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Religion · head to head

ChurchDesk vs MediaShout

ChurchDesk logo

ChurchDesk

Religion

Church management and member portal platform

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
MediaShout logo

MediaShout

Religion

Worship presentation and media management software

From
$198/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: ChurchDesk all subscription plans carry a one time setup fee of 655 GBP per parish for onboarding and training; MediaShout the perpetual MediaShout 7 Site licence is a $599 one-time purchase, and phone support is limited to 2 sessions in the first 30 days before dropping to email and live chat
  • They diverge on capability: ChurchDesk covers Member Portal, MediaShout covers Lyric Display.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ChurchDesk and MediaShout actually diverge.

Attributes where ChurchDesk and MediaShout differ
AttributeChurchDeskMediaShout
Starting priceOn request$198/year
Pricing modelsubscriptionone-time
PlatformsWeb, MobileWindows
Founded20102000

Identical on both: free tier (No), 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 MediaShout

  • Lyric Display
  • Video Integration
  • Theme Creation
  • Remote Control
  • Song Databases
  • Planning Center
  • CCLI Integration
  • Web Remote

What people use each for

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

ChurchDesk

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

MediaShout

  • Church worship presentation and lyrics displaynot ChurchDesk
  • Multi-screen sermon notes and Bible verse displaynot ChurchDesk
  • CCLI SongSelect integration for compliancenot ChurchDesk
  • 70+ Bible translation displaynot 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

MediaShout

  • The perpetual MediaShout 7 Site licence is a $599 one-time purchase, and phone support is limited to 2 sessions in the first 30 days before dropping to email and live chat
  • Ongoing phone and video support with remote desktop control requires the Plus Membership at $199 per year on top of the software
  • The cheapest option, MediaShout LE at $198 per year, licenses one computer only and omits the stage and confidence display
  • Shift Worship media access requires MediaShout 7 Complete at $798 one-time plus $299 per year
  • Upgrading from a previous MediaShout version still costs $399 for the Site licence or $498 for Essentials
  • The published plans are for MediaShout 7 for Windows, listed separately from the Mac product

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

MediaShout

$198/year
  • MediaShout 7 LE (Subscription)$198/year
    • Single computer
    • Limited features
    • Annual subscription
  • MediaShout 7 Essentials (Windows)$698/one-time
    • Perpetual license
    • 1 year Plus Membership ($199 annual renewal)
    • Unlimited computers with Site License upgrade
  • MediaShout 7 Complete (Windows)$798/one-time
    • Perpetual license
    • Plus Membership
    • Shift Worship media library access
  • MediaShout 7 Site License (Windows)$599/one-time
    • Unlimited computers
    • Perpetual license

Which should you pick?

Choose ChurchDesk if

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

Choose MediaShout if

  • You need lyric display.
  • You work on Windows.
  • You also want video integration.
MediaShout review

Questions people ask

Is ChurchDesk or MediaShout better?
Neither clearly leads. ChurchDesk starts at On request and MediaShout at $198/year, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ChurchDesk or MediaShout?
ChurchDesk starts at On request and MediaShout at $198/year.
Does ChurchDesk or MediaShout run on more platforms?
ChurchDesk runs on Web, Mobile. MediaShout runs on Windows.
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 MediaShout is typically brought in for.
What can ChurchDesk do that MediaShout cannot?
ChurchDesk covers Member Portal, Announcements, Event RSVP, Volunteer Coordination. MediaShout covers Lyric Display, Video Integration, Theme Creation, Remote Control.

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
MediaShout: What is the cheapest way to use MediaShout for a church?

MediaShout 7 LE subscription at $198/year provides single-computer access. Alternatively, Site License at $599 one-time covers unlimited computers permanently without annual fees.

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
MediaShout: Does the perpetual license include ongoing support after purchase?

No, perpetual licenses (Essentials $698, Complete $798, Site $599) require optional Plus Membership renewal annually ($199-299/year) for priority support and training 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
MediaShout: What is the cost difference between Windows and Mac versions?

Mac Essentials costs $598 (vs $698 Windows). Mac Complete costs $698 (vs $798 Windows). Mac Site License costs $499 (vs $599 Windows). All include same perpetual license model with annual membership options.

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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