How Alder compares.
Every charity is different, and the right CRM depends on what you need. We believe in transparency — here’s how Alder stacks up against the alternatives.
CiviCRM
CiviCRM is impressive open-source software. It scores 4.7/5 for cost in the Fundraising Magazine CRM Survey 2025, has enormous flexibility, and an established community. If you have technical capacity — or a partner who does — CiviCRM can do almost anything.
What’s different
Simplicity vs flexibility. CiviCRM requires a developer or partner to set up, configure, and maintain. Alder is fully hosted and managed. Log in and start using it. No configuration, no plugins, no ongoing technical overhead.
Hosted and maintained. CiviCRM runs on your server or a hosting provider. You own the data, but you own the responsibility too: updates, backups, security patches, performance tuning. Alder handles all of that. You focus on your mission.
All-in-one vs extensions. CiviCRM’s power comes from extensions. Case management, volunteer scheduling, reporting — each is a separate extension that needs integration and testing. Alder is built as one platform. Everything works together out of the box.
The cost calculation. CiviCRM is free software, but the total cost of ownership is often higher than you think. Hosting (£50–£200/mo), a partner to set it up (£2,000–£5,000), ongoing support (£100–£500/mo), staff time to learn and troubleshoot — it often exceeds £59/mo, and that’s before you factor in the complexity cost. Alder is £0–£349/mo, fully managed, zero configuration.
| Alder CRM | CiviCRM | |
|---|---|---|
| Licence | Proprietary SaaS | Open source (AGPLv3) |
| Setup time | 5 minutes (sign up and go) | Days or weeks (needs developer) |
| Hosting | Fully managed by Alder | You or a hosting provider |
| Case management | Built in | Yes (CiviCase extension) |
| Volunteer management | Built in | Via extensions |
| Governance/board tools | Built in | Limited |
| Typical total cost (first year) | £0–£2,088 | £2,000–£10,000+ (hosting, setup, support) |
| Ongoing maintenance | None (Alder handles updates) | Monthly (updates, backups, security) |
Where CiviCRM wins
CiviCRM’s flexibility is unmatched. If your charity has highly unusual workflows or needs deep customisation, CiviCRM can be adapted to fit. The open-source community is established and generous with knowledge.
Where Alder wins
Alder requires no developer and no configuration. Log in and start managing supporters, cases, volunteers, and compliance — all built in and ready. Alder is fully hosted and maintained, with security, backups, and uptime as our responsibility. Your team focuses on mission, not infrastructure.
CiviCRM alternative — frequently asked questions
Is Alder CRM a good CiviCRM alternative?
Yes — especially if you're tired of managing CiviCRM's infrastructure yourself. CiviCRM is powerful but requires dedicated hosting, regular security updates, annual upgrades, and often specialist developer time. Alder is a fully managed CiviCRM alternative: no servers to maintain, no patches to apply, no contractor invoices. £0 for up to 500 contacts with every feature, including hosting, security, updates, and support.
How much does CiviCRM really cost vs Alder?
While CiviCRM is free software, the total cost of ownership adds up fast: dedicated hosting (£30–£100+/month), security and upgrade maintenance, plus specialist developer time at £50–£100+/hour for configuration and customisation. Alder costs £0–£349/month all-in — hosting, security, updates, maintenance, and support included. For a typical medium charity, switching from CiviCRM to Alder saves thousands over 3 years and eliminates the burden of self-hosting.
Can I migrate from CiviCRM to Alder?
Yes. Free data migration from CiviCRM is included with all paid Alder plans. We export your contacts, donations, memberships, events, and communication history, map them to Alder's data model, and let you run both systems in parallel. We support standard CiviCRM exports and can work with custom fields. No developer time needed on your side.