Best Lamplight Alternatives for UK Charities in 2026

Lamplight has been a fixture in UK charity case management for over 20 years. It is used by more than 700 charities, social enterprises, and nonprofits, and has a longstanding partnership with the Lloyds Bank Foundation. But the charity technology landscape has shifted significantly since Lamplight was first built — and many organisations are now looking for alternatives that offer modern interfaces, AI-powered features, or better value for money.

This guide provides an honest, independent comparison of the best Lamplight alternatives available in 2026. Whether you are outgrowing Lamplight, starting fresh, or simply want to understand what else is on the market, this article will help you make a well-informed decision.

What is Lamplight? Lamplight is a cloud-based charity CRM and case management system built for UK nonprofits. It specialises in work records, outcome tracking, referrals, attendance recording, and custom reporting. Lamplight holds ISO 27001 accreditation and has been a preferred CRM provider for the Lloyds Bank Foundation since 2016.

TL;DR — Quick Summary

• Lamplight is a solid, established charity database, but its interface can feel dated, it lacks AI features, and reporting has a learning curve.
• Plinth is the strongest alternative for most service delivery charities — it offers AI case notes, Theory of Change tracking, and a free tier for small teams.
• Charitylog is the closest like-for-like alternative, particularly popular with advice agencies and information services.
• Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud suits large organisations with technical capacity but is expensive and complex for smaller charities.
• Makerble is best for organisations whose primary need is outcomes and impact visualisation.
• Upshot is a specialist choice for youth sector outcomes tracking, used by nearly 60 local authorities.

Why Charities Look for Lamplight Alternatives

Lamplight serves its core market well, but several common pain points drive organisations to explore other options.

Interface and Usability

Lamplight's interface, while functional, has not kept pace with modern design standards. Research from the Charity Digital Skills Report consistently shows that staff adoption is the single biggest factor in whether a technology investment succeeds. The 2025 Charity Digital Skills Report found that 69% of charities cite finances as a primary barrier to digital progress. When frontline workers find a system difficult to navigate, data quality suffers — and so does the support they can provide to service users.

AI and Automation

The charity sector is under growing pressure to do more with less. According to the NCVO Almanac, the number of voluntary organisations in England and Wales exceeds 166,000, yet funding has not grown proportionally. Lamplight does not currently offer AI-powered features such as automated case note generation, intelligent risk flagging, or AI-assisted reporting. For teams spending significant time on administrative recording, this represents a missed opportunity. Studies suggest that AI case note tools can reduce documentation time by 50% or more.

Reporting Complexity

Lamplight's reporting system is capable but requires users to understand its specific approach to data structures. For organisations that need to produce funder reports quickly — or that lack a dedicated data person — this learning curve can be a barrier. Many charities report that impact reporting remains one of their most time-consuming administrative tasks, often requiring manual data compilation from multiple systems.

Mobile Access and Flexibility

Outreach workers, community navigators, and peripatetic staff increasingly need to record interactions in the field. Lamplight's mobile access has historically been limited compared to platforms designed with mobile-first principles.

Grant Management Gap

Lamplight is designed for service delivery charities, not for funders. Organisations that both deliver services and manage grant programmes may find they need a separate system for the funding side of their work.

The Best Lamplight Alternatives Compared

1. Plinth — Best Overall Alternative

Best for: Small to large service delivery charities wanting modern, AI-powered case management with a free starting point.

Plinth is a purpose-built case management and impact reporting platform for UK charities. It was designed to address many of the gaps that Lamplight users encounter — particularly around AI, usability, and cost.

Key features:

• AI Case Notes: Automatically generates structured, professional case notes from brief inputs, saving frontline workers over 50% of their documentation time.
• Theory of Change tracking: Built-in outcome frameworks aligned to how funders actually evaluate impact, rather than requiring manual configuration.
• Pathways and workflows: Configurable service pathways that guide caseworkers through each stage of support.
• Household-level reporting: Track outcomes at individual and household level — critical for family support, housing, and early intervention services.
• Partner CRM: Manage referral partners, stakeholders, and multi-agency relationships in one place.
• Impact Reporting: One-click funder reports with data visualisation, reducing the reporting burden that affects the majority of UK charities.
• Referral management: Digital referral forms, tracking, and partner integration for streamlined referral workflows.

Pricing: Plinth offers a free tier for small teams, with paid plans scaling based on organisational needs. There are no per-user penalties or income-band restrictions.

Why switch from Lamplight: Plinth offers a genuinely modern interface, AI-powered time savings, and a free entry point. For charities that find Lamplight's reporting complex or its interface dated, Plinth represents the most significant upgrade available in the current market.

