Every platform in this category advertises a number that is not what you will pay. Not because anyone is lying, but because the advertised price covers the base product and community software has an unusual number of things that sit outside the base product.
Here is how to work out the real figure before you commit, and what the ranges actually look like in August 2026.
The five costs behind the headline price
Transaction fees
A percentage of every payment you take, on top of card processing. Typically 0.5% to 2% on community platforms, and 10% or more all-in on event ticketing sites. Almost nobody is at zero, including us, so compare the number rather than assuming it away.
Add-ons for basics
Custom member fields, branded email, extra admin seats, email sending beyond a contact limit. Each is modest. Together they routinely double an advertised price, and they are usually the things a membership organisation needs on day one.
Setup and onboarding fees
Common in association management software and almost never published. If a vendor will not quote a price without a demo, assume a setup fee exists and ask about it in the first conversation rather than the last.
Per-seat and per-member pricing
Some platforms cap admins and charge per extra one. Others price by member count. Either way, check what happens at twice your current size, because that is the bill you will actually live with.
The fifth is the one nobody puts on an invoice: the tools you keep anyway. If the new platform does not replace your email tool, your ticketing site, and your website, you are adding a cost rather than consolidating one.
Get the True Cost Worksheet
Work out the real annual cost of any platform, including fees, add-ons, and the tools you would still be paying for. Free, one page.
What the market actually charges
Rough annual figures for a small to mid-sized organisation, as published in August 2026. Always check current pricing directly, because these move.
Association management software is the expensive end. Pricing is usually quote-only; GrowthZone states on its own site that its AMS starts as low as $3,900 annually, and setup fees are separate. Budget four figures and a procurement conversation.
Vertical tools sit in the middle. BoosterHub lists $650 to $850 a year for booster clubs. Breeze lists $72 a month, so $864 a year, for church management. These are purpose-built and usually deeper in their one area.
Creator community platforms advertise low and climb. Circle starts at $89 a month, with custom profile fields at $49 a month and branded email at $40. Mighty Networks starts at $79 a month. Both take a transaction fee at every tier.
Event platforms look free and are not. Eventbrite runs roughly 10 to 14% all-in per ticket, which for an organisation selling any volume is the largest line on this page.
Kannect is $23 a month billed yearly, so $276, with 2% on paid events and 0% on nonprofit donations.
The comparison most organisations get wrong
Almost everyone compares monthly subscription against monthly subscription, which is the least important number if you take payments. An organisation collecting $40,000 a year in dues, tickets, and donations pays more in transaction fees than in subscription on most platforms.
Work out your annual payment volume first, then apply each platform’s percentage to it, then add the subscription. The ranking usually changes.
If you take payments, the subscription is rarely the biggest number on the invoice.
Four questions to ask any vendor
- What is the total annual cost for our size, including every fee and add-on we would need?
- What percentage do you take on dues, tickets, and donations, and is that before or after card processing?
- Is there a setup or onboarding fee, and what is it?
- What happens to the price at renewal, and how much notice do we get?
A vendor that answers all four in writing is telling you something useful about how the next five years will go.
Where Kannect fits
Our pricing is published, which is the part we would defend hardest. Plans start at $23 a month billed yearly, or $29 month to month. The platform fee is 2% on paid events, programs, and memberships, and 0% on nonprofit donations, plus standard Stripe fees. There is no setup fee, and the 7-day free trial needs a card because that is what keeps the network verified and spam-free.
See the full pricing page for what is included at each plan. If the worksheet says another platform is better value for your situation, that is a real answer and worth having.
Work out your real number
Subscription, fees on your actual payment volume, add-ons, and the tools you would keep. One page, one honest total. We’ll send it now.