Association membership software you actually own.
Hosted association management software is built for everyone, which means it’s tuned for no one. We build membership on WordPress and MemberPress instead, so your tiers, renewals, design, and member data belong to you.
What renting an AMS costs you
Hosted platforms are the right call for some organizations. These are the trade-offs worth pricing out first.
Most association management software is a subscription. You pay the vendor, they run the system, and your members log in to theirs. That’s convenient on day one. Over a few years, the same four trade-offs tend to show up.
Pricing that grows with you
Plans are often tiered by member or contact count, and some add transaction fees. A good year for membership can quietly become a bigger bill.
Limited design control
Templates only bend so far. Your site ends up looking like the vendor’s product with your logo on it, and changes wait on their roadmap.
Data and export lock-in
Getting a clean export of members, payment history, and renewal dates isn’t always simple. The harder it is to leave, the less leverage you have at renewal time.
Another login for members
Members juggle your website and a separate portal with its own look and its own password. Every extra step costs you engagement.
What you get with WordPress and MemberPress
Membership that runs on your own site and plugs into the tools you already use.
Member tiers and recurring billing
As many membership levels as you need, with annual or monthly dues billed automatically through Stripe or PayPal.
Renewals and reminders
Expiry rules and reminder emails run on their own, so staff aren’t chasing lapsed members by hand.
Gated content
Lock recordings, resources, and member-only pages by level, or drip content out over time.
Member directory
A searchable member directory on your own site, with the privacy controls you choose.
Events and ticketing
Connect your events calendar or ticketing tool so member pricing and access follow membership status.
Donor, CRM, and email integration
Membership data flows to ActiveCampaign or the email and donor tools you already use, so a new member or a lapsed renewal triggers the right message.
Corporate and group memberships
One organization pays and many people get access. Useful for company memberships and sponsor levels.
Accessible by default
We build and test to WCAG accessibility standards, so every member can join, pay, and use the site.
WordPress vs. a hosted AMS
A fair side-by-side. Neither one wins every row.
| Compared on | WordPress + MemberPress | Hosted AMS |
|---|---|---|
| Ownership | You own the site, the member data, and the code. Export any time. | The vendor hosts the data. Export options vary by product. |
| Design | Fully custom, matched to your brand and your existing website. | Templates and themes, within the vendor’s limits. |
| Pricing model | Plugin license per site, plus our build and care. Payment processor fees apply. | Often a subscription tiered by members or contacts. Check what your plan includes. |
| Integrations | Email, CRM, payments, and ticketing through plugins and custom work. | Usually a built-in set, plus whatever the vendor supports. |
| Member experience | Members stay on your site, with one login. | Often a separate member portal. |
| Best fit | Organizations that want control, custom design, and a lower long-term cost. | Organizations that want one vendor for everything and little custom work. |
When a hosted AMS is the better call
- You want one vendor for everything. Memberships, events, accounting, and chapters in one box, with one support line.
- Your needs are simple and the price is fine. A small group on an inexpensive plan may not need a custom build.
- You need a specialized feature that’s already built in. Credentialing or complex chapter hierarchies, for example. Confirm the vendor really does it, then buy it.
- Nobody wants to steer a website. If you want zero ownership of anything technical, a fully hosted service is simpler.
We’d rather tell you that on a call than sell you a rebuild you don’t need.
Who this is for
Membership organizations that want the platform to fit them, not the other way around.
Associations and professional societies
Dues tiers, renewals, member-only resources, and a directory, on a site that matches your brand and stays under your control.
Nonprofits
Membership levels that sit next to donations and email, connected to the tools you already use, without a per-contact bill as your list grows.
Arts and cultural organizations
Opera, theater, and museums: patron levels, subscriber renewals, and member-only access to recordings and previews. Arts membership works best when it feels like part of your site, not a separate portal.
Moving from your current AMS
Your members, levels, and renewal dates come with you.
Switching sounds scarier than it is. We start with an export from your current system or old plugin, then map it to your new membership levels.
- Audit and export. We review what your current system holds: members, levels, payment history, renewal dates, and custom fields.
- Map your levels. Each old level becomes a MemberPress membership with the same dues and access rules, or a cleaner version of them.
- Import with renewal dates intact. Members land on the new site with the right level and the right expiry, so nobody is billed early or loses access.
- Check the payment processor. Whether recurring subscriptions carry over depends on your processor. With some they move cleanly. With others, members re-enter payment details once. We tell you which before we start.
- Run it in parallel, then switch. We test with real records before the old system is turned off.
How we work
Short, plain, and scoped before we start.
Scope it
A call to understand your members, tiers, and tools. You get a clear scope and a quote before anything is built.
Build it
We build the site, connect payments and email, and import your members. You review everything on a private preview link.
Launch and care
We launch it and stay on call. Website maintenance keeps WordPress, MemberPress, and your backups current.
Questions, answered
What membership teams ask before they switch.
What is association membership software?
It’s software that handles the business of a membership organization: signups, dues, renewals, member-only content, and communication with members. It comes two ways. A hosted association management system (AMS) is rented from a vendor, while a platform like WordPress with MemberPress runs on a site you own.
Can WordPress replace an association management system?
Yes, for many associations. If you mainly need membership tiers, recurring dues, renewal reminders, gated resources, a member directory, and email or CRM integration, WordPress with MemberPress covers it. If you need deep chapter hierarchies or credential tracking out of the box, a hosted AMS may fit better.
What is the best membership management software for nonprofits?
There isn’t one best answer, because it depends on size, budget, and how much you want to own. Hosted products are quick to start. WordPress with MemberPress takes more setup but gives you full control of the design, the data, and the pricing model over the long run.
How do I move my members and renewal dates from my current AMS?
You export your members, levels, and renewal dates, then import them into the new platform with the right level and expiry for each person. Whether recurring payments carry over depends on your payment processor. We check that first, so nobody is billed twice or loses access.
Does WordPress membership software work with ActiveCampaign and donor tools?
Yes. MemberPress connects to email platforms including ActiveCampaign, and we build custom connections to donor, CRM, and ticketing tools when there’s no ready-made integration. That lets a new member or a lapsed renewal trigger the right email automatically.
Do arts organizations use membership software?
Yes. Opera companies, theaters, and museums use membership software for patron levels, subscriber renewals, and member-only access to recordings and previews. The same tiers, billing, and gated content that work for associations work for arts membership.
Own your membership.
Tell us about your organization and where your current system hurts. We’ll tell you honestly whether WordPress and MemberPress is the right fit.