Whether you run a club, association, or activity-based organization, if you’re exploring alternatives to Join It for membership management, it pays to consider platforms that go beyond the basics.
Join It is a popular choice for small to mid-sized membership and association groups. However, many organizations experience limitations: restricted program and registration workflows, fewer built-in communication tools, and concerns regarding support and data residency.
The good news? There are excellent alternatives that not only match Join It’s core membership capabilities, but also offer advantages such as deeper event/program registration, integrated communication tools (email + SMS), local payment integrations, advanced reporting, or stronger support for activity-based organizations.
In this guide, we compare seven of the best Join It alternatives—including our own tool, Activity Messenger— so you can choose the right membership management software for your specific needs.
DISCLAIMER: Activity Messenger is our software. We created it after experiencing the various shortcomings of existing membership management software for years.
Join It is a popular cloud-based membership database tool for clubs, associations, and nonprofits.
It focuses on ease of use: member profiles, recurring payments, automated renewal emails, and integrations (Stripe, Mailchimp, Eventbrite, etc.). Pricing is tiered (Starter, Total, Extra) and Join It markets itself as low setup, with no hidden fees for small organizations.
If you value simplicity and membership-centric workflows, Join It is a solid option, but it intentionally keeps the product streamlined rather than feature-heavy. If their simplicity or pricing structure doesn’t match your needs, several Join It alternatives may be a better fit, which we’ll explore below.
| Product | Best For | Key Features | Starting Price | Based In | Integrations | Capterra Score |
| Join It | Small to mid-sized clubs & associations | Renewals, member profiles, integrations | From ~$26+/month | USA | Stripe, PayPal, Mailchimp, Eventbrite, Zapier, etc | 4.7/5 |
| WellnessLiving | Studios & wellness businesses | Scheduling, payments, marketing automation | From $69+/month | Canada | QuickBooks, Xero, Mailchimp, Stripe, Zapier | 4.4/5 |
| Daxko Operations | Large community centres & multi-site orgs | Membership billing, programs, check-ins, reporting | Custom/enterprise | USA | Salesforce, QuickBooks, Stripe, ActiveNet, custom APIs | 4.5/5 |
| Wild Apricot | Nonprofits/associations needing website + membership | Website/CMS + membership, events, payments | From ~$56-63/month (60-Day Free Trial) | Canada | PayPal, Stripe, Mailchimp, Zapier, QuickBooks, Google Calendar | 4.4/5 |
| MembershipWorks | Small professional groups, WordPress sites | Member directories, events, payments | From $35+/month (Free Tier Available) | USA | PayPal, Stripe, Mailchimp, QuickBooks, Google Calendar | 4.8/5 |
| GrowthZone | Chambers/trade associations focused on growth | CRM, payments, events/sponsorship management | ~$3,985/year+ | USA | Mailchimp, QuickBooks, Stripe, Zoom, Constant Contact | 4.4/5 |
| Mindbody | Fitness/wellness studios with bookings | Booking, memberships, POS, marketplace | From ~$99/month per location | USA | QuickBooks, Mailchimp, Zapier, ClassPass, Google Calendar, Salesforce | 4.0/5 |
| Activity Messenger | Small to mid-sized clubs & associations, camps, rec centres, studios | Registration, waivers, payments, SMS/email, membership, automation | From ~$89+/month | Canada | Stripe, Interac, ChatGPT, Canva, Zoom | 4.7/5 |
Overview / Core Features: Streamlined member database, automated recurring billing and renewals, event registration support, and essential integrations with payment processors and communication tools like Stripe, Mailchimp, and Eventbrite.
Pros: Very user-friendly; strong automation for renewals and billing; integrates easily with popular third-party apps.
Cons: Limited advanced event or program registration features; fewer industry-specific workflows; may lack built-in SMS/email messaging for large-scale communications.
Best for: Small clubs, associations, and nonprofits needing simple membership management.
Reviews Say: Users praise ease of use and onboarding for small organizations; generally high marks for customer support and value for small budgets.
Overview / Core Features: Class & appointment scheduling, client booking app, point-of-sale, staff management, marketing (email/SMS), loyalty programs, and online storefront. WellnessLiving positions itself as a complete business management suite for wellness studios.
Pros: Strong scheduling & client experience; built-in marketing and retention tools; mobile apps.
Cons: Can be more complex than simple membership tools; higher cost at advanced tiers.
Best for: Gyms, yoga studios, spas, wellness chains.
Reviews Say: Strong overall rating with particular praise for booking UX and customer support; reviewers note good value for studio needs.
Overview / Core Features: Purpose-built for community orgs (YMCAs, JCCs) — program and childcare management, membership billing, check-ins, attendance, deep reporting, and integrations for enterprise workflows. Daxko focuses on large-scale operations with multiple sites and complex program hierarchies.
Pros: Powerful reporting and program tools; built for larger orgs.
Cons: Pricing and implementation complexity — better for organizations with larger budgets.
Best for: Large community centres, multisite nonprofit operators.
Reviews Say: Reviewers report the product meets enterprise needs and praise reporting and support; fit is very strong for large community orgs.
Overview / Core Features: Membership database, website/CMS, event registration, donations, invoicing, and member self-service. Wild Apricot is widely used by associations that need a simple website + membership stack.
Pros: Built-in website builder and member portal; friendly for small nonprofits; free trial and tiered plans.
Cons: Some users note the interface feels dated; may lack more advanced program scheduling features.
Best for: Associations, clubs, non-profits needing an all-in-one web + membership tool.
