Three rooms, one published price
How Hampton, YPO and Helm Compare on Price
You will find plenty of numbers online for all three. Only one of them can be traced to the organisation's own website. This is what each actually says, and what to ask for.
7 minute read · Written by the Helm Club team
Neither YPO nor Hampton publishes its dues. YPO's membership page sets out eligibility and says nothing about price. Hampton's FAQ discusses cost as an annual investment without stating a figure, and confirms annual billing, extra-cost retreats and a 45-day money-back guarantee. Helm publishes £495 to join then £495 a month, which is £6,435 plus VAT in year one and £5,940 a year after, with 160+ events included and no tiers.
Why a price comparison is harder than it should be
A founder weighing up three peer networks reasonably expects to put three numbers side by side. In this category you cannot, because two of the three treat price as something you learn after you have been told you qualify.
That is a legitimate commercial choice and both organisations have satisfied members who paid whatever the number was. But it changes how you should read any comparison, including this one. Where we say "not published" we mean exactly that. We could find figures on comparison sites and forums for both YPO and Hampton, and none of them traced back to the organisation. We are not printing a number we cannot stand behind.
What YPO says about cost
Nothing, on the pages that matter. The membership requirements page on ypo.org is detailed about who qualifies, four criteria covering age, role, headcount and revenue, and silent about dues. The contact form on the same page includes "I have a question about YPO dues" as a topic, which tells you the intended route: ask.
What third parties consistently describe, without our vouching for any amount, is a three-part structure. An initiation fee on joining. Annual global dues paid to YPO centrally. And local chapter dues, set by each chapter and therefore different depending on where you join. If you ask YPO what it costs and get one number, ask whether that number includes chapter dues.
What Hampton says about cost
More than YPO, though still not a figure. Hampton's FAQ answers "How much does it cost?" by calling membership an annual investment that many members deduct as a business expense, and says the dues are structured so that one connection or one breakthrough conversation returns ten times their value.
Around that, Hampton publishes several useful facts. Membership is billed annually. Once invited you have ten days to accept and pay. Retreats, overnight adventures and some experiences cost extra, run at no profit. And there is a 45-day money-back guarantee on annual dues if you attend your initial Commitment Call. Core group placement takes around 90 days, which is worth setting beside that 45-day window.
What Helm says about cost
£495 to join, then £495 a month, on every page of the website. That is £6,435 plus VAT in the first year and £5,940 a year after that. It covers your Forum of six to eight meeting ten times a year, all 160+ events, the roundtable dinners, the special guest dinners, the quarterly socials and the introductions. There is no premium tier, no chapter dues, no initiation fee beyond the £495, and nothing else to buy once you are in.
Billing is monthly, with one month's notice to leave. We do that because an annual lump sum makes it harder to walk away when something is not working, and that keeps people in rooms they have checked out of. Monthly means the membership has to keep earning its place.
It would be easy to put a third-party number in the YPO and Hampton columns below and call it "estimated". We have watched a competitor's price get repeated around the industry for years without anyone checking it. A comparison is only worth reading if every figure in it can be traced to source, so where the source is silent, so are we.
The three, side by side
| Cost | YPO | Hampton | Helm |
|---|---|---|---|
| What is published | |||
| Price on the website | No | No | Yes, £495 to join then £495 a month |
| Year one | Not published | Not published | £6,435 + VAT |
| Year two onwards | Not published | Not published | £5,940 + VAT |
| Structure | |||
| Components | Described by third parties as initiation fee, global dues and chapter dues | Annual dues. Retreats and adventures extra | Joining fee, then one monthly fee |
| Varies by location | Chapter dues set locally | One membership per chapter | One national price |
| Billing | Annual | Annual, paid within ten days of invitation | Monthly |
| Notice or refund | Not published | 45-day money-back on annual dues, conditions apply | One month's notice |
| What the money buys | |||
| Small group | Confidential forum, peer-led | Around eight, paid moderator, ten a year | Six to eight, exited-founder chair, ten a year |
| Events | Chapter and regional programme | Chapter events included, retreats extra | 160+ a year, all included |
| Wider network | 30,000+ members, 142 countries | 1,000+ members, weighted to North America | 400+ members, all UK |
| Time to the small group | Chapter process | Around 90 days | Matched at onboarding |
YPO from ypo.org/membership-requirements and ypo.org/ypo-regions. Hampton from joinhampton.com/faq. Both checked 7 September 2026. Neither publishes dues, so their price rows say so rather than carrying a figure we have assumed.
