Benevolate vs MyShul (2026)
Two synagogue management options compared on verified pricing, Jewish-specific workflows, billing depth, communications, migration and independent evidence.
Quick answer
- Price: Benevolate: Quote-based: monthly core platform fee + a per-transaction fee on every payment except checks; premium modules priced separately. MyShul: Standard $179/mo; Premium $310/mo; Enterprise ('most popular') $460/mo.
- Jewish-specific workflows: Benevolate leads (10.0 vs 8.0 of 20 points).
- Membership, dues and money: MyShul leads (17.0 vs 18.5 of 20 points).
- School and events: Benevolate leads (10.0 vs 5.0 of 10 points).
- Data portability and migration: Benevolate leads (10.0 vs 8.0 of 10 points).
- Pricing transparency: MyShul leads (5 vs 15 of 15 points).
- Independent customer evidence: MyShul leads (0 vs 10 of 10 points).
- Overall: Benevolate 63.0/100 · MyShul 75.0/100
Pricing side by side
Benevolate
- Synagogue Core (custom quote): · Not stated; quote depends on number of households, modules, implementation needs, migration complexity and website requirements · CRM, membership, donations, payments, forms, events, member portal, reporting, API access, yahrzeits, lifecycle, facilities
Setup: Implementation scoped per organization (data migration, configuration, training, payment setup, go-live support); no amounts published.. Processing: Stripe. /pricing states '2.2% + $0.30' for the nonprofit edition and says synagogue rates are 'in the quote'. The sample ledger on /feature/payments shows ~2.9-3.0% on card and $0.00 on ACH, which is illustrative, not a published rate. Who bears the fee is not stated.. Source: vendor page, 2026-10-12 (vendor-page).
MyShul
- Standard: $179/mo · Unlimited contacts; 5 custom fields, 2 role permissions, 5 sponsorships, 5 tickets/store items, 2 seating maps, manual transaction entry up to $20k/mo (column mapping inferred from order) · 'All Core Features': CRM, donations, invoices, statements, schedules, zmanim, app, TV, fundraising tools, sponsorships, tickets/store, recurring payments, tax receipts
- Premium: $310/mo · Unlimited custom fields/permissions/sponsorships/seating maps; manual entry up to $40k/mo (inferred) · Standard + memberships, bulk invoicing, QuickBooks sync, accounting reports, Smart Forms with dynamic pricing, custom website + hosting + domain, payment terminal, bulk email
- Enterprise ('most popular'): $460/mo · Unlimited; unlimited manual transaction entry · Everything in Premium; eligible for Multi-Bank Payout add-on
- Add-ons: · Custom Website $44/mo ($36/mo annual); API & SQL Access $120/mo ($98/mo annual); Multi-Bank Payout $191/mo ($230/mo annual as printed; Enterprise only, up to 10 banks)
- Terms-of-service fee model (free tier): · 'Shuls have no subscription fees'; 1% platform fee on processed funds; 3% on raffle transactions; Stripe fees additional
Setup: Not stated. 'Small Shul Discount' available on request (no figure).. Processing: Stripe ('processed entirely by Stripe'); card/ACH rates not stated. Terms add a 1% platform fee on processed funds and 3% on raffles.. Source: vendor page, 2026-10-12 (vendor-page).