Reviews Say: Many nonprofits and clubs appreciate website builder and member portal capabilities; reviewers often praise ease of use.
Overview / Core Features: Membership directory, recurring payments, events, forms, donations — integrated as a WordPress plugin or standalone. Flexible account-based pricing tied to the number of member records.
Pros: Easy integration for WordPress sites; granular plans by number of accounts.
Cons: Requires WordPress for best experience; some features locked behind paid tiers.
Best for: Chambers, small professional groups, organizations that run WordPress websites.
Reviews Say: Reviewers highlight excellent support and WordPress integration, but note the learning curve for advanced features.
Overview / Core Features: Association CRM, event registration, membership billing, sponsorship management, and website modules — focused on growth and engagement for chambers and associations. Subscriptions commonly start in the mid-four figures annually.
Pros: Strong member growth features, membership engagement tools, and association-focused modules.
Cons: Higher starting price and onboarding; some integrations are add-ons.
Best for: Chambers of commerce and associations with growth/retention priorities.
Reviews Say: Positive reviews for association-specific features, though onboarding and integration experiences vary.
Overview / Core Features: Scheduling, booking, client apps, payments, retail POS, staff tools and marketplace exposure (ClassPass integration, marketplace listing). Mindbody is a standard in the fitness industry for multi-location studios.
Pros: Powerful booking suite, marketplace exposure, enterprise features for chains.
Cons: Pricing and fees can be steep; some reviewers cite complexity in reporting/finance.
Best for: Full-service gyms, studios, multi-location chains.
Reviews Say: Widely adopted in fitness; reviewers like feature depth and marketplace exposure, with some concerns about pricing/value for small studios.
📌 Read More: 4 Best Alternatives to Mindbody (Based in Canada)
Overview / Core Features: Online registrations, digital waivers and forms, class & program registration, membership handling, payments, automated email & SMS messaging, certificates, and workflow automations. Activity Messenger emphasizes communication + registration in a single platform and stores its data in Canada.
Pros: Registration, messaging, and waivers in one place; bilingual support; competitive pricing for SMBs.
Cons: Not positioned as an enterprise association management system.
Best for: Camps, recreation providers, sports clubs, dance, and gymnastics studios that want registration, waivers, and built-in communications.
Reviews Say: Users praise registration + messaging integrations and the Canada data residency; reviewers note strong support and affordability for SMBs.
💬 What our customers say:
“We have been working with Activity Messenger for almost two years now and we are so happy we were introduced to their product. We replaced both Mailchimp and Survey Monkey with Activity Messenger as well as continue to find new ways to utilize AM in our daily work. It’s such a robust and easy platform to use.” — Catherine D., Member Services Manager & Finance, Non-Profit Organization Management
“This product is great and the support is wonderful. I have been nothing but pleased with the rollout of enhancements and the continued effort to make it better unlike some softwares.” — Selena G., CEO and Founder, Education Management
💡 Did you know? Activity Messenger acts as a replacement for Jotform, Eventbrite, Mailchimp, SurveyMonkey, and more.
Schedule a personalized demo today to explore exactly how Activity Messenger can boost your organization.
Book a demoThere’s no single “best alternative.” We recommend you choose by use case: Wild Apricot for nonprofits/associations, WellnessLiving or Mindbody for fitness studios, Daxko for enterprise community centres, and Activity Messenger for activity-based orgs that want registrations, waivers, and messaging all in one. Activity Messenger is also a great option for nonprofits, fitness studios, community centres, and municipalities.
Some vendors offer free tiers/trials. MembershipWorks has a free tier up to 50 accounts; Wild Apricot offers a 60-day free trial. Always check account limits.
Wild Apricot and GrowthZone are commonly recommended for nonprofits and membership associations because of their website, event, and CRM features. MembershipWorks can work well for WordPress-based associations, and Activity Messenger is another great option for an all-in-one app.
Mindbody and WellnessLiving are top choices — they specialize in class booking, membership packages, POS, and client apps.
Activity Messenger was founded in Montreal and stores customer data in Canada, making it an attractive choice for Canadian organizations with data residency or bilingual support concerns.
Reviewers commonly cite Activity Messenger, Wild Apricot, and MembershipWorks as easy to adopt for small-to-mid organizations. Ease of use should be balanced with the features you need.
If you want a single platform that handles registrations, payments, waivers, and messaging, an all-in-one solution like Activity Messenger or WellnessLiving is ideal. If your organization requires more advanced or specialized capabilities, such as enterprise-level reporting or a highly customized CRM, you may need to use additional software alongside your main membership platform.
Choosing the right Join It alternative depends entirely on the nature of your organization, your workflows (memberships vs registrations vs classes vs communication) and your growth plans.
If your operations are straightforward, a simpler tool like Join It may suffice. But if you run registrations, programs, communications, and payments and want more than just membership billing, the alternatives above can offer significantly more value.
Among those options, Activity Messenger stands out as a powerful all-in-one solution for activity-based organizations, combining registrations, memberships, payments, and bulk communications (email & SMS) in a single platform.
Its user-friendly interface and focus on activity/camp/studio workflows make it a favourite in the North American market, allowing you to focus on what matters most: delivering excellent programs and experiences to your members or participants.
💡 Are you ready to take your operations to the next level? Book a demo with Activity Messenger to modernize how you manage members, registrations, payments and communications.
Not quite ready to switch right away? No problem. Many organizations use Activity Messenger while transitioning from their current software. It can complement your existing solution for email marketing, bulk SMS, digital waivers, certificates, surveys and more, helping you gradually evolve your system without disruption.
