Clearstream vs Unity Messaging

Clearstream is a church texting and email service for communicating with members and following up with visitors. Churches can send or schedule text announcements containing links, pictures, and videos. Text-to-join keywords can add people to a list, send an automatic response, and start a workflow of scheduled texts. A texting inbox supports replies and one-to-one conversations, while the email builder covers newsletters, event calendars, and volunteer reminders. Church features include subaccounts for ministries or campuses, branded microsites, QR codes, and branded link tracking. Listed integrations include Planning Center, Rock RMS, CCB/Pushpay, Breeze, Slack, Mailchimp, Zapier, Simple, X, and Facebook; a REST API and webhooks are available for custom integrations. Native iOS and Android apps support messaging, inbox management, notifications, and scheduling. Plans start at $35/mo, and a 30-day trial is available; there is no free plan. Monthly credits do not roll over, incoming texts are free, and longer texts or those with emojis or pictures may use more credits. Every plan includes live chat, email, phone, and Zoom support.

Unity Messaging is a web platform for churches, religious groups, nonprofits, schools, property managers, HOAs, and community groups to coordinate email, text, and automated phone updates from one dashboard. Teams can add contacts manually or import spreadsheets, organize them into lists, and target selected groups. Messages can be sent immediately or scheduled across all three channels. Delivery reports show recipient-level status for messages and calls. Emails support attachments and replies, with responses routed to the organization. Admin and messenger roles let approved team members send without sharing one password, and the service describes support for users handling multiple organizations in one account. Church examples include service changes, weather closures, volunteer reminders, ministry notices, and member outreach. The free tier is free forever for up to 5 contacts, with all features and no credit card. Paid billing is $0.50 a month per contact or $4 a year per contact.