CLUBROVIA vs CLUBFORCE
Both platforms target Irish grassroots clubs. The honest difference is the commercial model (annual subscription vs zero platform fee), the breadth of built-in modules, and how transparent transaction pricing is. Below is a feature-by-feature comparison sourced from Clubforce's public pages.
The complete club OS
Operations, payments, messaging, fundraising, tournaments and a public ClubHub mini-site — built for grassroots clubs in Ireland with no monthly fees.
Best for: Clubs that don't want an annual platform subscription, want every fee disclosed upfront, want built-in messaging instead of an SMS add-on, and want a single platform that also covers tournaments, facility booking, sessions, vetting and a public ClubHub mini-site out of the box.
Long-running Irish club CRM with native mobile app
Galway-headquartered platform serving GAA, soccer, rugby and other clubs across Ireland and the UK since 2012. Three priced products — Membership, Fundraising (Club Lotto) and a Bundle — sold on annual subscriptions, plus a free branded club website and the Clubforce Connect mobile app.
Best for: Established Irish or UK clubs — especially GAA, soccer and rugby — that want a long-standing vendor, a dedicated account manager, a native mobile app branded 'Clubforce Connect' and a UK Gambling Commission-compliant lotto.
What Clubforce does well
- Track record: trading since 2012 with thousands of Irish and UK clubs across GAA, soccer, rugby and more.
- Native iOS/Android app (Clubforce Connect) listed on the App Store and Google Play — useful for clubs that prioritise an app-store presence.
- Dedicated account manager and structured onboarding/training included with the annual fee.
- Club Lotto product is UK Gambling Commission-compliant — relevant for clubs running lotteries in Northern Ireland or Great Britain.
- Sponsorship branding slots inside the platform that clubs can resell to local sponsors at no extra Clubforce charge.
- Family / bundle plans, instalments, discount codes and upsell-at-checkout on memberships.
Key differences, plainly stated
The six areas where the two platforms genuinely diverge — read these before the feature matrix.
Pricing model
Clubforce charges an annual subscription (€25/mo Membership, €25/mo Fundraising, €35/mo Bundle, paid annually) plus undisclosed transaction fees quoted on request. ClubRovia charges €0 platform fee and publishes every transaction fee — and the buyer covers them, so the club nets 100% of the named price.
Breadth of platform
Clubforce centres on three products: Membership, Fundraising/Lotto and a Club Website. Tournaments, facility booking, sessions and ticketed events are not core modules. ClubRovia ships those plus messaging, invoicing, shop, ClubHub mini-site and four portals (Admin, Coach, Member, Referee) in one platform.
Mobile experience
Clubforce ships a native app, 'Clubforce Connect'. ClubRovia is an installable Progressive Web App — same home-screen experience without App Store gatekeeping or update queues.
Messaging
Clubforce provides communication tools and notifications via the app; SMS is typically paid per message. ClubRovia includes 1:1 chat, group chat, broadcast and RSVP messaging — GDPR-logged, no SMS add-on required for in-app delivery.
Lotto & gambling compliance
Clubforce's lotto is UK Gambling Commission-compliant — a real plus for clubs in NI/GB. ClubRovia's lotto is built for the Irish Charitable Lottery framework. If you run a lottery in GB or NI, Clubforce is currently the safer fit; if you operate in the Republic of Ireland, both work.
Transparency
Clubforce publicly states transaction rates 'vary depending on the precise nature of each transaction' and asks clubs to contact them for figures. ClubRovia publishes its full rate card on /pricing.
Feature-by-feature
Claims about Clubforce are based on their publicly published feature and pricing pages at time of writing. Verify against their current site before deciding.
