AssoConnect vs Congressus

These two association platforms start from different problems. AssoConnect, from a Paris-based company, puts a full accounting module next to dues, donations and ticketing, and its Paiement offer costs nothing. Congressus, which the About page ties to Groningen and Dutch servers, bills a package plus EUR 0,10 per member and adds usage charges for storage, SMS and tickets. The practical split is accounting depth and a free collection tool against a published meter and a Dutch payment stack. Each is built around one national market, and AssoConnect's home page lists no outside integrations.

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Both are reviewed in full in our membership and associations ranking: AssoConnect and Congressus.

1. 01

   Year-end closing and the treasurer's workload

   AssoConnect lists a custom chart of accounts, bookkeeping entries, bank reconciliation, year-end closing, expense reports, analytical accounting and forecast budgets. That is a real ledger rather than an export to a spreadsheet, and it sits beside the member database. Congressus covers membership fee invoicing and debtor management, and connects to Exact Online and Moneybird at EUR 15 each, so the books live elsewhere. For a treasurer who files accounts every spring, AssoConnect keeps more of that work inside one tool.

   Edge: AssoConnect

2. 02

   How the bill is built up

   Congressus publishes four plans, Start, Plus, Pro and Enterprise, with two monthly figures each (Start EUR 71 and EUR 29, Enterprise EUR 166 and EUR 124), all excluding 21% VAT, plus EUR 0,10 per member per month. The page does not label the two figures. AssoConnect calls its Paiement offer free and prints no figure for Sérénité on the page we fetched. The Dutch tool is easier to model in a spreadsheet, while the French one is cheaper to begin with.

   Depends on the buyer

3. 03

   Extra charges that arrive after signing

   Congressus includes 10 GB of storage and then charges EUR 0,25 per GB per month. An SMS costs EUR 0,095, an online payment EUR 0,10 plus Mollie fees, and a QR ticket EUR 0,39. Modules such as Carrière, Organisaties and Verhuur add EUR 10 to EUR 40 each month. AssoConnect's home page lists no usage meter, but it also gives no figure for Sérénité, so a buyer must ask before assuming it works out cheaper.

   Edge: AssoConnect

4. 04

   iDEAL, Wero and what a payment costs

   Congressus names iDEAL and Wero payments and automatic direct debit (incasso), which is what Dutch members expect. AssoConnect lists a payment terminal, payment links, installment and recurring payments and tipping, with donation, ticketing and online shop forms beside them. For an association collecting cash at events in person, the terminal is a useful extra. For recurring dues from Dutch bank accounts, the Congressus stack matches local habits more closely, at EUR 0,10 per online payment plus Mollie fees.

   Edge: Congressus

5. 05

   Support hours and the way in

   AssoConnect offers email support Monday to Friday with replies within 24 working hours, plus 350 articles and videos. Both its plans carry a start for free button, though no trial length is given, and electronic invoicing is marked as coming soon. Congressus states a 30-day free trial and says the demo environment can be extended by agreement, but names no free plan. A volunteer board that wants a full month to test before committing will find Congressus clearer on this point.

   Edge: Congressus

6. 06

   Where boards and data sit

   Congressus says data is processed on Dutch servers and names an office in De Pijp, Groningen, and the founder Jochem Pastoor. AssoConnect SAS lists a registered office in Paris with share capital of EUR 74 017,10, and its legal notice names no host and no owner, only a publication director named as a cofounder. For a board that has to answer a member question about where data is kept, Congressus gives the plainer written answer, which a secretary can quote.

   Edge: Congressus

Does a French treasurer lose anything by choosing Congressus?

Congressus lists invoicing, debtor management and Exact Online or Moneybird connections, not a ledger of its own. Those two connections cost EUR 15 each. A treasurer who wants bookkeeping inside the member tool will find that in AssoConnect's accounting module.

Can I try either product before paying?

Congressus states a 30-day free trial, and the demo environment can be extended by agreement. AssoConnect shows a free Offre Paiement with a start for free button, but gives no trial length on the home page. No Congressus free plan is named at all.

What happens to the price as the membership grows?

Congressus adds EUR 0,10 per member per month on top of the package, and archived member statuses are not charged.

Its FAQ says to contact the company above 1,500 members, while the pricing section says above 5,000. AssoConnect's paid plan is described as priced by member count, but no figures appeared on the page we fetched.

• AssoConnect home page: the free Offre Paiement, the accounting module list, payment terminal and links, 24-hour email replies and 350 help articles.
• AssoConnect legal notice: AssoConnect SAS, the EUR 74 017,10 share capital and the Paris registered office.
• Congressus pricing page: the four packages, EUR 0,10 per member, usage fees, add-on modules, trial and member thresholds.
• Congressus About page: the De Pijp office in Groningen, Dutch servers and the named founder.