Eliakim is the pioneer of church management in the French-speaking world: more than ten years in business and over 2,000 churches equipped, with a recognized strength in volunteer scheduling and worship. Ministeo is the newcomer, focused on pastoral care and AI. Here is what really sets them apart — with verified pricing.
The gist in 20 seconds: choose Eliakim if your number one need is organizing Sunday teams — volunteer schedules, songs, sheet music, transposition. Choose Ministeo if your number one need is the pastoral care of people: encrypted confidential notes, appointments, home groups and a plain-language AI assistant — free up to 50 members, and cheaper at every tier.
| Criterion | Ministeo | Eliakim |
|---|---|---|
| Origin & languages | France · FR, EN, ES, PT | France · FR |
| Free plan | ✓ Up to 50 members, no time limit | 60-day free trial, then €29/month minimum |
| Price — ~50 people | €0/month | €29/month (Essentiel) |
| Price — ~150 people | €49/month (Growth) | €59/month (Croissance) |
| Price — ~300-450 people | €79/month (Community) | €99/month (Impact) |
| Pastoral AI assistant | ✓ Natural-language chat: search, follow-ups, message drafting | ✗ Not offered (July 2026) |
| Confidential pastoral notes | ✓ AES-256 encrypted, visible only to their author | ✓ Pastoral follow-up and prayer topics (per-author encryption not publicly documented) |
| Volunteer scheduling | Coming soon — module in the works | ✓ Core of the product: availability-based scheduling, automatic reminders |
| Worship management | ✗ Not offered | ✓ Songs, transposition, audio/YouTube, sheet music |
| Data hosting | France · GDPR | France · GDPR (own servers) |
| Mobile app | ✓ iOS and Android, Face ID protection | ✓ Smartphone and tablet apps |
| Integrations | ✓ Google Calendar, Brevo, Planning Center import + CSV | Mostly in-house ecosystem |
Pricing and information gathered in July 2026 on eliakim.net and ministeo.com. Eliakim plan names are given in their original French. Both vendors' price lists may change — check their respective websites.
Eliakim was born from an organizational question: how do you schedule Sunday teams without spending your evenings on it? More than ten years later, that is still its strength: one-click volunteer schedules based on everyone's availability, full worship management (song library, transposition, audio and YouTube links, sheet music accessible to musicians), automatic reminders. More than 425,000 volunteers have been scheduled on the platform — the product is mature and proven.
Ministeo was born from a ministry question: who in my congregation needs attention right now? The whole product flows from that question: member profiles with history, confidential meeting notes, prayer requests, appointments synced with Google Calendar, home groups — and an AI assistant that answers in plain language: "Which members haven't been contacted in 3 weeks?", "Draft a message for the newcomers".
Both cover the member database and communication. But they excel in different places: Eliakim organizes Sunday, Ministeo supports the rest of the week.
Both price lists are tiered by number of people, but they don't start from the same place:
At Ministeo, every tier includes all features, AI included, and annual billing gives you 2 months free. On the other side, note that Eliakim plans include file storage (5 to 60 GB depending on the plan), useful for sheet music and team documents.
Ministeo's clearest differentiator is its conversational AI assistant — a first in the French-speaking church management market. In practice:
Eliakim has no equivalent to date (July 2026). Its automation is of a different kind: automatic reminders to volunteers, schedule notifications.
On this front, credit where it's due: both vendors have chosen France. Eliakim hosts on its own physical servers in France and has made this a central part of its positioning. Ministeo also hosts in France, under the GDPR, and adds a layer specific to pastoral confidentiality: confidential notes are encrypted with AES-256 and visible only to their author — an architectural guarantee, not just a contractual one. Compared with American solutions subject to the CLOUD Act, both options are solid for a European church.
What is the main difference between Ministeo and Eliakim?
Eliakim excels at organizing Sunday: volunteer scheduling and worship. Ministeo excels at pastoral care during the week: encrypted confidential notes, appointments, home groups and a conversational AI assistant.
Is Ministeo cheaper than Eliakim?
For a comparable size, yes: free vs €29/month up to 50 people, €49 vs €59 around 150 people, €79 vs €99 around 300-450 people. Eliakim, on the other hand, offers a 60-day trial and includes file storage.
Is Eliakim better at volunteer scheduling?
Yes, it is its historical core business — availability-based scheduling, automatic reminders, worship management. At Ministeo, volunteer scheduling is in the works and worship is not on the roadmap.
Is the data hosted in France?
Yes, with both vendors, with GDPR compliance. Ministeo adds AES-256 encryption of confidential pastoral notes, visible only to their author.
Does Ministeo offer an AI assistant?
Yes — plain-language member search, identifying people to reach out to, drafting personalized messages, all while strictly respecting access rights. Eliakim has no equivalent to date.
Can I try Ministeo for free?
Yes, with no time limit up to 50 members and no credit card. CSV import is available to bring your data over in minutes.
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