ChurchSpring Live Streaming vs Congregate
ChurchSpring Live Streaming
churchspring.com
Congregate
congregateonline.comSide by side
| Figure | ChurchSpring Live Streaming | Congregate |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $9.67/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 | 7 | 10 |
| Spec score · Church Website Builders | 8.9 (#3) | 9.1 (#1) |
| Documentation | The help center provides procedural articles for destination connections and Online Studio setup, including camera, screen and audio selection. | Support provides quick-start guides, feature documentation, tutorial videos, FAQs, launch instructions, and ticket support. |
| Licence | The terms describe the service and content as ChurchSpring property and grant only a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable right to use it. | Terms assign Congregate platform intellectual-property rights to Congregate and its licensors and prohibit copying, reverse engineering, and derivative works. |
| Mobile app | ChurchSpring’s app is available for iOS and Android and can show live-stream notifications and events. | The native members app is available for iPhone, iPad, and Android and includes member modules, directory, Bible, and sermon audio. |
| Purpose | ChurchSpring describes its live-streaming software as a way for churches to stream services for members and visitors watching at home or on the go. | Congregate is a church management platform combining a church website, member management, and leadership tools. |
| Rating on Apple App Store | 4.4 out of 5 from 11 ratings. | 3.9 out of 5 from 19 ratings |
| Rating on Google Play | 4.5 out of 5 from 32 reviews. | 2.4 out of 5 from 20 reviews |
| Security | ChurchSpring says it issues free SSL certificates automatically after a custom domain points to its hosting. | The service supports two-factor authentication for administrators and members. |
| Support | Support is offered by email, phone, chat and video, with live hours listed as 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Central, Monday through Friday. | Free technical support is included in every service plan, and the company says it responds to support tickets within 24 hours or less. |
| What it does | ChurchSpring provides church-focused live streaming connected to a church website, social destinations, events, sermons and its mobile app. | Congregate combines a public church website, members-only area, and leadership management tools. |
Plans
ChurchSpring Live Streaming
- Boost$29 a month
- Amplify$49 a month
- Ignite$79 a month
- Grow (Annual)$116 a year
- Grow (Monthly)$129 a month
- Flourish (Annual)$143 a year
- Flourish (Monthly)$159 a month
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
ChurchSpring Live Streaming
ChurchSpring Live Streaming is a church-focused service for streaming services to members and visitors watching at home or on the go. Live-streaming integration is included with Grow and Flourish; Grow supports third-party streaming platforms. Churches can schedule streams on their website and create recurring events, with an event landing page and an automatic countdown slider. The service says most third-party streaming embed codes can be added to a church website. Destinations described include the church website, YouTube, Facebook, and custom RTMP services. Analytics can include viewer counts and event length. Native streaming is described as coming soon for Flourish, alongside third-party integrations. Grow includes 25 GB of storage and costs $116 a year or $129 a month. Flourish includes unlimited storage and costs $143 a year or $159 a month. A seven-day trial is listed, but there is no free plan. The service is available on Android, iOS, and web, with phone, email, chat, and video support.
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.