Sporty is a popular NZ website platform for sports clubs. But if your organisation needs a genuine membership management system — with a mobile app, digital membership cards, and purpose-built trail tools — the comparison changes quickly.
This guide compares Hivepass and Sporty across features, pricing, and what each platform is actually built for.
Sporty is a New Zealand-based platform that provides free website hosting and club management tools for sports organisations. It is widely used across NZ sports clubs as a low-cost way to establish an online presence and collect membership payments.
Sporty's free tier includes a club website, basic member registration, and team management tools. It sustains the free model by displaying advertisements to your members. The paid tier removes ads and unlocks additional features but introduces per-member annual pricing that scales up quickly as your club grows.
Sporty is primarily designed around team sports such as football, netball, and cricket — its features reflect this, with draws, grades, and team sheets as core functionality.
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.
Unlike generalist club platforms, Hivepass is built around the specific workflows of outdoor organisations: digital membership cards that double as trail access passes, Trailforks integration, short-term day passes, digital waivers, and a native mobile app for members on iOS and Android.
Hivepass uses simple per-member pricing — costs scale with your club, with no extra platform transaction fees on top of standard Stripe processing.
Not sure yet? Read our full buyers guide or see how other clubs use Hivepass.
Sporty is a free NZ sports club website builder with basic membership bolt-ons. Hivepass is a dedicated membership platform built for trail associations and MTB clubs — with a native mobile app, digital membership cards, and outdoor-specific tooling that Sporty simply doesn't offer.
Hivepass has a native iOS and Android app. Sporty does not.
Hivepass members carry a live digital card. Sporty has no equivalent.
200+ MTB clubs and trail associations run on Hivepass. Sporty is built for team sports.
A full feature breakdown of Hivepass vs Sporty Free and Sporty Paid. Feature information verified March 2026 — verify current features at sporty.co.nz.
| Hivepass | Sporty Free | Sporty Paid | |
| 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 | |||
| No ads shown to members | |||
| QR code for direct app download |
| Hivepass | Sporty Free | Sporty Paid | |
| Automated email renewal reminders | |||
| Email campaign / newsletter tool | |||
| Number of admins | Unlimited | 2 | Unlimited |
| In-app chat support for admins | |||
| Phone support for admins | |||
| Customisable member fields | |||
| Event registration & management | |||
| Social media integration |
| Hivepass | Sporty Free | Sporty Paid | |
| Digital waivers | |||
| Trail management tools | |||
| Trailforks integration | |||
| Downloadable trail signs & stickers | |||
| Purpose-built for MTB / trail organisations | |||
| Designed for team sports (draws, grades) |
All prices in NZD per year. Hivepass pricing scales by member count — Stripe processing fees apply but there are no extra platform transaction fees. Sporty Free adds a 1% + $0.20 transaction fee per payment. Sporty Paid replaces transaction fees with a per-member annual charge plus a one-time setup cost.
| Hivepass | Sporty Free | Sporty Paid | |
| 100 members | $360 | $718 | $696 |
| 300 members | $410 | $858 | $2,052 |
| 1,000 members | $970 | $1,348 | $5,400 |
| 5,000 members | $2,530 | $4,148 | $14,400 |
| Setup fee | $0 | $0 | $150 |
| Extra fees to unlock features | No | No | Yes |
| Transaction % fees on top of Stripe | No | 1% + $0.20 | No |
For a full breakdown of Hivepass pricing, visit pricing.hivepass.app.
Sporty: Sporty is relatively straightforward for setting up a basic club website and enabling member registrations. Because it serves a broad range of NZ clubs there is strong community knowledge and phone support available.
Hivepass: Hivepass is designed for rapid onboarding — most clubs are live and collecting memberships within a few days. The Hivepass team provides hands-on support via in-app chat and guides your committee through every step of configuration. Because the platform is built around the way outdoor clubs actually operate, the workflows feel immediately familiar.
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
Sporty is not listed on major software review platforms like Capterra. We encourage you to speak with other NZ club administrators who have used both platforms before deciding.
Sporty is a reasonable choice if:
If you are a trail association, MTB club, or bike park, Sporty's team-sport focus means several features you need — digital cards, day passes, trail tools, offline app — simply aren't available.
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 →
Sporty offers a free tier for NZ sports clubs, but it displays advertisements to your members and limits the number of admins to two. The paid tier removes ads and enables more features, but introduces per-member annual fees that scale significantly as your club grows.
Sporty does not offer a native mobile app for club members. Hivepass provides a full iOS and Android app, complete with digital membership cards, offline capability, push notifications, and partner deals for members.
Yes. The Hivepass team helps you migrate your existing member data during onboarding. Most clubs are live and accepting membership payments within a few days of signing up.
Hivepass is purpose-built for trail associations, MTB clubs, and bike parks, but any outdoor or recreational organisation can benefit from the platform. If your members spend time outdoors and you want to provide a first-class membership experience, Hivepass is designed for that.
Hivepass uses per-member pricing — a cost that scales predictably with your club, with no extra transaction charges on top of Stripe. Sporty Free adds a 1% + $0.20 fee to every membership payment. Sporty Paid removes transaction fees but charges per-member at rates that significantly exceed Hivepass at 300+ members.
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