Flocknote

Flocknote is a web-based communications and administration service for churches and ministries. It is best suited to congregations that want messaging, member records, signups, and giving in one place. Its appeal depends on member count: Starter is free only up to 40 members, while broader tools and larger organizations bring additional costs.

Overview

Flocknote brings church communications together with member management, event signups, and online giving. Its intended customers range from individual ministries to diocesan and multi-campus organizations. That combination is useful for teams coordinating participation as well as sending announcements; organizations that need only a texting service may find the wider church-management focus unnecessary.

Members can receive messages without downloading an app, and Flocknote recommends that administrators use a mobile browser. The company says it is 100% employee-owned. It also describes TLS-protected data transfers and encryption and authentication using SHA-256 with RSA. Giving is processed through Stax, which Flocknote identifies as a Level 1 PCI service provider; its security page says card details are encrypted and not stored after a transaction.

Key features

Messaging and member management

Administrators can email or text a group, several groups, or individuals. This flexibility supports targeted communication rather than forcing every announcement to the full membership. Member records can include custom profile fields, household groups, relationships, attendance, and documents. These tools make Flocknote more than a messaging list, although household records and donor management are part of Complete rather than the free Starter tier.

Signups, payments, and giving

Signups can handle registrations, RSVPs, polls, surveys, volunteering, and event payments, with custom registration forms and payment collection. That range suits churches that want one signup flow for both attendance and participation. Flocknote says users can export data for accounting software, connect signup forms and RSS feeds to a church website, and post notes to social media.

Online giving is included with U.S. plans without setup or monthly fees, but gifts still incur processing charges: 1.1% plus 30¢ for ACH and 2.9% plus 30¢ for credit or debit cards. Those rates matter for organizations weighing convenience against payment costs, particularly as donation volume grows. Flocknote offers email help from its Happiness Engineers at [email protected].

Pricing

Flocknote uses a freemium model and offers a free trial. The pricing choice turns on both membership size and whether a church needs the database and donor tools in Complete.

• Flocknote Starter: free, billed Free for life for 0–40 members. It includes unlimited email, unlimited standard texting, online giving, and event signups. For 41–50 members, the monthly price is $10; for 51–70 members, it is $17. Starter is the sensible starting point for small congregations that can work without Complete’s household database and donor management. Its free cap is firm, and the price rises with membership beyond it.
• Flocknote Complete: $75 a month, billed $75/month plus the Starter price based on total members; 0–40 members costs $75. It includes Starter features, a household database, donor management, registration, and five free Text-to-Join keywords. This is the better fit for churches that need richer member and giving administration, but the base charge is a substantial step up from free Starter. Each additional Text-to-Join keyword costs $5 per month.
• Flocknote Enterprise: custom pricing. The diocesan and multi-campus offering includes subnetworks, training, support, and migration. It is aimed at organizations that need a multi-site structure and implementation help rather than a single-church setup.

Starter includes one free Text-to-Join keyword; Complete includes five. Additional keywords cost $5 per month on either plan. Online giving has no setup or monthly fee in U.S. plans, but transaction charges apply regardless of plan.

Platforms

Flocknote is listed for web and mobile access. Members do not need an app to receive church messages, and administrators are advised to use a mobile browser. That may suit congregations seeking low-friction access for recipients, but it does not offer the stated convenience of a dedicated administrator app.

Who it's for

Flocknote is a strong fit for churches and ministries that want to link communications with participation, member information, and giving. Small congregations with 40 or fewer members can start without a subscription charge, while organizations needing household and donor tools should consider Complete. Dioceses and multi-campus groups have an Enterprise option. It is a weaker fit for groups that only need mass texting or that want to avoid transaction fees on online donations.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Messaging reaches groups or individuals by email or text, and signups span events, surveys, volunteering, and payments, giving churches several connected communication and participation tools.
• Pros: Starter includes unlimited email, unlimited standard texting, giving, and event signups, with no charge for up to 40 members.
• Pros: Member fields, household grouping, relationships, attendance, and document storage support richer records than a simple contact list.
• Cons: Starter's free tier ends at 40 members, and its monthly price varies by church size beyond that threshold.
• Cons: The household database and donor management require Complete, starting at $75/month even for 0–40 members.
• Cons: Online giving carries per-transaction fees, and extra Text-to-Join keywords cost $5 per month each.

Alternatives

For a broader comparison, see Nonprofit Text Messaging Software, Church Text Messaging Software, Nonprofit Text-to-Give Software, Church Giving Software, and Church Event Management Software.

• CallHub is worth considering when a nonprofit wants a communications-focused alternative with Android, iOS, web, and other platform support and a free plan.
• Text-Em-All (formerly Call-Em-All) is an alternative for organizations looking for a freemium messaging service; its Starter tier offers 25 credits for voice-broadcast testing and texting to your own number, while mass texting requires an upgrade.
• OpenFn is a freemium option for workflow automation rather than church communications: its free plan allows one workflow, 100 runs per month, a 60-second run limit, and one user.
• KindEngage is another freemium alternative for organizations considering nonprofit software.
• Text Request is a paid alternative with no free plan; its Enterprise plan is $575 a month and includes 20,000 texts and 10 dashboards.
• Sinch Engage is a paid messaging alternative with plans that include SMS allowances of 3,000 or 10,000 per month, depending on tier.
• TXTPass is a paid alternative with a $9.99 a month Basic plan that includes scheduled messages, campaigns, templates, auto-replies, and keywords.
• Beetexting is a paid alternative whose Professional plan costs $89.97 a month and includes two users, one number, and 1,000 messages per month, with messaging costs and industry fees additional.

Verdict

Choose Flocknote if your church wants messaging, member administration, signups, and giving connected, especially if a congregation of 40 or fewer members can use Starter’s free allowance. Complete makes sense when household and donor management justify its $75 monthly base, while Enterprise is geared to diocesan and multi-campus needs. Look elsewhere if your priority is messaging alone, if Starter’s member-based pricing does not fit, or if payment-processing fees are a deal-breaker.