Boards comparing Zeil vs ClubExpress are usually deciding whether the club's software should stay generic membership plus a website, or move to a sailing-first operating system that knows boats, credentials, and race operations.
This is a comparison page, not a takedown. ClubExpress is strong at association membership. Zeil is built for the sailing side of a US yacht club or sailing center. Some clubs need both kinds of software in the stack. Most volunteer clubs want one system that covers the jobs that burn evenings.
Snapshot
| ClubExpress | Zeil | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Generic association and club membership platform | Sailing-first club operating system |
| Best fit | Clubs whose primary need is a website and membership admin across many organization types | Volunteer-run sailing and yacht clubs that book club boats, enforce skipper rules, and run programs on the water |
| Pricing model | Per member. Last verified about $0.42 per member per month at 200 members or fewer, as of July 7, 2026 | Flat per club: $99 / $199 / $349. Marina+ is waitlist-only |
| Trial | Confirm current ClubExpress trial terms with ClubExpress. This page does not state them | 60 days, full-featured, no credit card |
| Migration help | Self-serve exports | Free white-glove import from ClubExpress, SailingClubManager, or CSV |
| AI Sail Brief | No | Live. "AI-generated advisory; verify before sail." |
| Race scoring | Not a native sailing RRS product | Not yet. Roadmap beta October 15, 2026, general availability December 1, 2026 |
When ClubExpress is the better choice
Pick ClubExpress, or keep it, when:
- The club's software problem is mostly a public website, a membership directory, and dues, and fleet operations are light or handled elsewhere without pain.
- The board wants a tool used by many non-sailing membership organizations and is comfortable with that shape.
- Dining and broad association modules matter more than boat eligibility this season.
Zeil does not replace every ClubExpress website module. Zeil does not run the galley point of sale.
When Zeil is the better choice
Pick Zeil when:
- Double-booking club boats, skipper clearances, and crew logistics are the 10pm problem.
- The board wants published list pricing and an open trial.
- You want a vendor that will migrate the roster with you, rather than handing you a CSV template and disappearing.
- Race series scoring matters, and you accept an honest roadmap date (beta October 15, 2026) rather than a pretend live claim.
Capability table
Live means in Zeil production today. Roadmap means a dated Zeil commitment, not yet available. Not native means it is not a strength of that product shape. The ClubExpress column is directional. Confirm current ClubExpress features before a board vote.
| Capability | ClubExpress (typical) | Zeil |
|---|---|---|
| Membership roster and roles | Strong (core) | Live |
| Club website and CMS | Strong (core) | Not the product center. The marketing site is separate |
| Dues and payments | Strong association billing | Live club-as-merchant dues collection via Stripe, off until an admin enables it. This page does not claim that any club has collected. Full renewal invoices and reminders are not yet live. Roadmap beta December 15, 2026 |
| Club-owned boat reservations with hard overlap prevention | Not a native sailing reservation system | Live (database-enforced) |
| Certifications and endorsements gate booking | Custom fields plus a process | Live |
| Crew assembly (invite, minimum, maximum) | External or manual | Live |
| Weather on the reservation and NOAA tides | Not native | Live. Open-Meteo forecast; NOAA tides are separate |
| AI Sail Brief | Not native | Live. Disclaimer: "AI-generated advisory; verify before sail." |
| Announcements and a weekly digest | Email tools vary | Live club-wide announcements and a weekly digest. Segments are not yet live. Roadmap November 15, 2026 |
| Waivers and e-sign | Varies by module | Live |
| Guest and transient registration | Varies | Live. This is not a reciprocity ledger |
| Race series and RRS scoring | External tools | Not yet. Roadmap beta October 15, 2026, general availability December 1, 2026 |
| Duty rosters | External or manual | Not yet. Roadmap beta October 15, 2026 (v1), auto-scheduler December 1, 2026 |
| Marina slips and moorings | Not the sailing wedge | Waitlist-only (Marina+). Module beta September 30, 2027. Not sold today |
| Mobile | Confirm ClubExpress's current mobile story with them. This page does not assert it | Mobile web is live. A native app is not yet live. Roadmap beta June 30, 2027 |
Pricing worked example
Zeil, the sellable plans on the pricing page as of September 22, 2026:
| Plan | Per month | For |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $99 | Smaller clubs. The pricing card says under 75 members |
| Racing | $199 | Weekly racing. The flagship plan |
| Club Pro | $349 | Mid-to-large clubs and sailing schools |
The sellable plans are $99, $199, and $349. The trial is 60 days. Migration is free. Marina+ is waitlist-only and is not a sold tier on this page. Starter carries a size frame: clubs under 75 members.
ClubExpress, dated estimate: about $0.42 per member per month at 200 members or fewer, verified July 7, 2026 from public materials. Example: 400 members is about $136 per month in platform fees, still without native sailing reservation or scoring.
Board math: subscription, plus volunteer hours, plus bolt-on race tools. Leave hours as a blank the treasurer fills. This page does not claim a measured hours-saved figure.
Migration path: ClubExpress to Zeil
- Export on a screen-share: ClubExpress Data Exports, then a member and contact CSV, plus custom fields for qualifications. Source: ClubExpress Help Center article on Data Exports, verified July 7, 2026.
- Collect boat, certification, and endorsement truth from club spreadsheets. Confirm the export. Do not assume ClubExpress stored those as first-class sailing records.
- Zeil's white-glove service maps and loads the files. An admin sets reservation windows on a setup call.
- Soft cutover: run the first reservation weekend on Zeil once the roster is clean.
The export steps above are the how-to. White-glove is the offer: our team imports. It is not an automated self-serve importer.
FAQ
Will we lose our ClubExpress website? You may keep a public CMS and use Zeil for operations, or move public content later. Zeil's job is the operating system, not a clone of every ClubExpress page builder feature.
Is race scoring live on Zeil today? Not yet. Beta is October 15, 2026, and general availability is December 1, 2026. Founding Clubs on the Racing plan pay $99 per month until the scoring beta is in their hands. The locked $199 rate starts the month after that delivery. The terms are on the Founding Clubs page.
Can we export a whole club out of Zeil later? A per-member data export exists. A club-level full export does not exist and is not scheduled. This page does not promise an instant club ZIP, "export your club data," or any present-tense full-club export.