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AltarDesk

altardesk.co.uk

From £17/mo Free plan WebiOSAndroid
Visit altardesk.co.uk
Spec score 9.2 #1 of 35 in Church Background Check Software

What it is

AltarDesk is a church management platform for member records, donor statements, schedules, safeguarding and giving. Its member portal and app let people update their details, view rota duties, give and access giving statements. Paid plans include Gift Aid and GASDS management, direct HMRC claim submission and contactless giving. Bank statement imports support Lloyds, HSBC, NatWest, Barclays and Monzo; member giving uses Stripe card payments. The free plan covers up to 15 people and includes 500 MB of storage. The displayed tier for up to 75 people costs £17 a month and includes 2 GB of storage. Member and giving records are held in UK data centres, while sermon video and audio remain in the church’s own Google Drive. AltarDesk says connections use TLS 1.3, stored data is encrypted with AES-256, and organisation records are isolated with row-level security. It also says it does not sell church data, share it with advertisers or train AI models on it. At a plan’s member cap, a church must move to a higher plan before adding people.

Spec sheet

What it does
AltarDesk is a church and charity management platform combining member records, Gift Aid, rotas, safeguarding, giving and communications.Read 14 Oct 2026 · altardesk.co.uk
Product
AltarDesk is a church management platform for member records, donor statements, schedules, safeguarding and giving.Read 29 Sep 2026 · altardesk.co.uk
Audience
AltarDesk describes itself as built for church administrators and provides UK Gift Aid and Charity Commission governance modules.Read 29 Sep 2026 · altardesk.co.uk
Integrations
GetApp lists SMS, Google Drive, Stripe and GoCardless as AltarDesk integrations.Read 14 Oct 2026 · getapp.com
Security
AltarDesk says connections use TLS 1.3, stored data is encrypted with AES-256, and organisation records are isolated with row-level security.Read 29 Sep 2026 · altardesk.co.uk
Privacy
AltarDesk says it does not sell church data, share it with advertisers or train AI models on it.Read 29 Sep 2026 · altardesk.co.uk
Compliance
The site identifies AltarDesk as UK GDPR compliant and ICO registered under ZC117860.Read 29 Sep 2026 · altardesk.co.uk
Support
The support centre says its team normally responds within one working day.Read 14 Oct 2026 · altardesk.co.uk
Headquarters
The registered address is 71–75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9JQ.Read 14 Oct 2026 · altardesk.co.uk
Founded
A Companies House data mirror records Rayscent Ltd as incorporated on 27 March 2026.Read 14 Oct 2026 · gbcomp.p-o.co.uk
API and SDKs
The public product, pricing and support pages reviewed describe integrations but do not publish API or SDK documentation.Read 14 Oct 2026 · altardesk.co.uk
Apple system requirement
The iOS app requires iOS 16.4 or later; the listing also specifies iPadOS 16.4 or later and macOS 12 on Apple Silicon for Mac compatibility.Read 14 Oct 2026 · apps.apple.com
Availability and backup
The security page says paid plans target 99.9% uptime, with daily backups retained 30 days and point-in-time recovery for seven days.Read 14 Oct 2026 · altardesk.co.uk
Communications
Communications supports email, SMS and push broadcasts, campaigns, templates, birthday messages and consent tracking.Read 14 Oct 2026 · altardesk.co.uk
Company legal name
The maker is Rayscent Ltd, registered in England and Wales under company number 17120455.Read 14 Oct 2026 · altardesk.co.uk
Contactless giving
The Giving app turns an iPhone or Android phone into a contactless donation terminal and applies GASDS handling automatically.Read 14 Oct 2026 · altardesk.co.uk
Data location
Member and giving records are held in UK data centres, while sermon video and audio stay in the church’s own Google Drive.Read 29 Sep 2026 · altardesk.co.uk
Documentation
The help centre exposes 169 articles across setup, members, Gift Aid, events, rooms, governance, safeguarding, communications and billing.Read 14 Oct 2026 · altardesk.co.uk
Events and attendance
