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Religion · head to head

Church Alive vs ChurchDesk

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Church Alive

Religion

Church management and event software

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
ChurchDesk logo

ChurchDesk

Religion

Church management and member portal platform

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • They diverge on capability: Church Alive covers Member Management, ChurchDesk covers Member Portal.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Church Alive and ChurchDesk actually diverge.

Attributes where Church Alive and ChurchDesk differ
AttributeChurch AliveChurchDesk
Founded20062010

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), platforms (Web, Mobile), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Religion).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Church Alive

  • Member Management
  • Event Planning
  • Group Coordination
  • Volunteer Scheduling
  • Payment Processing
  • Giving Integration

Only in ChurchDesk

  • Member Portal
  • Announcements
  • Event RSVP
  • Volunteer Coordination
  • Giving Platforms
  • Mobile App

Both cover

  • Email Integration
  • Calendar Systems
  • Web support
  • Mobile support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Church Alive

  • Member management
  • Donation tracking
  • Event planning
  • Volunteer scheduling
  • Communication

ChurchDesk

  • Member management
  • Donation tracking
  • Event planning
  • Volunteer scheduling
  • Communication

Both are used for member management, donation tracking, event planning, volunteer scheduling, communication, on those jobs the choice comes down to price and fit rather than capability.

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Church Alive

Nothing recorded yet. See the Church Alive review.

ChurchDesk

  • All subscription plans carry a one time setup fee of 655 GBP per parish for onboarding and training
  • Multi-Parish support is only available by contacting sales on the Small, Medium and Large plans
  • Payment Terminal add-on costs 456 GBP per year on top of the Basic through Medium plans

Pricing, plan by plan

Church Alive

On request
  • Basic$49/month
    • Core management
    • Up to 200 members
  • Professional$149/month
    • All features
    • Unlimited members
    • Advanced reporting

ChurchDesk

On request
  • Starter$99/month
    • Basic features
    • Up to 500 members
  • Plus$299/month
    • All features
    • Unlimited members
    • Advanced portal

Which should you pick?

Choose Church Alive if

  • You need member management.
  • You work on Web, Mobile.
  • You also want event planning.
Church Alive review

Choose ChurchDesk if

  • You need member portal.
  • You work on Web, Mobile.
  • You also want announcements.
ChurchDesk review

Questions people ask

Is Church Alive or ChurchDesk better?
Neither clearly leads. Church Alive starts at On request and ChurchDesk at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Church Alive or ChurchDesk?
Church Alive starts at On request and ChurchDesk at On request.
Does Church Alive or ChurchDesk run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, Mobile, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
What is Church Alive best used for?
Church Alive is most often used for member management, donation tracking, event planning, volunteer scheduling.
What can Church Alive do that ChurchDesk cannot?
Church Alive covers Member Management, Event Planning, Group Coordination, Volunteer Scheduling. ChurchDesk covers Member Portal, Announcements, Event RSVP, Volunteer Coordination. Both handle Email Integration, Calendar Systems, Web support, Mobile support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

ChurchDesk: What is ChurchDesk's pricing structure?

ChurchDesk offers four subscription plans billed annually: Basic at £54/month, Small at £97/month, Medium at £140/month, and Large at £239/month, excluding VAT.

Source
ChurchDesk: What is included in ChurchDesk plans?

All tiers include the same core modules: Calendar, People, Forms, Website, Workflows, and Finance, plus attendance tracking, payments, booking enquiries, and studio access.

Source
ChurchDesk: What setup costs does ChurchDesk charge?

ChurchDesk charges a one-time setup fee of £655 per parish for 'Upstart & Training,' which covers initial configuration and onboarding.

Source
ChurchDesk: What ChurchDesk add-ons are available?

Add-ons include Studio (£57/month), Cookies & Analytics (£10/month), Additional Websites (£36/month), and Payment Terminal (£456/year for smaller plans). The Large plan includes one Payment Terminal.

Source
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