ChurchCMS vs GraceSquad
ChurchCMS
churchcms.app
GraceSquad
gracesquad.orgSide by side
| Figure | ChurchCMS | GraceSquad |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $24.17/mo | $39/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 10 | 4 |
| Spec score · Church Volunteer Management Software | 9.3 (#1) | 9.1 (#2) |
| API | The Laravel backend exposes a REST API covering members, giving, attendance, events, sermons and notifications. | API access is listed as a Ministry-plan feature, but no public API reference or SDK is linked from the site pages reviewed. |
| Giving | The giving module supports one-time and recurring donations, donor histories, statements, campaigns and multiple funds. | The platform accepts one-time and recurring Stripe donations, supports fund designation and pledge campaigns, and produces giving statements. |
| Intended users | ChurchCMS says it was designed for small and medium churches and has no minimum congregation size. | GraceSquad identifies churches, food banks, youth programs, healthcare volunteers, and other mission-driven organizations coordinating volunteers as intended users. |
| Security | Official material states SSL support, bcrypt password hashing, managed-hosting backups and security monitoring; it also claims GDPR-oriented data ownership. | The FAQ states that TLS 1.3, encrypted database backups, and organization-level role-based access are used. |
| Support | Support is offered through email and WhatsApp, GitHub discussions/issues and optional installation or managed-hosting services. | The contact page promises replies within one business day on weekdays from 9am to 6pm Central and offers 20-minute demos. |
| What it does | ChurchCMS combines church administration, a website, online giving, member management and a companion Android app in one open-source platform. | GraceSquad is a volunteer scheduling and member-management platform for churches and nonprofits. |
Plans
ChurchCMS
- Self-HostedFree
- Self-Host It YourselfFree
- Managed Hosting$29 a month
- Managed Hosting Monthly$29 a month
- Installation Service$99, paid once
- We Install It For You$99, paid once
- Managed Hosting (annual)$290 a year
- Managed Hosting Annual$290 a year
- Custom Website Template$399, paid once
- Custom DevelopmentPriced on request
GraceSquad
- StarterFree
- Community$39 a month
- Growth$79 a month
- Ministry$119 a month
In their own words
ChurchCMS
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.
GraceSquad
GraceSquad is a volunteer scheduling and member-management platform for churches, nonprofits, and other mission-driven organizations. Its scheduling engine weighs skills, certifications, availability, and rotation fairness, then prepares assignments for a coordinator to review and publish. Member records can include profiles, skills, certifications, availability, family groups, service history, hours, and badges. Starter is free forever for up to 100 members and one ministry, with manual scheduling and email notifications. Community costs $39 a month and adds auto-fill scheduling, SMS and email reminders, a volunteer portal, conflict detection, reporting, child safety, and giving management. Growth costs $79 a month, and Ministry costs $119 a month. Child-safety tools include QR-code check-in, parent tags, and two-adult-rule enforcement; the FAQ places background-check tracking on Growth and above. Donations can be one-time or recurring through Stripe, with a stated processing pass-through of 2.2% + $0.30 per transaction. The web app is available now; iOS and Android apps are marked coming soon.