Users can create recurring services and events, record attendance on a phone, view trends and auto-populate public holidays.Read 14 Oct 2026 · altardesk.co.uk
Gift Aid
Gift Aid tools maintain declarations, match bank CSV donations, calculate GASDS eligibility and submit claims to HMRC.Read 14 Oct 2026 · altardesk.co.uk
Governance
Governance tools include documents, meeting minutes, trustee annual-report preparation and compliance registers.Read 14 Oct 2026 · altardesk.co.uk
Independent assessment
ChurchSoftware.co.uk describes AltarDesk as a newer UK all-in-one platform and advises testing exports, permissions, safeguarding boundaries, finance approval and Google Drive ownership before migration.Read 14 Oct 2026 · churchsoftware.co.uk
Limit: file attachments
Chat attachments are limited to 3 MB per file and count against the church's storage allowance.Read 14 Oct 2026 · altardesk.co.uk
Limit: member caps
At a plan's member cap, adding people is blocked until the church upgrades, although existing data is not deleted.Read 14 Oct 2026 · altardesk.co.uk
Limit: SMS cost
SMS is pay-as-you-go and no AltarDesk plan includes unlimited SMS.Read 14 Oct 2026 · altardesk.co.uk
Maker origin
AltarDesk says it was built by a church trustee frustrated with the administrative tools available to his local church.Read 14 Oct 2026 · altardesk.co.uk
Media storage
Sermon audio and video can remain in the church's own Google Drive and are excluded from AltarDesk storage allowances.Read 14 Oct 2026 · altardesk.co.uk
Member directory
The directory keeps contact, ministry, attendance and giving information in one searchable record and supports CSV imports.Read 14 Oct 2026 · altardesk.co.uk
Member portal
Members can update their details, view rotas and events, give, download statements and request ministry participation through a private portal.Read 14 Oct 2026 · altardesk.co.uk
News: contactless giving
On 21 August 2026, release notes announced phone-based contactless donations with automatic GASDS handling.Read 14 Oct 2026 · altardesk.co.uk
News: event tickets
On 20 August 2026, release notes announced ticket types, ticket pages, Stripe payments and QR check-in for events.Read 14 Oct 2026 · altardesk.co.uk
Notable limit
At the plan’s member cap, the church cannot add more people until it moves to a higher plan, and the site says there are no surprise overage charges.Read 29 Sep 2026 · altardesk.co.uk
Payments integration
Event ticket payments are sent directly to the church's Stripe account without an AltarDesk fee.Read 14 Oct 2026 · altardesk.co.uk
Praise: Gift Aid
The sole Trustpilot reviewer praised AltarDesk as easy for requesting Gift Aid and useful for church member management.Read 14 Oct 2026 · uk.trustpilot.com
Privacy and subprocessors
The DPA identifies Supabase, Vercel, Stripe, The SMS Works and Resend as subprocessors with stated hosting regions and transfer safeguards.Read 14 Oct 2026 · altardesk.co.uk
Rating on Apple App Store
The Apple listing says there are not enough ratings or reviews to display an overview.Read 14 Oct 2026 · apps.apple.com
Rating on GetApp
0 out of 5 from 0 reviews.Read 14 Oct 2026 · getapp.com
Rating on Google Play
The Google Play listing displays no user rating or review count for AltarDesk Giving.Read 14 Oct 2026 · play.google.com
Rating on Trustpilot
3.5 out of 5 from 1 review.Read 14 Oct 2026 · uk.trustpilot.com
Safeguarding
Safeguarding features track DBS checks, training, incidents, policies and expiry reminders.Read 14 Oct 2026 · altardesk.co.uk
Security controls
AltarDesk states that it uses TLS 1.3, AES-256 encryption, bcrypt passwords, row-level security and append-only audit logs.Read 14 Oct 2026 · altardesk.co.uk
Self-hosting
AltarDesk is presented as a hosted web service with UK and European infrastructure providers; self-hosting instructions are not published.Read 14 Oct 2026 · altardesk.co.uk
Service rotas
Rota tools assign volunteers using ministry and availability data and let members confirm or decline duties through the portal.Read 14 Oct 2026 · altardesk.co.uk
Storage limit
The free plan includes 500 MB of storage, while paid plans include 2 GB on the displayed up to 75 people tier.Read 29 Sep 2026 · altardesk.co.uk

