ChurchOn01
Before you choose church management software: start with your needs
The right church management software isn't the one with the most features. It's the one that makes the work you already do easier, so before looking at any product, write down what's slowing you down today.
- Member info is scattered across spreadsheets, paper cards, and group chats, and no one knows which is current
- The bulletin takes hours every week
- Every time someone new takes over, files and passwords have to be handed off
- The pastor and staff are each working from a different list
Your first test is whether a tool fixes the one or two most pressing problems. Features you won't use yet can wait until you actually need them.
02
Installed vs. web-based: what's the difference?
Church software generally comes in two forms: programs you install on an office computer, and web-based tools you use in a browser. Both have trade-offs, so pick the one that matches how your team works.
| Installed | Web-based | |
|---|---|---|
| Where you use it | Only on the computer it's installed on | Any computer, tablet, or phone with internet |
| Working as a team | Often needs file sharing or extra setup | Everyone with an account can use it at once |
| Backups | Your church has to handle them | Handled by the provider, but ask how |
| Updates | You install new versions yourself | Always up to date when you log in |
| When the internet is down | Still works | Can't be used |
If several people need access, or you want to check the member list from home, web-based is easier. If one person uses it in one office, an installed program can be enough.
03
Check the cost and the free plan limits
With free church management software, look past the word free and find out exactly how far it goes. Some tools become hard to keep using the moment you hit a limit.
- What the limits are for members, users, and storage
- Whether archived members, like people who moved or transferred, still count toward the member limit
- Whether you need a credit card to sign up, and whether a trial turns into an automatic charge
- What happens at the limit: does your data lock, or go read-only?
04
Your data belongs to your church: exporting and switching
Membership data is your church's asset, so you should be able to take it with you if you ever switch tools. It's also the point people most often overlook at the start.
- Can you export the full member list in a common format like Excel or CSV?
- Do details like family relationships, baptism, and roles come along?
- Can you import your existing list in bulk, or do you have to enter people one by one?
- What happens to your data if you stop using the service?
If a feature isn't there yet, ask when it's coming, and decide how you'll keep your own copy of the list in the meantime.
05
Permissions, mobile, language, privacy, and support
Member information is sensitive, so you need control over who can see what. The more people share the tool, the more this matters.
- Permissions: Can you separate admin and staff access, and who can do risky things like deleting records?
- Mobile: Is it comfortable to use on a phone without installing an app?
- Language: If your church ministers in more than one language, can every leader use it in theirs?
- Privacy: Where is the data stored, is each church's data kept separate, and is the connection encrypted (HTTPS)?
- Support: Where can you get help when something goes wrong, and in what language?
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Church management software comparison checklist
Copy this table and go through it line by line for each tool you're considering. It makes the comparison much easier.
| What to check | Question to ask |
|---|---|
| Core need | Does it solve our one or two biggest headaches? |
| How it runs | Is it installed or web-based? Where can we use it? |
| Cost | How much can we do for free, and is a credit card required? |
| Limits | What are the member, user, and storage limits? |
| Data export | Can we export the full list in a common format? |
| Data import | Can we bring in our existing list all at once? |
| Permissions | Can we give admins and staff different access? |
| Mobile | Does it work well in a phone browser? |
| Language | Does it support the languages our leaders use? |
| Privacy and support | Where is the data stored, and who do we contact for help? |
07
Where ChurchOn stands today
ChurchOn is web-based church management software that runs in your browser with nothing to install. It's in early access, so there's only a free plan for now. Here's an honest look at where it stands against the checklist above.
| Criteria | ChurchOn today |
|---|---|
| Available now | Member records (families, member types, roles), digital bulletins, and a file library |
| Coming later | Attendance, giving and finances, small groups, pastoral visit notes, and text messaging |
| Free plan limits | 100 members, 20 bulletins, 5 users, 1 GB storage, no credit card (archived members count toward the total) |
| Data export | No Excel import or export yet (in the works) |
| Permissions | Two roles, church admin and staff; only admins can permanently delete or change settings |
| Mobile and language | Works in browsers on computers, tablets, and phones; Korean, English, and Simplified Chinese |
| Privacy | Each church's data kept separate, HTTPS, servers in Helsinki, Finland |
| Support | shalom@churchon.org |
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Frequently asked questions
Can we trust free church management software?
What matters more than the price is where your data is stored, how it's protected, and whether you can take it with you later. Ask up front about the free plan limits and what happens when you reach them.
Does a small church really need church management software?
Even with a few dozen members, it helps if your list lives in several places or the person in charge changes often. Keeping everything in one place means the records stay when people move on.
What do we need to switch from installed software to a web-based tool?
Start by exporting your full member list from the old program, then check whether the new tool supports bulk import. If it doesn't, plan to enter the essentials, like names and contact info, in batches.
Can I export my member list from ChurchOn to Excel?
Not yet. Excel import and export are in the works. If you need it, let us know at shalom@churchon.org.