Feature by feature
| Capability | Benevolate | MyShul |
|---|---|---|
| Membership & household records | Yes 'Households and history'; relationships tied to people. | Yes CRM with unlimited contacts; 'Memberships' on Premium+; households not explicitly described. |
| Yahrzeit tracking & reminders | Yes Yahrzeits listed in synagogue Core; /synagogues: 'Yahrzeit, cemetery, and lifecycle' module. | Not verified Not mentioned on pages read; a third-party roundup (wifitalents.com) lists 'yahrzeit tracking', unverified. |
| Hebrew calendar integration | Not verified Not mentioned; Hebrew-date conversion for yahrzeits not described. | Yes Schedules and zmanim in Core. |
| Dues, billing & receivables | Yes 'Dues, invoices, payments, open balances'; staff see 'which households still have a balance'. | Yes Invoices, statements, recurring payments; bulk invoicing on Premium+; payment reminders. |
| Online payments | Yes Stripe card and ACH; recurring payments. | Yes Stripe; app and web payments; payment terminal on Premium+. |
| Donations, pledges & campaigns | Partial Gifts post to funds, GL and households; annual campaign category shown; pledges not described on pages read. | Yes Donations, fundraising tools, sponsorships, raffles (3% fee per Terms). |
| General ledger / fund accounting | Partial Each revenue category maps to a chart-of-accounts line and deposit bank; journal export. Not positioned as a full GL. | Partial 'Accounting reports', up to 10 banks / multi-bank payout; not a GL. |
| QuickBooks integration | Yes Journal sync posts journal entries, invoices and deposits to mapped QuickBooks banks incl. Undeposited Funds clearance. | Yes 'QuickBooks sync' on Premium and Enterprise. |
| Religious school management | Yes Premium module: enrollment, attendance, billing, family communication; Jacksonville Jewish Center case. | Not verified Not mentioned on any vendor page read 2026-10-12. |
| Events & registration | Yes Tickets, RSVPs, volunteers, QR check-in. | Yes Tickets & Store (5 on Standard, unlimited above). |
| High Holiday seating | Partial 'Registration, seats, and the household that reserved them stay together'; High Holiday seating per se not named. | Yes 'Seating Map' (2 on Standard, unlimited above); homepage lists seat maps. |
| Honors, aliyot & gabbai tools | Not verified Not mentioned. | Not verified Not mentioned on any vendor page read 2026-10-12. |
| Cemetery management | Yes Cemetery is a Premium module; lifecycle module holds 'dates and rituals'. | Not verified Not mentioned on any vendor page read 2026-10-12. |
| Website / CMS | Partial Website hosting is a Premium module; CMS depth not described on pages read. | Yes Custom website with hosting, support and templates: included on Premium+ or $44/mo add-on. |
| Email & newsletters | Yes Email campaigns and newsletters using household lists. | Yes 'Bulk email' on Premium+. |
| SMS / texting | Yes Homepage: SMS 'using the same household lists'. | Not verified Not mentioned on any vendor page read 2026-10-12. |
| Member self-service portal | Yes 'A portal on the same record'. | Partial Member-facing app pays invoices, donates, views schedules; a web portal is not described. |
| Mobile app | Not verified No native app mentioned. | Yes iOS 'MyShul.com' v3.1 (2025-11-04) and Android 'com.myshul.app'; single app for users and admins. |
| API / data export | Yes 'API access' in synagogue Core; detailed journal CSV export. | Yes 'API & SQL Access' add-on $120/mo. |
| Automation & workflows | Partial 'AI & automation' page and 'Ask Benevolate' query feature linked; details not read. | Partial 'Automates repetitive tasks'; Smart Forms with dynamic pricing; payment reminders. |
Evidence links for every cell are on the individual review pages: Benevolate, MyShul.
Rubric scores
| Group | Benevolate | MyShul | Max |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jewish-specific workflows | 10.0 | 8.0 | 20 |
| Membership, dues and money | 17.0 | 18.5 | 20 |
| Communications and engagement | 11.0 | 10.5 | 15 |
| School and events | 10.0 | 5.0 | 10 |
| Data portability and migration | 10.0 | 8.0 | 10 |
| Pricing transparency | 5 | 15 | 15 |
| Independent customer evidence | 0 | 10 | 10 |
| Total | 63.0 | 75.0 | 100 |
Benevolate: strengths / limitations
- Genuine accounting mapping (category -> COA -> deposit bank) with QuickBooks journal sync
- API access included in Core; both email and SMS on household lists
- Security page is candid about SOC 2 status rather than claiming it
- Visible in the synagogue-executive market (NAASE 2026 Platinum sponsor)
- No published synagogue prices; everything is a quote
- Thin synagogue track record by its own account (four synagogues worked with directly)
- Hebrew calendar, honors/aliyot and a mobile app are not mentioned
- SOC 2 report not yet issued; no third-party reviews
MyShul: strengths / limitations
- Published tier pricing and add-on prices
- Native member app, kiosk/TV displays, seating maps and raffles aimed at Orthodox shuls
- QuickBooks sync and API/SQL access available
- Pricing page and Terms describe two different fee models (subscription vs 1% platform fee)
- Terms assert MyShul owns all data entered and allow a temporary fee increase of up to 100%
- Yahrzeit, honors, school, cemetery, SMS not evidenced
- Self-published '11 compared' article and unsourced '#1 / 4.9' claim
Full reviews: Benevolate · MyShul · all comparisons