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Nonprofits · head to head

Tendenci vs Wild Apricot

Tendenci logo

Tendenci

Nonprofits

Open-source association management system for nonprofits

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Wild Apricot logo

Wild Apricot

Nonprofits

Membership management for small associations and clubs

From
$60/month
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; Wild Apricot the website builder is dated and constrained, and organisations that care about their public site usually end up running a separate site alongside it
  • They diverge on capability: Tendenci covers Open-source licence, Wild Apricot covers Member database.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Tendenci and Wild Apricot actually diverge.

Attributes where Tendenci and Wild Apricot differ
AttributeTendenciWild Apricot
Starting priceFree$60/month
Pricing modelOpen source, with paid hosting availablePer month by contact count
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Linux, Self-hosted, CloudWeb, iOS, Android

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 Wild Apricot

  • Member database
  • Automated renewals
  • Event registration
  • Website builder
  • Online payments
  • Email and newsletters

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 Wild Apricot
  • Organisations with data residency obligations a hosted platform cannot satisfynot Wild Apricot
  • Groups with technical capacity wanting to avoid per-member subscription costs at scalenot Wild Apricot
  • Associations needing to customise workflows beyond what a proprietary platform allowsnot Wild Apricot

Wild Apricot

  • Small associations and clubs replacing a spreadsheet and a separate websitenot Tendenci
  • Volunteer-run organisations needing unlimited administrators without per-seat costnot Tendenci
  • Professional bodies handling dues renewals and a member directorynot Tendenci
  • Groups running paid events for members alongside membership subscriptionsnot 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

Wild Apricot

  • The website builder is dated and constrained, and organisations that care about their public site usually end up running a separate site alongside it
  • Pricing by contact count means lapsed members and non-member contacts push you into a higher tier unless the database is actively pruned
  • Every module is adequate rather than good, so any organisation with a serious need in one area will outgrow that part first
  • Reporting is basic, and detailed membership analysis generally means exporting to a spreadsheet
  • Migration away is painful once the website, database and event history all live inside it

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

Wild Apricot

$60/month
  • Group$60/month
    • Up to 100 contacts
    • Member database
    • Website
  • Community$150/month
    • Up to 500 contacts
    • All Group features
    • More storage
  • Association$290/month
    • Up to 2,000 contacts
    • All Community features
    • Priority support
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • 5,000 contacts and above
    • Dedicated support
    • Custom arrangements

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 Wild Apricot if

  • You need member database.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want automated renewals.
Wild Apricot review

Questions people ask

Is Tendenci or Wild Apricot better?
Neither clearly leads. Tendenci starts at Free and Wild Apricot at $60/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Tendenci or Wild Apricot?
Tendenci has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Tendenci and $60/month for Wild Apricot.
Does Tendenci or Wild Apricot run on more platforms?
Tendenci runs on Web, Linux, Self-hosted, Cloud. Wild Apricot runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use Tendenci for free?
Yes. Tendenci has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Wild Apricot starts at $60/month.
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 Wild Apricot is typically brought in for.
What can Tendenci do that Wild Apricot cannot?
Tendenci covers Open-source licence, Membership management, Events and registration, Donations. Wild Apricot covers Member database, Automated renewals, Event registration, Website builder.

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.

Wild Apricot: How is Wild Apricot priced?

By contact count, not by staff seat, starting at 60 USD a month for up to 100 contacts. Unlimited administrators is the practical benefit for volunteer-run organisations.

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.

Wild Apricot: Do lapsed members count toward the limit?

Contacts count, which includes records beyond current paying members. Pruning the database matters, because tier boundaries are the main cause of unexpected cost increases.

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.

Wild Apricot: Is the website builder any good?

It is functional and dated. Organisations that care about their public web presence commonly run a separate site and use Wild Apricot for the member-only area.

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.

Wild Apricot: Can it handle fundraising?

Basic donation collection, yes. Organisations whose main activity is fundraising rather than membership are better served by a donor management platform.

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.

Wild Apricot: When do organisations outgrow it?

Usually at a few thousand members, or earlier if one area — events, fundraising or the website — becomes central to the organisation rather than incidental.

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