2. Charitylog — Best Like-for-Like Alternative

Best for: Advice agencies, information services, and organisations wanting a system similar to Lamplight in scope but with a different approach.

Charitylog is used by over 1,000 nonprofit organisations across the UK. It occupies a very similar market position to Lamplight and is the most direct competitor in terms of feature set and target audience.

Key features:

• Case and client management with workflows
• Referral tracking and website-based referral intake
• Outcomes and KPI reporting
• GDPR compliance tools
• Session and attendance recording
• Mail merge and communications

Pricing: Charitylog uses income-based pricing, similar to Lamplight. The entry-level "One" plan is designed for organisations with a single service and fewer than 10 full-time equivalent users, with 500 GB storage included. The "Standard" and "Ultimate" plans offer unlimited users. After Year 1, the Charitylog One plan costs from £400 plus VAT per year for ongoing licensing, support, and hosting.

How it compares to Lamplight: Charitylog is the closest alternative in terms of functionality and pricing model. It is particularly popular with advice agencies and Citizens Advice-style services. However, like Lamplight, it does not offer AI features, and its interface — while functional — is not a dramatic departure from what Lamplight users are accustomed to.

3. Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud — Best for Large Organisations

Best for: Large charities with in-house technical teams, complex multi-programme operations, and the budget to invest in configuration.

Salesforce is the world's largest CRM platform. Through its Power of Us Programme, eligible nonprofits receive 10 free Salesforce licences, making entry possible — but the real cost lies in implementation, configuration, and ongoing maintenance.

Key features:

• Highly customisable data model
• Extensive app ecosystem (AppExchange)
• Donor management and fundraising tools via NPSP
• Programme management and case tracking (with configuration)
• Advanced reporting and dashboards
• Large community and consultant ecosystem

Pricing: 10 free licences via Power of Us. Additional licences from approximately $36-$60 per user per month (Enterprise edition: $60/month). Nonprofits typically receive an 80% discount on additional licences. However, implementation costs often range from £10,000 to £50,000+ depending on complexity, and ongoing administration typically requires dedicated staff or external consultants.

How it compares to Lamplight: Salesforce is vastly more powerful but also vastly more complex. Research from Salesforce's own ecosystem suggests that the average nonprofit implementation takes 3-6 months. For small to medium charities, the total cost of ownership is typically 5-10 times higher than purpose-built charity platforms. It is best suited to organisations with annual income above £2 million and dedicated technical capacity.

4. Makerble — Best for Outcomes Visualisation

Best for: Organisations whose primary need is tracking and visualising impact data, with lighter case management requirements.

Makerble positions itself as an outcomes-first platform, designed to make impact data accessible and visual. Its interface is intentionally designed to feel more like a social media platform than a traditional database.

Key features:

• Outcomes tracking with custom indicators and KPIs
• Survey deployment and analysis
• Visual dashboards and impact stories
• Session and attendance tracking
• Integration APIs for connecting with other systems (Salesforce, CiviCRM, ThankQ)
• Participant CRM with calendar, messaging, and task management

Pricing: Starts at £24.75 per month for five users (Starter Pack). Additional users cost £4.95 per user per month, billed annually. Setup costs £400 per day, with common onboarding packages ranging from £500 (Light, 8 hours) to £2,000 (Standard, 32 hours). Discounted pricing is available for charities and social enterprises.

How it compares to Lamplight: Makerble is stronger than Lamplight on impact visualisation and survey tools but lighter on case management depth. It suits organisations that need to demonstrate outcomes to funders visually but do not require the full case management workflow that Lamplight or Plinth provide. Makerble's per-user pricing can also become expensive for larger teams.

5. Upshot — Best for Youth Sector

Best for: Youth services, local authority youth teams, and organisations funded to deliver youth outcomes.

Upshot is a specialist monitoring and evaluation platform used across the youth and community sector. It is trusted by nearly 60 UK local authorities and is particularly strong for organisations that need to report against youth-specific outcome frameworks.

Key features:

• Outcome tracking aligned to youth sector frameworks
• Session and attendance monitoring
• Funder reporting tools
• Portfolio-level analysis for commissioners and funders
• Data aggregation across multiple delivery partners

Pricing: Upshot uses bespoke pricing based on organisational needs. Some local authority partnerships offer free or subsidised access to delivery partners (e.g., £200 plus VAT per year through partnership schemes). Contact Upshot directly for a tailored quote.

How it compares to Lamplight: Upshot is narrower in scope — it is not a general-purpose charity CRM but a specialist outcomes platform for the youth sector. Organisations that need both case management and youth outcomes tracking may find Upshot insufficient on its own, whereas Lamplight or Plinth cover both requirements.

