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Religion · head to head

ChurchDesk vs Quelea

ChurchDesk logo

ChurchDesk

Religion

Church management and member portal platform

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Q

Quelea

Religion

Simple free presentation software for churches and worship

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Quelea 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; Quelea quelea is 100% free open source software with no paid tier or vendor support contract
  • They diverge on capability: ChurchDesk covers Member Portal, Quelea covers Lyric Display.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ChurchDesk and Quelea actually diverge.

Attributes where ChurchDesk and Quelea differ
AttributeChurchDeskQuelea
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionopen-source
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, MobileWindows, Mac, Linux
Founded20102011

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 Quelea

  • Lyric Display
  • Bible Verses
  • Theme Support
  • Song Library
  • OpenLyrics Format
  • Web Remote
  • Theme Editor
  • Plugin Support

What people use each for

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

ChurchDesk

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

Quelea

  • 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.

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

Quelea

  • Quelea is 100% free open source software with no paid tier or vendor support contract

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

Quelea

Free
  • Community EditionFree
    • All features
    • No cost
    • Community development

Which should you pick?

Choose ChurchDesk if

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

Choose Quelea if

  • You need lyric display.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, Mac, Linux.
  • You also want bible verses.
Quelea review

Questions people ask

Is ChurchDesk or Quelea better?
Neither clearly leads. ChurchDesk starts at On request and Quelea at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ChurchDesk or Quelea?
Quelea has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for ChurchDesk and Free for Quelea.
Does ChurchDesk or Quelea run on more platforms?
ChurchDesk runs on Web, Mobile. Quelea runs on Windows, Mac, Linux.
Can I use Quelea for free?
Yes. Quelea 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.
What can ChurchDesk do that Quelea cannot?
ChurchDesk covers Member Portal, Announcements, Event RSVP, Volunteer Coordination. Quelea covers Lyric Display, Bible Verses, Theme Support, Song Library.

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
Quelea: Is Quelea free?

Yes, Quelea is completely free church projection software with no paid tiers or premium features. It is 100% free and open source.

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
Quelea: Are there any costs associated with using Quelea?

There are no costs, subscription fees, or feature limitations based on payment. All features including stage view, video backgrounds, mobile lyrics view, multilingual support, and Bible integration are free.

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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