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Head-to-head · Church Website Builders

Mainfolk vs Congregate

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 6 checks side by side
Higher score Mainfolk #3 in Church Website Builders 9.1/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 5 of 6 features Visit Mainfolk
Congregate #4 in Church Website Builders 9.0/10 Paid ✓ 4 of 6 features Visit Congregate

Mainfolk leads on 1 check, Congregate on 0, and 5 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 6 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreMainfolk · 9.1/10
  • Free planonly Mainfolk
  • Most featuresMainfolk · 5 of 6

Mainfolk scores higher on our rubric for church website builders: 9.1 against 9.0 out of 10; our editors rank them #3 and #4.

Mainfolk offers free plan; Congregate doesn't.

Mainfolk is the better fit for churches wanting low-cost AI-assisted publishing. Congregate is the better fit for churches needing a website plus full church operations.

  • Mainfolk fits best

    Churches wanting low-cost AI-assisted publishing

  • Congregate fits best

    Churches needing a website plus full church operations

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature Mainfolk 9.1/10 Visit ↗ Congregate 9.0/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.1 9.0
Ranking #3 in Church Website Builders #4 in Church Website Builders
Best for Churches wanting low-cost AI-assisted publishing Churches needing a website plus full church operations
Pricing model Free plan + paid Paid
Starting price $150/yr $20/mo
Free plan ✓ (best) —
Free trial — —
Deployment Cloud, Mobile Cloud, Self-hosted, Mobile
Platforms Web, iOS, Android Web, iOS, Android
Support Email, Community Docs
Compliance 2FA 2FA
Integrations 3 integrations 7 integrations
Built for Small business, Mid-market Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Mainfolk 5/6 · Congregate 4/6
Custom domain ✓ ✓
Sermon publishing ✓ ✓
Event calendar ✓ ✓
Donation links ✓ ✓
Staff pages Not checked yet Not checked yet
Multi-site support ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Free plan includes AI site creation, hosting, security, and unlimited edits
  • Church-specific tools cover sermons, events, groups, ministries, and giving links
  • Staff can edit without plugins or HTML, with multisite and migration support
  • Combines CMS, member management, scheduling, CRM, and messaging
  • Includes hosting, SSL, custom domains, and member mobile apps
  • Supports sermons, podcasts, events, giving links, and attendance tracking
Cons
  • The Free plan uses a Mainfolk subdomain and includes community help
  • Integrations are limited to Tithe.ly, Pushpay, and PayPal
  • Visitor analytics begin with Pro, while unlimited editors require Civic
  • No free plan is available
  • Online giving relies on linked or embedded third-party providers
  • Messaging and transcription features require additional payment
Our verdict

Mainfolk is a hosted website builder for churches and other community organizations. It combines AI-generated site creation with church-focused publishing tools, including service times, plan-your-visit pages, sermons and media, events,…

Read the review →

Congregate is a church-focused website and congregational management platform from DP Media Group, LLC. It is designed for churches that want public website publishing alongside member directories, calendars, sermon publishing, attendance…

Read the review →
  1. MainfolkChurch Website Builders 9.1Free plan
  2. CongregateChurch Website Builders 9.0Paid

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Mainfolk — where it wins

    • Free plan includes AI site creation, hosting, security, and unlimited edits
    • Church-specific tools cover sermons, events, groups, ministries, and giving links
    • Staff can edit without plugins or HTML, with multisite and migration support

    Where it doesn't

    • The Free plan uses a Mainfolk subdomain and includes community help
    • Integrations are limited to Tithe.ly, Pushpay, and PayPal
    • Visitor analytics begin with Pro, while unlimited editors require Civic

  • Congregate — where it wins

    • Combines CMS, member management, scheduling, CRM, and messaging
    • Includes hosting, SSL, custom domains, and member mobile apps
    • Supports sermons, podcasts, events, giving links, and attendance tracking

    Where it doesn't

    • No free plan is available
    • Online giving relies on linked or embedded third-party providers
    • Messaging and transcription features require additional payment

More comparisons

All church website builders comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update