Church Directory vs Congregate
Church Directory
church.directory
Congregate
congregateonline.comSide by side
| Figure | Church Directory | Congregate |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $19/mo | $10/mo |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 10 |
| Spec score · Church Directory Software | 8.6 (#9) | 8.9 (#6) |
| Founded | 2009 | The Congregate service was launched in 2009. |
| Member directory | Members can self-manage their accounts and information in the online directory. | The directory stores member contact details, photos, family relationships, groups, and custom fields. |
| Messaging | The product supports group communication by email, SMS, voice calls, and in-app messaging. | The message center supports email, text, and voice communication to members, groups, and mailing lists. |
| Security | The company says web and mobile data transfers use HTTPS, passwords use bcrypt hashing, and identified sensitive database information is encrypted at rest. | The service supports two-factor authentication for administrators and members. |
| Support | The plan includes email support for administrators, and live video training is available for an extra fee. | Free technical support is included in every service plan, and the company says it responds to support tickets within 24 hours or less. |
Plans
Congregate
- Virtual Library$10 a month
- Sermon Transcriptions$15 a month
- Economy$20 a month
- Members Only$20 a month
- Text Messaging$25 a month
- Voice Messaging$25 a month
- Classic$45 a month
- Self-Hosted WordPress$55 a month
- Unlimited$55 a month
- Congregate-Hosted WordPress$70 a month
In their own words
Church Directory
Church Directory has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.
Congregate
Congregate is a church management platform that combines a church website, member management, and leadership tools. Member features include a directory, attendance tracking, visitor registration and follow-up, and a leadership CRM. Communications include email, premium SMS, and premium text-to-speech voice messages. Its worship scheduler assigns positions and volunteer tasks, with support for blockout dates, replacements, confirmations, and reminders.
Churches can upload sermon media in formats such as MP3, PowerPoint, PDF, or YouTube links; the platform can create podcast feeds and support social sharing. The native members app is available for iPhone, iPad, and Android, and includes member modules, a directory, Bible, and sermon audio. Congregate says more than 30 modules are included in each service plan. Plans include a public website and mobile app at $20/mo for Economy, while Members Only is also $20/mo and omits the public website and email accounts. Standard plans carry a one-time $499 setup fee, discounted by $50 for churches with fewer than 50 members. Free technical support is included, with ticket responses stated as within 24 hours or less. The site offers a free test drive but gives no duration. The service runs on web, Android, and iOS.