Easyshul vs Rakefet Online (2026)
Two synagogue management options compared on verified pricing, Jewish-specific workflows, billing depth, communications, migration and independent evidence.
Quick answer
- Price: Easyshul: Standard (congregations with more than 150 families) $349/mo. Rakefet Online: RakefetOnline-CRM Annual - NEW USERS (year 1) $149/mo; RakefetOnline-CRM Annual - EXISTING USERS $90/mo. For a 150-household congregation that is roughly $4,188 vs $1,080 per year before processing and setup fees.
- Jewish-specific workflows: Rakefet Online leads (10.0 vs 14.0 of 20 points).
- Membership, dues and money: Easyshul leads (18.5 vs 16.5 of 20 points).
- Communications and engagement: Easyshul leads (12.5 vs 9.5 of 15 points).
- Independent customer evidence: Easyshul leads (7 vs 5 of 10 points).
- Overall: Easyshul 80.5/100 · Rakefet Online 78.0/100
Pricing side by side
Easyshul
- Standard (congregations with more than 150 families): $349/mo · 150+ families · Platform access; '+ digital payments fee' noted beside the price.
- Small & Mighty Synagogue Program (fewer than 150 families): · Under 150 families · Not stated — 'program available', price on request.
Setup: Not stated. Features page says imports from Rakefet, Chaverware and MM2000 are free with onboarding; no onboarding price is published.. Processing: 'Digital payments fee' added to the subscription; features page cites 'discounted processing rates through partner processors'. Processor not named; a 2026 Capterra reviewer mentions 'having to switch to a 3rd party processor'.. Source: vendor page, 2026-10-12 (vendor-page).
Rakefet Online
- RakefetOnline-CRM Annual - NEW USERS (year 1): $149/mo · not stated ('Unlimited seats for members, donors, admins and office') · Basic data migration (import/classify members, family relationships, donors, events, yahrzeits, journal entries, chart of accounts and opening balances); billed annually; 'On Year 2 Upgraded to an Existing User'
- RakefetOnline-CRM Annual - EXISTING USERS: $90/mo · not stated · Current RakefetOnline user plan; billed annually; 'Existing User Deal Options Available'
Setup: Homepage says sign-up involves a 'one-time setup fee & subscription' but no amount is published; the pricing page lists none. Basic data migration is included in the new-user plan.. Processing: Credit card and ACH processing with recurring payments via Member Portal; integrations named: Stripe, PayPal, PayQuiq, Venmo (two versions of the page list different ones). Processor fees not stated.. Source: vendor page, 2026-10-12 (vendor-page).
Feature by feature
| Capability | Easyshul | Rakefet Online |
|---|---|---|
| Membership & household records | Yes Membership database for members, non-members and organizations; CRM; opt-in directory. | Yes Members, children, family relationships, committees, notes, attachments, profile pictures, new member/renewal forms. |
| Yahrzeit tracking & reminders | Yes Yahrzeit management: mourners, letters, custom lists; members can set reminders. | Yes Yahrzeits, mourners, memorial plaques, yizkor book reports, printed/emailed notices mixing Jewish and Gregorian dates. |
| Hebrew calendar integration | Not verified Not listed. | Yes Automatic Hebrew date conversion, weekly Torah portions and Haftarot, Google Calendar integration. |
| Dues, billing & receivables | Yes Recurring charges, batch billing, invoicing, collections management (statements to outstanding balances). | Yes Member/donor billing, global billing, recurring payments, member ledgers, receivables reports, printed or emailed statements. |
| Online payments | Yes Online member payments and login-free payment links; partner processors. | Yes Credit card and ACH, recurring payments via Member Portal; Stripe/PayPal/PayQuiq/Venmo named. |
| Donations, pledges & campaigns | Yes Campaign pages with progress, tribute/thank-you letters, instant tax receipts, recurring giving. Pledges not named. | Partial Donation payment forms and donor giving tracking; 'School and Fundraising' listed on rakefetonline.com. Pledges not explicitly mentioned. |
| General ledger / fund accounting | Partial 'Finance & Accounting Suite' integrated with QuickBooks and Sage; financial reporting/export. No native GL described. | Yes Full AR/AP, general ledger with restricted funds, check writing, journal entries, bank reconciliation, budgeting, P&L/balance sheet/trial balance/audit reports. |
