Cardova vs ShulCloud (2026)
Two synagogue management options compared on verified pricing, Jewish-specific workflows, billing depth, communications, migration and independent evidence.
Quick answer
- Price: Cardova: Starter plan ('Popular') $80/mo; Pro plan $160/mo. ShulCloud: Standard ('ShulCloud without Financials') $161.99/mo; Premium ('ShulCloud with Financials') $313.99/mo; Enterprise ('The Complete ShulCloud') $464.99/mo; Small-shul Premium rate (signup checkbox) $97.99/mo. For a 150-household congregation that is roughly $864 vs $3,579.49 per year before processing and setup fees.
- Jewish-specific workflows: ShulCloud leads (7.0 vs 16.0 of 20 points).
- Membership, dues and money: Cardova leads (15.0 vs 12.0 of 20 points).
- Communications and engagement: ShulCloud leads (10.0 vs 12.5 of 15 points).
- School and events: ShulCloud leads (5.0 vs 7.5 of 10 points).
- Data portability and migration: ShulCloud leads (5.5 vs 7.5 of 10 points).
- Independent customer evidence: ShulCloud leads (1 vs 8 of 10 points).
- Overall: Cardova 58.5/100 · ShulCloud 78.5/100
Pricing side by side
Cardova
- Free plan: · up to 100 community members/contacts; 1 administrator · Essential features, basic reporting/analytics, basic chat and email support
- Starter plan ('Popular'): $80/mo · up to 500 members/contacts; 2 administrators · $80/mo billed monthly or $72/mo billed annually ($864/yr); free data transfer to Cardova, advanced reporting/analytics, priority chat and email support
- Pro plan: $160/mo · unlimited members/contacts; 5 administrators · $160/mo billed monthly or $144/mo billed annually ($1,728/yr); advanced custom fields, audit log and data history, high-priority chat/email support
Setup: None stated; 'free data transfer' on annual paid plans.. Processing: Pricing table shows 'Platform fees 0% to 5%' on all tiers; processor and card fees not stated.. Source: vendor page, 2026-10-12 (vendor-page).
ShulCloud
- Standard ('ShulCloud without Financials'): $161.99/mo · Not stated · Member demographics & lifecycles, responsive customizable website, Jewish calendar with Zmanim, administrator mobile app '& more'. Compare page also marks included: yahrzeit management, cemetery management, event management, resource booking, email system, directory, CRM, data export, donations (PayPal/cards).
- Premium ('ShulCloud with Financials'): $313.99/mo · Not stated; signup form offers a $97.99/mo Premium rate for shuls with fewer than 100 accounts (email support only; moves to full price above 100 accounts) · Everything in Standard plus billing, payments and statements, Purim Basket and other campaigns '& more'.
- Enterprise ('The Complete ShulCloud'): $464.99/mo · Not stated · Everything in Premium plus fundraising and school management '& more'.
- Small-shul Premium rate (signup checkbox): $97.99/mo · fewer than 100 accounts · Premium features; email support only; moves to full Premium price above 100 accounts.
Setup: Not priced on the live site. Terms of Use (shulware.com/website-terms) §4.2 confirms onboarding fees exist and may be paid in installments if ShulCloud agrees. An archived shulcloud.com/faqs (nli.org.il web archive, date not shown; live /faqs now 404) said onboarding solutions ranged from a one-time $150 to $3,600+. Temple Tools' marketing page claims '$5000+' for ShulCloud onboarding — vendor claim, unverified.. Processing: Not stated on the plans page. Features page: online member payments by credit card or ACH eCheck; donations via PayPal or credit cards. Terms §4.2 reference third-party processing fees without amounts.. Source: vendor page, 2026-10-12 (vendor-page).
