Membershipworks
Association management software
Membership management software
- Features
- Ease of use
- Ease of management
- Quality of support
- Affordability
- Market presence
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$35 per month
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Free version
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What is Membershipworks
MembershipWorks is a membership management application designed to help associations and member-based organizations manage member records, renewals, online payments, and member communications. It is commonly deployed as an add-on integrated with a WordPress website, enabling organizations to publish member directories, protected content, and online forms. The product focuses on core membership administration workflows rather than full association management suites with extensive accounting, fundraising, or complex event modules.
WordPress-based website integration
MembershipWorks is built to work closely with WordPress, which can simplify publishing member-only content, directories, and online forms on an existing site. This approach can reduce the need for a separate hosted website builder if an organization already runs WordPress. It also aligns membership workflows (join/renew) with the public website experience.
Core membership administration features
The product supports common membership operations such as member database management, online applications, renewals, and dues collection. It typically includes automated renewal reminders and email communications to reduce manual follow-up. For organizations with straightforward membership models, these capabilities can cover day-to-day administration without a broader AMS implementation.
Online payments and self-service
MembershipWorks supports online payments and member self-service actions such as updating profiles and renewing memberships. Self-service reduces staff workload and improves data accuracy by letting members maintain their own contact details. Online transactions also provide a more consistent join/renew process compared with offline invoicing.
Less suited for complex AMS needs
Organizations that require advanced association management capabilities (e.g., complex committee structures, multi-entity chapters, sophisticated credentialing, or deep accounting integrations) may find the feature set limited. Compared with broader platforms in this space, it is more focused on membership operations than end-to-end association management. Larger associations may need additional systems to cover adjacent functions.
WordPress dependency and overhead
Because it is commonly implemented with WordPress, organizations may need ongoing WordPress maintenance (updates, plugins, security hardening, backups) to keep the overall solution stable. Site changes or plugin conflicts can affect member-facing workflows. Teams without WordPress administration skills may require external support.
Integration ecosystem may be narrower
Compared with larger membership/association platforms, available prebuilt integrations and APIs may be more limited depending on the specific deployment. This can increase effort when connecting to CRM, accounting, marketing automation, or event tools. Organizations with a strong integration roadmap should validate supported connectors and data export options early.
Plan & Pricing
| Plan | Price | Key features & notes |
|---|---|---|
| Free (Up to 50 accounts) | Free | Official free tier for up to 50 member accounts. The vendor notes you can "sign up for a free 50 account plan first and upgrade later when you are ready to enable paid functionality or upload your full membership list." (source: official pricing FAQ). |
| Up to 300 accounts | $35/month | Entry paid plan. No contract; 30-day money-back guarantee. Payment gateway fees (Stripe/PayPal/Authorize.net) still apply; MembershipWorks does not take transaction fees. |
| Up to 600 accounts | $59/month | All paid-plan features (includes event registrations/payments, donations, shopping cart, boards, multiple administrators, one-on-one support/training per site content). |
| Up to 1,200 accounts | $95/month | Same feature set as other paid plans; pricing scales by max account count. |
| Up to 2,500 accounts | $145/month | Scales with account limit. |
| Up to 5,000 accounts | $205/month | Scales with account limit. |
| Up to 10,000 accounts | $259/month | Scales with account limit; vendor offers plans above 10,000 via contacting sales. |
Notes: Premium MailChimp integration is a listed add-on on the official site ($9/month). MembershipWorks states there are no hidden fees and they do not take a portion of transactions; payment processor fees still apply. The vendor explicitly states they do not offer a free trial but provide a 30-day money-back guarantee and allow cancellation at any time (official FAQ). (All details taken from MembershipWorks official site: pricing and FAQ pages.)
