Good news: French-speaking churches no longer have to choose between Excel and American software. Ministeo and ChurchManager are two tools made in France, both free up to 50 members. ChurchManager is a French-language tool; Ministeo is multilingual (FR, EN, ES, PT). And they don't solve the same problem. Here is a factual comparison to help you decide.
The gist in 20 seconds: choose ChurchManager if your priority is administrative and financial management — donations, automatic tax receipts, budgeting. Choose Ministeo if your priority is the pastoral care of people: encrypted confidential notes, appointment scheduling, home groups, a mobile app, and an AI assistant that answers in plain language.
| Criterion | Ministeo | ChurchManager |
|---|---|---|
| Origin & language | France · FR, EN, ES, PT | France · FR |
| Free plan | ✓ Up to 50 members, no credit card | ✓ Starter, fewer than 50 members |
| Member management | ✓ Detailed profiles, home groups, care history | ✓ Detailed profiles, attendance tracking |
| AI assistant | ✓ Conversational chat: search, follow-ups, message drafting in plain language | "AI tools" for optimization announced, no conversational assistant described |
| Confidential pastoral notes | ✓ AES-256 encrypted, visible only to their author | Not highlighted on the website (July 2026) |
| Mobile app | ✓ iOS and Android, with Face ID protection | Not mentioned on the website (July 2026) |
| Financial & giving management | ✗ Not offered | ✓ Donations, budget, automatic tax receipts |
| Calendar & pastoral appointments | ✓ With Google Calendar sync | ✓ Event calendar |
| Integrations | ✓ Google Calendar, Brevo, Planning Center import | Not detailed on the website (July 2026) |
| Data hosting | France · GDPR, encrypted notes | GDPR compliance stated; location not specified on the website |
| Paid plans | €24 to €149/month, all-inclusive, annual = 2 months free | Paid plans by size; price list not detailed on the home page |
Information gathered in July 2026 on churchmanager.fr and ministeo.com. "Not mentioned" means the information did not appear on the vendor's public website at that date — it may exist elsewhere.
ChurchManager presents itself as a complete church management tool, with a strong emphasis on administration: members, events, finances, statistics. Its most concrete strength for a church in France: automatic tax receipts for donors, which save the treasurer real time at year-end.
Ministeo starts from the other end: ministry to people. The question isn't "how much did we receive this month?" but "who hasn't been visited in three weeks?". Member profiles, confidential meeting notes, prayer requests, appointments, home groups — and an AI assistant that answers these questions in plain language, drafts follow-up messages and offers to send them.
So it's less "which one is best?" than "what is your number one problem?": the paperwork, or caring for souls.
Both vendors talk about artificial intelligence, but not about the same thing. ChurchManager announces AI tools to optimize processes and support decision-making. Ministeo builds a conversational assistant into the heart of the product: you talk to it like a colleague.
Crucially, the assistant applies the same access rights as the interface. It never reads a confidential note you didn't write. AI in the service of ministry, with no compromise on pastoral confidentiality.
A church file contains data about religious beliefs — "special category" data under the GDPR — and pastoral care notes can touch on health, family and personal struggles. At Ministeo, this is handled at the architecture level:
ChurchManager states GDPR compliance, which is already better than most shared spreadsheets — but does not publicly describe an equivalent safeguard dedicated to pastoral confidentiality (July 2026).
Both tools let you start for free below 50 members — so the smart move is to try both with your real data. Beyond that, Ministeo's pricing is public and all-inclusive:
Every feature — AI included — is part of every tier; annual billing gives you 2 months free.
What is the main difference between Ministeo and ChurchManager?
ChurchManager is centered on administrative and financial management (donations, tax receipts, budget). Ministeo is centered on pastoral care: encrypted confidential notes, appointments, home groups and a conversational AI assistant.
Are both tools free?
Yes, both offer a free plan up to 50 members. At Ministeo, paid plans range from €24 to €149/month, all-inclusive, with 2 months free on annual billing.
Does Ministeo have a mobile app?
Yes: web, iOS and Android, with Face ID protection for confidential data. ChurchManager does not mention a mobile app on its website (July 2026).
Which one handles donations and tax receipts?
ChurchManager — it's its strong suit. Ministeo does not offer a financial module and focuses on caring for people.
Are pastoral notes really confidential in Ministeo?
Yes: AES-256 encrypted, visible only to their author, hosted in France. Even the AI assistant respects these access rights.
Is it easy to migrate to Ministeo?
Yes, via CSV import from any tool (ChurchManager, Excel…) or direct import from Planning Center. No technical skills required.
Create your free account, import your members from a CSV file and ask the AI assistant your first question. No credit card, no commitment.
Get started for free