Feature by feature
| Capability | Cardova | ShulCloud |
|---|---|---|
| Membership & household records | Yes Individual profiles, households/family units, lifecycle from prospect to alumni, community groups, member self-updates. | Yes Membership database, CRM, directory; members manage family members via login. |
| Yahrzeit tracking & reminders | Partial Directory page: tracks 'lifecycle events with native support for the Hebrew calendar'; yahrzeit lists/notices not described explicitly. | Yes Yahrzeit management with reminders to members, gabbaim, rabbi; included in all tiers per /compare. |
| Hebrew calendar integration | Yes 'Native support for the Hebrew calendar' for lifecycle events. | Yes Rule-based zmanim 'Smart Schedule System', calendar widget with holidays, parashot, Hebrew/English dates; zmanim by lat/long. |
| Dues, billing & receivables | Yes Memberships with automated renewals, reminders, tiered access and reports; invoicing/AR ledger not described. | Partial Invoicing, batch billing, statements, collections — but marketed as 'Financials' and absent from the Standard tier. |
| Online payments | Yes Donations, membership and ticket payments online; platform fee 0-5%. | Partial Credit card and ACH eCheck member payments; online member payments not in Standard. Donations by PayPal/cards in all tiers. |
| Donations, pledges & campaigns | Yes One-time and recurring donations, dedicated funds, giving reports, campaigns; pledges not mentioned. | Yes Online donations, pledges via gabbai module, Shalach Manot campaign module, fundraising module (Enterprise), site sponsor feature. |
| General ledger / fund accounting | No No accounting module described. | No No general ledger; QuickBooks/Sage sync offered as a paid extra. |
| QuickBooks integration | Not verified Not mentioned. | Partial QuickBooks/Sage sync is a paid extra: $500 setup unless bundled with an onboarding purchase. |
| Religious school management | Not verified Not mentioned. | Partial School module/enrollment management; school management listed under Enterprise. |
| Events & registration | Yes Events & ticketing with attendance and reporting. | Yes Event registration with payment, attendance tracking, resource booking (rooms, Torah scrolls, clergy). |
| High Holiday seating | Not verified Not mentioned. | Partial High Holiday seating online and seat management & billing; not shown for Standard on /compare. |
| Honors, aliyot & gabbai tools | Not verified Not mentioned. | Partial Gabbai management (kibbudim, pledges) and kibbudim reporting; not shown for Standard. |
| Cemetery management | Not verified Not mentioned. | Yes Manage one or multiple cemeteries; included in all tiers per /compare. |
| Website / CMS | Yes 'Community website' tooling. | Yes Template-based 'fully customizable' site with CMS, hosting, HTTPS, SEO, Google Analytics. Basic template in basic packages; advanced design templates in Standard and Premium packages. No page found stating custom-built sites were discontinued (see open_questions). |
| Email & newsletters | Yes Communication hub: announcements, event updates, automated occasion messages. | Yes Newsletters, advanced email system, email statistics, schedule emails; all tiers. |
| SMS / texting | Partial Pricing table row 'Text individual community members' (plan-dependent); no bulk SMS described. | Partial Paid add-on at every tier: $35/month for 2,000 messages or $420/year for 24,000. |
| Member self-service portal | Partial Members can update their own profile and household information; full portal scope not described. | Yes Members pay bills, update info, manage family, yahrzeits, billing. |
| Mobile app | Not verified Not mentioned. | Partial Administrator app (iOS/Android) included; 'New Mobile Member App' is a paid extra. |
| API / data export | Partial Pricing comparison table includes 'API' and 'Export' rows; details not published. | Partial 'Export Your Data' at any time; no API listed. |
| Automation & workflows | Yes Automatic receipts, renewal reminders, weekly reports; 'Automated workflows' row in plan table. | Partial Rule-based schedule generation, scheduled emails, reminder statements, batch billing; no general workflow builder described. |
Evidence links for every cell are on the individual review pages: Cardova, ShulCloud.
Rubric scores
| Group | Cardova | ShulCloud | Max |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jewish-specific workflows | 7.0 | 16.0 | 20 |
| Membership, dues and money | 15.0 | 12.0 | 20 |
| Communications and engagement | 10.0 | 12.5 | 15 |
| School and events | 5.0 | 7.5 | 10 |
| Data portability and migration | 5.5 | 7.5 | 10 |
| Pricing transparency | 15 | 15 | 15 |
| Independent customer evidence | 1 | 8 | 10 |
| Total | 58.5 | 78.5 | 100 |
Cardova: strengths / limitations
- Free tier and transparent low pricing
- Modern directory with household and lifecycle modelling, Hebrew-calendar support
- Automation of renewals, receipts and reports
- Free data migration on annual plans
- Very new vendor with no reviews, customer counts or published location
- No accounting, QuickBooks, school, seating, honors or cemetery features evidenced
- Platform fee of up to 5% on top of processor fees
- Boilerplate copy on pricing page suggests an early-stage site
ShulCloud: strengths / limitations
- Broadest published feature list of the five: yahrzeits, zmanim-driven scheduling, HH seating, gabbai/kibbudim, cemetery, school, campaigns, website/CMS all on one platform.
- Transparent monthly and annual list prices on the vendor site.
- Largest installed base claimed (1,600+ shuls), so peers and consultants familiar with it are easier to find.
- Data export available at any time per the features page.
- Standard tier excludes billing, payments and statements — the financial core most synagogues buy the software for.
- Several items are paid extras on top of the tier price: SMS, member mobile app, QuickBooks/Sage sync, data imports.
- Onboarding fees exist but are not priced publicly.
- Annual plans are non-cancelable and non-refundable per the plans page.
- Third-party reviews are few, dated (2019-2022) and skew negative on support; the 2020 Yom Kippur outage is documented.
Full reviews: Cardova · ShulCloud · all comparisons