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Religion · head to head

Ministry Brands vs Realm

Ministry Brands logo

Ministry Brands

Religion

A church software holding company whose current product is the Amplify module suite

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Realm logo

Realm

Religion

Church management and engagement platform by Community

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Ministry Brands the legacy acquired brands and Amplify are different software, so a church buying Shelby or Fellowship One today is buying a product line that is not receiving the development investment.; Realm realm is deprecated. MongoDB Realm documentation redirects to MongoDB Atlas pricing. No Realm-specific pricing published. Realm was MongoDB's mobile and edge database platform.
  • They diverge on capability: Ministry Brands covers Amplify People, Realm covers Member Directory.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Ministry Brands and Realm actually diverge.

Attributes where Ministry Brands and Realm differ
AttributeMinistry BrandsRealm
Pricing modelquotesubscription
FoundedUnknown2012

Identical on both: starting price (On request), free tier (No), platforms (Web, iOS, Android), 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 Ministry Brands

  • Amplify People
  • Amplify Giving
  • Amplify Accounting
  • Amplify Websites and Streaming
  • Background screening
  • Amplify Service Planning

Only in Realm

  • Member Directory
  • Group Management
  • Online Giving
  • Communications
  • Payment Processing
  • Email Integration
  • Event Management
  • Mobile App

What people use each for

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

Ministry Brands

  • A church that wants member records, giving, website and streaming from one vendor with one loginnot Realm
  • A congregation needing fund accounting that understands restricted funds rather than a general ledger adapted from business softwarenot Realm
  • Running volunteer background checks under a child protection policy without a separate screening vendornot Realm
  • A denominational office standardising several congregations on one records and giving platformnot Realm

Realm

  • Member managementnot Ministry Brands
  • Donation trackingnot Ministry Brands
  • Event planningnot Ministry Brands
  • Volunteer schedulingnot Ministry Brands
  • Communicationnot Ministry Brands

Where each one falls short

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

Ministry Brands

  • The legacy acquired brands and Amplify are different software, so a church buying Shelby or Fellowship One today is buying a product line that is not receiving the development investment.
  • Nothing is publicly priced at any level, so churches cannot compare modules against single-purpose competitors without running a full sales process.
  • Ministry Brands processes the giving, so the transaction rate is a large and negotiable part of the cost that is easy to overlook while comparing module subscriptions.
  • Module count creates upsell pressure, and churches often sign for a bundle then use three or four modules while paying for the rest.
  • Moving from a legacy brand onto Amplify is a full data migration with its own cost and risk, which weakens the argument that staying inside the family is the low-effort choice.

Realm

  • Realm is deprecated. MongoDB Realm documentation redirects to MongoDB Atlas pricing. No Realm-specific pricing published. Realm was MongoDB's mobile and edge database platform.

Pricing, plan by plan

Ministry Brands

On request
  • Amplify$undefined/year
    • Modules bought individually or bundled
    • Priced by church size and modules selected
    • Giving processed by Ministry Brands at a negotiated transaction rate
  • Legacy products$undefined/year
    • Shelby Systems, Elexio, Fellowship One, easyTithe and others
    • Supported for existing customers
    • Not the go-forward investment line

Realm

On request
  • Essential$99/month
    • Basic features
    • Up to 500 members
  • Complete$299/month
    • All features
    • Unlimited members
    • Advanced analytics

Which should you pick?

Choose Ministry Brands if

  • You need amplify people.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want amplify giving.
Ministry Brands review

Choose Realm if

  • You need member directory.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want group management.
Realm review

Questions people ask

Is Ministry Brands or Realm better?
Neither clearly leads. Ministry Brands starts at On request and Realm at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Ministry Brands or Realm?
Ministry Brands starts at On request and Realm at On request.
Does Ministry Brands or Realm run on more platforms?
Ministry Brands runs on Web, iOS, Android. Realm runs on Web, IOS, Android.
What is Ministry Brands best used for?
Ministry Brands is most often used for a church that wants member records, giving, website and streaming from one vendor with one login, a congregation needing fund accounting that understands restricted funds rather than a general ledger adapted from business software, running volunteer background checks under a child protection policy without a separate screening vendor, a denominational office standardising several congregations on one records and giving platform. Of those, a church that wants member records, giving, website and streaming from one vendor with one login and a congregation needing fund accounting that understands restricted funds rather than a general ledger adapted from business software are not what Realm is typically brought in for.
What can Ministry Brands do that Realm cannot?
Ministry Brands covers Amplify People, Amplify Giving, Amplify Accounting, Amplify Websites and Streaming. Realm covers Member Directory, Group Management, Online Giving, Communications.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Ministry Brands: What do I actually buy from Ministry Brands?

Amplify, sold as modules. The older acquired brands are still supported but are not what new customers are sold.

Realm: Is Realm still available?

Realm appears to be deprecated or consolidated into MongoDB's other offerings. Documentation pages redirect to MongoDB Atlas without specific Realm information.

Source
Ministry Brands: Is pricing published?

No. Everything is quoted by church size and module selection, and the giving transaction rate is negotiated separately.

Realm: What happened to Realm pricing?

Realm no longer has published pricing. The product was MongoDB's mobile and edge database platform but has been discontinued or merged into other MongoDB services.

Source
Ministry Brands: Are Shelby and Fellowship One discontinued?

They are supported but not the go-forward line. Ask for written end-of-support commitments before renewing.

Ministry Brands: Is Amplify Equip the same as Faithlife Equip?

No. Amplify Equip is an AI sermon preparation module. Faithlife Equip was a separate product that has been discontinued.

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