European Church Management Software Tools

#1 ChurchTools

Karlsruhe, Germany Packages from $39 a month (XS, 100 people) to $249 a month (XL, 2,500 people) plus an XXL package at $399 a month; 30-day free trial; EUR toggle on the pricing page Demo on request

Best for: German-speaking and international congregations that want one platform for people, events and finances

• Operating company. ChurchTools Innovations GmbH
• Jurisdiction. EU (Germany)
• Where the data sits. Germany and Finland (Hetzner Online, ISO 27001)
• Source code. Closed source
• Replaces. Planning Center

ChurchTools is a church platform made by ChurchTools Innovations GmbH, whose imprint gives Waldstraße 63 in Karlsruhe, Amtsgericht Mannheim and register number HRB 724299. The site lists people, groups, posts, calendars, resources, events, a wiki, check-in, chat, sync and finances as modules. Resources handle bookings of rooms, vehicles and objects.

ChurchTools sorts customers into packages by head count: XS covers 100 people at $39 a month, M covers 500 people and two campuses at $99, XL covers 2,500 people at $249, and XXL costs $399. The pricing page offers a EUR toggle and a database dump at 29 EUR. The company states servers in Germany and Finland with Hetzner Online, which holds ISO 27001, and describes its finance module as GoBD-compliant.

Standout feature. ChurchTools is the only tool in this category that combines resource booking, event volunteer coordination and check-in in one package with its hosting countries named.

#2 ChurchSuite

not stated on the pages we read, United Kingdom Plans by number of contacts with monthly and annual views, prices inclusive of VAT where applicable and quoted in GBP, USD, EUR and AUD; amounts not readable on the pages we read; free trial Demo on request

Best for: UK and Irish churches that need rotas, worship planning and Gift Aid in one database

• Operating company. ChurchSuite Ltd
• Jurisdiction. United Kingdom (adequacy decision, outside the EEA)
• Where the data sits. not stated on the pages we read
• Source code. Closed source
• Replaces. Planning Center

ChurchSuite is a web-based member database from ChurchSuite Ltd, which its terms place in England and Wales under registered number 8532235. The product tour names ten modules: Address Book, Attendance, Bookings, Calendar, Children, Giving, Planning, Network, Rotas and Small Groups.

ChurchSuite Giving claims Gift Aid, takes online donations and manages regular giving, and the Children module tracks youth work. The terms put the contract under English law and call ChurchSuite Ltd a data processor under GDPR. Plans scale with the number of contacts, with the amounts shown in four currencies, but the figures themselves did not render on the pages we read.

Standout feature. ChurchSuite is the only tool in this category that ties a Planning module and Rotas module to Gift Aid claiming in the same database.

#3 Church Admin Plugin

King's Lynn, United Kingdom Free version; Small Churches tier $50 a year (up to 50 people); premium EUR 9.99 monthly, EUR 28 quarterly, EUR 99.99 annually (also in USD and GBP) Demo on request

Best for: Small churches with a WordPress website that want to start free and keep data on their own site

• Operating company. Andy Moyle (developer named in the privacy policy)
• Jurisdiction. United Kingdom (adequacy decision, outside the EEA)
• Where the data sits. On your own WordPress site
• Source code. Closed source
• Replaces. Planning Center

Church Admin Plugin is church software that installs into a WordPress site, written by Andy Moyle of King's Lynn, who is named in the privacy policy as developer and data controller. The free version holds people and family records, a calendar, sermon podcasting and a rota tool.

Premium unlocks SMS, email and push messages, groups, event ticketing, facilities, attendance, multi-site, media and online giving, at €9.99 a month, €28 a quarter or €99.99 a year. A Small Churches tier costs $50 a year for up to 50 people. Because the plugin stores records on the church's own site, the congregation decides the host and the country. The vendor is one person and the privacy policy dates from 2018.

Standout feature. Church Admin Plugin is the only tool in this category where the church itself picks the hosting country, because the records live on its own WordPress site.

#4 Hubb

not stated on the pages we read, United Kingdom Website only GBP 19, Website + App GBP 29, Church Management plans GBP 35 / 45 / 65 / 85 a month, all inclusive of VAT; SMS 7p + VAT; donations 2.2% + 20p Demo on request

Best for: UK churches that want a website, app and member admin from one supplier

• Operating company. Hubb Digital Ltd
• Jurisdiction. United Kingdom (adequacy decision, outside the EEA)
• Where the data sits. not stated on the pages we read
• Source code. Closed source
• Replaces. Planning Center

Hubb is a church software supplier whose pricing page names Hubb Digital Ltd, company number 04072126, and whose older domain is ChurchInsight. The shop sells a church website, a church app and admin tools as one family.

