Join It makes it easy to collect membership payments via Stripe. But for a trail association or MTB club that needs digital membership cards, event management, a member mobile app, and Trailforks integration, a membership payment form is just the starting point.
This guide compares Hivepass and Join It across features, pricing, and what each platform is actually designed to do.
Join It is a lightweight membership management tool that simplifies online member sign-ups and payment collection via Stripe. It is primarily a membership form and payment layer — organisations sign up members through a hosted page, and Join It handles the transaction and basic member database.
Join It integrates with Mailchimp and HubSpot for email marketing, which means organisations that need campaigns need to manage a separate tool. There is no native mobile app for members, no digital membership cards, and no event management.
Join It suits very small organisations wanting a simple, low-cost way to accept membership payments online. As club needs grow, its limitations become apparent.
Hivepass is a membership management platform purpose-built for trail associations, mountain bike clubs, and bike parks. It is used by over 200 outdoor organisations across New Zealand, Australia, and beyond.
Where Join It is a single-purpose membership form, Hivepass is a full club operating system: native mobile app, live digital membership cards, email campaigns, event management, Trailforks integration, digital waivers, day passes, and trail management tools — all in one platform.
Hivepass uses per-member pricing. Costs scale predictably as your club grows, with no extra transaction charges on top of standard Stripe processing.
Not sure yet? Read our full buyers guide or see how other clubs use Hivepass.
Join It is a Stripe-connected membership form. Hivepass is a full club operating system for trail associations and MTB clubs. If your membership needs extend beyond payment collection — and for most active outdoor clubs they do — the platforms are in different categories entirely.
Hivepass has a full iOS and Android member app, with digital cards and offline access. Join It has none.
Hivepass includes event registration and management. Join It does not.
Hivepass has a built-in email campaign tool. Join It requires a separate Mailchimp or HubSpot subscription.
Feature information verified March 2026 — verify current features at joinit.org.
| Hivepass | Join It | |
| Cloud based member database | ||
| Member mobile app (iOS & Android) | ||
| Live digital membership card | ||
| Offline capable (app works without data) | ||
| Group & family memberships | ||
| Short-term day passes | ||
| Push notifications to members | ||
| Partner deals for members in app | ||
| QR code for direct app download |
| Hivepass | Join It | |
| Automated email renewal reminders | ||
| Built-in email campaign / newsletter tool | ||
| Event registration & management | ||
| Donation / fundraising tools | ||
| Stripe payment integration | ||
| In-app chat support for admins | ||
| Mailchimp / HubSpot integration | ||
| Free plan available |
| Hivepass | Join It | |
| Digital waivers | ||
| Trail management tools | ||
| Trailforks integration | ||
| Downloadable trail signs & stickers | ||
| Purpose-built for MTB / trail organisations |
Join It offers a free plan with limited members and paid plans at competitive entry prices. However, as your club grows you will likely need to add separate tools for email campaigns (Mailchimp), event management, and digital communications — increasing the true total cost. Hivepass includes all of this in a single per-member subscription. Verify current Join It pricing at joinit.org/pricing.
Join It has a free plan for small organisations and subscription tiers as member volume grows. Keep in mind that Join It does not include email campaigns, event management, or a member app — these require separate subscriptions (Mailchimp, Eventbrite, etc.), which add to your total software cost. Verify current pricing at Join It's website.
Join It: Join It is designed to be simple to set up — a hosted membership form connected to Stripe is quick to configure, and the admin dashboard is minimal. For basic payment collection this is a genuine strength. External integrations (Mailchimp, HubSpot) add configuration overhead for those who need them.
Hivepass: Hivepass is designed for rapid onboarding by volunteer committees. Most clubs are live and collecting memberships within a few days. The Hivepass team provides hands-on support via in-app chat throughout setup, and because the platform is purpose-built for outdoor clubs, there's no adapting generic tools to your workflows.
There is no setup fee for Hivepass. Your members download the app via a unique QR code that takes them directly to your club in the App Store or Google Play.
Independent reviews are one of the most reliable ways to evaluate software. Below are current ratings for both platforms.
4.9 / 5 — verified reviews from trail associations and MTB clubs
Join It has a small number of reviews on Capterra. The reviews tend to come from very small organisations who value simplicity. As your club grows and needs expand, these reviews may not reflect your experience.
Join It may be worth considering if:
For trail associations and MTB clubs, Join It's lack of a mobile app, digital membership cards, event management, email campaigns, and all trail-specific features means you will quickly need multiple additional tools — or a platform that includes everything from the start.
Purpose-built for trail associations and MTB clubs
Hivepass is trusted by over 200 trail associations and mountain bike clubs across New Zealand, Australia, and beyond. This isn't a generic membership platform adapted for cycling — it has been built from the ground up around the specific needs of outdoor organisations.
That depth of experience matters. Hivepass understands trail access management, the difference between a day pass and an annual membership, how clubs use digital cards as trail access credentials, and the administrative reality of a committee-run volunteer organisation. Every feature in the platform has been shaped by feedback from real clubs just like yours.
When Hivepass is the right call
See how real trail associations and MTB clubs use Hivepass →
Join It is a lightweight membership management tool that connects to Stripe for payment collection. It works well for very small organisations with simple membership sign-up needs. For active outdoor clubs that need a mobile app, digital cards, events, and trail-specific tools it becomes limiting quickly.
Join It does not have a native mobile app for members. Hivepass provides a full iOS and Android member app with live digital membership cards, offline capability, push notifications, and Trailforks integration.
Join It can collect membership payments, but it lacks the features that MTB clubs and trail associations need — no digital membership cards, no member mobile app, no day passes, no Trailforks integration, no trail management tools, and no built-in event management. You would need to combine Join It with several other tools to replicate what Hivepass provides in one platform.
Join It has a low entry price, but it doesn't include email campaigns, event management, or a member app — you'll need separate subscriptions for those. Hivepass includes all of these in a single per-member subscription. For any club doing more than basic payment collection, Hivepass's all-in-one value often works out less expensive overall.
Yes. The Hivepass team helps migrate your member data during onboarding. Most clubs are live and accepting membership payments within a few days of signing up.
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