ChurchCRM review
A capable free core for churches prepared to manage hosting and administration.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
ChurchCRM is a free, open-source church management system for congregations that want to run their own software. Its scope covers people and family records, relationships, notes, custom properties, ministry groups, recurring and one-time events, attendance, child check-in and check-out, volunteer coordination, donations, pledges, deposits, funds, financial reports, and member self-registration. The web interface, self-hosted deployment model, and public and private APIs suit churches with technical capacity and control over their infrastructure.
The pricing model is straightforward: the core software is free, with no paid tiers described. Self-hosting does create a separate hosting expense, and the church remains responsible for its server environment and administration. That tradeoff may appeal to congregations prioritizing ownership and flexibility over a vendor-hosted service. Data tools include CSV import, exports, and database backup and restore, while role-based permissions and two-factor authentication support administrative control. The published feature set also includes multilingual support and configurable permissions.
ChurchCRM's ecosystem is built around plugins and integrations rather than a single bundled communications suite. Available connections include Mailchimp, Vonage SMS, OpenLP, Gravatar, Google Analytics, and External Backup; SMS is provided through an optional Vonage plugin. The system is a broad fit for churches that need one free core across administration, groups, events, check-in, giving, and volunteers. Churches seeking a vendor-hosted cloud service, a branded mobile app, or less responsibility for deployment and maintenance should consider a different type of church management product.
ChurchCRM pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Free, open-source core supports self-hosted church control.
- Covers records, groups, events, check-in, donations, and volunteers.
- Includes permissions, two-factor authentication, backups, and exports.
- Where it doesn't
- Self-hosting makes hosting and operational administration the church's responsibility.
- Plugin-based SMS depends on Vonage and adds setup beyond the core.
- Mobile access centers on web and API rather than a branded mobile app.
ChurchCRM fact sheet, pricing and score →
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