ClubExpress vs Brilliant Directories

WildApricot

ProClass

Cheddar Up

WildApricot is an online membership solution for associations, non-profits, and clubs. Wild Apricot allows teams to automate all the administrative tasks that come with running an organization: membership management, event registration, online payments, emails, and the website.

ProClass is an online dashboard-based solution for class and events organizers, with features spanning registration, membership management, scheduling and more

Cheddar Up enables groups to process payments and information online – for free. Create custom forms to collect registrations, waivers with e-signatures, item variations, and more. Securely collect credit card or eCheck payments and track it all with streamlined reporting.

President

For me, the online and telephone support has been the deal maker.

ClubExpress is an online club and association management system to create a website, membership database, automatic renewals, emails, event calendar and more.

Access Controls/Permissions

Accounting Integration

Activity Dashboard

Activity Tracking

Alerts/Notifications

Application Management

Attendance Management

Attendance Tracking

Attendee Tracking

Automated Scheduling

Billing & Invoicing

Calendar Management

Chapter Management

Class Registration

Class Scheduling

Client Management

Client Portal

Committee Management

Communication Management

Contact Database

Contact Management

Content Management

Credit Card Processing

Custom Domains

Customer Database

Customizable Branding

Customizable Fields

Customizable Forms

Customizable Reports

Customizable Templates

Data Import/Export

Design Management

Discount Management

Document Storage

Donor Management

Drag & Drop

Dues Management

eCommerce Management

Electronic Payments

Email Management

Email Marketing

Email Reminders

Email Templates

Enrollments/Onboarding

Event Calendar

Event Management

Event Registration

Event Scheduling

Event Ticketing

Facility Scheduling

Forms Management

For Nonprofits

Fundraising Management

Invoice Management

Job Board

Member Accounts

Member Communication

Member Communities

Member Database

Member Directory

Member Portal

Membership Management

Membership Renewals

Membership Signup

Member Types

Mobile Access

Mobile App

Multi-Language

Newsletter Management

Online Registration

Online Store Builder

Payment Processing

Personalization

Point of Sale (POS)

Pre-built Templates

Real Time Editing

Recurring/Subscription Billing

Refund Management

Registration Management

Reminders

Reporting/Analytics

Reporting & Statistics

Resource Scheduling

Search/Filter

Self Service Portal

Shopping Cart

SMS Messaging

Social Media Integration

SSL Security

Summary Reports

Survey Builder

Surveys & Feedback

Third-Party Integrations

Visitor Registration

Volunteer Management

Wait List Management

Website Analytics

Website Hosting

Website Integration

By industry, ClubExpress reviewers are most commonly professionals in non-profit organization management (29%). The most frequent use case for ClubExpress cited by reviewers is membership management (76% of reviewers).

Users and use cases

Most reviewers indicate ClubExpress offers strong value for money, with affordable pricing and no annual fees. They appreciate the reasonable per-member cost, but some reviewers find certain add-ons costly and note the lack of a free trial.

Value for money

ClubExpress is a membership management solution offering key features such as member database, payment processing, and membership renewals, among others.

ClubExpress

Web-based

iPhone

iPad

Android

WordPress

Glue Up

StarChapter

Brilliant Directories

MemberClicks

Up to 200 Members

201-300 Members

301-500 Members

501-1000 Members

Organizations Larger Than 1000 Members

Non-intuitive and dated design

84% of reviewers feel negative about ClubExpress’s user interface. Reviewers describe the interface as clunky, outdated, and difficult to navigate, especially for new or non-technical users. They indicate that many functions are not intuitive, requiring extra training or workarounds to accomplish basic tasks. Some users report that the complexity and lack of user-friendliness make it challenging to find features or complete actions efficiently. They find that the overall design feels overwhelming and does not meet modern usability standards.

Cumbersome page editing experience

president

It's nigh impossible to format a page properly - copy and paste screws up the formatting and there's no way to fix it.

69% of reviewers feel negative about ClubExpress’s page editor. Reviewers report that the templates and editing tools are limited, outdated, and difficult to customize for their organization’s needs. They indicate that formatting issues, clunky design tools, and unintuitive workflows make creating and updating web pages frustrating. Some users say that copy-paste functions, layout adjustments, and font options are problematic, often resulting in lost work or unsatisfactory page appearance. They find that the editor lacks the flexibility and ease-of-use found in other website builders.

Limited customization flexibility

50% of reviewers feel negative about ClubExpress’s customization options. Reviewers report that design templates are rigid, unattractive, and difficult to adapt to their organization’s branding or functional needs. They indicate that making significant customizations often requires technical expertise or additional costs. Some users say that the layout, color schemes, and menu options are restrictive, and that certain system pages cannot be personalized. They find that the lack of drag-and-drop functionality and hidden settings make it challenging to tailor the platform to their preferences.

Frequent glitches and frustrations

88% of reviewers feel negative about ClubExpress’s bugs and issues. Reviewers report encountering frequent glitches, slow response times, and inconsistent system behavior that disrupt workflows. They indicate that problems like lost data, confusing error messages, and non-intuitive processes cause frustration for both administrators and members. Some users say recurring technical issues, such as problems with saving changes or system slowdowns, hinder productivity. They find that these ongoing bugs require extra effort to resolve and can make the platform feel unreliable at times.

Complex and limited email tools

53% of reviewers feel negative about ClubExpress’s email communication features. Reviewers report that the email editor is cumbersome, with too many steps and limited design flexibility. They indicate that sending emails, setting up newsletters, and managing mailing lists are more complicated than necessary. Some users say that formatting inconsistencies, lack of tracking, and deliverability issues (such as emails landing in spam folders) hinder effective communication. They find that the email tools do not compare favorably to dedicated email marketing platforms in terms of usability and creative options.

