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Religion · head to head

ChurchDesk vs Gloo

ChurchDesk logo

ChurchDesk

Religion

Church management and member portal platform

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Gloo logo

Gloo

Religion

Data and AI platform connecting churches, ministries and the people looking for them

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Gloo has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: ChurchDesk all subscription plans carry a one time setup fee of 655 GBP per parish for onboarding and training; Gloo churches are not the paying customer, so the product roadmap answers to ministries, funders and campaign buyers whose interests do not always match a local congregation.
  • They diverge on capability: ChurchDesk covers Member Portal, Gloo covers Gloo Workspace.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ChurchDesk and Gloo actually diverge.

Attributes where ChurchDesk and Gloo differ
AttributeChurchDeskGloo
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionFree tier for churches, paid tiers and campaign services quoted
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, MobileWeb, iOS, Android
Founded2010Unknown

Identical on both: 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 ChurchDesk

  • Member Portal
  • Announcements
  • Event RSVP
  • Volunteer Coordination
  • Email Integration
  • Calendar Systems
  • Giving Platforms
  • Mobile App

Only in Gloo

  • Gloo Workspace
  • Church messaging
  • Prayer inbox
  • Explorer campaigns
  • Ministry insights
  • Aggregated content and research
  • Free tier

What people use each for

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

ChurchDesk

  • Member managementnot Gloo
  • Donation trackingnot Gloo
  • Event planningnot Gloo
  • Volunteer schedulingnot Gloo
  • Communicationnot Gloo

Gloo

  • A church with no communications budget wanting AI drafting and mass texting without a subscriptionnot ChurchDesk
  • A congregation that wants to be the local referral destination for people searching online for help with addiction or anxietynot ChurchDesk
  • A denomination seeking engagement data across its member churches rather than per-church anecdotesnot ChurchDesk
  • A ministry running a national awareness campaign that needs to route responders to nearby churchesnot ChurchDesk

Where each one falls short

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

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

Gloo

  • Churches are not the paying customer, so the product roadmap answers to ministries, funders and campaign buyers whose interests do not always match a local congregation.
  • Participation routes congregant and enquirer interactions through a commercial data network, and a church board should have the data terms reviewed before enrolling a congregation rather than after.
  • It is not a church management system: there is no membership database, giving ledger, child check-in or rostering, so it sits alongside an existing ChMS rather than replacing one.
  • Free message credits are capped monthly, and a church that builds its weekly communications on texting will exceed them and move to paid volume where the effective cost is comparable to dedicated messaging vendors.
  • The company has grown by acquiring more than twenty brands, and integrating that many products takes time, so overlap and inconsistency between the acquired tools is visible to users.

Pricing, plan by plan

ChurchDesk

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

Gloo

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Core Workspace AI tools
    • Monthly message credit allowance
    • Prayer inbox
  • Gloo+ and campaign services$undefined/year
    • Higher message volumes and additional media features
    • Explorer campaign participation
    • Ministry and denomination data services

Which should you pick?

Choose ChurchDesk if

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

Choose Gloo if

  • You need gloo workspace.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want church messaging.
Gloo review

Questions people ask

Is ChurchDesk or Gloo better?
Neither clearly leads. ChurchDesk starts at On request and Gloo at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ChurchDesk or Gloo?
Gloo has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for ChurchDesk and Free for Gloo.
Does ChurchDesk or Gloo run on more platforms?
ChurchDesk runs on Web, Mobile. Gloo runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use Gloo for free?
Yes. Gloo has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. ChurchDesk starts at On request.
What is ChurchDesk best used for?
ChurchDesk is most often used for member management, donation tracking, event planning, volunteer scheduling. Of those, member management and donation tracking are not what Gloo is typically brought in for.
What can ChurchDesk do that Gloo cannot?
ChurchDesk covers Member Portal, Announcements, Event RSVP, Volunteer Coordination. Gloo covers Gloo Workspace, Church messaging, Prayer inbox, Explorer campaigns.

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
Gloo: Is this the same as Gloo Gateway the API product?

No. This is gloo.com, the faith sector data and AI platform. Gloo Gateway is an unrelated API gateway product from a different company.

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
Gloo: Why is it free for churches?

Because churches are not the revenue source. Ministries, publishers, philanthropists and campaign funders pay to reach and measure engagement with the audience the network reaches.

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
Gloo: Does it replace our church management software?

No. There is no membership ledger, giving records, check-in or volunteer rostering. Keep your ChMS.

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
Gloo: What happens to data about people who contact us through Explorer?

That is the question to put in writing to Gloo before joining. Enquirer data flows through a commercial network, and the governing terms should be reviewed by whoever advises your board.

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