The research and development of humidifiers is important to proton exchange membrane fuel cell systems. The water exchange membrane is a key component to the planar membrane humidifier. In this work, two types of low-cost membrane, the pervaperation (PV) membrane and the reverse osmosis (RO) membrane, are selected as the research targets. Their physical properties and humidification performance are tested and compared with the Nafion (R)-212 membrane. The ex-situ tests indicate that the order of air permeability is RO membrane > Nafion (R) 212 membrane > PV membrane, and the order of water vapor permeability is RO membrane similar to Nafion (R) 212 membrane > PV membrane. From the in-situ tests, the order of humidification performance is Nafion (R) 212 membrane > RO membrane > PV membrane at all air flow rates. The DPATs with the RO and PV membranes are roughly 1-2 degrees C and 2-3 degrees C higher than that with the Nafion (R) 212 membrane, respectively. The highest WRRs obtained at 30 L/min with the Nafion (R) membrane, RO membrane and the PV membrane are about 53%, 48% and 42%, respectively. The Nafion (R) membrane is most energy-efficient because it has the highest COP. Moreover, the PV and RO membranes are equally energy-efficient when considering both the water transfer performance and the power loss. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.