ClubExpress vs Patreon
ClubExpress
clubexpress.com
Patreon
patreon.comSide by side
| Figure | ClubExpress | Patreon |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $0.30/mo | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 10 | 4 |
| Spec score · Membership Site Platforms | 9.1 (#7) | 9.4 (#1) |
| Content gating | page | post |
| Custom domain | Yes | Yes |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Integrations | The Zapier integration can send membership, donation, renewal, and event data to services such as HubSpot, Google Calendar, and Mailchimp; it is designed for incremental synchronization rather than historical migration. | The app directory lists integrations and partners including Vimeo, Discord, ConvertKit, Discourse, Wix, and Zapier. |
| Payments | ClubExpress handles online cards, ACH, Apple Pay, Google Pay, checks, cash, donations and Stripe-reader point-of-sale transactions. | Patreon says its payments infrastructure handles chargebacks, disputes, fraud, and most applicable tax collection and remittance. |
| Security controls | The vendor states that it uses AWS firewalls, VPN monitoring, nightly and real-time backups, salted one-way password hashing, encrypted card data, PCI Level 2 compliance, HTTPS, TLS 1.2 and TLS 1.3. | Patreon says it uses TLS for sensitive information, HTTPS for traffic, two-factor authentication, and CAPTCHA checks for suspicious activity. |
| Subscription billing | both | both |
| What it does | ClubExpress is an all-in-one membership platform for clubs, associations, nonprofits and other member-based groups, combining websites, member records, events, communications and payments. | Patreon lets creators build communities, share exclusive work, and earn through paid memberships or digital shops. |
Plans
ClubExpress
- 501–1000 members$0.30 a month
- 301–500 members$0.34 a month
- 201–300 members$0.38 a month
- Up to 200 members$0.42 a month
- 501-1000 Members$30 a month
- 301-500 Members$34 a month
- 201-300 Members$38 a month
- Up to 200 Members$42 a month
- Basic Setup$150, paid once
- Organizations larger than 1000 membersPriced on request
Patreon
- StandardPrice not published
- Standard Patreon pricingFree
- Free to startFree
- Patreon platform fee$10 a month
In their own words
ClubExpress
ClubExpress gives clubs and associations a website, member login and database, and tools for managing membership and organization activity. Members can sign up online, select configurable membership types, and handle renewals and expirations. The platform includes more than 22 purpose-built modules, such as committees, forums, documents, photo albums, surveys, blogs, event calendars, and volunteering. Its member-focused mobile app runs on Apple iOS and Google Android, alongside web and API support. A Zapier integration can send membership, donation, renewal, and event data to services such as HubSpot, Google Calendar, and Mailchimp; it is intended for incremental synchronization rather than historical migration. Optional QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop integrations export transactions, payments, credits, fees, and customer records. ClubExpress says its servers are hosted on AWS behind a firewall, and lists nightly offsite and real-time database backups, salted and hashed passwords, and HTTPS with a minimum of TLS 1.2. It states that it is a PCI Level 2 merchant. The paid service offers a 60-day trial, limited to 10 manually entered members; credit card processing and non-member database imports are disabled during the trial.
Patreon
Patreon lets creators build communities, share work, and earn through memberships or digital shops. Creators can offer monthly or annual subscriptions, tiers, one-time payments, and free work before adding paid options. Content tools cover audio, images, rich text, video, livestreams, and email newsletters. Community features include chats, direct messages, comments, and exportable email lists; growth tools include analytics, free trials, discounts, and sales. Podcast tools support importing, syncing, multiple podcasts, Spotify, Synced Feeds, and RSS. Patreon offers mobile apps for iOS and Android, and its app directory lists integrations including Vimeo, Discord, ConvertKit, Discourse, Wix, and Zapier. It is free to start. Patreon charges 10% of income earned on the platform, with payment processing, currency conversion, payout fees, and applicable taxes potentially added. Patreon says it handles chargebacks, disputes, fraud, and most applicable tax collection and remittance. Its public API v1 is scheduled to stop working on October 7, 2026, with integrations directed to API v2.