Plans and prices

Free Free no time limit up to 15 people · 500 MB storage · 1 giving device · no marketing email Read 14 Oct 2026 · altardesk.co.uk
Free (up to 15 people) Free 15 people · 500 MB storage Read 29 Sep 2026 · altardesk.co.uk
Up to 75 people £17 a month monthly; no VAT added 75 members · 2 GB storage · 1 giving device · 500 marketing emails/month Read 14 Oct 2026 · altardesk.co.uk
76–125 people £25 a month a month; pay monthly or annually 76–125 people Read 29 Sep 2026 · altardesk.co.uk
76–125 people £25 a month monthly 126-member band · all features included Read 14 Oct 2026 · altardesk.co.uk
126–200 people £35 a month a month; pay monthly or annually 126–200 people Read 29 Sep 2026 · altardesk.co.uk
126–200 people £35 a month monthly 200 members · 5 GB storage · 2 giving devices · 2,000 marketing emails/month Read 14 Oct 2026 · altardesk.co.uk
201–500 people £69 a month a month; pay monthly or annually 201–500 people Read 29 Sep 2026 · altardesk.co.uk
201–500 people £69 a month monthly 500-member band · all features included Read 14 Oct 2026 · altardesk.co.uk
501–1,000 people £99 a month a month; pay monthly or annually 501–1,000 people Read 29 Sep 2026 · altardesk.co.uk
501–1,000 people £99 a month monthly 1,000-member band · all features included Read 14 Oct 2026 · altardesk.co.uk
1,000+ people £199 a month a month; pay monthly or annually 1,000+ people Read 29 Sep 2026 · altardesk.co.uk

Every AltarDesk plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Free plan covers up to 15 people.
  • Member portal supports rota duties and giving statements.
  • Paid plans include direct HMRC claim submission.
  • Bank imports support five named banks.
  • Member and giving records are held in UK data centres.

Limits

  • Free plan includes 500 MB storage.
  • Adding members at a plan cap requires moving up.
  • Sermon video and audio stay in the church’s Google Drive.

Who it suits

It suits church administrators managing member information, giving and schedules, particularly those using UK Gift Aid and governance modules. Churches should select a plan based on their member count and storage needs.

AltarDesk in depth

Read the full write-up

Overview

AltarDesk brings church administration and member-facing tools together, with particular relevance for UK churches managing Gift Aid and governance. It is strongest when a church wants members to maintain their own records and needs its plan to scale with the size of its people list.

The trade-off is that the free tier is tightly capped, and each plan’s people limit can require a move up as a church grows.

Key features

Church and member administration

AltarDesk covers member records, donor statements, schedules, safeguarding and giving. Members can update their details, check rota duties, give and access giving statements through the portal and app. That self-service access can reduce routine record updates for administrators, while keeping rota information and giving statements in the same service.

Paid plans add Gift Aid and GASDS management, direct HMRC claim submission and contactless giving. Bank statement imports cover Lloyds, HSBC, NatWest, Barclays and Monzo, and member card giving uses Stripe. Those UK-focused giving tools make AltarDesk a more natural fit for churches handling Gift Aid than for organisations seeking a general-purpose membership system.

Data and safeguards

Member and giving records are held in UK data centres; sermon video and audio stay in the church’s own Google Drive. AltarDesk says it uses TLS 1.3 for connections, AES-256 to encrypt stored data and row-level security to isolate organisation records. It also says it does not sell church data, share it with advertisers or use it to train AI models, and identifies itself as UK GDPR compliant and ICO registered under ZC117860.

