Investment & Pricing
One investment. Built to your mission.
No monthly fees. No vendor lock-in. A custom platform built exactly around your organisation — starting from $12,000, owned outright, and fundable through grants. Built for associations, non-profits, and mission-driven communities.
Platform Packages
Choose your starting point
Every package is fully custom-built for your organisation. These are starting configurations — your strategy call will refine scope, timeline, and investment.
Tier 01
Foundation
Your first custom platform. Core community infrastructure built exactly to your spec — no bloat, no features you don't need.
$12,000–$18,000
One-time investment · Web platform
vs. ~$10K/yr to rent SaaS — own it outright in under 2 years
What's included
- Member registration, authentication, and profiles
- Up to 10 groups or chapters
- Community discussion feed
- Direct messaging between members
- Event creation and RSVP management
- Basic admin dashboard and member management tools
- Email notifications
- Custom domain
- Hosted on your own cloud infrastructure
- Full source code access — yours to manage and extend
- Your data on your servers, fully in your control
Tier 02
Community
The full web community experience. For organisations migrating from SaaS or building a serious member platform from scratch.
$20,000–$28,000
One-time investment · Web platform
vs. ~$15K/yr to rent SaaS — pays for itself within 2 years
What's included
- Unlimited groups and chapters with sub-group support
- Member directory with search and filtering
- Course or resource library
- Paid membership tiers and subscription billing
- Advanced event management (ticketing, RSVP caps, automated reminders)
- Engagement and growth analytics dashboard
- CRM integration (Salesforce, HubSpot, or equivalent)
- Email marketing platform integration
- Custom member onboarding flows
- Role-based permissions beyond basic admin/member
Tier 03
Full Platform
Web platform plus native iOS and Android. For organisations where mobile access is central to the member experience.
$35,000–$48,000
One-time investment · Web + iOS + Android
vs. ~$25K/yr to rent SaaS — paid off in under 2 years
What's included
- Native iOS app (App Store listed and submitted)
- Native Android app (Google Play listed and submitted)
- Push notifications
- In-app messaging
- Mobile-optimised onboarding flows
- App Store and Google Play setup and optimization
Tier 04
Enterprise
Custom scope for large organisations with complex infrastructure, compliance, or integration requirements.
What's included
- SSO and enterprise authentication (SAML, OAuth)
- Advanced role and permission hierarchies that map to your org structure
- Data residency and compliance support (GDPR, SOC 2 alignment)
- Custom integrations (Workday, Microsoft Teams, Salesforce, and others)
- Architecture designed for 100,000+ members
- White-label control at every layer
- Custom SLA and dedicated support agreement
Enterprise scope is defined in consultation. Apply for a strategy call to begin scoping.
Ranges reflect scope, not just member count. A 500-member organisation building a full-featured platform with mobile apps may invest more than a 5,000-member organisation that needs a focused web platform. Our strategy call defines scope, timeline, and the investment that makes sense for your goals — before any commitment. Grant documentation is available on request.
See how this compares to your current SaaS cost
Enter your current platform fees and see the 10-year ownership math, live.
Platform Stewardship
Your platform is built. This keeps it running.
Your platform is built. This keeps it running, secure, and improving — without you managing it.
Stewardship is optional. Some organisations manage their platform in-house or with their own developer. These plans are for organisations that want Socio Connect to handle it.
Steward
$4,800/year
$400/month
Best for: Organisations with light platform activity and a small internal team
- Security patches and dependency updates
- Monthly platform health check
- Hosting monitoring and uptime alerts
- Up to 4 hours of minor updates per month (copy changes, configuration adjustments)
- Email support (48-hour response time)
Guardian
$9,600/year
$800/month
Best for: Active communities with regular content, events, and member growth
- Up to 10 hours of minor updates and feature adjustments per month
- Quarterly platform performance review
- Analytics reporting (engagement, growth, retention — monthly summary)
- Integration monitoring (CRM sync, email platform, payment processor)
- Priority email support (24-hour response time)
- One annual planning call with the Socio Connect team
Partner
$18,000/year
$1,500/month
Best for: Organisations actively expanding their platform and needing a dedicated technical partner
- Up to 20 hours of development per month (new features, design changes, expansion work)
- Dedicated Slack channel with the Socio Connect team
- Bi-monthly strategy calls
- Roadmap planning and feature prioritisation support
- First priority on new build capacity
- Same-day response on urgent issues
All stewardship plans are annual agreements. Hosting costs ($200–$800/month) are separate and paid directly to your cloud provider — not included in stewardship pricing.
Not sure which plan fits? We'll recommend one during the strategy call.
Apply for a Strategy CallThe Custom-Build Advantage
What you actually get vs. SaaS limitations
SaaS platforms charge $10,000–$25,000+ per year — for a template that wasn't built for you. General dev agencies charge 3–5× more upfront. Socio Connect delivers complete customisation at a price that works for mission-driven organisations.
| Feature | Socio Connect | SaaS Platform | Avg Dev Agency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fully custom-built to your spec | |||
| Your data, fully in your control | Partial | ||
| Recurring platform fees | None | $10K–$25K/yr | Maintenance only |
| Custom branding | Full | Limited | Full |
| Custom features / logic | |||
| Native mobile apps | Optional | Wrapper only | Optional |
| Can move vendors any time | Data locked | ||
| Grant-fundable (capital spend) | |||
| Build cost (mid-tier) | $20K–$28K | $10K–$25K/yr ongoing | $60K–$120K |
Common Questions
Frequently asked
More questions? Apply for a strategy call and we'll answer them directly.
Ready to build your platform, your way?
Apply for a strategy call. We'll review your scope, discuss your timeline, and determine if Socio Connect is the right fit for your organisation.