Courtyard

Courtyard is a private directory for churches, schools, homeschool groups, and other member communities. It is best suited to groups that organize people by family and want members to maintain their own records. Its clear strengths are shared upkeep, print tools, and mobile access; the family-based pricing and absence of search and filters narrow its appeal.

Overview

Courtyard gives a community an online directory arranged around families, much like a printed church directory. Members can edit their own entries, reducing the routine work administrators would otherwise need to do. Administrators retain control over access and can assign other administrators editing and settings permissions, a useful balance for groups that want member participation without giving up oversight.

The dashboard brings together recent directory changes, upcoming birthdays, and a map of member locations. These are practical views for keeping up with directory activity and finding members geographically. But without search and filters, a directory that is difficult to browse by name or other criteria may become less convenient as it grows.

Key features

Member-managed records and printouts

Members can update their own directory entries, while administrators control who can see the online directory. Courtyard also produces PDF photo, directory, and monthly birthday printouts. Custom fields can be selected for printing and export, giving organizations more control over what appears in those outputs.

The maker imports an existing directory at no charge for subscribers and accepts Excel, CSV, Word, and text files, including CSV exports from membership databases. The usual import target is 24 hours, though processing can take up to a week in some circumstances. Each plan includes one free data import, so organizations with later migrations should account for that limit.

Mobile use and privacy

Every plan includes iPhone and Android apps. The iPhone app can access the directory offline and open member addresses in Maps, phone numbers in the phone app, and email addresses in Mail. That makes the mobile experience useful for looking up and contacting members, although offline access is described specifically for the iPhone app.

The privacy policy says cookies are required and that Courtyard uses session rather than permanent cookies. It also says customers retain rights to their data and that information is not sold or shared for commercial purposes, subject to exceptions such as delivering requested services, user permission, legal requirements, and safety investigations.

Pricing

Courtyard has no free plan, but offers a 30-day trial. Pricing is monthly and based on the number of families, not directory members. Every tier includes unlimited member access, unlimited custom fields, unlimited sections, one free data import, both mobile apps, and email and phone support. This means a community can give members access without paying per seat, while the monthly cost rises with family count.

1–29 families: $9 a month.

30–99 families: $19 a month.

100–199 families: $29 a month.

200–299 families: $39 a month.

300–399 families: $49 a month.

400–599 families: $69 a month.

600–799 families: $89 a month.

800–999 families: $119 a month.

1000+ families: $199 a month.

The smallest tier suits a compact community that wants the full set of core tools without per-member charges. Larger groups should compare their family count with the tier boundaries: moving above a threshold increases the monthly fee even though the listed core inclusions remain the same. Statistics are included only with larger plans, and the tour describes section counts as plan-based even though the pricing page calls sections unlimited; groups that depend on statistics or many sections should resolve that discrepancy before subscribing.

Platforms

Courtyard runs on the web, Android, and iOS. The mobile apps are included across the plans, rather than reserved for a higher-priced tier.

Who it's for

Courtyard is a strong fit for churches, schools, homeschool groups, and other member communities that want a private, family-organized directory, member editing, and printable photo or birthday lists. It is less compelling for anyone who needs robust searching and filtering, a free ongoing plan, or pricing based on something other than family count.

Pros and cons

Pro: Unlimited member access in every plan avoids seat-based charges as more people join.

Pro: Members can update their own records, reducing administrators' routine maintenance.

Pro: PDF printouts, custom-field selection, and export support both online and paper directory needs.

Pro: A free import is included with each plan, and common spreadsheet and document formats are accepted.

Con: There is no free plan, so continued use requires a paid subscription after the 30-day trial.

Con: Family-count tiers can make the bill jump when a group crosses a threshold.

Con: No search and filters can make larger directories harder to navigate.

Con: The pricing page and tour differ on whether sections are unlimited or plan-based.

Alternatives

Directify is the better starting point for someone who wants a free directory plan: it includes one directory and 10 listings, with templates, a theme editor, and a Directify subdomain with SSL. Its listed platforms are web, API, and extension, rather than Courtyard's iOS and Android apps.

Sift is another paid option with a broader platform range, including desktop and mobile operating systems. Its listed Sift Org Chart plan costs $150 a month, so readers should compare its purpose and price with Courtyard's family-count directory plans.

DirectorySpot is an alternative for churches and HOAs, with annual household-based plans and web, Android, and iOS access. Its listed 1–50 household plan costs $100 a year, which may suit a reader comparing annual household pricing with Courtyard's monthly family tiers.

Store Locator Plus is the relevant alternative for a self-hosted WordPress store-locator use case; its base plugin is free, with add-ons extending its features.

The Church Connectory is another church-directory option, with a listed plan for up to 300 members at $9 a month and unlimited users.

Directorist offers a free plan and runs on web, mobile, API, and self-hosted platforms, making it an option for readers considering a freemium directory product.

OneDirectory is a web-only paid alternative with monthly plans priced by profile count.

Apache Directory Server is a free, self-hosted directory server for Linux, macOS, and Windows rather than a hosted community directory.

For more options, see Directory Software and Church Directory Software.

Verdict

Choose Courtyard if your church, school, or member community wants a private family directory that members can maintain, with printouts, mobile apps, and unrestricted member access. The free import and family-based plans make it a practical fit for organizations whose size aligns with a tier. Look elsewhere if you need search and filters, a free plan, or clearer certainty about section limits before committing.