Last Updated: May 2026
Cardskipper is a small, founder-led Swedish company that built one thing well: a digital membership card app for sports federations and outdoor clubs. If your members already use plastic cards and you want to retire them, Cardskipper does the job. If you need a full membership platform with CRM, payments, events, AI-assisted communication, and a transparent price you can budget against, Raklet is built for that. This is a direct, sourced comparison so you can pick the right tool the first time. See more alternatives to Cardskipper if you want to compare a wider set.
Quick verdict
| Dimension | Cardskipper | Raklet |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Sports federations and outdoor clubs replacing plastic cards | Associations, alumni networks, nonprofits, clubs, and chambers wanting one platform |
| Free trial / free plan | No free trial visible; demo form only | Free plan and free trial available |
| Public pricing | Not published; tiered demo form | Published on the Raklet pricing page |
| AI features | None marketed | AI assistant, smart segmentation, content help |
| Public review footprint (G2 / Capterra) | Not listed | Listed with public ratings |
| Headquarters / size | Sweden, around 8 to 10 staff | Global team, full SaaS scale |
Side-by-side overview
Cardskipper launched in 2016 as Cardskipper AB, a bootstrapped Swedish vendor focused on a single use case: replacing plastic membership cards with a phone app. Its customer base skews toward Nordic sports federations, hunting and outdoor clubs, and licensing or permit issuing bodies. The product has stayed close to that lane.
Raklet is a full membership operating system. The same platform handles your CRM, applications and renewals, dues and payments, event ticketing, email and SMS, member portal, custom branded mobile apps, and now AI-assisted communication. Organizations use Raklet for membership, alumni engagement, chambers, professional associations, and clubs of every size.
You will feel the difference within an hour of opening either product. Cardskipper looks like a card replacement tool with messaging bolted on. Raklet looks like an admin console for running an entire member organization.
Feature comparison
| Capability | Cardskipper | Raklet |
|---|---|---|
| Digital membership cards | Yes (the core product) | Yes; see Raklet’s digital membership card software |
| Member CRM and database | Limited; member directory tied to card list | Full CRM with custom fields, tags, segments |
| Payments and dues collection | Limited; “tickets, events, membership fees” listed without payment-processor detail | Stripe and other gateways, recurring dues, refunds |
| Events and ticketing | Basic event communication | Full event creation, paid tickets, check-in, recurring events |
| Email and SMS marketing | Push notifications inside the app | Email campaigns, SMS, push, segmentation |
| Custom branded mobile app | Members use the Cardskipper-branded app | Custom branded app under your name on iOS and Android |
| Open API and integrations | Not publicly documented | REST API, Zapier, webhooks |
| Forms and applications | Not advertised | Custom forms, application workflows, file uploads |
| Reports and analytics | Basic activity logs | Reporting on membership, revenue, events, engagement |
If your only requirement is replacing plastic cards for a Nordic sports federation, Cardskipper covers it. If you need to run the operations side of your organization on the same platform that issues those cards, you will outgrow Cardskipper quickly.
AI features
Cardskipper does not market any AI capabilities. There are zero AI references on cardskipper.com, on the iOS or Google Play store listings, or on the company’s LinkedIn. A December 2025 LinkedIn post teases “something new and exciting in 2026” without naming AI specifically. As of this update, the product has no AI assistant, no smart segmentation, no AI drafted communications, and no AI driven recommendations.
Raklet has shipped AI features into the core platform. The AI assistant drafts member emails and event copy, smart segmentation suggests audience splits based on member behavior, and content tools help write member communications faster. For organizations that have been told to “do more with the same headcount,” this is the most concrete operational difference between the two products.
Pricing comparison
Cardskipper does not publish pricing. The Cardskipper contact form uses a tiered member-count picker (0 to 999, 1,000 to 5,000, 5,000 to 10,000, 10,000 to 50,000, 50,000+) and routes you to inside sales for a quote. There is no published rate card, no per-member rate sheet, no public free tier. One customer testimonial on the site mentions saving “5 SEK per member per year” versus printing plastic cards, which describes the savings, not the Cardskipper price itself.
Raklet publishes its plans openly. You can read the Raklet pricing plans, see what each tier includes, and pick a starting point without booking a sales call. There is a free plan to get started, and paid plans scale with member count and feature needs. For finance teams that need a budgetable line item before a software decision, this is the difference between a one-week procurement and a one-month one.
If you want a fixed quote for budgeting purposes, you can also create a free Raklet account and explore the platform first, then talk to sales only if you need a custom plan.
Company health
Cardskipper is a bootstrapped, founder-led Swedish company that has remained independent since founding in 2016. According to its LinkedIn company page, headcount sits at 2 to 10 employees; Tracxn lists Cardskipper as unfunded, with no disclosed funding rounds and no acquisitions. The founder, Joakim Schelin, still leads the company.
The bootstrapped status cuts both ways. There is no private equity pressure to ratchet pricing or roll the product into a larger consolidator, which is a real concern with PE-backed AMS competitors today. At the same time, a team of around 10 people supporting customers in 50+ countries is a small surface area for product investment, support depth, and roadmap velocity.
