Wild Apricot is membership management software designed for non-profits, although other types of organizations have used it. But despite its member management features, there are software options that give you way more robust membership, community, and event features.
In this article, we’ll cover the pros and cons of Wild Apricot, and introduce you to 10 Wild Apricot alternatives that give you better features.
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What is Wild Apricot?
Wild Apricot is a membership site platform that helps associations, non-profit organizations, and more automate and simplify membership management tasks.
With Wild Apricot, teams can create, organize and manage their member databases; use the platform’s website builder to customize and build a professional-looking website; securely accept online payments; and manage virtual events.
According to its website, Wild Apricot hosts memberships for everything from alumni and homeowner associations to networking groups and garden clubs. But when it comes to something more robust—say, a dedicated community space, where members can connect and collaborate, or features like online courses, where members can master something interesting together—the platform comes up short.
That’s where the Wild Apricot alternatives come in.
Wild Apricot Pricing
Wild Apricot pricing is done by the size of your membership base. It starts from $60/mo on the Personal plan (up to 100 contacts). The Group plan (250 contacts) is $75/mo; the Community plan (500 contacts) is $140/mo; the Professional plan (2,000 contacts) is $240/mo; the Network plan (5,000 contacts) is $440/mo; the Enterprise plan (15,000 contacts) is $530/mo; and the Global plan includes 50,000 contacts for $900/mo.
What should I look for in a Wild Apricot alternative?
Membership management software is supposed to make organizing and, well, managing a group of people easy through automation. But the best membership management software goes beyond that, providing organizations and brands with powerful tools to streamline how members connect, collaborate, and build relationships with each other.
Here are some of the features to watch for in a Wild Apricot alternative.
Access to membership data, activity, and analytics. Easy ways to collect and organize member data and analytics on how members are engaging.
The ability to charge for memberships. If you’re charging membership fees or dues of any kind, you’ll need a payment gateway, ways to create membership plans and bundles, and perhaps the option to charge in different currencies.
Community-centered features. Whether your membership is focused on alumni management or online church services, you need a robust set of community-centered features. Here are some of the things to watch for:
- An activity feed where members can share text, links, images, and video.
- The ability to post, comment, and cheer.
- A message all member feature, so you can reach 100% of your members 100% of the time.
- Beautiful member profiles with custom categories.
- Direct & group messaging between members.
- Functionality like polls and questions to keep the conversation going.
- Livestreaming and live virtual events.
- AI features that boost your creativity and connection (not replace them)
Upgrades like groups and online courses. Creating premium groups or offering either live or pre-recorded courses can be a huge value add to your members.
Apps. Any Wild Apricot alternative should give you apps for both iOS and Android. At a minimum, they should replicate the membership functions on an app. But having your own app under your brand in the App Store and Google Play Store is a fantastic value-add.
What are the best Wild Apricot alternatives?
Now that we have a good idea of what to look for in a Wild Apricot alternative, it’s time for the good stuff. Below, we’re digging a little deeper into the best alternatives to Wild Apricot on the market today.
1. Mighty Networks
The Top Ranked Community Management Platform on G2
Mighty Networks is a powerful cultural software platform that brings together content, community, courses, and commerce. Plus, Mighty's flexible Spaces let you add live streaming, events, discussion forums, messaging and chat, and a ton of great content options.
It’s also a place where you can bring everything—memberships, subscriptions, courses, events, and more—together in one place, under your brand, instantly available on the web, iOS, and Android. You can sell in 135 different currencies, and easily build membership plans and bundles.
A Mighty Network offers creators the tools to build a dynamic membership community buoyed by the network effect. We’ve seen Hosts unlock member-led growth that takes their communities to 6-, 7-, and even 8-figures in revenue.
And Mighty is a leader in community AI. Mighty Co-Host™ runs on Chat GPT and can create a Big Purpose, community name, brand, landing and sales pages, and more with a click. And it can auto-generate course outlines, member profiles, and help you get the most out of your content–features that boost human connection and creativity, instead of replacing it. It makes it radically easier to manage your members.
Each Mighty Network comes with access to a beautiful, responsive Mighty Networks app. But if you want your own brand under your own app, read on.
Mighty Networks Pros
- Intuitive Spaces mix together discussions, content, livestreaming, live events (w/ RSVPs), chat & messaging, and polls
- Member management tools like member profiles, “members near me” feature, member data & moderation
- Monetization tools: plans, bundles, and private groups in 135 different currencies
- Mighty Co-Host™ AI features: instantly create branding, landing pages, member profiles, and course outlines. And make your content shine with creativity tools.
- A beautiful, responsive app for every device.
