Cyclos for Community Currencies
In this blog, we discuss how you can use the award-winning Cyclos software to build and support a community currency. We compare different options considering your technical knowledge, time, and available budget.
About Cyclos
Cyclos is state-of-the-art digital payment software with many extra features such as e-commerce and communication tools. The award-winning software has a proven track record of delivering security, flexibility, scalability, and quality. Cyclos supports hundreds of social currencies, exchange networks, and timebanks across the globe.
The Cyclos software project started in 2024 by the dutch organization STRO. Over time the software has evolved and transformed substantially, with so many new features, modern user interfaces, multiple channels and webservices, and a large list of technical tools for advanced customization.
Today, Cyclos is a unique, very complete, and highly dynamic software for creating and managing a community currency. However, the extraordinary technological progress made requires now much more technical skills and experience to take advantage of all possibilities.
We will compare 3 models to run your community currency with a Cyclos solution: Cyclos for Communities, Cyclos Professional License, and Cyclos by monei LAB.
Cyclos 4 Communities
Communities is a free sandbox hosted by Cyclos with a very basic setup wizard for creating your currency. With a Network Administrator permission, you can also access all relevant Cyclos features to further design your community currency management.
However, Cyclos for Communities does not give you direct access to the database for customized queries and reporting. You will also have no permission for scripting or advanced customization, webservices or integration with third parties.
Being a sandbox you have no control over which version of the software you will use or when to update. Using a test version you may experience bugs on periodical updates. No technical support services are available.
Cyclos License
A second option is to download and install a Cyclos 4 PRO license on your server. You can configure and build your solution from scratch. As Administrator, you will have all permissions to create multiple networks and fully customize each solution.
In this process and when interested in a high-quality setup and solution, you may need technical knowledge and Cyclos experience. Do the necessary practicing and testing before you create your community currency!
Note that there is no dedicated technical support or help-desk available for Cyclos 4 PRO, but you can find most information on the Cyclos documentation pages. You pay a license fee depending on the number of users and will have access to new product releases or updates.
Cyclos by monei LAB
Because of the technical limitations of Cyclos 4 Communities and the required experience to build your community currency network with Cyclos 4 PRO, monei LAB created a configurable, white-label, and ready-to-launch Cyclos solution for community currencies.
The solution comes with hundreds of additional ready-to-use community currency features that help to engage or connect people and streamline the exchange of goods and services in a community in a secured and scalable framework, with minimum set-up and operational costs.
With an easy-to-use setup wizard, you can create a customized community currency in just a few seconds. Members can message each other, share talents, offer and request goods and services, register exchanges, and organize events. You can manage multiple community currency networks and even connect them.
You have access to a help desk from specialists in community currencies and benefit from free updates and new product releases. The Cyclos app can be further customized and released for Android or iOS under your community currency name and brand.
The solution is built using best practices and advanced Cyclos programming. There is no need to manage your Cyclos license, installation, hosting, or Cyclos skills and experience. Customized reports and leaderboards are already built in. Data of groups and members are protected by privacy policies and securely handled and stored.
Takeaways
Cyclos is a best-in-class software platform to support community currencies, with a proven track record of delivering security, flexibility, scalability, and quality. Cyclos supports hundreds of community currencies around the globe.
Cyclos for Communities is a free version and very useful if you are interested in testing and knowing Cyclos better. However, it is not recommended for managing your community currency.
The Cyclos 4 PRO license gives you full possibilities as an administrator but requires technical knowledge and Cyclos experience to install, customize, and manage your Cyclos solution over time.
Cyclos by monei LAB is a highly configurable, white-label, and quick-win solution with very low implementation and maintenance costs. The platform is built with best practices and supported by community currency experts.