| Capability | ClubRovia | Clubforce |
|---|---|---|
| Published platform fee | €0 — none | Membership €25/mo, Fundraising €25/mo, Bundle €35/mo (annual) |
| Setup fee | €0 | Not published |
| Transaction fees published | Full rate card on /pricing | Quoted on request — 'vary by transaction type' |
| Multi-year discount | Not needed — no subscription | Yes, on multi-year sign-ups |
| Online membership registration | Pricing Brain + family bundles + instalments | CRM, instalments, bundle plans, discount codes |
| Native mobile app | Installable PWA (iOS + Android) | Clubforce Connect native app |
| In-app messaging (1:1, group, broadcast) | Built-in, GDPR-logged, free | App notifications; SMS billed per message |
| Club Lotto / fundraising | 9 campaign types (lotto, draws, patrons, donations, sponsorship, crowdfunding…) | Online lotto / draw module; UK Gambling Commission-compliant |
| Public branded website | ClubHub mini-site auto-generated + optional bespoke build | Free branded website with any package |
| Tournaments & fixtures engine | Built-in Command Center (5 formats) | Not a core module |
| Facility / pitch booking | Visual calendar + tiered pricing built in | Not a core module |
| Training sessions & attendance | Coach Hub + attendance + resource library | Not a core module |
| Ticketed events with QR check-in | Built in (gate scanner) | Not native |
| Shop / merchandise | Built in (collection or shipping) | Not native |
| Invoicing (B2B, sponsors, ad-hoc) | Branded invoices via Stripe | Not native |
| Garda Vetting & Safeguarding tracker | Native NVB tracker with expiry hard-stops | Available within member CRM |
| Multi-portal architecture | Admin, Coach, Member, Referee — all included | Admin + member portal via Connect app |
| Treasurer reconciliation dashboard | Real-time, with failed-transaction visibility | Management/reporting views |
| Dedicated account manager | Email + chat support, onboarding included | Yes — included in annual fee |
| Years operating | New-generation platform | Since 2012 |
| Payments processor | Stripe Connect (EU) — club keeps 100% of named price | Integrated processor; rates on request |
| Data residency | EU (Ireland) hosting, RLS, Irish DPA 2018 aligned | Irish-headquartered vendor |
Clubforce pricing and feature claims above are sourced from clubforce.com/pricing and clubforce.com/products (verified 2026). Transaction-fee figures are not published by Clubforce and are quoted on request — ask for them in writing before signing.
No monthly fee vs platform pricing
FAQs
Is Clubforce more expensive than ClubRovia?▾
On platform fees, yes — Clubforce publishes €25/mo for Membership, €25/mo for Fundraising or €35/mo for the Bundle, all paid annually. That's €300–€420 per year before any transaction fees, which Clubforce does not publish. ClubRovia charges no platform fee and publishes every transaction rate on /pricing. For a small or volunteer-run club the gap can be the full annual subscription; for a large club running heavy lotto volume, you should compare the published transaction rates side-by-side with a quote from Clubforce.
Does Clubforce have features ClubRovia doesn't?▾
Two real ones to know about. First, Clubforce's lotto is UK Gambling Commission-compliant, which matters if you operate in Northern Ireland or Great Britain — ClubRovia's lotto is built for the Republic of Ireland charitable lottery framework. Second, Clubforce ships a native mobile app on the App Store and Google Play (Clubforce Connect); ClubRovia is an installable PWA, which is functionally similar but isn't listed in the stores.
Does ClubRovia have features Clubforce doesn't?▾
Yes — several. Built-in tournaments and fixtures engine, facility/pitch booking, training session management with attendance, ticketed events with QR check-in, a club shop, B2B invoicing, a Coach portal, a Referee portal with payments, and an auto-generated public ClubHub mini-site. On Clubforce these are either not available or require add-ons or a separate Clubforce Club Website.
Can we migrate from Clubforce to ClubRovia?▾
Yes. We import member rosters, teams, household relationships and payment history from a Clubforce CSV export. Most clubs migrate inside a single committee meeting and stay in parallel for one billing cycle before switching off the Clubforce subscription.
What happens to our Clubforce Connect app users?▾
Members install the ClubRovia PWA from clubrovia.com on iOS or Android in two taps — it sits on the home screen exactly like a native app. We can pre-load their account so first login is just an SMS code.
Where can I verify the Clubforce pricing you've quoted?▾
Directly at clubforce.com/pricing. We sourced the figures above from that page and we recommend you confirm them — and request a written quote for transaction fees — before you decide.
Why is ClubRovia free to set up?▾
We don't charge subscription or setup fees because we believe volunteer-run clubs shouldn't pay a platform just to exist. We earn a small transaction fee only when money actually moves — and the buyer covers it, so your club nets 100% of the price.
Try ClubRovia. Decide for yourself.
Spin up a free club in minutes. Migrate your members and switch back any time — there's no lock-in.