Board portals for nonprofits, compared

The best board management software for nonprofits

The board portals an executive director actually shortlists — Boardable, BoardEffect, OnBoard, and BoardPro — next to ours, compared on what matters to a nonprofit board: how it is priced, what your whole board pays, what committees cost, and what you are committing to.

Full disclosure: we make I'mBoard. Competitor facts come from each vendor's public pricing page, checked September 2026; where a vendor only quotes after a demo, we say so instead of guessing.

Side by side: what a 15-director board pays

Published list pricing where it exists; "Not published" where the price is quoted on request.

  • I'mBoard — verified nonprofit

    Pricing model
    Flat per board, monthly
    15 directors, per year
    $888/yr ($74/mo)
    The catch
    Free until after your next meeting (up to 60 days), no card. Requires EIN verification of 501(c)(3) status — one field, checked automatically.

  • I'mBoard — standard

    Pricing model
    Flat per board, monthly
    15 directors, per year
    $1,788/yr ($149/mo)
    The catch
    Free until after your next meeting (up to 60 days), no card

  • Boardable Essentials

    Pricing model
    Per member, annual pricing shown
    15 directors, per year
    ≈$3,778/yr for 15 members
    The catch
    14 days. Annual pricing shown; cost scales with your roster

  • BoardEffect (Diligent)

    Pricing model
    Quoted on request, annual
    15 directors, per year
    Not published
    The catch
    No free trial. Sales-led; annual contract; enterprise-tier pricing for a nonprofit board

  • OnBoard

    Pricing model
    Quoted on request, tiered
    15 directors, per year
    Not published
    The catch
    No free trial. Nonprofit discount conditioned on a multi-year contract with auto-renew; seat minimums and add-ons

  • BoardPro

    Pricing model
    Tiered plans
    15 directors, per year
    $165/mo list ($1,980/yr)
    The catch
    30 days. Nonprofit discount is annual-locked; most-wanted features gated to the top tier (Premium $275/mo (list))

Cost figures for per-member and tiered tools are published list prices as of September 2026 and assume a 15-director board where the math requires one. Competitor names are trademarks of their respective owners; we're not affiliated with them. Plans change, so verify before deciding.

Which one fits which board

We make I'mBoard, so it is listed first; the others follow in no particular order.

  1. I'mBoard

    Best for: A 5–15 director 501(c)(3) that wants a published, flat monthly price with no contract

    Flat per board per month — $74 for EIN-verified 501(c)(3)s, $149 standard — with every director and every committee included, billed monthly. Decisions and action items are captured as they happen, the minutes are written in the same system, and board documents and minutes are filed in a searchable archive.

    Watch for: Built for one nonprofit board and its committees — not for a governance team running dozens of subsidiary boards.

    See every number on the pricing page

  2. Boardable

    Best for: Nonprofits that want a nonprofit-specialist portal and are comfortable paying per member, annually

    A portal built around nonprofit boards, with a free Core plan (capped at 50 documents and 3 groups). The paid plans are per member: Boardable uses per-member pricing and displays an annual total, so a 15-director nonprofit board pays for 15 seats that mostly open the packet twice a year.

    Watch for: Cost scales with your roster, and it does not offer nonprofit discounts on top of its pricing.

    Boardable alternatives for nonprofit boards

  3. BoardEffect

    Best for: Larger nonprofits that want an enterprise-grade governance vendor and run a procurement process

    BoardEffect is Diligent's nonprofit portal — quoted on request, annual, and sold the way enterprise software is sold. It suits organizations with a governance staff and a procurement process to match.

    Watch for: No published price — expect a demo, a quote, and an annual term.

    BoardEffect alternatives for nonprofit boards

  4. OnBoard

    Best for: Boards that want a mature, widely reviewed horizontal platform and are fine buying through sales

    A broad board-management platform used by boards of every kind, sold in three tiers (Essentials, Premium, Ultimate). Its pricing page says cost depends on the plan tier and the number of users, quoted after a demo.

    Watch for: Quote-only and priced by user count, so every director is a line on the quote — get the term and renewal conditions in writing.

    OnBoard vs. I'mBoard

  5. BoardPro

    Best for: Small boards that want a published per-board price and can commit to an annual plan

    One of the few portals that publishes its prices, per board, in three tiers (Essentials, Premium, Ultimate). Subcommittees are billed on top of the plan, and voting, minutes signing, and AI sit in the Premium tier rather than the entry plan.

    Watch for: The nonprofit discount is only available on an annual plan.

    BoardPro vs. I'mBoard

Moving off Diligent's enterprise suite? See alternatives to Diligent Boards for nonprofit boards. Looking for a free option? See what free board management software actually exists.

Four questions to ask before you choose

What happens when the board grows?

Rosters change every year — new directors, a new committee, an advisory group. Ask what each addition costs before you sign, not after the nominating committee has done its work.

What does your whole board cost?

Per-member pricing multiplies by your roster; per-committee pricing multiplies by your structure. Price the board you actually have — directors, committees, and all.

Monthly, or a term?

An annual or multi-year commitment is a spending decision many policies send to the full board. Check the term, the renewal, and the notice window before the discount.

Can you see the price before the demo?

If the number only arrives after a sales call, you cannot compare options on your own time. A published price lets the treasurer check the math before anyone books a meeting.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best board management software for a small nonprofit?

It depends on how the board is run. For a 5–15 director 501(c)(3) staffed by an executive director, the deciding factors are usually a predictable price, committees that do not cost extra, and monthly terms — that is the board I'mBoard is built for. A nonprofit with a governance staff and many boards is usually better served by an enterprise vendor such as BoardEffect.

Is there free board management software for nonprofits?

A few tools have free tiers, usually capped by documents or groups. We cover what actually exists, and the limits, in our guide to free board management software (linked above). I'mBoard is not free: Free until after your next board meeting — up to 60 days, no credit card.

How much does board portal software cost for a nonprofit?

It ranges from per-member plans that scale with your roster, to per-board plans with committee add-ons, to quote-only enterprise contracts. The table on this page shows what a 15-director board pays where prices are published, as of September 2026. I'mBoard is $74/month flat for EIN-verified 501(c)(3)s and $149/month standard.

Do committees cost extra?

On some portals, yes — per-committee or per-subcommittee add-ons are common, and per-member pricing charges for every committee member who is not already on the board. I'mBoard's price is per board, with every committee included.

Judge it on a real board meeting

Free until after your next board meeting — up to 60 days, no credit card. Verified nonprofits then pay $74/month, flat per board — monthly, cancel anytime.

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