brought in for.
What can Kindful do that Tendenci cannot?
Kindful covers Online donation forms, Donor segmentation, Recurring donation management, Volunteer portal. Tendenci covers Open-source licence, Membership management, Events and registration, Donations.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Kindful: How much does Kindful cost?

Kindful does not publish pricing on its website. Contact their sales team at 888-854-3230 or [email protected], or schedule a demo to receive a custom quote.

Source
Tendenci: Is Tendenci really free?

The software is, under an open-source licence with no per-member fee. Running it is not: hosting, updates, backups and security are the organisation responsibility unless managed hosting is purchased.

Kindful: Does Kindful offer transaction fees for donations?

Transaction fee information is not disclosed on the website. Contact Kindful sales for details on payment processing costs.

Source
Tendenci: Who should choose it?

Organisations with a genuine requirement to control their own data, and the technical capacity to act on it. Choosing it purely to avoid subscription cost usually ends badly.

Tendenci: Can I move my data out?

Yes, entirely. That is the point. Data lives in a PostgreSQL database you control, and there is no vendor holding it.

Tendenci: How does it compare to Wild Apricot?

Wild Apricot is easier, better supported and better looking. Tendenci is the answer when data ownership is a requirement rather than a preference.

Tendenci: Is it actively maintained?

It is developed openly on GitHub with a small team and community. Check recent commit activity before committing, as with any small open-source project.

Share

Related pages

More on Kindful

More on Tendenci

Keep looking

Other head to heads