Mighty Networks Cons
- Not a live events software (but a better virtual event option than Wild Apricot
Mighty gives you everything you need to build a thriving community that essentially runs itself.
2. Mighty Pro
Top-rated community platform on your own apps
If you love the community features of Mighty Networks and you want to add a white-label app under your own brand, then you need Mighty Pro. Mighty Pro gives you the member management and community features of Mighty Networks, all on your own apps in the App Store and Google Play Store.
When you build your community app with Mighty Pro, you work directly with the Mighty Pro team; these are Account Executives and Community Strategists who have scaled 7-figure creator brands and 8+-figure subscription businesses.
We've built apps for organizations like Cambridge University, and TED, and creators like Sadie Robertson Huff.
Schedule a call with us and we'll show you what we could build together!
Mighty Pro Pros
- Community features of a Mighty Network: discussions, content, livestreaming, live events (w/ RSVPs), chat & messaging, and polls
- Built under your brand in the App Store and Google Play Store
- Work closely with the Mighty Pro team on both app development AND strategy
- Proactive updates and ongoing product improvements
- Access the Mighty Pro mastermind community
- VIP customer support and strategy
Mighty Pro Cons
It’s a premium membership software for established brands and organizations. If you’re just getting started, try Mighty Networks.
3. Hivebrite
Alumni platform similar to Wild Apricot
Hivebrite was built for alumni communities, but there are some crossover functions that make it a workable Wild Apricot alternative. It has a community engine built-in complete with member profiles, and you can divide your membership into different groups by interest or focus.
HiveBrite’s best feature is its CRM that lets you track and organize members, follow payments and membership status, and learn from detailed analytics. And it can integrate with Salesforce to give it even more power. Finally, it does have an option to get your own branded app.
But there are a few downsides to Hivebrite. The community features (member-facing) are really outdated, and it’s missing any video features (lacking both livestreaming and native video posting). For these reasons, Hivebrite is decent for a member directory tool, but missing the capability to be a really good member-facing software.
Hivebrite Pros
- Member management and directory features
- Built-in CRM and email + useful integrations (e.g. Salesforce)
- Can grow into a branded app
Hivebrite Cons
- No video features and apparently no plan to add them soon
- It’s better at member organization than member engagement
4. Member Clicks
Association management from the same company
MemberClicks is an association management software by Personify–the same company that owns Wild Apricot–but it’s directed toward trade associations, professional associations, and chambers of commerce. There are tools to manage member relationships for these organizations, as well as staffing.
It has membership features like member profiles, dues and renewals, and organization options. And you can use it to reach your members with content, newsletters, and forums. It can be used for events as well, for promoting to your members and selling tickets. Finally, it gives you data and analytics about your members to help you understand what’s working.
They have some design options for member websites, letting customers choose from six different templates for an association website. Although these branding features are quite limited, the integration with the Member Clicks software can be a practical solution for member management and a website in one place.
Member Clicks Pros
- Member management features like profiles, managing dues and renewals, and staffing.
- Build member websites and add content, newsletters, and forums
- Live event features: promotions and ticketing
Member Clicks Cons
- (Most) G2 customer reports flag poor customer service and not fixing problems
- Limited UX and data export options
- Pay per user gets costly
5. iMIS
Good for managing a member database
iMIS is another association management tool that mixes member management with a CRM. It’s a good Wild Apricot alternative for non member-facing software. You have a member database, emails, and contacts, but members can also create and manage their own accounts.
iMIS has a drag-and-drop website builder, and the useful feature for regional chapters of larger associations to manage their own user bases and websites. It also has event management features for building event registration pages, adding agendas and managing registration. And it has fundraising tools built in.
iMIS is a great alternative to Wild Apricot for managing member lists and live events and integrating these with website building. It’s not great for managing virtual member engagement: things like communities, virtual events, etc.
iMIS Pros
- Member management features (CRM + data)
- Build webpages including dedicated chapter pages
- Live event planning features
- Mobile app options
iMIS Cons
- Limited virtual event features
- No community features
6. Join It
Member management only
Join It is a membership management platform dedicated to making repetitive tasks easier through automation. With Join It, you’ll get a few of the same features as Wild Apricot, including an activity log, online payments, downloadable member analytics, and more.
Join It has a member CRM, and can handle a member database. Members also get their own digital membership card and access to a member portal.
Still, for all the monetization and automation you’ll get, you’ll still miss out on more robust features, including a website builder, a mobile app, and the ability to branch out with other tools like online courses. Join It can be good for tracking your members, but it’s not great for engaging your members.
Join It Pros
- Membership database and CRM
- Billing and managing membership plans & automation
- Organize your members by category
Join It Cons
- Limited engagement features for building community
- No apps
7. Vagaro
Membership management for in-person businesses.
