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Nonprofits · head to head

MemberClicks vs Tendenci

MemberClicks logo

MemberClicks

Nonprofits

Association management for professional bodies and trade associations

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: MemberClicks pricing is not published, which is a marked step down in transparency from Wild Apricot at the tier below it; 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: MemberClicks covers Chapters and committees, Tendenci covers Open-source licence.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which MemberClicks and Tendenci actually diverge.

Attributes where MemberClicks and Tendenci differ
AttributeMemberClicksTendenci
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquoteOpen source, with paid hosting available
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, Linux, Self-hosted, Cloud

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 MemberClicks

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

Only in Tendenci

  • Open-source licence
  • Donations
  • Content-managed website
  • Email

Both cover

  • Membership management
  • Events and registration

What people use each for

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

MemberClicks

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

Tendenci

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

Where each one falls short

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

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

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

MemberClicks

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

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 MemberClicks if

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

Questions people ask

Is MemberClicks or Tendenci better?
Neither clearly leads. MemberClicks 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, MemberClicks or Tendenci?
Tendenci has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for MemberClicks and Free for Tendenci.
Does MemberClicks or Tendenci run on more platforms?
MemberClicks runs on Web, iOS, Android. 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. MemberClicks starts at On request.
What is MemberClicks best used for?
MemberClicks is most often used for professional associations tracking continuing education credits for members, trade associations with chapters that manage their own membership, chambers of commerce running events, directories and job boards, organisations that have outgrown a small-club membership tool. Of those, professional associations tracking continuing education credits for members and trade associations with chapters that manage their own membership are not what Tendenci is typically brought in for.
What can MemberClicks do that Tendenci cannot?
MemberClicks covers Chapters and committees, Continuing education, Job board, Member community. Tendenci covers Open-source licence, Donations, Content-managed website, Email. Both handle Membership management, Events and registration.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

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.

MemberClicks: What does it cost?

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

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.

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.

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.

MemberClicks: Does it handle continuing education?

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

MemberClicks: Who should not buy it?

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

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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