Congregation Connect vs ShulCloud (2026)
Two synagogue management options compared on verified pricing, Jewish-specific workflows, billing depth, communications, migration and independent evidence.
Quick answer
- Price: Congregation Connect: Quote only. 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.
- Jewish-specific workflows: ShulCloud leads (6.0 vs 16.0 of 20 points).
- Membership, dues and money: ShulCloud leads (9.0 vs 12.0 of 20 points).
- Communications and engagement: ShulCloud leads (8.0 vs 12.5 of 15 points).
- Data portability and migration: ShulCloud leads (5.5 vs 7.5 of 10 points).
- Pricing transparency: ShulCloud leads (5 vs 15 of 15 points).
- Independent customer evidence: ShulCloud leads (1 vs 8 of 10 points).
- Overall: Congregation Connect 42.0/100 · ShulCloud 78.5/100
Pricing side by side
Congregation Connect
No published price (quote).
Setup: not stated. Processing: 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 | Congregation Connect | ShulCloud |
|---|---|---|
| Membership & household records | Yes Constituents, members, donors, groups, households with a '360° view'. | Yes Membership database, CRM, directory; members manage family members via login. |
| Yahrzeit tracking & reminders | Yes Yahrzeit listed in the 'Connected Synagogue' feature set. | Yes Yahrzeit management with reminders to members, gabbaim, rabbi; included in all tiers per /compare. |
| Hebrew calendar integration | Not verified Not mentioned. | Yes Rule-based zmanim 'Smart Schedule System', calendar widget with holidays, parashot, Hebrew/English dates; zmanim by lat/long. |
| Dues, billing & receivables | Not verified Billing/statements not described on the vendor page; donations tracked. Kesef can run AR as a service. | Partial Invoicing, batch billing, statements, collections — but marketed as 'Financials' and absent from the Standard tier. |
| Online payments | Not verified Online forms are an add-on; payment processing not described. | 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 Donations, fundraising, donor tracking. | Yes Online donations, pledges via gabbai module, Shalach Manot campaign module, fundraising module (Enterprise), site sponsor feature. |
| General ledger / fund accounting | No No native GL; QuickBooks integration offered as an add-on (2018 guide: QuickBooks and Sage 50). Kesef provides bookkeeping as a service. | No No general ledger; QuickBooks/Sage sync offered as a paid extra. |
| QuickBooks integration | Yes QuickBooks integration listed as an add-on. | Partial QuickBooks/Sage sync is a paid extra: $500 setup unless bundled with an onboarding purchase. |
| Religious school management | Partial Classes and students tracked; no dedicated school/tuition module described. | Partial School module/enrollment management; school management listed under Enterprise. |
| Events & registration | Yes Events listed; Planning Center Online Resources add-on for rooms/resources. | 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 | Not verified Not mentioned (no website builder described). | 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 Marketing automation and email marketing add-on. | Yes Newsletters, advanced email system, email statistics, schedule emails; all tiers. |
| SMS / texting | Not verified Not mentioned. | Partial Paid add-on at every tier: $35/month for 2,000 messages or $420/year for 24,000. |
| Member self-service portal | Yes Congregant portals listed as an add-on. | Yes Members pay bills, update info, manage family, yahrzeits, billing. |
| Mobile app | Not verified Not mentioned (Salesforce mobile availability not claimed on page). | Partial Administrator app (iOS/Android) included; 'New Mobile Member App' is a paid extra. |
| API / data export | Partial Salesforce platform: 'extendable by Force.com admins'; standard Salesforce APIs/exports implied but not stated. | Partial 'Export Your Data' at any time; no API listed. |
| Automation & workflows | Yes Marketing automation; Salesforce workflow customization. | 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: Congregation Connect, ShulCloud.
Rubric scores
| Group | Congregation Connect | ShulCloud | Max |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jewish-specific workflows | 6.0 | 16.0 | 20 |
| Membership, dues and money | 9.0 | 12.0 | 20 |
| Communications and engagement | 8.0 | 12.5 | 15 |
| School and events | 7.5 | 7.5 | 10 |
| Data portability and migration | 5.5 | 7.5 | 10 |
| Pricing transparency | 5 | 15 | 15 |
| Independent customer evidence | 1 | 8 | 10 |
| Total | 42.0 | 78.5 | 100 |
Congregation Connect: strengths / limitations
- Full Salesforce CRM extensibility and reporting
- Suited to large, staff-rich congregations
- Backed by Shulware/Togetherwork with Kesef bookkeeping available
- No published pricing; per-user Salesforce licensing on top of support packages (2018)
- Requires Salesforce-savvy staff
- Small installed base (~50 in 2018)
- Billing, seating, honors, cemetery not evidenced on vendor page
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: Congregation Connect · ShulCloud · all comparisons