Website only costs £19 a month and Website plus App £29. Church Management plans cost £35, £45, £65 and £85 a month, with the largest covering 400 members, all including VAT. Extras are SMS at 7p plus VAT, a £3 Hubb.Processing account, and 2.2% + 20p on online donations and bookings. Hubb Church Finance claims Gift Aid, and some groups of churches receive half price for two years.

Standout feature. Hubb is the only tool in this category that sells a website-only plan, from £19 a month, beside its member administration plans.

#5 ChurchDesk

Berlin, Germany Basic EUR 109, Small EUR 196, Medium EUR 275, Large EUR 437 a month excl. VAT with annual payment; one-off setup and training EUR 960 per congregation Demo on request

Best for: German parishes and dioceses that want calendar, contacts and website in one platform

• Operating company. ChurchDesk GmbH
• Jurisdiction. EU (Germany)
• Where the data sits. not stated on the pages we read
• Source code. Closed source
• Replaces. Planning Center

ChurchDesk is a church platform operated by ChurchDesk GmbH on Friedrichstraße 155 in Berlin, with a second Berlin address in the footer. The footer states ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification, and the site is available in German, Danish, English, Norwegian and Dutch.

Every plan includes Calendar, Contacts, Forms, a website designer, Workflows and Finance. Plans run €109, €196, €275 and €437 a month excl. VAT, from 100 to 5,000 contacts, and new customers pay €960 per congregation for set-up and training. A contactless donation terminal costs €552 a year. The pages do not name the server location or the owner of the company.

Standout feature. ChurchDesk is the only tool in this category that sells its own contactless donation terminal alongside the software.

#6 iKnow Church

not stated on the pages we read, United Kingdom Pricing page says prices include VAT and give access to every module; amounts not read; iKnow Chat from GBP 10 a month plus the iKnow Church subscription Demo on request

Best for: Churches in England that want safeguarding, child check-in and governance records in one system

• Operating company. iKnow Software Ltd (privacy policy); site owned by Edit Websites Ltd
• Jurisdiction. United Kingdom (adequacy decision, outside the EEA)
• Where the data sits. not stated on the pages we read
• Source code. Closed source
• Replaces. Planning Center

iKnow Church is church management software marketed from iknowchurch.co.uk. The privacy policy is headed iKnow Software Ltd and says the site is run by Edit Websites Ltd, registered in England and Wales under 06128243, with an EU representative named as Euverify Ltd in Cork.

The feature list covers People, Teams and Rotas, Events, Child Check-in, Ticketing, Finance, Rooms, Safeguarding, Statistics, Governance and Life Events, plus a mobile app. The pricing page says prices include VAT and every module. The amounts did not render. iKnow Chat is advertised from £10 a month on top, and a Church of England partnership page is linked in the menu.

Standout feature. iKnow Church is the only tool in this category that lists Safeguarding and Governance as modules in their own right.

#7 Scipio App

Groningen, Netherlands Packages page exists but showed no usable prices on the pages we read Demo on request

Best for: Dutch congregations that want a member app with a synced member list

• Operating company. Hagru B.V.
• Jurisdiction. EU (Netherlands)
• Where the data sits. not stated on the pages we read
• Source code. Closed source
• Replaces. Planning Center

Scipio App is made by Hagru B.V., whose Groningen address is on the Hagru site. The Dutch pages describe a church app for smartphone, tablet and web with a member list, groups, messages, a digital collection, events, documents and a tasks and volunteers feature.

Members choose which of their details others can see, guest access is possible, and the privacy page says data is stored encrypted and the app can be locked with a PIN, Face ID or Touch ID. The site claims more than 750 churches and over 30 years of experience. No price and no hosting country were readable, and the pages are in Dutch only.

Standout feature. Scipio App is the only tool in this category built around per-person privacy settings on a shared member list.