| QuickBooks integration | Yes QuickBooks Online or Desktop sync; Sage connection. | Not verified Not mentioned on current vendor pages; UJA 2018 guide noted some customers pair Rakefet with QuickBooks or Sage. |
| Religious school management | Yes School module: enrollment forms, classes, communications; also preschool, adult ed, camps. | Yes 'School Management' listed; religious school classes tracked in the database. |
| Events & registration | Yes Ticket tiers, member/non-member pricing, add-ons, engagement tracking. | Yes Form builder for events and registrations; special event tracking. |
| High Holiday seating | Yes Online seat selection with preferences. | Partial rakefetonline.com lists 'seating' among tracked data and 'High Holy Day planning' is cited; no dedicated seating-chart module described. |
| Honors, aliyot & gabbai tools | No Gabbai management and kibbudim reporting marked 'Coming Soon'. | Partial 'Aliyot' tracked in the database per rakefetonline.com; no gabbai workflow described. |
| Cemetery management | Not verified Not listed. | Not verified Not mentioned on vendor pages checked. |
| Website / CMS | Partial No CMS; integrates with Wix, Squarespace, WordPress, Weebly. | No No website builder; donation/payment forms embed in an existing website and API access is offered for external sites. |
| Email & newsletters | Yes Templates, drag-and-drop builder, analytics, automation. | Yes Email templates, quick messages, scheduled emails, contact lists. |
| SMS / texting | Yes Texts from a dedicated number. | Yes SMS templates and quick messages via Twilio integration. |
| Member self-service portal | Yes Members manage accounts, pay dues, enroll. | Yes Members/donors view commitments, set up recurring payments, download receipts. |
| Mobile app | Partial Browser 'Android and iPhone compatible'; EasyCare on mobile; members app slated for 2026. | No Described as 'mobile friendly'; no dedicated app mentioned. |
| API / data export | Partial Data export at any time; no API listed. | Yes Import/export and API access for external processes or websites. |
| Automation & workflows | Yes Email automation for lifecycle events, pastoral-care workflows (EasyCare), automated thank-you letters. | Partial Scheduled emails and recurring billing; no general workflow engine described. |
Evidence links for every cell are on the individual review pages: Easyshul, Rakefet Online.
Rubric scores
| Group | Easyshul | Rakefet Online | Max |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jewish-specific workflows | 10.0 | 14.0 | 20 |
| Membership, dues and money | 18.5 | 16.5 | 20 |
| Communications and engagement | 12.5 | 9.5 | 15 |
| School and events | 10.0 | 10.0 | 10 |
| Data portability and migration | 7.5 | 8.0 | 10 |
| Pricing transparency | 15 | 15 | 15 |
| Independent customer evidence | 7 | 5 | 10 |
| Total | 80.5 | 78.0 | 100 |
Easyshul: strengths / limitations
- Highest third-party rating among the five (4.9/5 on 8 Capterra reviews, recent 2025-2026) with consistent praise for support responsiveness.
- Full billing/receivables, payments and QuickBooks/Sage integration included at one price, plus email, SMS and seating.
- Free imports from Rakefet, Chaverware and MM2000 with onboarding.
- Flat $349/mo plus processing fees regardless of size above 150 families; sub-150 pricing is not published.
- No website CMS (relies on Wix/Squarespace/WordPress/Weebly integration) and no native member app yet.
- Gabbai/kibbudim features still 'Coming Soon'; cemetery and Hebrew calendar not listed.
- Site inconsistencies (24/6 vs 24/7 support; placeholder text) suggest marketing pages are not tightly maintained.
- Small review sample.
Rakefet Online: strengths / limitations
- Built-in full double-entry accounting (AR/AP/GL, restricted funds, bank rec) rather than relying on QuickBooks
- Integrated Jewish calendar with Torah portions and Google Calendar sync
- API plus import/export; unlimited users
- Published pricing; basic data migration included for new customers
- Live US-based phone support with published hours
- Year-1 price ($149/mo) is substantially above the renewal price ($90/mo); both billed annually
- No website CMS; no dedicated mobile app
- Cemetery, QuickBooks integration and dedicated seating module not evidenced on current pages
- No independent review-site presence found
- Company location and ownership details not published
Full reviews: Easyshul · Rakefet Online · all comparisons