If you run a society with a few hundred members, the first question about membership software is usually "what will this cost us per year?" The answer is harder to find than it should be. Vendors price by different units, some publish numbers and some don't, and the costs that surprise boards are often not on the price tag at all.
This guide collects the prices vendors publish on their own websites, explains the four ways they price, and lists the questions that turn a quote into a real annual budget. MemberTrace is one of the vendors listed. We've kept to each company's own published figures and noted where a competitor may be the better fit.
Four ways vendors price
| Pricing unit | What it counts | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Contacts | Every record in the database: members, lapsed members, event guests, prospects | Event registrations and old records can push you into a higher tier even if paying membership is flat |
| Active members | Members who are current (for example, paid in the last 12 months or dues-exempt) | How "active" is defined, and what each member above the allotment costs |
| Annual revenue | Your organization's budget band | The price can rise when revenue grows, even if the work hasn't changed |
| Quote | Whatever the sales conversation produces | Hard to compare without a written quote that lists every fee |
None of these is wrong. They reward different shapes of organization. A society with a small, stable membership and a large event list may do better on active-member pricing. A small club with very few records may do better on contacts.
Published prices, October 2026
| Vendor | Published starting price | Pricing unit | Billing | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WildApricot | $66/mo (100 contacts), $82/mo (250), $154/mo (500), $265/mo (2,000) | Contacts | Monthly, or pre-pay 1 year (save 10%) or 2 years (save 15%) | wildapricot.com/pricing |
| MemberClicks (individual members) | "Starting at $4,500 annually" | Based on "organization and functionality needs" | Annual; sales walkthrough first | memberclicks.com pricing |
| Glue Up | Entry plan "starting from $3,000 – $6,500/Yr" | Plan + organization size | "All plans are billed annually" | glueup.com/pricing |
| Tendenci | $249/mo (up to 1,000 active members, no corporate memberships), plus a one-time development fee | Active members + hosting tier | Monthly; 10% off annual | tendenci.com/pricing |
| Novi AMS | Not shown as a single number; bands by annual revenue (from "up to $400K" to "$6M and up") | Annual revenue | See vendor | noviams.com/pricing |
| GrowthZone | "Flexible Pricing" with no public numbers | Quote | See vendor | growthzone.com/pricing |
| MemberTrace Society | $299/mo with 500 active members included; $1/mo per additional active member | Active members | Billed monthly; annual on request | membertrace.com/pricing |
A few notes on fit, from the vendors' own pages:
- WildApricot is the least expensive option on this list at small contact counts. Every WildApricot plan has the same features, including a drag-and-drop website builder, an online store, donations, and automated renewals and reminders, and it offers a 60-day free trial with no credit card required. If your society is small, volunteer-run, and wants a public website builder in the same tool, it is worth a serious look.
- MemberClicks lists call for papers/abstracts, renewal reminders and integrated payments on its individual-member plan, and runs buying through a sales conversation and walkthrough.
- Tendenci is open source, so you can host it yourself if you have the technical help, or pay for their hosted plans.
- Novi and GrowthZone don't publish a single price. Ask for a written quote.
Costs that aren't on the price tag
The subscription is usually the smaller surprise. Ask about each of these:
- Payment processing. Card fees for dues and registrations are almost always separate. WildApricot uses Personify Payments, or other payment systems "for an additional fee." MemberTrace uses your society's own Stripe account at standard Stripe rates, separate from the subscription.
- Setup or development fees. Tendenci lists a one-time development fee based on design and customization. Ask every vendor whether setup, data import or training is included.
- Annual-only billing. Some vendors bill a year up front. That matters for a society whose dues revenue arrives in one season.
- Growth in the pricing unit. If you're priced by contacts, ask what happens after a big annual meeting adds hundreds of non-member registrants. If you're priced by active members, ask what each member above the allotment costs and how often it's billed.
- Support. Ask which support channels come with your plan (email, chat, phone) and whether onboarding help costs extra.
What to budget for a 300-member society
Here's a worked example using only published list prices. It assumes 300 current members and no add-ons, and it is not a quote from any vendor.
| Vendor | How the published price applies | Approximate annual subscription |
|---|---|---|
| WildApricot | 300 members plus lapsed members and event guests likely exceeds 250 contacts, so the 500-contact tier at $154/mo (monthly billing) | About $1,848, less with pre-pay. More if contacts pass 500 |
| MemberTrace Society | 300 active members is within the 500 included | $3,588 ($299 × 12), billed monthly |
| Glue Up | Entry plan range | $3,000–$6,500, billed annually |
| MemberClicks | Published starting price | From $4,500 |
| Tendenci | Up to 1,000 active members tier | $2,988 ($249 × 12), plus the one-time development fee (not published) |
Then add card processing, any setup or migration fees, and the staff time it takes to run each system. The cheapest subscription isn't always the cheapest year.
What the MemberTrace price includes
So you can compare like for like, here's what comes with every MemberTrace plan, including Society at $299/month:
- Membership records, levels and renewals, with automated dues renewal reminder emails
- Events, registration and attendee management
- Online dues and payments through your own Stripe account
- Directories, custom fields, saved reports and board dashboards
- A hosted member portal with your custom domain and branding
- Email, chat and phone support, plus a knowledge base and onboarding docs
The Growth plan ($599/month, 1,500 active members included) adds advanced permissions, a custom workflow (automation) builder, API and accounting exports, and advanced reporting. Organizations with up to 50 active members can try MemberTrace free for 90 days. Full details are on the pricing page.
Questions for every vendor
- What is the pricing unit, and how do you count it? Do lapsed members and event guests count?
- What will we pay in year one, all-in, for our size? Please put setup, migration, training and payment fees in writing.
- Is billing monthly or annual? Can we switch later?
- What happens to the price when we grow by 100 members, or when we run a large annual meeting?
- Are renewal reminders automatic on our plan, or only on a higher tier?
- Which support channels are included, and who helps us get set up?
- How do we export our data if we leave?
If you're still deciding what you need before you look at prices, start with how to choose membership software for a small society. For the dues side specifically, see how to collect society dues online.