Rakefet Online vs Shul Software (2026)
Two synagogue management options compared on verified pricing, Jewish-specific workflows, billing depth, communications, migration and independent evidence.
Quick answer
- Price: Rakefet Online: RakefetOnline-CRM Annual - NEW USERS (year 1) $149/mo; RakefetOnline-CRM Annual - EXISTING USERS $90/mo. Shul Software: Tiered.
- Jewish-specific workflows: Rakefet Online leads (14.0 vs 10.0 of 20 points).
- Membership, dues and money: Rakefet Online leads (16.5 vs 9.5 of 20 points).
- School and events: Rakefet Online leads (10.0 vs 2.5 of 10 points).
- Data portability and migration: Rakefet Online leads (8.0 vs 2.5 of 10 points).
- Pricing transparency: Rakefet Online leads (15 vs 5 of 15 points).
- Independent customer evidence: Rakefet Online leads (5 vs 0 of 10 points).
- Overall: Rakefet Online 78.0/100 · Shul Software 38.5/100
Pricing side by side
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).
Shul Software
- Community (free): · up to 36 members · 50 outbound emails/day; website add-on CAD $18/mo
- Small Synagogue: · 37-108 members · CAD $50/month; 100 emails/day; website add-on CAD $9/mo
- Medium Synagogue ('Most Popular'): · 109-218 members · CAD $75/month; 200 emails/day; website included
- Large Synagogue: · 219+ members · CAD $100/month; 500 emails/day; website included
Setup: not stated. Processing: not stated (online payments not described). Source: vendor page, 2026-10-12 (vendor-page).
Feature by feature
| Capability | Rakefet Online | Shul Software |
|---|---|---|
| Membership & household records | Yes Members, children, family relationships, committees, notes, attachments, profile pictures, new member/renewal forms. | Yes Member profiles with family members/relationships, membership status and history, Mi Sheberach lists. |
| Yahrzeit tracking & reminders | Yes Yahrzeits, mourners, memorial plaques, yizkor book reports, printed/emailed notices mixing Jewish and Gregorian dates. | Yes Hebrew/civil date alignment with sunset-aware conversion, weekly/monthly lists, optional emails to relatives, board exports. |
| Hebrew calendar integration | Yes Automatic Hebrew date conversion, weekly Torah portions and Haftarot, Google Calendar integration. | Partial Hebrew date conversion for yahrzeits; no general congregational Hebrew calendar described. |
| Dues, billing & receivables | Yes Member/donor billing, global billing, recurring payments, member ledgers, receivables reports, printed or emailed statements. | Partial Membership dues reports, pledge schedules and reminders, exportable statements; no invoicing/AR ledger described. |
| Online payments | Yes Credit card and ACH, recurring payments via Member Portal; Stripe/PayPal/PayQuiq/Venmo named. | Not verified Not mentioned. |
| Donations, pledges & campaigns | Partial Donation payment forms and donor giving tracking; 'School and Fundraising' listed on rakefetonline.com. Pledges not explicitly mentioned. | Yes One-time and recurring donations, pledges, campaigns, funds, CRA/IRS tax receipts, appeals. |
| General ledger / fund accounting | Yes Full AR/AP, general ledger with restricted funds, check writing, journal entries, bank reconciliation, budgeting, P&L/balance sheet/trial balance/audit reports. | Not verified Not mentioned. |
| QuickBooks integration | Not verified Not mentioned on current vendor pages; UJA 2018 guide noted some customers pair Rakefet with QuickBooks or Sage. | Not verified Not mentioned. |
| Religious school management | Yes 'School Management' listed; religious school classes tracked in the database. | Not verified Not mentioned. |
| Events & registration | Yes Form builder for events and registrations; special event tracking. | Partial Event participation tracking; no registration/ticketing described. |
| High Holiday seating | Partial rakefetonline.com lists 'seating' among tracked data and 'High Holy Day planning' is cited; no dedicated seating-chart module described. | Not verified Not mentioned. |
| Honors, aliyot & gabbai tools | Partial 'Aliyot' tracked in the database per rakefetonline.com; no gabbai workflow described. | Partial Aliyot tracked under pledges/events; no gabbai workflow described. |
| Cemetery management | Not verified Not mentioned on vendor pages checked. | Not verified Not mentioned. |
| Website / CMS | No No website builder; donation/payment forms embed in an existing website and API access is offered for external sites. | Partial A 'website' is an add-on on lower tiers and included on Medium/Large; its scope is not described. |
| Email & newsletters | Yes Email templates, quick messages, scheduled emails, contact lists. | Yes Outbound email with daily quotas per tier (50-500/day). |
| SMS / texting | Yes SMS templates and quick messages via Twilio integration. | Not verified Not mentioned. |
| Member self-service portal | Yes Members/donors view commitments, set up recurring payments, download receipts. | Yes Secure members portal. |
| Mobile app | No Described as 'mobile friendly'; no dedicated app mentioned. | Not verified Not mentioned. |
| API / data export | Yes Import/export and API access for external processes or websites. | Partial CSV/PDF exports of reports and statements; no API described. |
| Automation & workflows | Partial Scheduled emails and recurring billing; no general workflow engine described. | Partial Pledge reminders and automated yahrzeit emails. |
Evidence links for every cell are on the individual review pages: Rakefet Online, Shul Software.
Rubric scores
| Group | Rakefet Online | Shul Software | Max |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jewish-specific workflows | 14.0 | 10.0 | 20 |
| Membership, dues and money | 16.5 | 9.5 | 20 |
| Communications and engagement | 9.5 | 9.0 | 15 |
| School and events | 10.0 | 2.5 | 10 |
| Data portability and migration | 8.0 | 2.5 | 10 |
| Pricing transparency | 15 | 5 | 15 |
| Independent customer evidence | 5 | 0 | 10 |
| Total | 78.0 | 38.5 | 100 |
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
Shul Software: strengths / limitations
- Free tier for congregations up to 36 members
- Low published CAD pricing
- Sunset-aware Hebrew date handling and CRA/IRS receipts
- Role-based access and members portal
- No accounting, QuickBooks, school, seating, cemetery, SMS or online-payment features evidenced
- Daily outbound email caps
- No independent reviews; company details sparse
- Member vs family counting ambiguity in tiers
Full reviews: Rakefet Online · Shul Software · all comparisons