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Nonprofits · head to head

Little Green Light vs Tendenci

Little Green Light logo

Little Green Light

Nonprofits

Affordable donor management for small nonprofits

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Tendenci logo

Tendenci

Nonprofits

Open-source association management system for nonprofits

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Little Green Light pricing is driven purely by constituent record count, so inactive and lapsed records still raise the bill; 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: Little Green Light covers Donor database, Tendenci covers Open-source licence.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Little Green Light and Tendenci actually diverge.

Attributes where Little Green Light and Tendenci differ
AttributeLittle Green LightTendenci
Pricing modelsubscriptionOpen source, with paid hosting available
PlatformsWeb, Mobile-responsiveWeb, Linux, Self-hosted, Cloud
Founded2008Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Little Green Light

  • Donor database
  • Prospect tracking
  • Relationship management
  • Task management
  • PayPal
  • Stripe
  • Google Drive
  • Web support

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.

Little Green Light

  • Donor management and gift tracking for small nonprofitsnot Tendenci
  • Segmenting constituents for appeals and mailingsnot Tendenci
  • Online donation forms with pay-as-you-go processingnot Tendenci

Tendenci

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

Where each one falls short

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

Little Green Light

  • Pricing is driven purely by constituent record count, so inactive and lapsed records still raise the bill
  • The base plan is $45 per month for up to 2,500 constituents, rising to $135 per month at 50,000
  • Above 50,000 records each additional 10,000 tier adds $15 per month
  • An account is hard-capped at 200,000 constituent records
  • Online donation processing costs from 2.2% plus $0.30 per transaction to the payment processor
  • The 10% saving requires annual rather than monthly billing

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

Little Green Light

Free
  • Up to 2,500 constituents$45/month
  • Up to 5,000 constituents$60/month
  • Up to 10,000 constituents$75/month
  • Up to 20,000 constituents$90/month

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 Little Green Light if

  • You need donor database.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Mobile-responsive.
  • You also want prospect tracking.
Little Green Light 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 Little Green Light or Tendenci better?
Neither clearly leads. Little Green Light starts at Free and Tendenci at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Little Green Light or Tendenci?
Little Green Light starts at Free and Tendenci at Free.
Does Little Green Light or Tendenci run on more platforms?
Little Green Light runs on Web, Mobile-responsive. Tendenci runs on Web, Linux, Self-hosted, Cloud.
Can I use Little Green Light for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Little Green Light best used for?
Little Green Light is most often used for donor management and gift tracking for small nonprofits, segmenting constituents for appeals and mailings, online donation forms with pay-as-you-go processing. Of those, donor management and gift tracking for small nonprofits and segmenting constituents for appeals and mailings are not what Tendenci is typically brought in for.
What can Little Green Light do that Tendenci cannot?
Little Green Light covers Donor database, Prospect tracking, Relationship management, Task management. Tendenci covers Open-source licence, Membership management, Events and registration, Donations.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Little Green Light: How much does Little Green Light cost?

Little Green Light uses tiered pricing starting at $45/month for up to 2,500 constituents, scaling up to $135/month for up to 50,000 constituents. All tiers include unlimited users and all features. Annual prepayment offers a 10% discount.

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.

Little Green Light: Is there a free trial for Little Green Light?

Yes, Little Green Light offers a 30-day free trial with no credit card required, giving full access to all platform features during the trial period.

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.

Little Green Light: What additional fees does Little Green Light charge?

Online donation processing charges 2.2% plus $0.30 per transaction paid to the payment processor. There are no setup fees, cancellation fees, or contracts.

Source
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.

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