A simpler alternative to Glue Up

Glue Up vs Join It for small associations

The short answer: Glue Up and Join It are both all-in-one membership platforms. The difference is size. Glue Up is an enterprise suite (CRM, events, community, learning, CPD tracking, a website builder and apps) that starts at $3,000 a year, billed annually, with no free trial, and reviewers describe it as complex. Join It gives small associations everything they use every day (member records, online joining, payments, automated renewals, member emails, event registration and digital membership cards) in a system you can set up yourself in days. Join It is rated higher than Glue Up on Capterra and G2, plans start at $29 a month, month to month, and you can try it free for 30 days with no credit card.

Is Join It an all-in-one platform?

Yes. Everything a small association needs to run its membership is built in: your member database, online joining, recurring payments, automated renewals, member emails and event registration, along with a member portal, a searchable directory, and Apple and Google Wallet cards with check-in (on Total and above). Integrations with tools like Mailchimp, Eventbrite and QuickBooks are included on every plan, for when you want them, not because you need them to get the basics working.

Glue Up is all-in-one and built for enterprises. Join It is all-in-one and built for small associations.

Why do associations move away from Glue Up?

These are the complaints that come up most in Glue Up reviews:

• It's more than a small association needs. One reviewer calls it "overly complex with a lot of unnecessary bells and whistles without meeting basic association management comms, marketing and event requirements" (April 2026). Another says it's "NOT for Associations unless you have the staff time to spend inside and outside making members value this platform" (February 2026).
• It's hard to learn, for staff and members. Reviewers say the platform "isn't very beginner-friendly" and that it's been "difficult to get new staff up to speed quickly". Members struggle too: "Members constantly have problems with navigating through the system."
• You can't update your own website. "Website content management is locked down so you have to wait two weeks to make any type of update" (August 2025). Another reviewer says pages "are locked and require you to request help from their in-house developer regularly" (February 2025).
• Email and reporting are basic. Reviewers call the email system "incredibly dated" (April 2026) and say "reporting functionality is very basic" (August 2025).
• The real cost is staff time. "Don't be fooled by the low annual fee, you will pay for it either by having to hire consultants or additional staff to manage it for you" (August 2025).
• Automation costs more. Glue Up's "advanced automation and workflows" sit on its Advanced plan, which starts at $8,000 a year.
• You're committed a year at a time. Glue Up contracts are billed annually by default. Join It plans are month to month.

What is Join It's support like?

You talk to people who know membership, not a help-centre search bar. Join It scores 4.9 for customer service on Capterra, and support is the thing Join It reviewers mention most. Join It's team will also import your members for you on any plan, including during your free trial.

What stays the same, and what changes

What stays the same: Like Glue Up, Join It has a member database, membership levels, online payments, invoicing, automated renewal reminders, event registration, member emails and a member directory (the directory is on the Total plan and above).

What changes:

• How you start. No sales call and no quote. Start a 30-day free trial with no credit card, set up your real membership levels and renewal emails, and go live when you're ready.
• Your contract. Join It plans are month to month. Glue Up contracts are billed annually by default.
• Your website. Keep the website you already have and update it yourself, whenever you like. No waiting on a vendor's developer to change a page.
• Your limits. No paid add-ons to raise limits on emails or contacts as you grow.
• Your tools. Glue Up's integrations page doesn't list Eventbrite or Mailchimp. Join It syncs members with Mailchimp, and integrates directly with Eventbrite, QuickBooks, HubSpot, Salesforce and thousands more apps through Zapier, all on every plan.
• Membership cards. On the Total plan and above, members get digital membership cards in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, and staff can check members in at the door with a quick scan. No app for members to download.
• Email. Email members by status, membership type, join date or expiry date, using templates. Renewal reminders and lifecycle emails run automatically. Connect Mailchimp if you want designed newsletters.

How much does Glue Up cost?

As of September 2026, Glue Up's published plans start at $3,000 a year, billed annually, with these price ranges:

• Professional: from $3,000 to $6,500 a year. Includes membership, events, CRM and email, online payments and invoicing, and newsletters.
• Advanced: from $8,000 to $18,500 a year. Adds advanced automation and workflows, integrations and reporting.
• Enterprise: custom pricing.

Contracts are billed annually by default. Higher limits on events, emails, admins and contacts are paid add-ons.

Is Glue Up cheaper than Join It?

No. Glue Up's published plans start at $3,000 a year, billed annually, while Join It starts at $29 a month plus a platform fee on payments, month to month.

Join It publishes all of its pricing. Plans start at $29 a month on Starter (3% platform fee). Total, at $99 a month (2%), adds digital membership cards, member check-in, a member directory and API access, and Extra, at $199 a month (1.5%), adds custom domains and a dedicated account manager. Plans are month to month, Stripe's processing fees apply, and there are no setup fees. Annual billing saves 10%, and nonprofits get an additional 10% off. See full pricing.

A first-year example. Take an association with 400 members paying $100 a year in dues, so $40,000 in membership revenue.

Glue Up and Join It price comparison

On both platforms, card processing fees apply on top. Compare pricing using your own member numbers and dues.

Join It is rated higher than Glue Up on Capterra and G2

On Capterra, as of September 30, 2026, Join It scores 4.7 from 83 reviews and Glue Up scores 4.5 from 198. On G2, Join It scores 4.7 from 22 reviews and Glue Up scores 4.5 from 139.

Ratings checked 30th September 2026.

What Join It reviewers mention most: responsive human support, self-serve setup and automated renewals.

What Glue Up reviewers mention most: the range of tools in one platform and easy event registration. The most common criticisms are complexity and a steep learning curve, a website they can't update themselves, dated email tools, basic reporting and slow support.

Who is Glue Up for?

Glue Up does more if you:

• Need CPD or continuing education tracking built into your membership system.
• Want automated email journeys for members, such as a 90-day onboarding sequence, on its Advanced plan.
• Want an online community and learning platform in the same system as your membership.
• Work across countries and need multiple languages, currencies or chapters in one platform, on its Enterprise plan.

If you want membership that a small team can set up and run themselves, choose Join It.

Can I switch from Glue Up to Join It without members re-entering card details?

Yes, if your members already pay through your own Stripe account: Join It's team can bring their existing Stripe subscriptions across, so they won't need to re-enter their card details. To switch without disrupting renewals:

1. Check your contract end date and how much notice you need to give, then start setting up Join It 60 to 90 days before. Don't leave it late: if your contract runs out, you may lose access to features you rely on, such as creating events.
2. Export your data from Glue Up: members, membership levels and renewal dates. Bulk import is free on all Join It plans, and Join It's team can do the import for you on any plan, even during your free trial.
3. Rebuild your membership levels and renewal emails in Join It during your free trial.
4. Plan how members will set up payments. If you use a different payment processor, members will set up card payments with Stripe when they next renew, so time the move before your main renewal period.
5. Update the join and renew links on your website.
6. Tell your members what's changing, and introduce their new digital membership card.

Questions to ask any membership software vendor

• What is the total first-year cost, including add-ons and payment fees?
• What will it cost at renewal, and what happens if we go over a limit?
• Is there a contract, and how much notice do we need to give to leave?
• Can we try it with our own data before we buy?
• Could a volunteer or new staff member run it without training?
• Do renewals and recurring payments run automatically?

Join It is trusted by more than 4,000 membership organizations in 40 countries and has processed over $100 million in membership payments since 2016.

Comparing other options? See all Join It alternatives and comparisons.

Last reviewed: October 14, 2026. Glue Up pricing and product details are taken from glueup.com and may change. Check their current pricing before making a decision.