Covey vs. Join It
Lightweight, Mailchimp-and-Stripe-centric membership tool. 4,000+ orgs, $100M processed. Simple, cheap, low ceiling. Here is how Covey compares, where Join It still makes sense, and where it does not.
Choose Covey if
Organizations that have outgrown Join It's thin feature set, that want native event registration instead of Eventbrite, and that want to stop stacking service fees on top of Stripe: Covey takes 0% of payments.
Choose Join It if
Very small organizations (under 500 members) already committed to Mailchimp + Stripe + Eventbrite that want the cheapest possible way to add a membership list on top.
01 · At a glance
02 · Feature by feature
Custom fields, tags, membership levels, audit trail, CSV import and export, household memberships (one payer, a login and directory entry per person)
Member records with avatars, inline editing, custom fields
Ticket types with member pricing, waitlists, non-member registration, coupon codes, check-in, and a cart for up to 10 events in one checkout
Relies on Eventbrite integration; no native cart
Recurring dues, invoicing, coupons, donations and automatic renewal reminders, with card payments through your own Stripe account. Covey takes 0% of payments. Installment plans for annual levels (monthly or quarterly)
Recurring via Stripe; Join It adds 2–3% service fee
Composer with templates, segments, and open and click tracking; A/B subject lines on broadcasts; no per-email charges on any plan
Mailchimp integration required; two-way sync is strong
Modern drag-and-drop builder with considered typography, member-only pages, and a custom domain on every plan
No built-in website builder; widget embed on your CMS
Coming soon. Forums and private groups are on the roadmap and not in Covey yet
None
Priced by active members, not contacts: $49 (100), $79 (250), $139 (500), $229 (2,000) a month; annual billing is 2 months free; every feature on every plan; migration included
$29 or $99/mo + 2–3% service fees stacked on Stripe
Human, every plan, US-based
Chat/phone/email, fast replies, consistent across tiers
03 · Pricing, in real numbers
Join It's sticker price is low ($29 or $99/mo). The real cost is the 2–3% service fee stacked on top of Stripe fees, plus whatever you pay Mailchimp and Eventbrite to fill the gaps.
From joinit.com/pricing. Service fees apply IN ADDITION to Stripe's ~2.9% + $0.30. At high transaction volumes, total payment cost exceeds most AMS alternatives.
Priced by active members; event-only guests and prospects don't count. Every plan has every feature, including a custom domain, migration, and human support. No setup fees. Covey takes 0% of your dues and event payments, and there are no per-email charges. 30-day free trial, no card required.
04 · Year-one total cost
Join It's headline price is low, but the service fee structure means high-transaction orgs pay more than they realize. At $30k processed you pay about $600 extra in service fees on Total; at $100k that climbs to $2,000.
At low volumes, platform costs are similar. The Join It service fee on top of Stripe adds up: at $100k processed, that's an extra $2,000/year on Total ($3,000 on Starter).
05 · Integrations
06 · What users actually say
Join It earns consistent praise for simplicity and the Mailchimp sync. Complaints cluster on the ceiling: limited customization, service fees, and API gated to Total.
What people praise
What people complain about
Sources: Capterra reviewer analysis April 2026
07 · If your organization looks like this
If you are: A 100-member theater group with Mailchimp already set up and dues of $50/year
Better choice: Join It
Starter plan at $29/mo is the cheapest way to collect dues on top of existing Mailchimp. Native sync works well.
If you are: A 500-member cycling club running 20 events/year
Better choice: Covey
Join It's Eventbrite dependency means every event has its own fees and registration path. Covey's native event registration keeps registration and dues in one plheckout.
If you are: Any org processing more than $50k/year in dues or events
Better choice: Covey
The 2–3% Join It service fee stacks on Stripe. At $100k volume, that's $2,000–$3,000/year that goes to Join It on top of payment processing.
08 · Where Covey is different
Legacy membership platforms feel like they were designed in 2008. Covey is built by a small team that treats typography, spacing, and the quiet details as the product.
A real human moves your members, levels, and renewal dates from your existing platform and rebuilds your upcoming events and email templates. You're live on Covey inside 48 hours, not six weeks.
No support tiers, no ticket queues that take four business days. Every plan includes a real person answering your questions, often the same person who wrote the feature.
One page, plain numbers. Plans are priced by active members, not contacts, and every plan has every feature. Migration is included, onboarding is included, support is included.
What Join It does well
Where Join It falls short
Switching from Join It?
We import members and membership records from Join It. Because most Join It orgs use Mailchimp and Eventbrite alongside, we also rebuild your email templates and upcoming events in Covey during the same migration.
09 · Support, when it matters
10 · Frequently asked
Covey is designed specifically for organizations considering a move off Join It. A real human moves your members, membership levels, renewal dates and custom fields, and rebuilds your upcoming events and email templates, in a single 48-hour engagement.
Covey is priced by active members, with every feature on every plan: $49/month for up to 100 active members, $79 for 250, $139 for 500, and $229 for 2,000 (annual billing is 2 months free; over 2,000, talk to us). Migration is included and Covey takes 0% of your payments. Join It: Starter $29/mo (3% service fee on transactions, plus Stripe fees). Total $99/mo (2% service fee, plus Stripe fees). Annual prepay discounts available. Nonprofit discounts available.
We import members and membership records from Join It. Because most Join It orgs use Mailchimp and Eventbrite alongside, we also rebuild your email templates and upcoming events in Covey during the same migration.
"No API or access to backend in basic edition" — webhooks only on the $99 tier (Capterra) Service fees stack on top of Stripe fees (2% on Total plan, 3% on Starter) "Cannot include attachments in a general mass email" (Capterra)
Very small organizations (under 500 members) already committed to Mailchimp + Stripe + Eventbrite that want the cheapest possible way to add a membership list on top.
No. Covey covers member management, events, dues, email and your website. Community forums are coming soon. Join It has more breadth in niche areas accumulated over a decade-plus of product history. Covey is newer and opinionated about how those workflows should feel. If you need a specific Join It feature you rely on daily, ask us before you decide.
Yes. Covey is generally available: start a 30-day free trial with no card required, then plans start at $49/month. Join It has the longer track record and a deeper back catalogue of niche features. Covey is the newer platform, built for 2026, with a faster release cadence and migration from Join It included on every plan.
Ready when you are
Start today, or ask us for a live walkthrough with your own data first.
Start 30-day free trial30 days free, no card required · Plans from $49/month · Migration from any platform included