Streamlined renewal process

84% of reviewers feel positive about ClubExpress’s membership renewal capabilities. Reviewers appreciate the automation of renewal reminders and online payment options, which reduce manual effort and administrative costs. They indicate that members find the renewal process straightforward, leading to higher renewal rates and fewer missed payments. Some users report that the system’s ability to customize renewal options and automate notifications is a major benefit for volunteer-run organizations. They find that online renewals save time, improve accuracy, and facilitate better communication with members during renewal cycles.

Affordable for organizations

84% of reviewers feel positive about ClubExpress’s pricing. Reviewers appreciate the reasonable cost structure, especially for small clubs and non-profits with limited budgets. They indicate that the platform offers a wide range of features at a fraction of the price of custom-built solutions or competing products. Some users report that the value provided by the software, including unlimited storage and comprehensive tools, justifies the investment. They find the absence of annual fees and the per-member pricing model particularly attractive, making it accessible for organizations of varying sizes.

Comprehensive event tools

87% of reviewers feel positive about ClubExpress’s event management features. Reviewers appreciate being able to set up, promote, and manage a wide range of events, from small gatherings to large conferences, all within one platform. They indicate that the integrated calendar, online registration, payment processing, and attendance tracking save significant administrative time. Some users report that automated reminders and communication tools help boost event participation. They find the system’s flexibility for different event types and the ability to centralize event-related tasks especially valuable for clubs and associations with frequent activities.

Responsive and knowledgeable support

93% of reviewers feel positive about ClubExpress’s customer support. Reviewers appreciate the ease of reaching support staff through multiple channels, including phone and email, and value the quick, knowledgeable responses they receive. They indicate that support is patient and willing to resolve issues, even for users with limited technical backgrounds. Some users report that the support team is attentive to feedback and consistently works to improve the platform. They find the extensive documentation, training materials, and personalized assistance especially helpful during onboarding and troubleshooting, making the platform more manageable for organizations with limited staff.

Centralized member administration

83% of reviewers feel positive about ClubExpress’s membership management features. Reviewers appreciate having a single, centralized database for managing member information, communications, and access to members-only resources. They indicate that the platform simplifies tasks like member registration, dues collection, and profile updates. Some users report that the system’s ability to support different membership types, privacy controls, and subgroup management reduces administrative workload. They find that easy access to records and communication tools improves organizational efficiency and enhances the member experience.

Website Director

The ClubExpress features that are most valuable for our organization are the membership management, online membership renewal and payment, email features, website designer, calendar, and photo galleries.

Staff

The software handles all of our renewals even sending out snail mail letters to members who do not use computers when they need to renew.

Ride Director

I had to manually grant each of these individuals the necessary admin privileges to create calendar events and train them how to create events.  

The Membership Directory is fantastic as is the number of privacy options each member has to determine what information to make available on the Directory.

Staff Commodore

it maintains our membership database very well and manages events quickly and easily.  adapting it to yacht club software needs was easily completed.

We have had them build custom functionality which has saved us countless hours of manual labor. Though new to the platform it is clear that there is a tremendous amount of functionality available as we grow into the system.

our memberships do not expire so an arbitrary date must be submitted or an automated renewal email will be generated by the system.

Treasurer

Pretty good until change of management -- I have emails that are separate for sign up and payment on new members of school nursing organization -- missing the payment email notification.  

VP Communications Charleston Running Club

I like that I can update the pages myself from the front end and don't have to know how to do much BUT the spacing and limitation on design makes it look like something my mother did.

Site Administrator

Allows members to manage their own information, while giving great ability for administrators to manage club information too!  

Executive

Its totaly management material and have to learn it fast and then it can be usable in many categories  in event mangement or traing programe.

I was looking at a member's subscription status and suggested creating an invoice for them since they couldn't log in to pay their dues.

3rd VP, Membership

You can search for a member by last or first name, by phone number, etc.

a couple of functions required a work around such as membership renewals require a date of expiration.  

It replaced two systems, one home grown, and one commercial and has reduced manual processing considerably.  

Office Administrator

The aesthetic of the website is a little dated - I wish there were more modern options for the website look and feel.

System Administrator

There's a slight left brain/right brain shift in thinking required to modify the way things operate, but it's not too difficult once you get into the swing of things.

webmaster

Anyone with moderate technical ability can set up and manage the website based on this framework.

Webmaster

I dis-like having to move my mouse over to the first field and then type the necessary search information.

How klunky the website, newsletters and events interaction pieces look to users/members/visitors.

The Communications options make it easy to communicate with the full membership, or any defined subset of the membership.

Director of Operations

HV costs more and offers fewer features, but people make the switch because of the difficulty in using CE.

Changed formatting for sending notification regarding dues collection

There are way more options than we use on our events which makes it quite confusing for many.

Membership Co-chair

So many features that we'd never had access to with the old methods of a list of members on Excel!

I just felt I had to use the Support Function way too frequently during initial setup & configuration.  

Membership Director

Multiple steps or confusing steps to delete a name from the database.

Owner

However, I am hearing from my clubs that the websites front pages look outdated and old.  

Webmaster 

Event calendar is critical to us and is somewhat complicated

I kept backing out of the transaction, or at least I thought I was, until I was stuck with three invoices I couldn't get rid of.

Board Secretary

Reporting is not straightforward and it’s difficult to filter for specific criteria.

ClubExpress vs Brilliant Directories Comparison (2026)

ClubExpress

Brilliant Directories

Overview

Video & Screenshots

Pricing

User reviews

Key features

Integrations

Alternatives