If you need membership management for an in-person business, Vagaro has some good options. Unlike Wild Apricot, it’s a bit more geared towards membership businesses that serve a local clientele: think gyms, yoga studios, barbers, etc.
Vagaro is also a marketplace for membership businesses, sort of like Yelp or Google. While this feature hasn’t really taken off yet, it’s an interesting concept.
When it comes to managing your members, they can use Vagaro for an iPad check-in at the front desk of your business. You can manage your calendar and online bookings, as well as notifications and messaging. You can build membership plans and bundles, and sell them using promos and discounts. Vagaro also has the option to build a website and even have a custom check-in app.
The downsides to Vagaro? There are some virtual member features like livestreaming and a marketplace, but these fall a little flat. It’s best as an in-person business management software.
Vagaro Pros
- Good for managing in-person membership businesses (scheduling, calendar, etc.)
- Membership features like check-in, sales features, and discounts
- Branded business apps
Vagaro Cons
- The virtual features are quite limited for virtual memberships and communities
8. Memberspace
Membership plugin for an existing website
Memberspace is a membership management system that helps you corral your people, but it requires an already established website.
Here’s how it works: With Memberspace, you can lock access to any part of your existing website—content, online courses, member directories—and charge for it. The software lets you bring in unlimited members, create membership tiers, and integrate with Stripe, Zapier, and more.
Memberspace works for gated content, paid communities, and online courses. And it can be used to sell tickets to events too.
But because it goes along with your existing website, the onus is on you to build out any and everything, whether it’s courses, paid membership groups, and more. And Memberspace doesn’t have a mobile app option.
Memberspace Pros
- Gate part of your existing website
- Collect payments and manage members
Memberspace Cons
- Needs a lot of customization with coding and plugins
- Limited branding–extremely basic design
- No mobile apps
9. Memberful
Membership site WordPress plugin or standalone
Memberful is a Wild Apricot Alternative that works for WordPress sites, and it lets you host a basic community, sell courses, or even sell physical or digital goods. Even if you’re not on WordPress, Memberful lets you create a membership-based site (hosted by them), with a set of member management tools like member profiles, and tools to deliver premium content to subscribers who are behind the paywall.
Memberful pitches its product as being for monetizing a newsletter, podcast, community, or WordPress content. And it has a dashboard built in to help you keep track of revenue. We already talked about the WordPress integration, but it also integrates with Stripe for payments.
If you’re looking for a Wild Apricot alternative to help you monetize a WordPress site, Memberful has some decent features. But it has no native community features–they suggest integrating it with Discord. In effect, Memberful is primarily a membership payment gating platform as opposed to a robust member engagement platform, making it an alternative to Wild Apricot but not the best one. You’d have to mix several platforms to get the effects of the all-in-one platforms at the top of this list.
Memberful Pros
- Membership plugin with member profiles, community features, and gated content.
- Can monetize premium content like podcasts and newsletters.
- Integrates with WordPress (plugin) OR standalone
Memberful Cons
- Limited customization–it’s missing the flexibility to really build under your own brand.
- The community function is really basic–not much more than a forum
- No native mobile apps
10. BuddyBoss
Alternate member management plugin for WordPress
If you’re looking for a WordPress-only plugin for member management, BuddyBoss is an option. As an alternative to Wild Apricot, it has member profiles, and tools to gate content and create members-only areas of your website.
Like any WordPress plugin, the effectiveness of BuddyBoss is limited–and you’d need to mix it with other plugins to get a full spectrum of membership management tools. Honestly, most of the options on this list will give you better membership management. But if you’re determined to build on WordPress, it can work.
BuddyBoss does have an app option too, but it requires doing your own setup and managing submissions to Apple and Google yourself. So you’d either need to be a tech expert or hire one.
BuddyBoss Pros
- The pricing is affordable
- Integration with an existing WordPress site, and it works closely with the WordPress CMS.
- Member content options like profiles, forum discussions, notifications, messaging, and “social groups” (dedicated private groups)
- Choose from customization options: design, some branding, layouts, etc.
BuddyBoss Cons
- WordPress plugins can be clunky and can interact with other plugins or your existing theme.
- The community options are limited; it’s missing the robust features and interface of an all-in-one community platform
- Actually using BuddyBoss will require developer help for many users (both for web apps and for mobile apps)
Ready to start?
Membership management software is meant to make building and sustaining a membership easy. And most Wild Apricot alternatives don’t exactly fit that bill.
But with a Mighty Network, there’s room to manage your members, take them on a path to results and transformation, and build a community that’s so valuable, you can charge for it. You can bring community, courses, content, events, and commerce together to unlock member-led growth for your organization.
Book a call with us and we’ll show you what we could build together!