Three questions to ask before you compare
Ask each organisation the same three things in writing and you will have a comparison you can trust.
- What is the total in year one, including any joining or initiation fee and, for YPO, the chapter dues on top of global dues.
- What is charged on top, particularly retreats, international events and forum trips, and how many members typically attend them.
- How do I leave, and what happens to money already paid. Annual billing with no refund is a different commitment from monthly with a month's notice, and it is worth knowing before rather than after.
The comparison that matters more than the headline
Cost per useful conversation. Ten Forum meetings a year with six to eight founders who know your business properly is a lot of useful conversation. A larger network you attend twice because of the diary is not, whatever it cost. Work out how often you will realistically show up, then divide.
And be honest about which room fits. YPO's price, whatever it is, buys global reach that neither Hampton nor Helm offers. Hampton's buys a tech-first London room with an American digital community. Helm's buys a UK room across sectors with the price on the door. If you clear YPO's bar and trade internationally, or you are a London SaaS founder who wants US peers, the right answer may be the room that does not publish its number, and we will say so.
Where Helm is wrong for you
If you have not raised £3m, are not turning over £3m and have not exited, you are not eligible yet. A published price is not a lower bar.
Common questions
Which is cheapest, YPO, Hampton or Helm?
We cannot tell you, because YPO and Hampton do not publish their dues and we will not repeat third-party figures we cannot trace to source. Helm publishes £495 to join and £495 a month, which is £6,435 plus VAT in year one and £5,940 a year after that, with 160+ events a year included.
Does YPO publish its membership fees?
No. The membership requirements page on ypo.org details eligibility and says nothing about dues, and the contact form lists "I have a question about YPO dues" as a topic. Third parties describe an initiation fee, annual global dues and separate chapter dues, but the amounts cannot be verified against YPO itself.
Does Hampton publish its membership fees?
No. Hampton's FAQ answers "How much does it cost?" by describing an annual investment without stating a figure. It does confirm annual billing, ten days to accept and pay once invited, extra charges for retreats and some events, and a 45-day money-back guarantee on annual dues if you attend the Commitment Call.
What is included in Helm's £495 a month?
Your Forum of six to eight, meeting ten times a year and chaired by a founder who has already exited. All 160+ events a year, including the roundtable dinners, special guest dinners and quarterly socials. Curated introductions and member messaging. There are no tiers, no chapter dues and nothing else to buy once you are in.
Are there hidden costs in peer memberships?
Not hidden exactly, but often outside the headline. Retreats and international events are commonly charged separately, and YPO's chapter dues sit on top of global dues. Ask every organisation for the year-one total including any joining fee, what is charged on top, and how you leave and what happens to money already paid.
Why does Helm bill monthly rather than annually?
By design. An annual lump sum makes it harder to leave when something is not working, which keeps people in rooms they have quietly checked out of. Monthly billing with one month's notice means the membership has to keep earning its place, which is the right pressure to put on us rather than on you.
Key Takeaways
- Only Helm publishes its price. YPO and Hampton both discuss membership without stating dues.
- YPO's dues are described by third parties as an initiation fee, global dues and separate chapter dues set locally.
- Hampton bills annually, gives you ten days to pay once invited, charges retreats separately and offers a 45-day money-back guarantee.
- Hampton's Core group placement takes around 90 days, so the 45-day refund window closes before the group forms.
- Helm costs £495 to join then £495 a month: £6,435 plus VAT in year one, £5,940 after, with 160+ events included.
- Ask all three for the year-one total, the extras, and the exit terms in writing before comparing.
- Compare cost per useful conversation, not headline price. A room you never attend is the expensive one.
- The right room may be the one that does not publish its number, if its reach or its peers are what your business needs.
The price is on the door.
£495 to join and £495 a month, billed monthly, covers your Forum, 160+ events a year, the dinners and the introductions. Nothing else to buy.
Apply NowSources and last checked
YPO membership criteria and absence of published dues: ypo.org/membership-requirements, last checked 7 September 2026. YPO network figures: ypo.org/ypo-regions.
Hampton cost statements, billing, guarantee and inclusions: joinhampton.com/faq, last checked 7 September 2026.
No YPO or Hampton fee figure appears in this article, because none could be sourced to either organisation directly.
Helm pricing: helmclub.co membership pages, last checked 7 September 2026.
