Arbor vs ChurchCMS

Arbor is a Christian discipleship app for individuals, groups, and group leaders on Android and iOS. Its Daily Walk connects a Bible verse and reflection with a practical step; the app also includes a Bible, reading plans, a prayer journal, daily challenges, and streaks. Groups can use chat, a shared prayer wall, Group Pulse, a shared Daily Walk, and accountability circles. Leaders can create groups, schedule gatherings, send reminders, and prepare custom studies and reading plans. Arbor GO connects groups with community needs, supports service coordination, and records completed projects in God at Work. Churches and nonprofits can submit needs, and each submission is reviewed before it reaches users. Arbor Youth offers students daily faith features and group chat, plus tools for youth leaders; its Android app is described as coming soon. Solo users and group members can use Arbor free, while the group leader subscribes. Leader plans include up to 15 members; Church plans support up to 10 groups, with 25 members per group or 35 for Youth. Monthly plans cost $7.99 a month and $49.99 a month; annual plans cost $69.99 a year and $499.99 a year, respectively. Paid plans include a 30-day free trial.

ChurchCMS is church management software for member administration, attendance, online giving, events, congregation communications, and a church website. Its CRM stores searchable member profiles, family links, giving and attendance history, messages, and printable QR membership cards. Giving supports one-time and recurring donations, donor records, statements, fundraising campaigns, and Stripe, M-Pesa, Flutterwave, and Paystack. A branded Android app provides sermons, events, giving, member messages, prayer requests, and a church calendar. The product exposes a REST API for core modules and describes payment and third-party integrations through it. Churches can self-host under the MIT license or use managed hosting. Self-hosting is free forever with all six core modules, the Android app, and no usage limits. Managed Hosting costs $29 a month; annual managed hosting costs $290 a year. A one-time installation service costs 99.00 USD. The maker says it serves small and medium churches, with no minimum congregation size.