Comparison

MemberCentric vs ResearchGate

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

MemberCentric

Connect and collaborate with industry peers, join communities of interest, and access association news and content. Build your professional network, share experiences, and find answers to challenges. Stay informed with targeted updates and engage more deeply with your professional organization.

Highlights
  • Connect with industry peers
  • Participate in communities
  • Access association content
  • Build professional network
  • Search discussion threads
  • View industry events
Features
Read full description

MemberCentric for Higher Logic’s Connected Community is your mobile app to connect and collaborate with peers, participate in communities of interest, and access up-to-date content and news from your association. Make the most of your association experience with the “go to” app for association members. With MemberCentric, you can: • Interact and collaborate with others in your industry • Build a network of your peers • Seek out answers to pressing challenges • Share experiences and information • Stay current with targeted news and information MemberCentric includes intuitive tools for you to: • Search for relevant discussion content/threads • Locate colleagues to add to your network • Participate in multiple communities • Forward resources to your peers • Better engage with your association MemberCentric Features include: • Profiles • Discussions & Communities • People including Contacts & Peer Directory • Inbox • Industry Events • Announcements & News MemberCentric was developed by Results Direct, the leader in mobile solutions for member-based organizations. www.resultsdirect.com solutions@resultsdirect.com 800-626-5284 / 703-684-3932

About

ResearchGate

Access over 150 million scientific publications and connect with millions of researchers worldwide. Stay updated on new research in your field, track your academic stats, and download full-text articles for offline reading.

Highlights
  • Access 150+ million publications
  • Connect with 20+ million researchers
  • Stay updated on new research
  • Track academic stats and reports
  • Download full-texts for offline reading
Features
Read full description

Staying connected to the world of science is even easier with the ResearchGate app. ACCESS 150+ million publication pages Discover millions of publications right on your device, from anywhere. CONNECT with 20+ million researchers Discover other researchers and potential collaborators in your field. STAY UP TO DATE on new research in your field Get updates from the people you follow, and discover new and relevant research in your home feed. TRACK YOUR STATS and get weekly reports Keep track of your reads, citations, Research Interest Score, and more, and get notified when people interact with your work. DOWNLOAD full-texts to read anytime Discover interesting research while on the go, and save it to read whenever you want. To use the app, you need to have a registered ResearchGate account and be 18+ years old.

Screenshots

MemberCentric4 screens
ResearchGate4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: ResearchGate at 4.8 against MemberCentric's 2.1. ResearchGate also leads on ratings volume (15K vs 13) and review sentiment (46% vs 22%). MemberCentric's advantage is monetization model (ad-supported vs free with in-app purchases) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ResearchGate holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 2.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ResearchGate has 15K ratings behind it against 13, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 22% of MemberCentric's written reviews are positive against 46% of ResearchGate's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
MemberCentric versus ResearchGate: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMemberCentricResearchGate
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.1 (13 ratings)4.8 (15K ratings) — better
Positive reviews22.2% of reviews46.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1315K — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 5 weeks
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationAd-supported — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS14.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size14 MB31 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperResults DirectResearchGate GmbH

Customer experience

MemberCentric

All ratings13 ratings
Positive30.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative69.2%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive22.2%
Neutral0.0%
Negative77.8%

ResearchGate

All ratings14,916 ratings
Positive96.5%
Neutral1.7%
Negative1.8%
Written reviews493 reviews
Positive46.0%
Neutral14.8%
Negative39.1%

Bugs and requests

MemberCentric

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

ResearchGate

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Notifications not working properly
  • Inconsistent data between app and website
  • Login issues with Facebook and LinkedIn
  • Crashes when opening certain content
  • UI elements overlapping on iPhone X/newer

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add iPad/tablet support
  • Improve search and filtering options
  • Streamline registration and account management
  • Integrate question/answer functionality in app
  • Provide more customization and personalization

In-app purchases

None

MemberCentric

No in-app purchases

None

ResearchGate

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is MemberCentric free?
MemberCentric is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is ResearchGate free?
ResearchGate is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, MemberCentric or ResearchGate?
ResearchGate is rated higher. MemberCentric averages 2.1 out of 5 from 13 ratings, while ResearchGate averages 4.8 from 15K ratings.
Do MemberCentric or ResearchGate have ads?
Both MemberCentric and ResearchGate show ads.
Which is updated more often, MemberCentric or ResearchGate?
MemberCentric ships an update every 5 weeks, and ResearchGate every 5 weeks. Most recently, MemberCentric was updated on October 16, 2026 and ResearchGate on October 19, 2026.

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