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Nonprofits · head to head

Tendenci vs Virtuous

Tendenci logo

Tendenci

Nonprofits

Open-source association management system for nonprofits

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Virtuous logo

Virtuous

Nonprofits

CRM designed for faith-based and mission-driven organizations

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Tendenci has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Tendenci self-hosting is a real operational commitment, and organisations without technical capacity should not treat the free licence as a free system; Virtuous the pricing page publishes no rate, no minimum and no cost driver for any product; every tier says Request Pricing
  • They diverge on capability: Tendenci covers Open-source licence, Virtuous covers Donor management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Tendenci and Virtuous actually diverge.

Attributes where Tendenci and Virtuous differ
AttributeTendenciVirtuous
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelOpen source, with paid hosting availablesubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Linux, Self-hosted, CloudWeb, IOS, Android
FoundedUnknown2013

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 Tendenci

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

Only in Virtuous

  • Donor management
  • Volunteer tracking
  • Giving analysis
  • Ministry management
  • Stripe
  • PayPal
  • Mailchimp
  • Slack

What people use each for

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

Tendenci

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

Virtuous

  • Donor management and pipeline tracking for mid-sized and large nonprofitsnot Tendenci
  • Marketing automation and supporter journeys tied to giving datanot Tendenci
  • Online donation forms and giving pages connected to the CRMnot Tendenci

Where each one falls short

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

Virtuous

  • The pricing page publishes no rate, no minimum and no cost driver for any product; every tier says Request Pricing
  • Tier eligibility is set by the nonprofit's own annual fundraising revenue, with a $5 million threshold separating Platform from Enterprise
  • CRM+, Raise, Insights, Analytics, Volunteer and Momentum are packaged as separate products, each with its own Request Pricing button
  • Momentum, the AI fundraising agent, is sold separately from the CRM rather than included

Pricing, plan by plan

Tendenci

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

Virtuous

On request
  • Starter$99/month
    • Donor management
    • Volunteer tracking
  • Advanced$199/month
    • Giving analysis
    • Ministry management
    • Email campaigns

Which should you pick?

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

Choose Virtuous if

  • You need donor management.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want volunteer tracking.
Virtuous review

Questions people ask

Is Tendenci or Virtuous better?
Neither clearly leads. Tendenci starts at Free and Virtuous at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Tendenci or Virtuous?
Tendenci has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Tendenci and On request for Virtuous.
Does Tendenci or Virtuous run on more platforms?
Tendenci runs on Web, Linux, Self-hosted, Cloud. Virtuous runs on Web, IOS, Android.
Can I use Tendenci for free?
Yes. Tendenci has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Virtuous starts at On request.
What is Tendenci best used for?
Tendenci is most often used for nonprofits whose boards require member and donor data to stay under their own control, organisations with data residency obligations a hosted platform cannot satisfy, groups with technical capacity wanting to avoid per-member subscription costs at scale, associations needing to customise workflows beyond what a proprietary platform allows. Of those, nonprofits whose boards require member and donor data to stay under their own control and organisations with data residency obligations a hosted platform cannot satisfy are not what Virtuous is typically brought in for.
What can Tendenci do that Virtuous cannot?
Tendenci covers Open-source licence, Membership management, Events and registration, Donations. Virtuous covers Donor management, Volunteer tracking, Giving analysis, Ministry management.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

Virtuous: How are Virtuous tiers defined?

Virtuous offers a Platform Tier for nonprofits with fundraising revenue up to $5 million annually and an Enterprise Tier for organizations over $5 million. Specific pricing requires a demo request.

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.

Virtuous: What products are included in Virtuous?

Virtuous offers CRM+, Raise (donation forms and pages), Momentum (AI-powered donor outreach), Insights (donor segmentation), Analytics (business intelligence), and Volunteer (recruitment and scheduling).

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.

Virtuous: How do I get a Virtuous pricing quote?

Virtuous does not publish pricing online. Visit their pricing page to request pricing or schedule a demo with their sales team.

Source
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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