Flocknote vs Shepherding Connections

Flocknote gives churches and ministries tools for communication, member records, events, and online giving. Users can send email or text messages to groups or individuals. Member records can include custom profile fields, household groupings, relationships, attendance, and documents. Signups cover registrations, RSVPs, polls, surveys, volunteering, and event payments. The Starter plan is free for life for 0–40 members; for 41–50 members it costs $10 monthly, and for 51–70 members it costs $17 monthly. Complete costs $75 a month plus the Starter price based on total members; for 0–40 members, it costs $75. Enterprise has custom pricing for diocesan and multi-campus organizations. U.S. plans include online giving without setup or monthly fees, but transaction fees are 1.1% plus 30¢ for ACH and 2.9% plus 30¢ for credit or debit cards. Administrators are advised to use a mobile browser; members can receive messages without downloading an app. Flocknote is web-based and offers email support.

Shepherding Connections is a messaging tool for following up with visitors and others outside a church’s rolls. It supports SMS announcements, two-way texting, automated welcome sequences, call forwarding, and keyword responses. Public connect pages collect visitor details and can trigger follow-up, and digital visitor welcome cards are also described. Automations can send texts or email, create tasks, assign team members, branch on replies, and repeat on a cadence. Contacts can be grouped into segments, while links in messages can be shortened and tracked. The product requires recorded consent for announcements and automated messages and handles STOP, START, and HELP keywords. Phone numbers and texting are not included in the free plan; paid Tracker plans enable them. Messaging is limited to United States and Canada numbers. Connections is labeled Beta, and delivery confirmation is unavailable: a sent status means the carrier accepted a message, not that it reached a handset. The free plan allows up to five accounts. Paid plans start at $29 a month for Small Church, which includes SMS messaging.