Public release cadence on the iOS app reflects this. Releases are roughly monthly with generic notes (“customer requirements,” “customer requests”). Versions 1.44 (November 2025), 1.45 (December 2025), and 1.46 (March 2026) shipped without a major version bump, and the changelogs do not name specific new capabilities. The product is maintained, not visibly accelerating.
Raklet is a global SaaS team with a public roadmap, a customer base spanning associations, alumni networks, nonprofits, and clubs, and a release cadence that ships new capabilities in the platform itself rather than only in a single mobile app.
What Cardskipper users say
Cardskipper has a limited public review footprint. It is not listed on G2, Capterra, or TrustRadius. Buyer-side vetting that organizations would normally do on those platforms (reading verbatim reviews, comparing across vendors, checking integration footprints) is not possible for Cardskipper. The visible review evidence comes from app store ratings: Cardskipper on the iOS App Store shows 4.3 out of 5 from a sample of 3 ratings, and the Cardskipper Android listing on Google Play shows 100,000+ installs.
That n is too small to draw conclusions. For procurement teams that need to vet a vendor before committing to a multi-year membership platform, the absence of a B2B review footprint is the most important data point. It is not a problem with Cardskipper as a card app. It is a problem with using Cardskipper as the system of record for your members.
Raklet is listed on G2 and Capterra with public reviews you can read before making a decision.
Migration and switching cost
Switching off Cardskipper is straightforward in theory because the data scope is small. Cardskipper holds a member list, card metadata, and message history; it does not hold years of CRM history, payment ledgers, or event records, because those typically live somewhere else. That makes the export easier, but it also means most organizations using Cardskipper already run a second system for CRM and payments.
Raklet imports contact lists from CSV, supports custom fields, and brings the second system inside the same platform. If your card replacement tool, your CRM, your payment processor, and your event ticketing are four separate logins today, that is the consolidation a Raklet move actually buys. If you want a narrower switch from one digital-card vendor to another, also see PassKit vs Raklet for the same comparison framed against PassKit, and Hello Club vs Raklet if your context is a sports or community club.
Who each product fits
Pick Cardskipper if: you run a Nordic sports federation, an outdoor or hunting club, or a permit-issuing body; the only thing you need is a phone-based replacement for plastic membership cards; you have a separate CRM and payment system you want to keep; and you do not need procurement-grade vendor references.
Pick Raklet if: you want one platform for membership, payments, events, and communication; you need a transparent published price you can budget against; you want AI assistance for member communication; you need an open API and integrations; or your finance or board team requires public reviews and references before signing.
FAQ
Does Cardskipper have a free plan or free trial?
No. There is no free plan or self-serve trial advertised on cardskipper.com or in the app store listings. The only path to access the product is the demo form on the contact page, which routes prospects to inside sales. Raklet, by contrast, offers a free plan you can sign up for at login.raklet.com without a sales call.
Why is Cardskipper not on G2 or Capterra?
Cardskipper is not listed on G2, Capterra, or TrustRadius as of May 2026. The company has not maintained a B2B review profile on any of the major SaaS review platforms. This is a vetting gap for buyers who rely on those platforms to compare vendors. Most established membership and AMS vendors carry profiles with at least dozens of public reviews.
How much does Cardskipper cost?
Cardskipper does not publish pricing. The contact form asks for a member count band, then routes the request to sales. There is no public per-member rate, no published tier sheet, and no comparison page elsewhere on the web that lists Cardskipper’s actual quote. A customer testimonial on the site cites “5 SEK saved per member per year” versus plastic cards, which describes the customer’s savings, not Cardskipper’s price.
Does Cardskipper offer AI features?
No. Cardskipper does not market any AI capabilities. There are no AI references on the website, app store listings, or LinkedIn page as of May 2026. A December 2025 LinkedIn post mentioned “something new and exciting in 2026” without specifying AI. Raklet has shipped AI assistance for member emails, smart segmentation, and content drafting.
Is Cardskipper good for non-sports associations?
Cardskipper’s customer logos and case studies skew heavily to Nordic sports federations, hunting and outdoor associations, and licensing bodies. Outside that vertical, evidence of fit is limited. Generic membership organizations, alumni networks, professional associations, and chambers will find a better-fit platform in vendors that publish that customer base, including Raklet.
Can I export my member data out of Cardskipper?
Cardskipper does not publicly document an export workflow on its site. In practice, most data movement happens through the customer support team during onboarding or offboarding. If portable, exportable data is a procurement requirement, ask Cardskipper to confirm export formats in writing before signing.
The bottom line
Cardskipper is a focused tool for a narrow job: replacing plastic membership cards with an app, primarily for Nordic sports and outdoor clubs. If that is your only requirement and you already run CRM, payments, and events somewhere else, Cardskipper is reasonable. The bootstrapped, founder-led structure is a stability point, but it also means a small team and an absent B2B review footprint, which matters for procurement.
Raklet is the broader bet. One platform handles membership, payments, events, communications, and AI assistance, with public pricing and public reviews so finance and procurement can do their job. Try Raklet free and decide in an afternoon, not a sales cycle.
