CiviCRM is open-source software for organizations managing campaigns, donations, and memberships. Its tools include online donation forms, recurring donations, automated receipts, donor segmentation, and advanced reporting. Membership management includes automated renewals and reminders, while member communications are also supported. CiviCRM integrates with WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, Backdrop, and Shopify, and is translated into more than 30 languages. The AGPL v3 license allows the software to be downloaded, used, modified, and shared. The organization states that users retain control of their data and its governing processes, and the software supports organizations pursuing privacy requirements such as GDPR. Spark is a hosted option billed per instance, not per seat: Starter costs 15.00 USD per month, Essentials costs 30.00 USD per month, and Pro costs 50.00 USD per month. Spark supports payment processing and recurring payments, but does not include access to a website CMS and is not open to complex organization-specific customization. Support options include community chat, documentation, Stack Exchange, issue tracking, and expert providers.
Who it is for
CiviCRM suits organizations managing fundraising, campaigns, or memberships, especially those seeking open-source software and control over their data. Spark may suit organizations preferring a hosted per-instance plan, provided its CMS and customization limits work for them.
What is good
- AGPL v3 permits use, modification, and sharing.
- Includes donation, campaign, and membership tools.
- Automates membership renewals and reminders.
- Integrates with several website platforms.
- Translated into more than 30 languages.
What to know first
- Spark does not include website CMS access.
- Spark excludes complex organization-specific customization.
- Spark plans limit contacts or emails as specified.
Verdict
CiviCRM combines open-source campaign, donation, and membership tools with integrations across several platforms. Spark offers hosted plans at listed monthly prices, but organizations should account for its CMS and customization limits.
CiviCRM plans and pricing
All plansCompared on membership management software
- Free plan
- Yes
- Paid from
- $15/mo
- Campaign management
- Yes
- Online donation forms
- Yes
- Recurring donations
- Yes
- Automated receipts
- Yes
- Donor segmentation
- Yes
- Reporting level
- advanced