Storage is modest at the entry levels: 500 MB on Free and 2 GB on the displayed tier for up to 75 people. Churches with substantial sermon media should note that those files remain in their own Google Drive rather than being covered by AltarDesk storage.

Pricing

The free plan costs nothing and covers up to 15 people with 500 MB storage. It is a useful starting point for a small church, but the member ceiling and storage allowance leave little room for growth. There is also a 30-day trial.

The Up to 75 people plan costs £17 a month, payable monthly or annually, and includes 2 GB storage, 1 giving device and 500 marketing emails/month. This is the clearest paid fit for a small congregation that needs paid-plan giving tools. At the 75-person cap, the church must move to a higher tier to add people; there are no surprise overage charges.

Larger plans are priced by people served: 76–125 people costs £25 a month; 126–200 costs £35 a month; 201–500 costs £69 a month; 501–1,000 costs £99 a month; and 1,000+ costs £199 a month. Each is billed a month, with monthly or annual payment available. These tiers suit churches that need to keep their records within a defined capacity, but the published details do not give further storage or feature breakdowns for them.

Platforms

AltarDesk runs on Android, iOS and the web, covering common mobile and browser access for administrators and members.

Who it's for

AltarDesk is best suited to UK church administrators who need member records, rota access and giving administration together, especially those using Gift Aid and Charity Commission governance modules. Its people-based tiers also make the capacity threshold easy to identify. Churches expecting to exceed a tier’s cap should budget for the next plan rather than treating the limit as flexible.

Pros and cons

UK giving administration: Paid plans include Gift Aid and GASDS management and direct HMRC claim submission, alongside contactless giving.

Member self-service: Members can update details and access rota duties and giving statements, reducing reliance on administrators for those tasks.

Clear capacity-based pricing: Tier caps and no surprise overage charges make the consequence of growth explicit.

Constrained entry plan: Free covers only 15 people and 500 MB, so a growing church may reach its limit quickly.

Limited published detail on larger tiers: Beyond people caps and prices, the plan breakdown does not establish what storage or specific features those tiers include.

Alternatives

ChurchTrac is worth comparing for a church that needs broader desktop platform coverage, including macOS and Windows, and is willing to pay $29 a month for its 75-person plan rather than use AltarDesk’s £17-a-month tier.

POINT is a better match when volunteer signups, scheduling, event and group management, messaging and time tracking matter more than AltarDesk’s church records and UK giving administration; it has a free plan and supports Android, iOS and web.

VolunteerReady suits organisations prioritising volunteer coordination with no volunteer, opportunity or seat cap on its free plan, while AltarDesk is more specifically oriented to church records and giving.

AlignMint is an option for eligible organisations with up to $100K in annual donations that value its free plan’s 10 GB storage and single-user allowance; AltarDesk instead centres on church administration and UK Gift Aid.

Faith Teams offers a free account for up to 100 active people if the church activates online giving within 30 days of sign-up, making it a relevant alternative for a larger congregation considering a free starting point.

Planning Center is worth considering for churches that want free modules such as unlimited database and reporting in People, or a free Calendar plan limited to one room, rather than AltarDesk’s single church-management system.

VolunteerBadge is an alternative for organizations focused on background-check management; checks cost extra on its free management-tools plan.

MosesTab Worship Planning is a better fit when worship planning is the priority: its free plan includes unlimited members, one admin, one group and ministry, five events, three forms and 500 MB storage.

For a focused shortlist, see Church Background Check Software.

Verdict

Choose AltarDesk if you are a UK church that wants member self-service alongside records, schedules and Gift Aid administration, and your people count fits a defined tier. Its UK-specific giving workflow is the main reason to choose it; the 15-person free cap, limited entry storage and required upgrade at each member ceiling are reasons to look elsewhere if the church is growing quickly or needs more room at no cost.

Verdict

AltarDesk combines church records, member access and giving administration, with plan tiers based on people served. Check the member cap and storage allowance for the selected tier before choosing it.

Where Specifiction places it

Alternatives to AltarDeskAll alternatives →