Comparison Table

How to Choose the Right Alternative

The right platform depends on your organisation's size, budget, primary use case, and technical capacity. Here is a practical decision framework.

Choose Plinth if:

• You want AI-powered case notes and modern automation
• You need a free tier to get started or to keep costs low
• Your team finds Lamplight's reporting or interface frustrating
• You deliver services across multiple projects or partnerships
• You need household-level tracking for family or housing support
• You want to be operational in days, not weeks

Choose Charitylog if:

• You run an advice service or information and guidance operation
• You want a like-for-like switch from Lamplight with minimal change
• Income-based pricing is important to your budgeting
• You need unlimited users without per-seat costs

Choose Salesforce if:

• You have annual income above £2 million
• You have in-house technical staff or budget for external consultants
• You need deep donor management alongside service delivery
• You require extensive third-party integrations

Choose Makerble if:

• Your primary need is outcomes tracking and impact visualisation
• Case management is a secondary requirement
• You want survey tools built into your platform
• You have a small team (under 10 users) to keep per-user costs manageable

Choose Upshot if:

• You deliver youth services or are commissioned by a local authority
• You need to report against youth-specific outcome frameworks
• Your funder or commissioner already uses Upshot for portfolio analysis

Switching from Lamplight: What to Expect

Migrating from any established system requires planning. Here are the key steps to manage a smooth transition.

1. Export your data. Lamplight allows data export, but the structure of exported data may need reformatting to match your new platform's import requirements. Budget 1-2 weeks for data preparation.

2. Map your outcome frameworks. If you have custom outcome frameworks in Lamplight, document them thoroughly before migration. The best alternative platforms — including Plinth — can replicate or improve upon these structures.

3. Plan for parallel running. Most charities benefit from running both systems simultaneously for 2-4 weeks to ensure no data is lost and staff are comfortable with the new platform.

4. Invest in training. Even if the new system is simpler, staff need dedicated time to learn it. Industry experience suggests that dedicated onboarding and training significantly improve adoption rates and long-term satisfaction with any new platform.

5. Communicate with funders. If your funders are accustomed to receiving data in Lamplight's report format, notify them early and confirm that your new platform can produce equivalent or better reports.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Lamplight still a good choice for charities?

Lamplight remains a credible option, particularly for established charities already using it effectively. It has strong case management fundamentals, ISO 27001 security accreditation, and over 20 years of sector experience. However, organisations that need AI features, modern interfaces, or a free starting point will find better options available in 2026. The question is not whether Lamplight works, but whether it represents the best value and capability for your specific needs going forward.

How much does it cost to switch from Lamplight?

The direct cost depends on your chosen alternative. Switching to Plinth can cost nothing if you use the free tier, as there is no setup fee for standard onboarding. Switching to Charitylog typically involves implementation costs starting from a few hundred pounds. Switching to Salesforce is the most expensive route, with implementation costs commonly exceeding £10,000. The indirect costs — staff time for data migration, training, and parallel running — are typically 20-40 hours of staff time regardless of which platform you choose.

Can I import my Lamplight data into a new system?

Yes. Lamplight supports data export, and all the major alternatives listed in this guide support data import. The complexity depends on the volume and structure of your data. Simple contact and case records can typically be migrated in a few days. Complex custom fields, historical outcome data, and attachments may take longer. Most providers — including Plinth — offer migration support as part of their onboarding process.

What if my funder recommends Lamplight?

Some funders, notably the Lloyds Bank Foundation, have historically recommended Lamplight. However, most funders care about the quality of your data and reporting, not the specific tool you use. If your alternative platform produces clear, accurate impact reports, funders are typically satisfied. It is worth confirming this directly with your funder before making a switch, but in practice, very few funders mandate a specific CRM.

Which Lamplight alternative is best for small charities?

For small charities (annual income under £250,000), Plinth offers the best value because of its free tier and the time savings delivered by AI case notes. Charitylog's One plan (from £400/year) is also affordable but lacks AI features. Makerble's Starter Pack at £24.75/month is viable for very small teams focused primarily on outcomes tracking rather than full case management.

Recommended Next Steps

If you are evaluating Lamplight alternatives, these resources will help you make a confident decision:

• Case Management Software for Charities — A broader guide to the case management software market in the UK.
• AI Case Notes vs Manual Notes — Understand the time and quality impact of AI-powered documentation.
• Measuring Case Outcomes — How to design and track outcome frameworks effectively.
• Case Management vs Spreadsheets — Why dedicated platforms outperform manual approaches.
• Referral Software for Charities — Choosing the right tools for managing referrals and partnerships.

Last updated: February 2026 Looking for a modern case management platform? Book a demo or contact our team.