#8 Verowa

Winterthur, Switzerland Base licence from CHF 1,500 a year up to 1,500 members, rising to CHF 7,980 for up to 22,000; modules CHF 250 to 950 a year each; excl. VAT Demo on request

Best for: Swiss parishes and pastoral regions that plan services, staff and rooms together

• Operating company. Picture-Planet GmbH
• Jurisdiction. Switzerland (adequacy decision, outside the EEA)
• Where the data sits. Switzerland (Datenpark, as stated)
• Source code. Closed source
• Replaces. Planning Center

Verowa is Swiss church software from Picture-Planet GmbH, Gertrudstrasse 17 in Winterthur, and its pages list reference parishes and a monastery. The people module records staff and assigns them to events, and worship roles such as readers and altar servers plus a collection plan sit under events.

The base licence costs CHF 1,500 a year for up to 1,500 members and CHF 7,980 for up to 22,000, excl. VAT, with modules at CHF 250 to 950 a year. The licence includes all functions, any number of users and rooms, and phone and email support. Hosting is stated at Datenpark in Switzerland with daily backups, and the privacy policy follows the revised Swiss act of 1 September 2023.

Standout feature. Verowa is the only tool in this category whose base licence includes every function and an unlimited number of users and rooms.

#9 KiKartei

Kleindöttingen, Switzerland No prices on the pages we read; the site only mentions good value for money Demo on request

Best for: Swiss parish secretariats that manage households and church registers

• Operating company. KW-Software AG
• Jurisdiction. Switzerland (adequacy decision, outside the EEA)
• Where the data sits. Switzerland (high-security data centre at Green, canton Aargau, as stated)
• Source code. Closed source
• Replaces. Planning Center

KiKartei is parish office software from KW-Software AG, Industriestrasse 38 in Kleindöttingen, UID CHE-115.563.382. The company says it has offered the software for over 20 years and claims more than 1,000 customers in Switzerland. A cantonal solution runs in Aargau, Baselland, Basel-Stadt, Fribourg, Lucerne, Thurgau and Zurich.

The base module shows households with every member on one page, records casual services and pastoral data and builds rule-based groups. It prints labels, merges mail, exports to Excel and produces annual statistics, and it imports resident registers. Add-ons cover courses, rooms, keys, documents and donations, and a K!Mobil app exists. Protocol and tax management are marked as planned.

Standout feature. KiKartei is the only tool in this category that imports resident registers and logs every mutation of a record.

#10 kirchenweb.ch

Gächlingen, Switzerland Not stated; free trial and quote request offered Demo on request

Best for: Swiss Kirchgemeinden that want website publishing and room management in one system

• Operating company. kirchenweb.ch GmbH
• Jurisdiction. Switzerland (adequacy decision, outside the EEA)
• Where the data sits. not stated on the pages we read
• Source code. Closed source
• Replaces. Planning Center

kirchenweb.ch is a system for administration and publication run by kirchenweb.ch GmbH, Talstrasse 5 in Gächlingen, with Werner Näf named as privacy contact. Each Kirchgemeinde receives a base system described as a container, and modules are embedded in it.

Six administration modules include an event and room hub with an online view of worship planning, room rental with invoicing, course organisation, an absence plan and online legal texts. Kirchenpersonen, the member module, exists as a basic version only. Five system sizes run from Mini to Regional, and neither prices nor the hosting location appear on the pages we read.

Standout feature. kirchenweb.ch is the only tool in this category that joins website publishing and room rental invoicing in one Swiss system.

#11 SongBeamer

Olching, Germany Price not shown on the pages we read; site calls the program affordable Demo on request

Best for: Congregations that only need worship projection, not a member database

• Operating company. Sebastian Zierer (imprint of songbeamer.de)
• Jurisdiction. EU (Germany)
• Where the data sits. not stated on the pages we read
• Source code. Closed source
• Replaces. Planning Center

SongBeamer is a presentation program for church services, published under the imprint of Sebastian Zierer, Roggensteiner Str. 19 in Olching. SongBeamer projects songs, Bible passages, videos, images and short messages, and multi-monitor operation lets the operator keep working while the audience sees a full screen.

Full-text search finds songs and Bible texts, chords can be shown or printed, and version 6.0 supports optional automatic reporting to CCLI. SongBeamer has no people, group or giving features, and the program runs on the church's own computer. The order page returned an error, so no price is stated, and the vendor is an individual.

Standout feature. SongBeamer is the only tool in this category that restricts itself to projection and has no member data.